“Old lady, what’s wrong with you?” The shopkeeper hurried out from behind the counter, looking worriedly at the person on the floor. “You can’t have an accident in our shop.”
Hearing his callous words, Ruan Tong frowned slightly but didn’t pay him any mind. She had already checked the old woman’s pulse moments ago—it was just exhaustion causing her to faint, nothing serious.
Meanwhile, Gu Bai’s leg injury had been aggravated by his sudden movement earlier.
“Uncle, could you help this old lady to a chair nearby to rest for a while?” Ruan Tong looked up, a polite smile on her face.
“Fourth Brother, you should sit and rest too.”
Gu Bai nodded without putting up a fight and sat down on a nearby chair.
The shopkeeper stood to the side, watching as Ruan Tong massaged several acupoints on the old woman’s head and neck.
Soon, the old woman’s previously cloudy eyes cleared considerably, and her spirits lifted a little.
Gu Bai had been watching Ruan Tong the whole time. Seeing the change in the old woman, his deep, calm eyes gradually filled with surprise.
“You’re quite skilled, girl. Do you know how to treat illnesses?”
The shopkeeper looked at Ruan Tong with a shrewd glint in his eyes.
“I know a little,” Ruan Tong answered softly. Then, taking a piece of candy from her pocket, she unwrapped it and placed it in the old woman’s mouth. “Granny, your body is weak. You need to nourish it properly. If you let it go on like this, minor ailments can turn into serious illnesses over time.”
The old woman smiled at Ruan Tong. “Thank you and your brother for today. My daughter is sick, so I was in a hurry.”
“Indeed, you met a real lifesaver today,” the shopkeeper said, relieved now that the old woman was fine, his tone much lighter.
Ruan Tong was taken aback for a moment.
Brother?
A little embarrassed, she explained, “Granny, he’s not my brother. He’s my husband.”
Gu Bai hadn’t paid it much mind, but seeing her flushed cheeks, the gloom in his heart miraculously lifted a little.
After all, in others’ eyes, they didn’t look much like a married couple—more like siblings.
Seeing that the old woman was fine now, Ruan Tong took Gu Bai’s arm, ready to leave.
The shopkeeper followed them out of the shop and asked indirectly, “Girl, would you like to work at my shop? I see you can even treat illnesses—you’ve got some talent.”
Ruan Tong smiled gently. “Thank you for the offer, but no.”
Hearing her refusal, the shopkeeper sighed regretfully. “I’m planning to open another shop and need someone capable like you. Think it over.”
Seeing that the shopkeeper genuinely wanted her to come, Ruan Tong didn’t outright refuse this time, saying she would consider it carefully.
After exchanging a few more words, she supported Gu Bai’s arm as they left.
After walking some distance, Ruan Tong noticed his expression growing increasingly strained, as if he were enduring great pain. She immediately asked with concern, “Fourth Brother, let’s rest over there for a bit. Can I take a look at your leg?”
She had been holding his arm the whole time, and he hadn’t refused, which meant his leg was really bothering him.
“No need.” Though Gu Bai didn’t pull away, his tone was distant and indifferent.
Ruan Tong pressed her lips together tightly, saying nothing, but an inexplicable anger simmered inside her.
When they returned to the Gu household, the family noticed Gu Bai’s pallor. After asking and learning that his leg injury had flared up again, they immediately erupted in concern.
“Old man, go talk to Fourth Brother and convince him to see a doctor,” Wu Minzhen said anxiously, pacing back and forth in the room.
Gu Wenlin took a deep drag of his cigarette before speaking, “If my words carried any weight, why would I still be sitting here? You know your son’s temper as well as I do—stubborn as a mule, he won’t listen to anyone!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qin and Xu Yan rushed in.
Gu Qin planted her hands on her hips, her tone fierce. “Mom, if Ruan Tong hadn’t dragged Fourth Brother to town, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt! It’s all Ruan Tong’s fault, that jinx!”
Seeing someone take the lead, Xu Yan eagerly joined in, not wanting to be outdone. “What kind of person is Ruan Tong? Everyone in the neighborhood knows! She’s trying to kill our Fourth Brother so she can remarry without a guilty conscience!”
“Mom, see? It’s not just me who thinks so—Second Sister-in-law also thinks there’s something wrong with Ruan Tong!” With a rare ally by her side, Gu Qin looked excitedly at her parents.
The two of them went back and forth, making it sound so convincing that even Wu Minzhen, who had previously held a favorable impression of Ruan Tong, began to waver.
After all, Fourth Brother’s condition was all because of Ruan Tong.
“Tongtong too… what was she thinking, going to town for no reason…”
“Enough, all of you keep quiet.”
Listening to these women chattering away, Gu Wenlin felt his head was about to split open.
Standing outside the door, Ruan Tong’s expression was cool and detached. Every word of the conversation inside reached her ears clearly.
So, they all believed Gu Bai’s old injury had flared up because of her?
What a huge injustice to bear!
Dabao stood beside her, tilting his head and looking at her curiously. “Stepmother, why aren’t you going in?”
His crisp, childish voice instantly silenced the room.
Ruan Tong glanced down at the little boy, not bothering to correct him for sometimes calling her “Mother” and other times “Stepmother.” She ruffled his hair and said softly, “Dabao, Mother actually needs you for something. Come with me, okay?”
“Okay!” Dabao nodded eagerly, his mind still preoccupied with the cartoon rabbit.
After the two left, the room fell into silence.
A long while passed.
Gu Wenlin took a sip of water to moisten his throat before speaking. “Everyone, disperse. Fourth Brother isn’t a child—he can handle his own affairs.”
Ruan Tong brought Dabao back to her room and took a small cloth pouch from the table, placing it in his hands. “There are two marbles inside this pouch. Do you know how to play marbles?”
The pouch was one she had sewn when she was first learning handicrafts, so it was rather rough.
Dabao naturally didn’t know how to play. He took out the two marbles from the pouch, and when he saw the colorful patterns inside the glass balls, his eyes lit up instantly.
He loved these marbles!
“If I don’t know how to play, will you take them back?”
Dabao’s big eyes watched her warily as he placed the marbles back into the pouch, clutching it tightly in his small hands, afraid Ruan Tong might snatch it away.
Seeing his nervous expression, Ruan Tong smiled. “Of course not. If you don’t know how, I can teach you.”
“Really?”
Dabao looked at Ruan Tong with hopeful eyes.
“Of course.” Ruan Tong bent down and extended her right pinky finger. “Let’s pinky swear.”
Pinky swearing was a game among children, and Dabao knew about it.
He just hadn’t expected Ruan Tong to pinky swear with him.
Carefully, he hooked his little finger with hers. “Pinky swear, a hundred years, no changing.”
Once the words were spoken, Dabao grinned happily.
Inside the room, there was another person being ignored.
The two of them, one big and one small, acted as if they hadn’t seen him, neither sparing him a glance.
Due to a recurrence of his old ailment, he could only sit propped up on the bed, his injured leg resting on the mattress.
Having witnessed the entire process of the two exchanging gifts and making promises, Gu Bai looked at Ruan Tong with a hint of confusion. He found himself increasingly unable to understand her.
She was making a genuine effort to integrate into this large family—he could feel it.
Could it be that Ruan Tong did not despise him as a cripple and truly wanted to build a life with him?