After an unknown length of time, Su Nuanru gradually woke up. She stared blankly at everything before her for quite a while. Hadn't she just been struck by a carriage on the road? How had she ended up here? Who had saved her?
Everything before her was bright red: bright-red candles, bright-red silk. This looked like a bridal chamber, and it gave her a feeling that was both familiar and strange. Some of the things were familiar, but the place itself was not.
Remembering how her head had struck the ground, she raised an arm, intending to feel the wound on her head. Then, suddenly, her movements stopped. She discovered that the pain throughout her body had completely disappeared.
What kind of miracle doctor had treated her? She had been struck so badly by the carriage, yet she had recovered so quickly.
When the corner of her eye caught sight of her clothes, Su Nuanru froze again. When had she changed clothes? She was even wearing a bright-red wedding dress. The style of the dress looked somewhat familiar. Wasn't this the one she had worn when she married?
She had worn this dress only once, on her wedding day. Later, when Scholar Qian ran out of money for his studies, Old Mrs. Zhen had taken it out and sold it. How had the dress come back into her possession?
Then she looked at the brocade quilt on the bed. It was unmistakably the wedding quilt she had sewn herself before getting married. She had used that quilt for three years, and it had long since become worn beyond recognition. A few days earlier, she had put it away in a cabinet at home. Why was it still as good as new now?
Even this bed looked extremely familiar. It was clearly the one her father had commissioned someone to make for her.
A strange thought arose in Su Nuanru's heart.
She looked at her hands. They were tender and white, like spring onions. After getting married, she had worked every day, washing clothes and cooking meals, and her fingers had long since become rough and covered in calluses. Yet now, her fingers were still as delicate as they had been before she married.
Could it be that no one had saved her—that she had returned to her wedding night?
Was that possible? Could she be dreaming?
She raised her left hand and fiercely pinched her right hand.
Pain shot through her.
It seemed she really had returned to her wedding night. Once she realized this, Su Nuanru's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face.
Although there were still some strange things she did not understand, she ignored them all at that moment. She could not bear to accept what had happened, and she wept so hard she could barely catch her breath.
She had clearly begged Heaven not to let her choose Scholar Qian again. Why had she still made the same choice as in her previous life? Since Heaven had allowed her to return, why hadn't it sent her back one day earlier? She had still married that beast in human skin!
After crying, Su Nuanru hurriedly wiped away her tears.
No, she couldn't do this. In this life, she could not resign herself to fate again. Since Heaven had given her the chance to return, she absolutely could not walk the same path as in her previous life. Even though she had already married Scholar Qian, she would still seek a divorce by mutual agreement. She would return to her parents' home!
She had to correct her mistake in time and save the rest of her life.
Su Nuanru wiped her tears dry and strode toward the door. She had just reached it and was about to raise her hand to open it when, with a creak, the door was pushed open from outside.
A man's figure appeared before her. He was tall, and the two of them were so close that she could not see his face.
She tilted her head up slightly. Through her tear-filled eyes, she finally saw the man's features, and the anger in her gaze turned to astonishment.
Unlike Scholar Qian's refined and handsome appearance, this man's skin was dark, his features sharp, and his eyes cold. He was none other than Huo Hanye, the farmer!
She had not married Scholar Qian. She had married Huo Hanye instead. What was going on?
When Huo Hanye saw that Su Nuanru was trying to run away, the hand holding the bowl tightened slightly. His face turned cold as he said, “Since that Scholar Qian has already married someone else, you should give up on him.”
Huo Hanye's voice was deep, and there was a hint of coldness in his tone. Su Nuanru shrank back in fright.
Scholar Qian had married someone else? As soon as the thought surfaced in her mind, a stabbing pain erupted in her head. The memories from after her return from the capital came rushing toward her all at once.
Her family had fallen into decline, and after returning to the village, her beauty had instead become a source of trouble. More and more people came to ask for her hand in marriage, and she offended more and more of them. Her father favored Huo Hanye, while she herself had set her heart on Scholar Qian. All of this was exactly the same as in her previous life.
