When she was in Ping family, she didn’t have her own room. She could only make a bed on the kitchen floor with a quilt. She always used to curl up to sleep because the kitchen aisle was narrow, even now she was lying on the big bed, she still curled up at the corner, like a cooked shrimp.
When Cha Xiangye got up, he saw her curled up at the outer edge of the bed. She looked like about to fall, which make people worried.
He glanced coldly. To him, the purpose of getting married was to pass on lineage. What’s more, she might not able to stand ‘that temptation’. No one knew how long she could stay on this bed.
But still, he was kind enough to reach out and dragged the person inside.
Ping Zhaofu woke up as soon as her arm was held.
She hurriedly composed her posture. She did not sleep on the floor, but on a canopy bed. When she sat up, she lost her balance and fell out. Luckily Cha Xiangye was still holding her arm and quickly pulled her back, otherwise she would have made an intimate contact with the floor.
She looked at the man in front of her in shock. Suddenly she felt this man looked very familiar, but couldn’t remember where she had seen this face before.
Something is missing….
The puzzled brow frowned. Desperately trying to find a clue from the nihilistic memory.
Cha Xiangye recognized her immediately when the two looked at each other.
Isn’t this lady who jumped into river wanting to commit suicide?
Unexpectedly she was the daughter-in-law of Ping family, a woman who sold to him.
Noticed her confusion and puzzled look, she couldn’t remember him but felt a little familiar right?
Couldn’t blame her as well because he shaved the beard before the wedding night, and now he got a clean and handsome features without the huge rough beard on his face.
He remembered the reason why she threw herself that day into river and realized that actually she didn’t want to marry him.
Suddenly he recalled her eloquent ‘no wife can have two husbands’, the corner of his mouth moved vaguely.
If that’s the case, maybe, this woman will act and behave differently from his two ex-wives.
Or maybe it’s because she was afraid that she will die like his previous two wives.
He was aware about his infamous status in the city. And because of that, the matchmaker embarrassedly said that it will be difficult to find a suitable person to be his third wife. He said- as long as the person is righteous and unmarried, he will give a very generous betrothal money and dowry. Later, the matchmaker introduced Ping Zhaofu’s profile to him – said that this girl was an adopted daughter of Ping family. The family delayed her marriage until today because she had to take care of her younger brother.
Cha Xiangye considered a wary person. He did not actually believe the information provided by the matchmaker about the girl’s profile as an adopted daughter, but rather resembled a child-bride. While waiting for other candidates, he sent someone to investigate and he was right.
After the lie had been exposed by Cha Xiangye, the matchmaker confessed the truth about Ping Zhaofu indeed was a child-bride. She explained that her husband was born when she was eight years old and now she is twenty-three years old and still not married.
The matchmaker tried to so hard to promote Ping Zhaofu to him. She revealed every single thing and even mentioned that the little husband refused to want the older child bride as wife and he already had another girl and impregnated her. The matchmaker felt that this girl will probably be alone for the rest of her life, moreover she’s a well-behaved and obedient person. It definitely one of the good candidate. Although she might not match Cha Xiangye, but she still could be married as a concubine.
At the end, he agreed on it because she stayed nearby the city.
However, the Cha family had a rule of not accepting concubine, so he would still need to marry a wife. But he didn’t expect that he would have the fate with her before marriage.
Remembering that she was resolute in seeking death, his mood suddenly became a little complicated.
He admired her for her chastity but he also worried that he could not predict her next move. Perhaps, one day he would suddenly hear the news of her death because this martyr did not want to marry twice.
So he decided to arrange someone to watch her carefully, just in case she make unwise actions again.
Cha Xiangye lifted the quilt and got out of the bed. Seeing that, Ping Zhaofu was worried that she would be blamed for neglecting him, so she hurriedly got out of the bed and walk to the closet to help him change his clothes.
“Put on some clothes first.” Cha Xiangye said gently.
Only then did Ping Zhaofu realize that she was naked.
