"Husband, you’re awake?"
Seeing Pei Changfeng awake, Su Wanwan hurried in. "There’s porridge ready in the pot. Shall I feed you?"
Pei Changfeng was indeed hungry. He still had important matters to attend to later, and now that he was awake, he needed to conserve his energy.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Su Wanwan really wanted to pinch his cheeks hard. While he was unconscious, she hadn’t held back from kissing him, but now that he was awake, he was as cold as ice—chilling to even be near, let alone kiss.
This morning’s porridge was a savory blend of greens and minced pork, cooked until it was fragrant, smooth, and melted in the mouth.
Pei Changfeng ate with refined manners; despite his intense hunger, he ate slowly.
As she fed him, Su Wanwan couldn’t help but think that what the matchmaker had said was true—Pei Changfeng’s appearance was truly exceptional. She had thought so while he was unconscious, and now that he was awake, she felt it even more.
Especially his eyes—when they looked at someone, they were clear and cold, like the sky in early winter, tinged with a desolate chill.
Su Wanwan wanted to warm him up, to see if, like snow melting in spring, everything would come to life.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Pei Changfeng looked back at her.
Their eyes met, and Su Wanwan pursed her lips into a smile as she praised him, "Husband, you’re really handsome."
Pei Changfeng choked slightly, a faint blush spreading across his face. It was the first time he had heard such straightforward praise. Su Wanwan really was… unusual.
Su Wanwan gently patted his back. "Husband, I’ve asked the Village Chief to go to town and fetch a doctor for you. Your health needs proper care."
Pei Changfeng thanked her. "I appreciate it."
"There’s a loose plank at the bottom of the wardrobe. Open it, and inside you’ll find a jade pendant. Pawn it."
"A jade pendant?" Su Wanwan hesitated. "Hidden in such a secret place—is this something very important to you, husband?"
"It’s an heirloom left by my mother," Pei Changfeng lowered his eyelashes. "Now that I’m ill and unable to work, everything in the household depends on you. Pawning the pendant will make things much easier for you."
The existence of that pendant must be unknown to everyone. Su Wanwan shook her head. "No, this is something left by your mother. I must keep it safe for you. We still have money on hand, enough to last for a while. Unless we’re truly desperate, that pendant must not be touched."
Hearing this, Pei Changfeng smiled. "Miss Su, the pendant is just an object, but the living must look forward. Besides, my illness isn’t something a few taels of silver can solve. We can always redeem the pendant when the opportunity arises."
Hearing him say this, Su Wanwan couldn’t argue. She opened the wardrobe door and searched for a long time before finding the movable plank. After prying it open, a small box appeared before her eyes.
She handed the box to Pei Changfeng, but he motioned for her to open it.
Inside the box was a piece of fine cotton fabric. Layer by layer, she unwrapped it to reveal a warm, smooth piece of Yangzhi Jade, carved with auspicious cloud patterns and a small character for "Yang."
"This pendant…" Su Wanwan was different from the other women in the village. Father Su had traveled far and wide in his youth and brought back many fine things, so Su Wanwan had seen a fair share of the world.
Pei Changfeng’s gaze fell on the pendant, his eyes tinged with faint sorrow. "My mother brought this pendant with her when she came. Miss Su, I’ll trouble you with this."
Su Wanwan was about to say something when the Village Chief's voice rang out in the yard, "Changfeng's wife, I've brought the doctor for you."
Su Wanwan quickly helped Pei Changfeng lie down. "Coming, coming!"
The Village Chief now genuinely respected Su Wanwan—not for anything else, but for her devotion to Pei Changfeng, something many others couldn't achieve.
After checking Pei Changfeng's pulse and examining his injured leg, the doctor shook his head with some difficulty. "His body is too depleted, and this leg can't be healed anymore."
Su Wanwan had been listening intently, waiting for the doctor's verdict. "Doctor, as long as you can help my husband recover his health, I'm willing to pay any amount. Please, think of a way."
The doctor glanced around the drafty, dilapidated cottage of the Pei family, then looked at Su Wanwan. "I truly have no way to fix the leg, but his body can still be saved. However, the medicines aren't cheap, and it's not something that can be cured with just one or two doses. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Su Wanwan nodded firmly. "As long as it can save my husband, I'll sell everything I have to buy it!"
Pei Changfeng's long eyelashes trembled slightly.
The Village Chief couldn't help but ask, "About how much does one dose cost?"
The doctor pondered for a moment. Seeing Su Wanwan's eagerness to save her husband, he didn't deceive her. "One dose costs at least three qian of silver. For your husband's condition, he'll need at least twenty doses to see any effect."
Twenty doses… six taels of silver. The Village Chief clicked his tongue and couldn't help but advise Su Wanwan, "Changfeng's wife, do you have that much silver on hand? Just for medicine, Changfeng will need nearly ten taels of silver in a month."
Many families only spent five taels of silver to marry a wife. The Village Chief wanted to say more but hesitated, only hinting at his concerns.
"Village Chief, I understand what you mean, but Changfeng is my husband. Since I married him, I must do everything I can to treat him," Su Wanwan said to the doctor again. "Please write the prescription, and I'll go with you to town to get the medicine."
The doctor reminded her, "The medical clinic doesn't allow credit."
"I have money," Su Wanwan first handed three taels of silver to the doctor. "Let's get ten doses first. After my husband finishes them, I'll come back for more."
The doctor nodded. "Alright, then come with me."