However, three months ago, things had changed. That day, Huo Hanye and Scholar Qian should have come together to ask for her hand, but only Huo Hanye had come. Scholar Qian's mother, meanwhile, had gone to the Hao family that very day to propose the marriage. Later, she had agreed to Huo Hanye's proposal.
Why had the Qian family made a different choice in this life from the one they had made in her previous life? She truly could not figure out where things had gone wrong.
Today was the day she and Huo Hanye were getting married. It was also the day Scholar Qian and Hao Chunniang were getting married.
Seeing the fear in Su Nuanru's eyes as she looked at him, Huo Hanye suppressed the discomfort in his heart. He walked past her and gently set the bowl on the table, softening his tone as well.
“You haven't eaten all day. Have some noodles first.”
After receiving the memories from the past three months, Su Nuanru glanced at the open door before her. She looked at the pitch-black courtyard and listened to the lively commotion coming from the courtyard across the road. There was not the slightest trace of envy in her eyes.
She turned around and looked at Huo Hanye, who was sitting at the table and gazing at her with a heavy look in his eyes.
According to the memories from the past three months, when Huo Hanye had first come to the Su family to ask for her hand, her father had taken her feelings into consideration and had not immediately agreed to his proposal. After that, many other families had come to propose as well. She was not very satisfied with any of them, and her father was even less satisfied.
However, things soon changed. Fewer and fewer people came to the Su family to propose, while more and more people pointed at her and whispered behind her back. Some men had tried to molest her, and others had tried to bully her family. Huo Hanye had silently helped them many times. When he came to propose again, she agreed to the marriage. After that, fewer and fewer men came loitering around their home.
She possessed nothing but beauty, while her family had no ability to protect her. Huo Hanye was tall and strong, knew martial arts, and was capable of protecting her. Moreover, he would become a great general in the future. Unlike Scholar Qian, he had not abandoned his first wife after rising to prominence in her previous life. His character was excellent as well.
Su Nuanru thought it over, then walked back.
When he saw Su Nuanru return, Huo Hanye finally relaxed. Looking at her standing before him, he felt his heart pounding. He had fallen for her from the first time he saw her and had secretly sworn that he would marry her and bring her home. Now, seeing her dressed from head to toe in bright-red wedding clothes, he found it even harder to restrain his feelings.
Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, he said, “I know this marriage has been unfair to you. Once we have money, I'll make it up to you with another wedding ceremony.”
Su Nuanru was stunned. Huo Hanye actually intended to hold another wedding ceremony for her in the future.
After experiencing her previous life, she understood that such things were all empty. Whether a wedding was lively or not had nothing to do with whether a marriage would be happy. The lively wedding celebration across the way in her previous life had belonged to her, yet her life after marriage had been incredibly difficult, and in the end, Scholar Qian had abandoned her after rising to prominence.
“There’s no need.”
Hearing the indifference in Su Nuanru's voice, Huo Hanye's expression darkened. It seemed she was extremely dissatisfied about marrying him. She had never wanted to marry him in the first place, so naturally, she did not care whether the wedding ceremony was shabby.
Su Nuanru did not know what Huo Hanye was thinking. She lowered her head and glanced at the bowl on the table. It was new, and inside was a steaming bowl of noodles topped with a fried egg and several pieces of meat.
Her eyes grew slightly hot.
Before leaving the capital with her father, her family had been quite wealthy. She had never eaten such plain noodles before. But after she married Scholar Qian, noodles with an egg and meat had become a luxury. The eggs and meat in the household were always reserved for Scholar Qian. Only if he left some could she have a few bites.
Seeing that Su Nuanru remained motionless for a long time, Huo Hanye thought she disliked the noodles and explained, “The meat is left over from the wedding banquet, but no one has touched it. Go ahead and eat.”
Su Nuanru sniffed and looked at Huo Hanye. “Have you eaten? Why don't you eat first?”
“I ate at the wedding banquet earlier. I cooked this especially for you. Eat.”
Cooked especially for her…
How long had it been since she had heard such a simple sentence?
In the past, her household had servants. Four of them alone had been responsible for attending to her daily needs. After getting married, she had become the person who served others.
Tears suddenly spilled from Su Nuanru's eyes.
