âI sold all my goods today and went to town to buy more.â He set down the shoulder pole on the ground, took out three taels of silver from his sleeve pocket and handed it to her, âWife, this is forâ¦â
She didnât accept it, âThe household money is managed by second brother, you should give it to him.â
âI want to give it to you.â He forcefully stuffed the silver into her hand, âNow the family doesnât lack money, itâs no big deal if I give three taels less to second brother.â
She pursed her lips, refusing to accept it, and turned her back, âThird brother, you donât have to treat me so well.â
He hugged her delicate body, âWife, you are my wife. If I donât treat you well, who should I treat well?â
Just as she was about to push him away, she saw Xiao Qinghe come out of the kitchen in his wheelchair. She immediately struggled out of Xiao Yuchuanâs embrace, feeling uneasy.
Xiao Qinghe saw his third brother hug his wife as soon as he entered the door, and his heart felt sour and astringent. He just greeted, âThird brother.â
Xiao Yuchuan didnât feel embarrassed. He walked up to him and took out a cloth bag from his bosom, âFourth brother, this is for you.â
Xiao Qinghe received it and opened it. To his surprise, it was a yellowed medical book, âThis isâ¦â Inside were detailed descriptions of herbs, explanations, and how to make medicine and formulate prescriptions.
âI spent five taels of silver on this book. When I went to other villages to sell goods, I had a chat with a family that was also selling goods. I mentioned you were studying medicine. That family said their son also wanted to study medicine and went through a lot of trouble to buy an old doctorâs notes for ten taels of silver. However, their son got tired of studying after half a month, and the notes were left unused. They said I could buy it for five taels if I wanted. These past few days, my business selling goods has been particularly good. I saved up eight taels, spent five on the book, and there are still three taels for my wife.â
âThank you, third brother,â Xiao Qinghe said, âThere is a lot of knowledge about herbs in this book that my wife hasnât taught me yet.â@@novelbin@@
âI know, I flipped through it and saw it was useful before buying it.â
Xiao Qingheâs eyes were filled with gratitude.
He felt even more strongly that his thoughts⦠were correct.
His wife⦠should be with third brother.
He couldnât let his wife sacrifice her happiness for a lifetime out of pity for him.
Xiao Yuchuan had finished teaching âThe Analectsâ to Qinghe, and he was too tired after selling goods all day. After dinner, he went to his room early.
Xiao Yishan was doing part-time work in town. It was too far to travel back and forth, so he had been staying at his employerâs house for the past few days.
The moon rose high, shining pure and bright.
Xiao Qinghe sat in his wheelchair, looking up at the moon in the courtyard. The dark night sky was beautiful, and the stars scattered like a painting.
But he had no interest in appreciating it.
Su Qingyue walked up to him, gazing at him worriedly, âFourth brother, arenât you going to bed yet?â
âIâll go to bed in a while.â
She looked at his elegant and handsome face, âIs something on your mind?â
âIâ¦â He hesitated to speak.
She sighed softly, âFourth brother, you and I are husband and wife. If you have anything to say, just say it directly. Donât hide it in your heart.â
The words âhusband and wifeâ made his heart ache with a heavy burden. He couldnât give her happiness, âQingyueâ¦â
Her face stiffened. He hadnât called her âwifeâ for several months, not even using the word âwifeâ, âYes?â
Looking into her moist and bright eyes, he finally mustered the courage he had gathered countless times before. He figured that instead of prolonging everyoneâs misery, it would be better to cut the entanglement earlier, âQingyue, let me be your fourth brother.â