What Su Mingqiang saw was the purplish finger marks on his wife's neck, the two buttons missing from her shirt, and the bottomless despair in her eyes.
"you..."
Su Mingqiang's voice was filled with surprise and shock, encompassing a variety of emotions.
"How could you..."
Li Jinhua's lips trembled, and tears finally burst forth.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees on the threshold, letting out a heart-wrenching cry.
Li Jinhua's cries echoed in the small room, like a dull knife cutting into Su Mingqiang's heart.
He stood helplessly at the door, not knowing what to do.
"Jinhua, Jinhua, what's wrong?"
Su Mingqiang crouched down and carefully touched his wife's shoulder, but she abruptly shook him off.
Li Jinhua huddled on the threshold, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees.
Her hair was disheveled and fell across her face, making it impossible to discern her expression.
Su Mingqiang's heart clenched in pain.
He had never seen his wife look like this before.
Li Jinhua, who was always arrogant and bossy towards him, was now incredibly vulnerable.
He took a deep breath, bent down, put one hand under her knees and the other hand on her back, and lifted her up.
Li Jinhua trembled slightly in his arms, but did not struggle. She simply buried her face in his chest, and her tears quickly soaked his clothes.
"It's alright, let's go home."
Su Mingqiang gently comforted him.
Then carefully step over the threshold and close the door with your foot.
Su Mingqiang placed Li Jinhua on the bed and turned to pour water, only to find her clinging tightly to him and refusing to let go.
"I'm not leaving, I just want to get you a glass of water."
Su Mingqiang said softly, gently prying open her fingers.
The water in the thermos was no longer hot, so he poured out most of it and then pulled out a small paper packet from deep inside the drawer.
That was brown sugar he had saved up for half a month's salary to buy, originally intended to be used to make tea for Li Jinhua when she returned.
The brown sugar slowly melted at the bottom of the cup. Su Mingqiang stirred it with a spoon and brought it to the bedside.
"Have some sugar water to warm yourself up."
He helped Li Jinhua sit up and held the cup to her lips.
Li Jinhua's eyes were vacant as she mechanically sipped the sugar water.
The sweet taste spread on her tongue, but it made her stomach churn.
She suddenly pushed the cup away and gagged, but nothing came out.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Su Mingqiang hurriedly patted her back and took a towel with his other hand to wipe her face.
Li Jinhua shook her head, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
Su Mingqiang's concern made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
This husband, whom she once despised, now treats her like a treasure, even after how she had treated him.
"Mingqiang..."
She finally spoke.
"I..."
"Don't say anything yet."
Su Mingqiang interrupted her, hurriedly wringing out a hot towel and applying it to her forehead.
"Rest for a bit, I'll go buy some groceries and cook you a nice meal."
He stood up, but Li Jinhua stopped him again.
"Don't go..."
Li Jinhua was truly frightened.
He was afraid that Su Mingqiang would go to the school to inquire, afraid that Su Mingqiang would find out what had happened to her during this time.
Su Mingqiang squatted down and looked his wife in the eye.
Those once arrogant eyes were now filled with fear and vulnerability, which broke his heart.
"Okay, I won't leave."
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