She quickly covered herself shamefully and lost for a moment. Seeing the last night clothes on the ground, she quickly picked up and hid beside the closet so that he couldn’t see, and put her clothes on quickly.
At this time, two maids came in holding a bucket of warm water and clean towels on their hands.
“Master.” The two maids bowed respectfully. “Madam.”
While Cha Xiangye sat at the edge of the bed, the maid handed him a cup of water. He gargled and spitted out on to the basin to rinse his mouth. Then he cleansed his face with the clean water. While the other maid already taken the robe and ready to dress him.
Ping Zhaofu didn’t know what she could do, so she quietly stood there and let the maids handle.
“Madam.” The maid came over with a mouthwash cup, “Do you want to rinse?”
“Er…..” Ping Zhaofu looked at her stupidly, “Me? Wash?”
“Yes, Madam.” The maid smiled lightly, her eyes faintly contemptuous.
The two maids, one named Xi’er and the other named Yue’er. They both had long heard about the new lady not only a daughter from a poor family and sold to a tenant farmer as bride-child. But also an older girl that people looked down upon.
“Oh, okay, thank you.”
Seeing that she talked hesitantly, she was just a bumpkin who can’t make it to the stage. Her skin was dark and tanned compared to the wife before who came from good family, but surprisingly still recognized by the handsome, outstanding and talented man.
Xi’er and Yue’er couldn’t help feeling sorry for their master.
The rumours were widely spread around the city and it was getting more and more absurd. The first two ladies actually died of illness, but rumours said they were forced to death by the master. Even the government tried to cover up the news but somehow it couldn’t be clarified.
Ping Zhaofu followed the way how Cha Xiangye clean up earlier. Xi’er, who helped Cha Xiangye get dressed, came over and opened the small suitcase in the corner.
It was some dowry that Ping Zhaofu brought over and some new clothes that Mother Ping gave her as token of appreciation for taking care the Ping family for past twenty years.
But the quality of those clothes couldn’t even match with the maid’s clothes.
Xi’er couldn’t help shaking her head when she touched the rough material.
“Madam, maid will help you to change your clothes.” Xi’er picked up one of the clothing from the suitcase.
Ping Zhaofu had been served in her life and quickly waved her hand took the clothes from the maid, “I’ll do it myself.”
“Master, Madam. Breakfast is ready.” The third maid walked into the bedroom and said respectfully.
When the maid lifted up the curtain, the smell of the food floated into the inner of the bedroom. Ping Zhaofu’s stomach immediately gave a gurgling sound.
She was so hungry because she did not have any rice yesterday before the wedding ceremony.
All eyes were on her for a moment, and she lowered her head shamefully.
Chan Xiangye walked out and Ping Zhaofu immediately followed.
“Madam,” Xi’er blocked her, “Don’t you want to change your clothes first?”
“I….” Ping Zhaofu looked down at the suit, “I’ll change it later.”
Now the more important thing to do is to serve her husband.
People around in the city said that Cha Xiangye was abusive. Both of his wives were tortured to death. If she wanted to live well in this house, she must not make her husband unhappy, or else she won’t be alive.
Since the day, she failed to attempt the suicide at the river, during when she was locked up by the Ping family until the day of her marriage. She was all alone by herself in the wood house in the dark days and nights. She constantly heard the laughter’s and chats outside, she finally accepted her fate and no longer resisted it. However, she was a tough woman, since fate cannot be changed, she would find a way to survive in this place.
She thought that as long as she is well-behaved, obedient and considerate. Her husband would not have chance to find fault on her, then maybe she would not be abused by him.
Moreover, she worked hard since she was a child. With thick skin and strong vitality plus she was used to beating and scolding, probably she could be able last a little longer.
Cha Xiangye sat down on the carved low stool. Ping Zhaofu immediately helped him to serve the porridge and vegetables. The maid who was one step late, stood by and whispered to each other.
“Is this lady used to being a slave?”
“After all, she was a daughter of the farmer. She should be no different from a slave servant at home.”
