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He hated himself for not coming sooner; she must have been troubled by that bastard for a long time. He took a deep breath and slowly walked over, each step echoing in Wen Qian's ears, making her shrink back in fear.
Yang stopped abruptly in front of her.
"He's gone now; you don't have to be afraid," he thought, but the sight of her made his heart ache. She had lost so much weight, and the pain was unbearable. If only she had married him instead. He would have cherished her like a treasure, loved her deeply, and never let her suffer even a little.
But he was too late!
Wen Qian stifled a few sobs and cautiously lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were red from crying, her nose was pink, and she looked so pitiful, like a little deer, evoking his sympathy.
She held back her tears and whispered, "Thank you... thank you!"
"Are you... doing well?" Yang couldn't help but ask. Although he believed she wasn't well at all, he wanted to hear it from her.
A bitter smile appeared on Wen Qian's lips as she shook her head. "I have no choice; I can only get by slowly."
"Why didn't he protect you? Why didn't he take you away? Don't you want to leave him?" Yang asked urgently, desperate for an answer that would ease his heart.
For a moment, Wen Qian stood frozen. It seemed she had never considered this question before. Wasn't this how it was for everyone? Once married, there was no reason for divorce; wasn't that how life was meant to be lived?
Moreover, they had a military marriage, which made divorce difficult. She had finally managed to find some stability; she was tired and didn't want to drift anymore.
Seeing the dazed look on Wen Qian's face only made Yang more anxious. "I can help you! Trust me; I can help you!"
His hands clenched tightly at his sides, still red from the fight with Lu Yao earlier.
At that moment, even if Wen Qian's mind was muddled, she understood what he meant. She felt unworthy of him now; she had already been married, while he had never had a wife. He deserved better, and she couldn't hold him back.
Wen Qian shook her head at him with a forced smile. "I'm doing fine. Lu Yao... he just acted out of confusion; once I talk to my mother-in-law when I get back, he won't dare do this again."
She spoke confidently, but her trembling hands betrayed her—shaking on her knees, her eyes filled with fear.
"I-I'll be more careful in the future! I won't work in such remote places anymore; I'll find somewhere with more people. Don't worry!"
Wen Qian hurriedly stood up but lost her balance as her legs went numb. Yang quickly reached out to support her and released his grip only when she steadied herself.
Wen Qian looked around and urged, "You should leave quickly. If someone sees us, it won't be good. If rumors start spreading, we'll both be in trouble."
She stumbled slowly as she tried to walk towards the village, but Yang stopped her. He snatched the hoe from her hands, rolled up his sleeves, and began working the field.
"You can't just leave like this. The work in the field isn't done yet. Next time, it might be you who has to come back," he said.
Wen Qian wanted to step forward to stop him, but he restrained her. "You stand under the tree; it's too hot out here. Your palms are blistered—take a break!"
His sudden concern caught Wen Qian off guard, and the emotions she had just managed to calm began to crumble again. Her eyes quickly turned red, and her nose felt sour. She sniffed and looked down at the blisters on her palms, gently touching them with her other hand.
It had been so long since anyone had cared for her. Although she was used to hearing such words before, they now felt incredibly rare.
With tears welling in her eyes, she gazed at the man working in the field, filled with gratitude and even more with emotion. Deep down, she still feared that Lu Yao would come looking for her, accusing her of being unfaithful and enticing others.
Fortunately, after he finished working, no one else appeared.
Wen Qian picked up the hoe and walked towards the village, with Yang quietly following behind at a distance, watching her from afar. Once she entered the village, he finally felt relieved.
As soon as Wen Qian got home, she was grabbed by Ding Cuihua by her hair and scolded. The pain made her quickly clutch at the roots of her hair and plead, "Mother, why are you hitting me?"
"Bah! You shameless little wretch who lets a thousand men ride you! How dare you ask why? Why don't you talk about how you seduced men? You even dared to bring a man to beat up Xiao Yao!"
