"Of course, but you should drink the porridge first!" Qin Yu looked at Xia Lan, stepped forward to help her up, let her lean against the quilt, and then picked up the white porridge himself, preparing to feed her.
Xia Lan blushed; no man had ever been this close to her before. "I...I...can I do it myself?"
"You just had a fever, don't push yourself." Qin Yu shook his head in refusal and gestured for Xia Lan to open her mouth.
Xia Lan's cheeks were flushed. She tried to feel her body, but found herself weak all over. She even had difficulty raising her hand, so she could only obediently accept Qin Yu's feeding.
Seeing that Xia Lan was about to speak, Qin Yu blew on the white porridge in his hand and began to tell Xia Lan about his story. "My name is Qin Yu, I'm twenty-four years old this year, the eldest in my family. I joined the army when I was sixteen and served for six years. Two years ago, I injured my hand and simply returned home."
“I have two younger brothers and a younger sister at home. I’m not very close to my family. My parents weren’t happy when I came back, so they separated me from them. This house was allocated to me. I know the house is a bit run-down, but I promise that once I earn money in the future, I will build you a house with blue bricks.” Qin Yu solemnly promised Xia Lan.
Qin Yu's words made Xia Lan realize something.
That means neither of them is well-liked.
"You're clearly the eldest child in the family, yet you're separated? How unloved are you?" Xia Lan looked at Qin Yu, sighed, and lowered her eyes. "But I'm in a similar situation to you. I'm an orphan now, and my uncle has taken over my family's assets..."
“I was tricked. My uncle only told me he was going to marry you on the day of his wedding. And you? You’ve never even met me, so how could you agree to marry me?” Xia Lan asked curiously.
While feeding Xia Lan, Qin Yu explained, "My mom said she's found me a wife, no dowry required. With my conditions, it's good enough if any girl would marry me. She told me not to be picky, and the wedding is set for the next day."
Xia Lan stared wide-eyed in surprise. "You're so magnanimous? You'd be willing to have any kind of wife?"
"I was just about to go see you on our wedding day when I found out you had jumped into the river..." Qin Yu hadn't planned to agree. He was going to talk to the Xia family that day to make things clear, but then he ran into Xia Lan jumping into the river. He saved her, and the Xia family grabbed him, saying that he had already touched her body and that his wife had no choice but to accept it.
Qin Yu glanced down at Xia Lan. Her uncle hadn't cared that she was about to freeze to death; he just wanted to get rid of her. When he rescued her, they didn't even let her in the door.
He thought that he and she, one unloved by his father and mother, the other without parents, were a perfect match.
"My mother gave birth to me. Since I was the first child in the family, my grandmother doted on me, so she always took care of me. My mother and grandmother didn't get along, so after my grandmother died, she didn't like me being raised by her either," Qin Yu explained, feeding Xia Lan another bite.
"Later, I joined the army... I kept some of my military allowance for myself and sent the rest home, so that's how I've managed all these years. But when I came back from the army, my family didn't want to support another child, so my mom and dad gave me this house and 100 yuan, arranged for me to get married, and then they didn't have to take care of me anymore." Qin Yu calmly explained his situation and looked at Xia Lan.
"If you're willing, you can stay and live with us. If you're not, I won't stop you." Although Qin Yu said this, he tightened his grip on the bowl.
His movements remained gentle. Xia Lan swallowed the white porridge, and after feeling much better in her empty stomach, she looked up at Qin Yu.
"Can you let me think about it?" Xia Lan neither agreed nor refused immediately. Qin Yu smiled, nodded, and took the empty bowl out.
Xia Lan pondered Qin Yu's words and, considering her current situation, decided to first take back the Xia family's assets.
After all, it was her parents' inheritance. Even if she married Qin Yu, it was still her family's money, and her uncle had no right to live in her house.
But figuring out how to get it back requires some thought; the important thing is that letter of severance…
Under Qin Yu's meticulous care, Xia Lan finally had the strength to get out of bed. When she moved around in the yard and saw the surrounding environment, which was even poorer than the period dramas on TV, she completely gave up the idea of leaving.
Because she had nowhere to go.
In this era where everything requires a letter of introduction and tickets, where could she go all alone? She couldn't do business for the time being either, because being caught would be considered speculation and profiteering.
Everyone else who transmigrates has some kind of cheat code, but she hasn't found herself any different yet. At most, she's just gotten a husband for free, but how is she going to survive after this...?
Xia Lan blankly started doing the eighth set of radio calisthenics in the yard. This was a secret she kept from her previous life: she liked to do radio calisthenics when she was irritable, as it could both exercise her and clear her mind.
Qin Yu, who was chopping wood, was stunned when he saw Xia Lan making strange movements. Looking at her movements, he realized that they had no offensive capabilities and seemed more like she was exercising.
"Qin family daughter-in-law, you're all better now and can come out in the wind? What are you doing?" The aunt next door saw Xia Lan making strange movements in the yard as soon as she came out, and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It's good for my health," Xia Lan said lazily. She was dressed like a typical village woman, and the look in her eyes was kind enough. Xia Lan decided to befriend her. "Auntie, would you like to come and do some exercise with me? It's good for your health."
"Really? Doing these strange movements can improve your health?" The aunt walked over curiously and followed Xia Lan's example.
They are all simple movements, easy to learn.
"What's your name, Auntie?" Xia Lan asked while doing her exercises.
"I'm from next door. My husband's surname is Liu. You can just call me Aunt Liu." Aunt Liu replied with a smile. "You know what, moving around like this makes me feel a lot better."
"What's your name, Qin family daughter-in-law?" Aunt Liu asked, looking at Xia Lan.
"My name is Xia Lan, Aunt Liu, you can call me Xia Xia." Xia Lan led Aunt Liu through a whole set of exercises. After lying in bed for several days, she felt uncomfortable all over. Moving around made her feel much better.
As they chatted, Xia Lan confirmed Qin Yu's words with Aunt Liu. Just as Qin Yu said, he was not favored at home, but Xia Lan heard a version from Aunt Liu that was a hundred times more pitiful.
Unlike my calm demeanor, Aunt Liu was much more indignant. "Xia, you've married Shi Tou, so you two should just live a good life! Shi Tou hasn't had it easy either. All those years he spent in the army, he gave all his money to the Qin family, and he didn't get any appreciation in return. Before his grandmother passed away, he always wore new clothes and was always chubby and healthy..."
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