Chapter 4: My Husband Is Truly Wonderful

“Why are you back again?” Xu An heard Xu Panpan’s voice and furrowed his brow slightly.

“Eat first. Sister is back again; I’ll go check outside,” Xu An said, rising to his feet.

The little girl quickly tugged on his sleeve. “Sister wants us to go out together. I’ll come too. We can’t let sister be unhappy.”

This little bean sprout was truly sensible.

Why were all the women he met in his past life so prone to unreasonable quarrels?

“All right, let’s go,” Xu An said, taking the little girl’s hand and heading outside.

There was no ulterior motive or thought—just like holding a child’s hand.

Only this child’s hand was not smooth but rather rough.

Presumably, she did too much housework at home.

For such a young child to have such rough hands, she must have endured considerable hardship.

Seeing her hand held by her husband, Su Yan’er’s heart trembled slightly.

The purple hue in her eyes deepened.

His hand was so big, so warm.

Her own hand was small, barely enough for him to hold.

She thought this to herself, a faint smile curling the corner of her lips, her heart filled with happiness.

She said nothing, allowing her husband to hold her hand, never wanting to let go.

Arriving in the courtyard, as if recalling something, she quickly calmed herself and lowered her head deeply.

“Sister, aunties, why are you back again? Is there something wrong?” Xu An asked, looking at Xu Panpan and several village women standing there.

“Xiao An, step aside. Let me see your wife’s eyes,” Xu Panpan said bluntly.

Xu An’s heart sank.

Though the little girl’s pupils had lightened considerably, they were still not completely normal.

These superstitious villagers would see this as a bad omen and might drive her out of the village.

Worse, they might even set her on fire.

He had to think of a way quickly.

Standing beside her, Su Yan’er trembled with fear.

She kept her head lowered, afraid to look at Xu Panpan and the others, clutching Xu An’s hand tightly.

She was extremely tense, helpless, and pitiful.

Over the years, she had endured countless curses and scorn because of her eyes.

Whenever anything went wrong, the aunts blamed her for everything.

They cursed her as a calamity who had killed her own parents and was going to bring disaster upon their family.

Now that she was married and had a good husband who did not despise her, if those people saw her eyes, they would trouble her husband.

What would she do if she caused her husband discomfort?

Su Yan’er’s heart was a tangled mess, utterly lost.

Tears streamed down her face.

At that moment, Xu An suddenly spoke, “Sister, why did you suddenly want to see Yan’er’s eyes?”

“Don’t ask. I just worry about you. Tell her to raise her head and show us,” Xu Panpan said.

Xu An said, “Sister, do you want to see Yan’er’s eyes because you think she’s poisoned and want to find a doctor for her? You’re so kind.”

“Poisoned?” Xu Panpan looked at Xu An, bewildered.

Xu An nodded. “Yes, Yan’er is poisoned; her eyes turned purple.”

“It’s all my fault for drinking too much last night. I was so drunk that the venom of a little snake splashed into Yan’er’s eyes, causing this.”

Xu Panpan and the other village women exchanged glances.

“Xiao An, what’s going on?” Xu Panpan asked.

Xu An said seriously, “Last night when we returned home, we saw a red snake hanging from the beam. When it saw us, it sprayed venom from its mouth.”

“Yan’er stood in front of me to protect me. The venom splashed into her eyes, turning them this way.”

“Thinking back, I feel ashamed. When I saw Yan’er suffering from the snake’s venom, I wanted to find a doctor for her. But because I drank too much, I couldn’t find one and accidentally fell into the river.”

He looked at Su Yan’er with guilt and sighed.

“Why would there be a snake in the house?”

Hearing this, Xu Panpan’s expression softened as she looked at the little girl.

Though she was small and thin, not easy to raise, she risked her life to protect her husband and was a rare good girl.

“I don’t know why there was a snake,” Xu An sighed, still looking remorseful.

Seeing this, Xu Panpan dropped the matter of wanting to see the girl’s eyes. “The house must have been left unclean for too long. I’ll have your brother-in-law come tomorrow to help tidy up.”

“Thank you, sister,” Xu An nodded.

However, Wang Sao and the others remained skeptical. “Mr. Xu, are you sure your wife’s eyes turned like this because of poison?”

The original owner disliked people calling him by his name and preferred being addressed as “sir,” so the villagers always called him that in his presence.

Seeing their suspicion, Xu An’s expression darkened. “Aunties, what kind of question is that? Would I lie about such a thing?”

“I’m a scholar. Reputation is everything. Confucius said: ‘If a man is not trustworthy, I do not know what he is good for. A chariot without yokes cannot go forward.’ What benefit would I have in deceiving you over this?”

“Moreover, if you don’t believe me, you can ask my brother-in-law. When Yan’er came yesterday, he saw that her eyes were normal.”

Hearing Xu An speak so formally, Wang Sao and the others rolled their eyes. Couldn’t he just speak plainly? Who understood Confucius and his father’s words?

Xu Panpan had met Su Yan’er yesterday but hadn’t paid much attention since the girl kept her eyes lowered.

She only thought the girl was too small and thin, not easy to raise, and had given it little thought.

That was why she was uncertain and came back for another look.

But since Xu An had spoken this way, as her sister, she had to defend him.

“That’s right. My brother will take the imperial exam to become top scholar one day. How could he lie about such a trivial matter? You’re just overthinking.”

Wang Sao and the others thought about it and found it reasonable.

This scholar kept talking about becoming a top official; he wouldn’t joke about such things.

So, they stopped pressing the issue.

“Looks like we misunderstood.”

“Madam of the Xu family, we mean no harm. Please don’t take offense.”

“Yes, yes. Come visit us sometime.”

They politely said a few words to the little girl who kept her head lowered, then left in embarrassment.

Xu Panpan glanced at Su Yan’er and hesitated before pulling out some silver coins from her sleeve—about five or six qian.

She placed the silver in Xu An’s hand. “Xiao An, here’s some money. Take it.”

“Since your wife is poisoned, find a doctor quickly. Don’t delay. If it drags on, it could be serious.”

“This is all I have. If it’s not enough, come to me again, and I’ll help you raise more.”

To avoid arousing suspicion, Xu An accepted the money. “Sister, I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t talk about paying back. We’re family. Enough of that. I’m leaving now.”

Xu Panpan shot him a sharp look and turned to leave the courtyard.

Only after she left did Su Yan’er dare to lift her head and look at Xu An.

She pressed her lips together, then suddenly burst into tears, hugging Xu An tightly as she wept.