She asked to ensure she had Xiao Xian’s permission, as it was his wardrobe after all.
Xiao Xian picked up one of the hangers from the bed, studying it curiously. When he heard her request to remodel the wardrobe, he suddenly became intrigued. He wanted to see what she could possibly do with such a dilapidated piece of furniture, so he agreed with a curt, “Put it on the bed.”
Li Miaomiao understood the unspoken command in those four words—her instincts were sharpening quickly. After all, anyone who spent enough time around Xiao Xian learned to think faster than they moved, given how reclusive and temperamental he was.
The wardrobe contained very few clothes—you could see the back of it at a single glance. Li Miaomiao moved a box from the top shelf to a low table and stood on tiptoe to reach for Xiao Xian’s garments. As she turned, something slipped out from the folds of the clothing.
She bent down to pick it up and realized it was a jade pendant, broken cleanly down the middle. She couldn’t identify the specific type of jade, but she could tell the texture was warm and delicate, with a deep, rich luster.
I didn’t hear it break just now, she thought. Where is the other half?
Just as she was pondering this, a piercing, cold gaze fell upon her. Li Miaomiao didn’t need to guess—Xiao Xian was furious. With his leg injury yet to heal, she knew she was no match for him in a confrontation. She hurriedly placed the clothes on the bed and pressed the broken fragment of jade into his hand.
She offered a sheepish, conciliatory smile. “I’ll find the other half and glue it back together for you, so please, don’t be angry.”
Xiao Xian stared at the half of the white jade pendant in his palm, his index finger tracing the intricate carvings. His expression was chillingly grim.
Li Miaomiao felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees. She stole a nervous glance at the man on the bed; seeing his face as dark as ink, she concluded that the pendant must hold great significance for him. Thinking this, she buried her head, frantically searching every corner of the room.
Watching her scurry about like a panicked rabbit, Xiao Xian’s eyes sharpened. His fingers suddenly tightened, squeezing the jade hard in his palm, his hatred intensifying.
Thud.
A cry of pain broke the silence. Li Miaomiao sat on the floor, rubbing her forehead, muttering indignantly, “That hurts.”
Xiao Xian watched as she puffed out her cheeks and let out a long, frustrated breath, looking for all the world like a blowfish. He suppressed the grim intent in his eyes and glanced at the corner of the table she had just bumped into.
Clumsy. Bumping her head on something like that.
Li Miaomiao looked up and found him watching her. She pursed her lips, intending to go back to searching, when she heard the man’s cold voice drift slowly across the room: “Stop looking. It was already broken in half.”
“If it was already broken, you could have said so earlier!”
Li Miaomiao managed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes at him, but her mouth had a mind of its own and slipped up.
Seeing her standing there with her arms crossed, cheeks puffed out in a pout, Xiao Xian felt his mood lighten ever so slightly. He took a long look at his clenched fist, then tossed the jade pendant into her lap.
“Even as a broken piece, it should be worth something if pawned. Consider it compensation for your medical expenses.”
Li Miaomiao picked up the pendant to examine it closely. A bird was carved into the surface; judging by the jagged edge, the other half must have been the wing. “Are you sure you want to part with it?”
She vividly remembered the icy, murderous look in his eyes when she had first picked it up from the floor.
Xiao Xian lowered his gaze, a mocking, derisive smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “There is no use in keeping a broken, incomplete thing.”
His voice was laced with sarcasm. Li Miaomiao knew he wasn’t just talking about the jade; he was comparing the broken pendant to his own crippled legs.
When a piece of jade breaks in half, its value plummets. When a man loses his legs and cannot find a way forward, his entire world turns gray.
Looking at the fragment, she suddenly remembered a line from a television drama she had once watched. Remembering it now, she couldn’t help but find the irony amusing.
A small, stifled giggle escaped her lips.
The sound was crisp and jarring in the quiet room.
Xiao Xian shot a cold, sideways glare in her direction.
Realizing he had misunderstood her again, Li Miaomiao tucked the jade pendant into her bodice. She blinked, her clear eyes crinkling with a hint of amusement, and explained, “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was reminded of a story I once read. In it, there was a line that went something like: ‘You have only lost a leg, but she has lost her true love.’ Thinking about it now, it just feels so ironic and absurd.”
