Chapter 2: The Husband
As a fan of handsome men, in her past life, Gu Jiao collected many pictures of good-looking men. However, none of them, or all of them combined, could compare to the man standing in front of her now.
He had a very clean face, with finely chiseled eyebrows and eyes that were as sharp as jade carvings. His eyes were cold and unfathomable, like a deep and dark abyss.
His face was sickly pale, but a hint of rosy redness appeared due to embarrassment, which made him look even more enticing.
Considering his age, Gu Jiao felt that "young man" was more appropriate than "man."
"Have you seen enough?" Xiao Liulang asked through gritted teeth.
"Not enough, but..." Gu Jiao glanced at his body and squinted her eyes, "I'm afraid I'll crush you."
After speaking, Gu Jiao pretended to stand up.
However, although she had stood up, her eyes remained fixed on him, implying a deeper meaning.
"Gu Jiao, you..." Xiao Liulang was embarrassed and angry at being scrutinized by her gaze.
"Need help?" Gu Jiao smiled and reached out her hand.
"No need!" Xiao Liulang turned his body and leaned on a nearby chair, standing up with a cold expression.
Although it was obvious that he was having difficulty moving, he still refused Gu Jiao's help.
After that, he no longer paid attention to Gu Jiao and limped out of the room.
Gu Jiao suddenly remembered who he was. He was the original owner's husband, Xiao Liulang.
Gu Jiao had rescued Xiao Liulang when she found him, unconscious. When Gu Jiao's family found out that he was an orphan with nowhere to go, they immediately forced him to marry Gu Jiao, using the excuse that their daughter had saved his life and that they should get married to save her reputation.
It was more like a marriage by convenience than a real marriage. The dilapidated house they lived in and the land they farmed were all given to them by Gu Jiao's family, and they were all of the lowest quality.
When Gu Jiao found out that Xiao Liulang was a cripple, she gradually began to despise him and turned her attention to the small town's young Qin husband.
The people in the village sympathized with Xiao Liulang and said that he was like a flower planted in cow dung, with Xiao Liulang being the flower and Gu Jiao being the dung.
What Xiao Liulang thought of all this, Gu Jiao didn't know. However, he clearly showed his disgust towards the original owner, which could be seen from his indifference to her current state
Gu Jiao pulled open the cabinet door, intending to change out of her wet shirt, but sadly discovered that there wasn't a clean garment in the cabinet.
"Xiao Brother, are you here?" a sweet voice suddenly came from outside the door.
A woman wearing a purple flowered coat, with an oily hair bun and powder on her face, carrying a basket with a floral cloth cover on her arm appeared. It was hard to tell what was inside the basket.
Gu Jiao quickly recalled from the original owner's memory that this person was Xue Ningxiang, a young widow from Qingquan Village who often came to their house when the original owner was not around. The original owner had been taken advantage of by Xue Ningxiang a few times.
Xue Ningxiang was the one who had told the original owner about Qin Shao's arrival in the village.
"Oh, isn't this Sister Ningxiang? What are you doing coming to my house in broad daylight?" Gu Jiao asked.
Xue Ningxiang was startled by Gu Jiao's sudden appearance, and then disappointedly said, "Why is it you?"
Gu Jiao smiled and lightly knocked on the door panel, "This is my house. Is it strange to see me? What are you disappointed about?"
Xue Ningxiang choked up, of course she was disappointed not to see Xiao Liu Lang.
Xue Ningxiang looked at Gu Jiao again. She was the same person, but somehow seemed a bit unfamiliar. She was not as dull as before and had a glimmer of spirit in her eyes. Even though she was soaking wet, she did not look very distressed, but instead exuded an intimidating aura.
It must be her own mistake. How could a fool change so much?
Xue Ningxiang raised her chin and said, "I came to find Brother Xiao!"
Gu Jiao smiled faintly, "Brother Xiao, you call him so affectionately. Are you very familiar with my husband?"
This kind of tripping act had been staged many times before, it was just that this time, the one who got tripped was Xue Ningxiang.
Gu Jiao leaned against the door, her arms crossed, as if saying, "So what if you got tripped? If you're so capable, then trip me back."
Xue Ningxiang seriously doubted her own eyes.
In fact, Xue Ningxiang and the original host had never gotten along - the two most talked-about women in the village were the foolish Gu Jiao and the widow Xue Ningxiang. But Xue Ningxiang was good-looking and hardworking, so she still considered herself more respectable than Gu Jiao.
When Xiao Liulang fainted at the entrance of the village, Xue Ningxiang and the original host were the ones who found him. The difference was that Xue Ningxiang was afraid of getting into trouble, so she went to the village to call for help, while the original host brought him back home directly.
Afterwards, it was confirmed that Xiao Liulang was an upright scholar, and Xue Ningxiang regretted her decision.
Xue Ningxiang was about to start scolding when Xiao Liulang walked out with a cold expression.
Xue Ningxiang was momentarily stunned.
She looked at Xiao Liulang and then at Gu Jiao. She picked up the basket on the ground and said, "Um...last time you helped me read a letter, and I haven't properly thanked you yet. Doesn't your family have no food to eat? I dug up some sweet potatoes from the field and brought them to you..."
Xiao Liulang said, "It's not necessary, Sister Ningxiang. We still have cornmeal at home. You can take these back and eat them yourself."
Xue Ningxiang bit her lip and said, "But..."
Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows and said, "he said you can take them back. Didn't you hear him?"
Her voice was not loud, but her eyes were filled with a chilling sneer.
Xue Ningxiang's scalp tingled and she didn't dare stay any longer. She left with the basket, feeling ashamed.
Gu Jiao smiled at her beloved husband and said, "I didn't expect that you, a little cripple, would still attract the attention of women."
Xiao Liulang gave Gu Jiao a cold glance, then leaned on his crutch and went back into the house.
"Hiss..."
Her wound hurt again.
Gu Jiao held her head and also returned to her room.
She sat on the stool and touched her wound. It was a large cut. Although it was not too deep, if it was not disinfected in time, it would most likely become infected. But this was ancient times, where could she find the disinfectant?
"If only my medicine box was still here..."
As soon as the thought flashed through her mind, Gu Jiao felt a sharp pain in her head, which directly caused her to faint.
When she woke up, she was surprised to find a box on the table in front of her.