Their voices were not loud, Cha Xiangye did not hear them but Ping Zhaofu who was closer to the maids could vaguely hear their conversation. Suddenly she felt lost and seemed to have done something wrongly.
She was little worried and pay more attention to Cha Xiangye’s movements. In case he got angry, she can dodge it immediately. This was already a norm reflex action for people like her who often be beaten.
Cha Xiangye glanced at Ping Zhaofu, who still standing with her hands clapsed.
“Sit down and eat.”
“M_me?” Can she sit down and eat? Together with the rich man?
“Who else?”
“Oh, okay.”
Ping Zhaofu quickly helped herself with a bowl of porridge and sat down at the other end.
Seeing that he moved his chopsticks, Ping Zhaofu only dared to hold up the bowl.
As soon as the white porridge entered her throat, Ping Zhaofu suddenly felt alive.
She had never tasted such a sweet porridge before. It was rich and mellow, and it melted easily in the mouth. There was no rice bran and sand. She had only eaten the leftover food since she was a child. It seemed that she melted with the porridge together.
She drank the whole bowl of porridge all at once, and Cha Xiangye, who was still chewing the first bite, watched her gobble up in an amazement.
The eating speed was too fast, it seemed like there will be no next meal.
Of course Cha Xiangye didn’t know that she didn’t have much time to eat in Ping family. She had too many things to do. She had to do chores, cook, ploughing fields… Almost no time to breathe.
“Eh… Look at her, like starving ghost had reborn.”
“Like never eaten white rice in life before.”
“That’s what the poor people come from…”
The comments that maid whispered made Ping Zhaofu feel ashamed again, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She was just an unsophisticated person and completely out of place in this big family.
“Xi’er,” Cha Xiangye called Xi’er who snickered behind. “Please serve another bowl for Madam.”
Still can have more?
Ping Zhaofu couldn’t help but secretly raised the corner of her mouth, but when she smiled, she saw the maid standing behind Cha Xiangye shook her head in disapproval. She suddenly realized and understood that the porridge can only drink one bowl and will be laughed for having second bowl.
“Er… I am full.” She smiled awkwardly, even though she was still hungry.
“It’s alright, you’re welcome to eat more.” Cha Xiangye beckoned, and Xi’er served another hot bowl of porridge and served more dishes for her.
“Thank you…”
This time, she didn’t dare to eat the porridge at one go. Instead, she followed Cha Xiangye’s frequency. He took a bite and she only dared to take a bite. Seeing that gestures, the maid couldn’t help but sneered, but to Cha Xiangye, he thought this newly wed wife a little interesting.
“You have some rice at the corner of your mouth…” Ping Zhaofu habitually reached out and pinched the rice at the corner of Cha Xiangye’s mouth and put directly into her mouth.
Every time Ping Guifu’s mouth stained with rice, she did that… When Cha Xiangye looked at her in shock, she was at loss again, until Yue’er who stood behind her mocked again, “Tsk, tsk.. You see… Really a hungry ghost, even want to grab the rice from master’s mouth.” Then she realized that she was wrong again.
Dead. She thought in frustration.
She thought that as long as she was careful, not to let him get the chance to find fault and be abused. But who knows that she had done nothing right since the beginning.
Maybe she couldn’t last in this place for more than three days. After all, the environment was totally different from where she lived before. She didn’t understand the rules and did not know what to do.
She was frightened and thought Cha Xiangye would lose his temper, but she didn’t expect him to be silent and continue eating. Ping Zhaofu was relieved and immediately continue to eat and dare not do anything extra.
Cha Xiangye was indeed stunned because of her behaviour.
He still remember when he was very young, at that time, when he was the only child in the family, his mother loved him the most. Every time he had rice on the corner of his mouth, his mother would smile, and picked it and put it into her mouth.
But she didn’t do this anymore after the younger brother was born. Although he knew that it was because he grew older and could not be coquetry with his mother anymore. But also, all the mother’s love and caring actions were transferred to his younger brother. Because of the Ping Zhaofu’s careless movement evoked the memories of the past and triggered a strange emotion in his heart.
fCuK 