Li Miaomiao had always believed that without sufficient empathy, offering comfort while standing on high ground—without ever truly feeling the other person’s pain—was nothing but empty, aggravating talk. Besides, Xiao Xian was not a man who wanted anyone’s pity.
With those words, she picked up the wardrobe and carried it out of the room.
Before long, the rhythmic sound of hammering echoed through the house, each strike ringing out as if it were hitting the marrow of the man’s bones. He picked up one of the hangers from the bed and continued to study it. Li Miaomiao’s earlier words drifted through his mind, and the corners of his lips curved slightly into a wry, mocking smile.
“She’s quite the storyteller.”
Li Miaomiao spent the entire afternoon dismantling the wardrobe. She used a plane to refinish the weathered surfaces, restructured the entire frame, and removed the right-side partition to add a hanging rod. By the end of the day, the work was finished.
When Xiao Xian saw her lugging the cabinet back inside and placing it in its original spot, he noticed the interior was entirely transformed. He watched as she walked to the bed, took his carefully folded clothes, and smoothed them out onto the bamboo hangers, placing them neatly in the wardrobe. It was much easier to find what he needed now compared to the old way of stacking them. She had even fashioned a custom drawer, perfectly sized to hold his small box—the ideal place to hide away money.
“You have quite the knack for this.”
Hearing the cool voice behind her laced with a hint of genuine appreciation, Li Miaomiao lifted her chin with a touch of pride. “Naturally.”
This was, after all, her bread and butter. If she couldn’t even manage this, how could she hope to maintain a household?
She glanced casually at his legs, weighed her words for a moment, and said softly, “Xiao Xian, would you like to go outside and walk a bit?”
Stuck in that room day in and day out, even the brightest spirit would eventually succumb to melancholy. Xiao Xian caught the look in her eyes. Contrary to his usual behavior, he didn’t flare up in anger; instead, he stated the facts with chilling detachment.
“Even with the support of a crutch, my body cannot carry me even a single mile.”
Hearing his defeatist tone, Li Miaomiao bit her inner lip. A decision took root in her mind.
From that day on, whenever she had a free moment, she would head to the mountains to fell trees, returning to spend the entire day working. Soon, it was market day again. She packed the goods she intended to sell into her basket, cooked breakfast, and left it on the table.
She paused at the door of Xiao Xian’s room and whispered inside, “I’m heading to the market. There’s porridge on the table—make sure you eat.”
In the pale, pre-dawn light, she slipped out with the heavy basket on her back.
Listening to the sound of the door closing, Xiao Xian climbed out of bed, put on his shoes, and leaned on his crutches as he hobbled to the entrance. He pushed the door open just a crack, peering out at the narrow path where the grass was heavy with dew. His frame was shrouded in the gray morning mist, his warm, peach-blossom eyes filled with unreadable emotion.
Suddenly… I don’t want to kill you anymore.
If Li Miaomiao knew he had ever entertained the thought of killing her, she would have fled the village with her basket on her back then and there.
At the village entrance, many villagers were already packed and ready to go. Li Miaomiao walked along with them; once bitten, twice shy—she no longer felt any anxiety about the road to the county town.
“Li Miaomiao!”
As she was walking with her head down, a woman’s voice called out from behind. She turned to find Li Sanniang and offered a polite, graceful nod. “Good morning, Auntie.”
Li Sanniang’s husband worked in the city, so she usually only did light, flexible work at home. While others headed into town carrying large bundles, she only carried a small, light package. Seeing Li Miaomiao struggling under a full basket, she let out an ‘Oh my!’ and sighed with pity.
“You’re such a small, frail thing—how can you carry so much? It’s too much for you! Put it down, let me help you carry some.”
Li Miaomiao glanced sideways at her basket, her smile not wavering. “Thank you, Auntie, but I can carry it myself.”
The words had barely left her lips when a sour, shrill voice drifted over from her left.
“She’s capable of beating my son’s face until it’s swollen—a basket of goods is hardly a challenge for her.”