He sighed, âAfter my face was disfigured, the Xiao Family had too many problems. Chuanâs health was not good, and Fourth Brother⦠The men of the Xiao Family couldnât find a wife, and none of us could afford or manage to marry a wife individually. No one was willing to marry into our family. But the Xiao Familyâs ancestral line must not end. After buying you from the Zhu Family, I didnât have much hope. But ever since you came back from the town with severe injuries, my feelings for you⦠became different. I can see that not only me but also Third Brother and Fourth Brother have unusual feelings for you.â
She listened quietly. She knew what Second Brother was talking about.
âI used to have feelings for Liu Haitang. After so many years, those feelings have become almost numb with indifference,â he said, gazing at her with deep emotion. âBut she looked down on me because of my disfigurement, leaving a shadow in my heart. Yueâer, do you know? Itâs you who brought my dead heart back to life. How afraid I was that you would be like her, disdaining my appearance. How scared I was that you would look at me with contempt⦠Whenever I thought about it, I couldnât help but feel uneasy and miserableâ¦â
Su Qingyue glanced at his bearded face, âThatâs why Second Brother, who didnât have a beard originally, grew one.â
He looked slightly uneasy, âYou noticed it?â
âIâve known it for a long time.â She smiled, âWith a full beard, Second Brother really looks like a wild man. There is really no need to use a beard to hide the scar on your left face.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He asked, âDoes Yueâer not like my beard?â
âShave it off,â she said. âYouâll be more comfortable without it.â
âYueâer, Iâm sorryâ¦â There was deep remorse in his eyes, âI was really afraid that youâd look down on me. I thought, based on your character, you wouldnât be like that⦠Cuihua said you despised me and that you admitted it yourselfâ¦â
Su Qingyue thought back to the situation at that time, âCuihua meant well. She told me that everyone in the village said I looked down on you, so she asked me if I really did. At that time, I didnât know you were my⦠husband, and I thought it had nothing to do with me. So I didnât bother to explain, which led to the misunderstanding.â
âI see.â He finally breathed a sigh of relief. âBut even if you knew I was your husband, you never explained when I asked you in personâ¦â
âDo you know why I didnât explain?â Her expression was indifferent. âI donât care about appearances. When Second Brother asked me that question, heâd already denied my character. Since youâd already made up your mind, why should I waste my breath explaining?â
It was like when she poked Third Brother twice. If he didnât believe her and thought she was vengeful, then she was too lazy to explain.
His heart leaped with joy, finally sure of her feelings, âYueâer, you mean you donât mind!â
She smiled slightly, nodding her head.
He sat on a stone, leaning slightly towards her, looking at her with a touched expression, âYueâer⦠youâre so kind!â
âSecond Brother, youâre flattering me. Iâm not that good.â
His deep eyes were filled with pain and guilt, âThese days, Iâve been frightened that youâd disdain me⦠Listening to Third Brother calling you âwifeâ every day, I didnât even dare to call you âwifeâ myself. I was suffering so much, my nerves were on edge, and I almost⦠forced myself on youâ¦â
âSecond Brother, donât be like this in the future.â There was a warning in her eyes.
Seeing her guardedness against him, his heart ached, âYueâer, are you still blaming me for not handling the matter with Mrs. Qian Zhang properly?â