Huo Yan never intended to consummate the marriage with Qiao Wan. Though he had been celibate for over twenty years and longed to hold his wife while sleeping, Qiao Wan was only fifteen. He wasn’t beast enough to go that far.
That afternoon, he had gone up the mountain intending to hunt a few rabbits to take to the county town the next day. On his way back, he unexpectedly encountered two pheasants. Though they had little meat, their striking appearance made them popular among city dwellers. Since they were rarely seen, they counted as novelties.
Thinking that the new bride would meet her mother-in-law the next day, he wanted to bring joy to both of them. It took Huo Yan some effort to catch one alive, which was why he returned later than expected.
Back home, after securing the prey and washing off the bloodstains, he entered the dark room. As soon as he sat by the bed, he heard Qiao Wan’s rapid breathing. Lighting the oil lamp, he saw her struggling, trapped under a thick quilt.
She was drenched in sweat, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red. Though it was only June and the peak of summer hadn’t arrived, no one slept under winter quilts in such weather. Clearly, Qiao Wan was guarding against him.
Huo Yan was no pushover; his temper flared. When he pulled her out of the quilt, he didn’t control his strength. With a slight tug, Qiao Wan flew upward, startling him—he hadn’t realized she was so light.
But what surprised him more was her reaction. He had heard of Qiao Wan’s reckless behavior, knowing she feared nothing. Recalling the villagers’ taunts outside the Qiao residence at noon, joking that he’d soon be running a “hat shop” (a cuckold), Huo Yan wanted to curb her willful nature.
He leaned in abruptly, his nose almost touching hers, their heated breaths mingling. His cold, sharp eyes locked onto her terrified face. “You’ve married me, yet you still guard your purity for someone else? Qiao Wan, do you take me for a dead man?” The words “guard your purity” were gritted out with a chilling ferocity.
Qiao Wan’s heart raced in fear at the rage in his eyes and his overwhelming aggression. Her wrists ached from his grip, her entire body pinned beneath him, unable to move. “I—I haven’t,” she stammered in defense, wide-eyed. “You’ve known about Huo Yaoxian and me from the start. You forced me to marry you. If you regret it, we can just separate.”
Seeing her unrepentant and even daring to mention separation, Huo Yan’s anger flared, burning red in his eyes. He laughed coldly in fury. If he didn’t teach her a lesson today, she’d be trampling all over him tomorrow.
His free hand yanked at her collar. Rip—the sound of tearing fabric pierced the silent night. Cool air brushed against the skin of her neck and shoulders, making Qiao Wan gasp and freeze, her face filled with terror.
Huo Yan froze too. His gaze fell on her suddenly pale face, meeting her frightened eyes, and his rising fury instantly vanished.
Thump! A heavy object hit the door from outside, startling both of them in their standoff. Seizing the chance, Huo Yan released Qiao Wan, swung his long legs off the bed, and strode quickly into the yard. There, he found a fist-sized clod of earth by the door.
“Come out!”Huo Yan stared into the pitch-black night, his voice low as he spoke.” “If you have the guts to do it, don’t be a coward hiding in your shell.”
The doorway was silent except for the rustling of leaves stirred by the mountain wind, with no other sounds.
Huo Yan gripped the shovel by the door, standing at the entrance and fixing his gaze dimly on a patch of grass not far ahead.
After standing for a while with no one emerging, Huo Yan turned and went back into the yard.
The moment the Huo family’s gate closed, two figures suddenly burst out from the grass he had been watching and dashed toward the village.
Only after running back to the village and seeing no one following them did Qiao Qing and Qiao Dahe collapse to the ground, gasping for breath.
“Big brother, why didn’t you warn me before throwing that? If I hadn’t hidden quickly, Huo Yan would have caught us.”
“I was too anxious in the moment and didn’t think about it.”
After Qiao Wan was taken away by Huo Yan, the entire Qiao family seemed drained of life. Qiao Dahe couldn’t stop thinking about his younger sister’s tear-streaked face, her desperate cries unanswered by heaven or earth.
Unable to bear the torment in his heart, he decided to check on his sister at the Huo residence after dark. But just as he reached their doorstep, he found Qiao Qing there too.
The two crouched by the door for a while, relieved to see only Qiao Wan was home.
They were about to return to the village when they saw Huo Yan coming back.
Huo Yan’s thatched cottage had poor soundproofing – even a fart inside could be heard by passersby.
Thus, every word of Huo Yan and Qiao Wan’s conversation reached the two brothers clearly.
Qiao Dahe felt his younger sister had suffered immense injustice. In a moment of impulse, he picked up a clod of earth and threw it.
But immediately after throwing it, Qiao Dahe regretted it. After all, his younger sister was married to Huo Yan now. His actions would surely anger Huo Yan, who might take it out on his sister later.
So before Huo Yan could emerge, he pulled Qiao Qing into hiding in the grass.
After catching their breath, the two headed home. Arriving at the Qiao residence and planning to sneak quietly to their rooms, they found Qiao’s Father sitting in the yard as soon as they opened the door.
Bracing himself for a beating, Qiao Dahe pulled Qiao Qing behind him, only to hear their father ask:
“Wanwan… is she alright?”
“Little sister she…” Qiao Qing began, but Qiao Dahe cut him off: “Sister’s fine, father. You should rest early. She’ll be visiting home in two days.”
Qiao Fugeng nodded silently: “You two should go to bed early too, stop running around at night.”
With that, he turned and returned to his room.
“Big brother, why did you stop me from speaking earlier?” Qiao Qing complained discontentedly.
If their younger sister was suffering, as her maternal family they should be standing up for her.
“What’s the use of talking? We can’t follow little sister around all day.” As the eldest brother, Qiao Dahe had long shouldered the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings alongside their father.
Seeing his younger sister treated like this pained him more than anyone.
But what good would feeling bad do?
Qiao Dahe thought the best solution would be finding some way to make Huo Yan hold his tongue, so even if he wanted to pick faults with their sister, he’d be too embarrassed to speak up.
Huo Residence…
Huo Yan returned to the room, took off his shoes and got into bed. His gaze was heavily fixed on Qiao Wan curled up in the corner of the bed. Deliberately softening his tone but with clear warning, he said:
“Since you’ve married me, abandon those improper thoughts of yours. Otherwise…” His eyes deliberately swept over her torn collar, implying meaningfully: “I won’t let you off as easily as tonight.”
With that, he directly blew out the lamp and lay down fully clothed, turning his back to Qiao Wan while leaving behind only a stiff, mocking remark:
“On such a hot day, aren’t you afraid of getting heat rash?”
Only when Huo Yan’s deep, even breathing sounded from his side did Qiao Wan finally let out a sigh of relief. She curled up slowly, pulled over the quilt that had nearly suffocated her earlier, and draped it haphazardly over herself—yet she still felt cold.
In the darkness, she bit her lip tightly, lost in thought.
The impression the original owner had left on others was far too strong. She needed to find a way to change Huo Yan’s opinion of her.
She still wanted to earn money and help the Qiao family live a better life. She couldn’t afford to spend every day locked in a battle of wills with Huo Yan.
Huo Yan was her “pillow partner.” He didn’t have to be her ally, but he absolutely must not become her stumbling block.