Su Wanwan turned to the Village Chief, who seemed to have more to say but held back. "Please watch over Changfeng for a while. I'll be back soon. I've already fed him breakfast. Thank you for your trouble."
The Village Chief sighed and waved her off. "Go on, go on."
It was also because Su Wanwan's parents were no longer around that she had to marry into this family, the Village Chief thought to himself. This could be considered Changfeng's good fortune. But what would happen after Su Wanwan spent all this money? How could a woman like her earn money on her own?
After picking up the medicine at the town's medical clinic, Su Wanwan went straight to a pawnshop.
The pawnshop clerk, seeing her plain attire, was momentarily dazzled by her face. The dismissive words he was about to utter suddenly turned serious. "Madam, what would you like to pawn?"
Su Wanwan wore her hair in a married woman's style. She wasn't yet used to being called "madam," but after realizing he was addressing her, she took out the box containing the jade pendant. "Pawn this."
The clerk had assumed it would be, at most, a silver item. But when he saw a piece of high-quality Yangzhi Jade pendant, he couldn't make the decision himself and called for the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper examined the Yangzhi Jade repeatedly, then said, "Ten taels."
Su Wanwan immediately reached out her hand. "Give it back to me. I won't pawn it."
"This jade pendant is of average quality and the carving is crude. Ten taels is already a high price," the shopkeeper assumed Su Wanwan didn't know better. "I'll add one more tael and reluctantly take it."
Su Wanwan smiled with curved eyes. "Shopkeeper, our master said this pendant is a fine piece. Your offer of eleven taels is quite unfair."
Only then did the shopkeeper look at her properly. Seeing her stunning beauty and considering the 'master' she mentioned, he guessed she might be a maid from some household secretly helping to pawn items. "Alright then. Although this pendant's quality and carving are ordinary, it's as large as a palm, which is quite rare. I'll give twenty taels. How about that?"
"Too low," Su Wanwan said without changing expression. "Thirty taels."
The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, as if making a difficult decision. "Fine, thirty taels it is. Consider it making a friend. If you have more items in the future, remember to come to our pawnshop."
Su Wanwan nodded. "Naturally."
Only when three ten-tael silver notes were in her hand did Su Wanwan's heart finally settle. Her palms were sweaty—during the bargaining with the shopkeeper, she actually had no confidence at all. She didn't know the pawnshop market rates, only thinking to ask for more.
Now with thirty taels in hand, she could buy a hundred doses of medicine for Pei Changfeng. That should be enough to help him recover properly. As long as he gets better, their future days will surely improve.
After Su Wanwan left, the shopkeeper immediately treasured the pendant like a precious item. "What a fine piece, what a fine piece!"
Acquiring a piece of excellent Yangzhi Jade for thirty taels—he made a huge profit!
Su Wanwan had come with a basket on her back. She tucked the silver notes close to her body, then used the remaining money to buy a small piece of fresh meat and a packet of brown sugar.
When Village Chief saw her buying ten packets of medicine at once, he sighed but didn't say much before heading home. Shortly after, Village Chief's wife brought half a basket of vegetables, also seeming to want to say something but leaving without speaking.
Su Wanwan sat under the eaves brewing medicine, her nose and forehead sweating from the fire's heat. She smiled at Pei Changfeng. "Village Chief is kind-hearted, but we now have a huge sum of thirty taels! Let me think of more ways to earn money. We won't starve to death."
Pei Changfeng gently stroked the empty box that had held the pendant, softly responding, "Mm."
Su Wanwan knew he felt bad—after all, it was his mother's keepsake, and pawning it wouldn't make anyone happy.
To cheer Pei Changfeng up, Su Wanwan planned to make a nice meal for him that evening.
After the medicine cooled, Pei Changfeng tilted his head back and poured it all down his throat in one go. Su Wanwan, holding a small spoon, stared wide-eyed. Wasn't it bitter?
Pei Changfeng looked at the spoon in her hand. Was Su Wanwan planning to feed him the medicine with a spoon?
The two looked at each other, both falling silent for a moment.
Su Wanwan took the empty bowl. "Husband, you… you're really amazing!"
Pei Changfeng let her wipe his mouth. "Drinking it all at once isn't bitter."
Su Wanwan thought carefully. When she was a child, her father had to coax and trick her into taking medicine, and who knows how much sugar was boiled into it—even then she was unwilling.
Remembering Father Su, Su Wanwan felt a slight pang of sadness. She placed a fan beside Pei Changfeng and went to cook.
Because the weather was hot and meat couldn't be kept too long, Su Wanwan divided today's purchase into two portions. One portion was cooled in the well, while the other was entirely minced. She planned to make a bowl of steamed egg with minced meat and a bowl of meatball soup.
The steamed minced pork with eggs, once steamed in the pot, only needed a drizzle of sesame oil to make it incredibly delicious.
Su Wanwan set aside half a bowl to feed Pei Changfeng. After he finished, she kept it warm in the pot before moving on to shape meatballs and prepare soup.
She took such meticulous care, feeding Pei Changfeng five meals a day. Each serving was small, but he never went hungry.
Pei Changfeng lifted his hand, which had regained a slight bit of strength, and a faint glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.
Just as she finished shaping the meatballs, Pei Daniu’s voice came from outside the courtyard, "Changfeng’s wife, your relative is here."
Su Wanwan wiped her hands and went to open the door, momentarily unable to recall who it might be. Upon seeing Mu Chen, she exclaimed in surprise, "Cousin, what brings you here?"