Tian Yu took the wine back to the room. Seeing Chen Chong still unconscious, she couldn't care less. She helped him up and was about to take off her shirt when Chen Chong asked why she was doing it, clinging tightly to her collar. Tian Yu was a little angry. "I don't care, and you're still acting up," she said fiercely. "Let go! I don't care, what do you care about? Now I'm going to rub some wine on you to bring your fever down. If it goes up any further, you'll die." Chen Chong slowly let go, allowing Tian Yu to do as she pleased. Tian Yu used a towel soaked in wine to wipe his chest, back, armpits, neck, and forehead, wiping every place she remembered that could reduce fever. She found him dry clothes to change into and made him lie down to rest. But after all this fuss, Chen Chong's fever did go down, but he couldn't sleep at all. Turning his head away from Tian Yu, he said softly:
"You shouldn't have come."
"If I don't come, you're doomed."
"It's alright, you'll be fine after a rest. Once the medicine is ready, take the glutinous rice balls and head home quickly!"
"What's wrong? What happened? You seem unhappy lately, and you've been avoiding me. Is it because I've been too busy to come see you?"
"No, nothing happened. It's just that it's better if we don't know each other."
"Why? Didn't we agree that we're friends and would look after each other in the future?"
"But we are men and women, so it's better if we don't associate with each other."
"Men and women are different, so we can't be friends. What happened? Why did this happen all of a sudden?"
"Tian Yu, you are a married woman. You can't just go into a single man's house. You should leave now. I'm fine."
"A married woman? Where is her husband? Zhao Moyan? It's laughable that he gave me a divorce letter five years ago and left so easily. Do you despise me?"
"No, you've already divorced, so why didn't you say so?!" Chen Chong suddenly turned to look at Tian Yu.
"Why are you finally talking to me now? I still have a son. Aren't you afraid? I think I'd better leave." Tian Yu made a move to get up.
“No, I was just worried it would cause you trouble. Why don’t you tell everyone that you’ve divorced?” Chen Chong grabbed Tian Yu and pressed her for an answer.
“You saw what happened that day. If they knew I had already divorced Zhao Moyan, would they still believe me? How would I live in this old Zhao village?”
"You can leave and go somewhere else."
"Leave? Where to go? The world is so chaotic. This place is already a peaceful place. Besides, even if I left, without money, power, or connections, a woman with a child like me would still be bullied."
"So you plan to stay here for the rest of your life?"
"Of course not, but not now. I have nothing, as you can see, I can barely fill my stomach."
"What do you want? I can help you."
“I know Brother Chen treats me like family, but no matter how I help, everyone here is surnamed Zhao. You and I are both outsiders. No matter how strong you are, a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. We can't force you.”
"What will you do if Zhao Moyan comes back? Then everyone will know."
"No, it would be much easier to resolve if he came back. We could talk things out face-to-face and I could regain my freedom. But whether he comes back or not, everyone will find out sooner or later. So before that, I need to make money, lots and lots of money, so that at least Tangyuan won't go hungry or be bullied because of me."
"Then you can find someone else. Do you plan to live with Tangyuan for the rest of your life?"
"Well, of course I'd consider it if I met the right person someday, but I haven't met anyone yet, have I?" Having just said this, Tian Yu noticed the look in Chen Chong's eyes and quickly changed the subject, saying awkwardly, "Let's not talk about this anymore. You should rest."
Chen Chong wanted to ask what about him, but he swallowed the words back.
"You still haven't told me why you're avoiding me."
"No, I just don't want the same thing to happen again." Chen Chong understood after hearing Tian Yu's explanation and made a plan in his mind, but seeing that Tian Yu didn't seem to have any feelings for him, he felt a little depressed.
"Thank you, Brother Chen, for thinking of me and helping me tidy up the fields. Don't worry, it must be you. Otherwise, who else in Old Zhao Village would help me like this? Okay, you should lie down and rest for a while. I'll go check on the medicine."
Tian Yu held Chen Chong down, preventing him from arguing, covered him with a blanket, and ran off to check on the medicine stove with Tang Yuan. Watching Tian Yu's departing figure, Chen Chong's inner turmoil gradually dissipated. He realized he had been reckless, worrying about them throughout the rain, yet unsure how to help them. Although he had ultimately braved the rain to check on them and repaired their leaky roof, the rain wasn't enough to give him a fever. His main concern was his chaotic state of mind upon returning, feeling helpless and unable to cope. He thought about how Tian Yu and Zhao Moyan were still husband and wife, and that Zhao Moyan was still alive. Actually, he had noticed people paying respects at Zhao's grandmother's grave the day he returned from the county town, but hadn't thought much of it then. However, after hearing Zhao Tieshu's words that day, he understood. He had been unwilling to face Tian Yu, yet couldn't help caring for her, always worried about her. But she was already married, and he told himself he shouldn't have any improper thoughts. He had been conflicted and depressed for a long time, and finally deliberately stood in the rain for a long time, hoping to clear his head, which was why he was now sick. Hearing the knock, he knew it was Tian Yu. He told himself not to see her; the more he saw her, the deeper he would fall. Although they hadn't spent much time together, he increasingly understood his feelings for Tian Yu and his desire to live with her. The longer they were together, the more he wanted to be close to her. But in a daze, he couldn't resist opening the door. Seeing her, he felt something was wrong, that he shouldn't have done that, which is why he tried to close the door again. Now, however, he was glad he opened the door, glad Tian Yu insisted on coming in; otherwise, how long would he have suffered alone?
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