"If Xiao Yao hadn't come back to tell me, you might have run off with your lover by now! Xiao Yao discovered your affair, and you still let your lover hit him? Just wait and see how I deal with you!"
Ding Cuihua showed no mercy as she started pinching Wen Qian's body in sensitive areas. Even if Wen Qian wanted to complain about it later, it would ruin her reputation.
After the beating, Ding Cuihua threw her into the thatched hut. "You stay here and reflect on your actions. No dinner for you tonight."
Lying on the ground, Wen Qian stared at the roof while feeling the sunlight streaming through the window onto her body. The pain coursing through her was relentless as she lay there expressionless, only letting out muffled sounds of suffering from her lips.
When Lu Yao returned home and entered the thatched hut, he mocked Wen Qian coldly and kicked her a few times.
Gradually, night fell and darkness enveloped everything.
When morning came and Wen Qian woke up to sunlight streaming through the window, it was the first time she felt that dawn could be so painful.
The door swung open, and Ding Cuihua walked in, her speech slightly slurred as she shouted, "Get up and make breakfast! We have to go to work soon, so don’t even think about slacking off!"
Wen Qian got up and was taken aback to see that Ding Cuihua's face was bruised and swollen; it was clear she had been beaten.
Stepping outside, she bumped into Lu Yao, who had just walked in from the yard. His injuries were worse than before, and a foul odor wafted from him.
Lu Yao's curses filled the air. "Damn it, I must have run into some bad luck! I got beaten up for no reason and ended up thrown into the village latrine!"
He limped out, glancing at Wen Qian, his anger boiling over. He suspected that it was the same man from yesterday who had attacked him, but he had no proof.
He tossed his clothes at Wen Qian's feet and pointed imperiously. "Wash these for me! Make sure they’re clean. If I smell that stench again, I swear I’ll make you pay!"
Ding Cuihua looked at Lu Yao with concern. "Son, where were you last night? How did you end up like this?"
Lu Yao stammered, unable to explain clearly. Instead, he turned the question back on her. "Mother, what happened to you? Did you get beaten too?"
"Don’t even mention it," she replied. "I tripped while going to the toilet last night and fell. I fainted, and when I woke up this morning, my whole body hurt terribly."
Tripped while going to the toilet? Anyone would find that strange. Although their house had only recently been built, they had lived there long enough without any incidents.
It seemed trouble was brewing for both mother and son.
After Wen Qian finished cooking, she brought the food to the table. She set aside Lu Yao's clothes with a stick and was about to head back inside when Ding Cuihua called out to her.
"You need to move out today; that room needs to be cleared for your brother. He’s getting married soon and needs a proper place to live. You’ve already married into this family; it doesn’t matter where you stay."
She pointed toward the thatched hut. "You can stay there! Didn’t you sleep well there last night?"
Wen Qian opened her mouth but said nothing, simply nodding in resignation.
After eating, Wen Qian went off to work. When she returned, she found her clothes had been thrown outside. As she sorted through them, she realized several pieces were missing.
Just then, Ding Cuihua emerged from the house. Gathering her courage, Wen Qian asked softly, "Mother, I still have a few pieces of clothing left inside. Did you forget them?"
"What do you mean 'forgot'? I took everything out for you! Don’t try to pull a fast one on me; if something is lost, it’s lost. Hurry up and finish cleaning so you can cook—I’m starving!"
Ding Cuihua shot her a glare with her sharp eyes. Wen Qian's heart raced as she quickly nodded and clutched her clothes tightly as she headed toward the thatched hut.
"Mother, I understand now; I was wrong to treat you like this."
Having been beaten by Yang, Lu Yao felt better after just one day. During dinner time, he rested his chin on his hand and leered at Wen Qian with interest. He planned to sneak into the thatched hut later to take advantage of her.
This woman had such a fine figure; it would be a shame not to take a chance on her.
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