Huo Hanye's heart felt as though it had been pierced by needles, and his hands clenched tightly. He knew he was not worthy of her, but he had fallen for her anyway. In order to marry her, he had nearly emptied his entire family's savings, yet he did not regret it.
“This year, I'll plant two more mu of land for other people. Once the harvest is good, you can eat whatever you want.”
Su Nuanru wiped at her tears. She had wanted to say that it was unnecessary, but her throat felt as though something had lodged in it, leaving her unable to speak. She shook her head, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating the noodles in large mouthfuls.
Seeing how hurriedly she was eating, Huo Hanye picked up the teapot on the table and poured her a cup of water.
“Eat slowly.”
Su Nuanru choked on the noodles and covered her mouth as she coughed softly several times. She accepted the water in front of her, took a sip, and raised her eyes to look at Huo Hanye, who was sitting across from her.
Although she was still somewhat afraid of Huo Hanye, his actions just now had warmed her heart. She said softly, “Thank you.”
Huo Hanye's fingers moved slightly. “There’s no need to thank me.”
Su Nuanru continued eating her noodles.
Huo Hanye quietly watched the person sitting across from him. Under the dim, yellow lamplight, Su Nuanru's smooth, delicate, ivory-white face looked like a piece of jade that glowed from within. Her eyelashes were thick and long, like a small fan fluttering gently. Her nose was petite, and her lips were rosy.
After staring at Su Nuanru's lips for a while, desire stirred in Huo Hanye, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Just then, Su Nuanru raised her eyes to look at Huo Hanye again. Gathering her courage, she gave him a smile.
“The noodles are delicious. Thank you.”
Su Nuanru had never smiled at him before. Even after the two of them had become engaged, he had never received a smile from her. Whenever she looked at him, she always appeared timid and afraid. Huo Hanye wanted to treat her well, but he did not know how.
At that moment, it felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. He quickly looked away, not daring to look at her again, and said stiffly, “I told you, you don't have to thank me.”
Hearing the impatience in his tone, Su Nuanru became frightened. Afraid that she had said something wrong and offended him, she did not dare look at him again and lowered her head to continue eating in silence.
After a while, Su Nuanru's eating slowed. She was already full, but half a bowl of noodles remained before her. What should she do?
If this had been before she married, Su Nuanru would never have worried over such a thing. But the experience of her previous marriage had left her nervous and uneasy. If she dared leave food unfinished, Old Mrs. Zhen would point at her nose and scold her for an hour.
Huo Hanye looked even fiercer than Old Mrs. Zhen. She did not know how he would punish her.
After forcing herself to eat two more mouthfuls, Su Nuanru truly could not eat any more. She hesitated for a long while before raising her eyes to look at Huo Hanye.
“What is it?” Huo Hanye asked.
Summoning her courage, Su Nuanru said in a small voice, “There are too many noodles. I can't finish them.”
As though afraid Huo Hanye would lose his temper, she quickly added, “Don't worry. I'll save them and eat them tomorrow morning. I won't waste them.”
Huo Hanye glanced at the noodles in Su Nuanru's bowl. Seeing her face flush red, he reached out and took the bowl from her. Then he picked up the chopsticks and began slurping down the noodles in large mouthfuls.
Su Nuanru froze for a moment before reminding him, “Those are my leftovers…”
Scholar Qian had never eaten anything left over by her. Even though her parents had a good relationship, her father had never eaten anything her mother left behind. Yet Huo Hanye was eating the noodles she had left behind so naturally. Didn't he mind eating her leftovers?
“Mm,” Huo Hanye replied.
Su Nuanru pressed her lips together. She wondered: If he knew they were her leftovers, why was he still eating them?
Huo Hanye ate very quickly. In just a few mouthfuls, he finished the remaining half bowl of noodles.
When he finished, Su Nuanru stood up, intending to clear away the bowls and chopsticks. But Huo Hanye stood up before she could. Holding the bowl, he said, “It's getting late. You should rest first.”
With that, he left.
Although Su Nuanru had already decided to marry Huo Hanye, looking at the bright-red wedding quilt and thinking of Huo Hanye's tall body still made her feel anxious.
After all, tonight was their wedding night.