The original owner, having squandered all her money, was already delicate and weak. With no money for doctors or medicine,
she soon died a miserable death at Su Shuochi's side. And less than a month after she was gone,
her disabled husband, with no one to care for him, followed her in death.
They really were a tragic cannon fodder couple.
Ugh...
'Didn't the book say the original owner always looked down on Su Shuochi for being from the countryside?'
'She couldn't stand him or the Su family, complaining that they reeked of soil and sweat and weren't fit to sleep in the same bed as her, right?'
'So why the hell did I wake up next to him?'
Gu Jiaojiao reviewed the plot in her mind. Fortunately, the story had only just begun.
She had no intention of handing over her money and that so-called treasure to the original novel's protagonist. Whatever it was, it was hers now.
She glanced again at the man who was also cannon fodder. 'Handsome, sure, but far from perfect. And a wife-beater to boot.'
"Hmph."
Lost in her thoughts, Gu Jiaojiao let out an audible huff. Su Shuochi's younger sister, who was just entering the room, heard it and exploded in a furious roar.
"Gu Jiaojiao, what are you huffing about? You think you're still the precious young lady of the Sheng Family?
The Sheng Family has disowned you, and even your childhood sweetheart of a fiancé doesn't want you anymore. For the past couple of days, he's been busy chasing after Sheng Xinglian.
Tsk tsk... You sickly little thing. Just two days on an IV has already cost our family a fortune. Who can afford to keep you..."
"Enough. You're being too loud."
Another roar, deep as thunder, cut off the chattering girl.
Gu Jiaojiao turned her head to see her new husband. His already gloomy eyes had widened,
and were now radiating a murderous intent that felt like it could devour a person whole.
Gu Jiaojiao couldn't help but shiver from head to toe. It wasn't her fault—it was this body's instinctive reaction.
Startled by her older brother's roar, the sister flinched, sloshing a good amount of water out of the basin she was holding.
"Jiaojiao, don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will dare to bully you. Chi, you're going to scare your wife away acting like that."
Su's mother gently patted Gu Jiaojiao's shoulder with a rough hand, comforting her.
After a moment, Su's mother turned, wrung out the towel from the basin, and began to wipe Gu Jiaojiao's face.
"Jiaojiao, please don't be afraid of him. Shuo Ci wasn't always like this," Su's mother continued, her eyes red.
"He was never a man of many words, but he was always a good, filial son. He only became like this after he was injured on a mission. Don't worry, Jiaojiao, he'll get better."
While Su's mother was saying this for Gu Jiaojiao's benefit, she was also trying to bolster her own courage. She hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep since her son's injury.
She and her husband were getting old, but their son was still so young. They had to hold on to this daughter-in-law, no matter what.
She would be the one to care for their son for the rest of his life. They had thought he would never be able to marry.
But the heavens had been kind, allowing their paralyzed son to find a wife—and such a beautiful one at that.
Jiaojiao may have thrown a tantrum on the wedding day, but what young woman would willingly marry a disabled man?
"Mom... I won't be afraid of him. I'll take good care of him from now on," Gu Jiaojiao said in a soft, weak voice.
She put a special, hidden emphasis on the words "take care." 'The original owner's body might be weak,' she thought,
'but the man is paralyzed, too. I wasn't conscious when he threw me out of bed earlier. From now on, we'll see who gets the better of whom.'
She could understand, though. A man once known in the army as the "War Wolf" had suddenly become disabled.
The psychological whiplash from that would make anyone's personality grow more sensitive and gloomy. A single careless word could set him off.
The fact that this man hadn't gone completely mad was a testament to his mental fortitude. It was admirable.
'Admirable, yes, but I still have to get him back for throwing me out of bed. I'm not the forgiving type.'
Gu Jiaojiao's long eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings, hiding the mischievous glint in her eyes.
Su's mother and sister didn't see it, but Su Shuochi, lying next to Gu Jiaojiao, saw it with perfect clarity.
Su Shuochi was speechless.
The woman's words, especially that "Mom," had nearly made his jaw hit the floor.
He wanted to fire back with a few sarcastic remarks, but when he saw his mother's red-rimmed eyes and her haggard face,
the words died on his tongue. He silently swallowed them back down.
It wasn't as if he hadn't seen renowned doctors after his injury. But even the top specialists had all declared that he would be bedridden and paralyzed for life.
At the thought of being a cripple forever, Su Shuochi quickly squeezed his eyes shut, afraid his own bitter aura would frighten his mother.
The younger sister stood before the bed holding the basin of water. At the same time, Mr. Su had just stepped through the doorway carrying a bowl of hot porridge.
Both of them were stunned speechless by Gu Jiaojiao's "Mom."
Their daughter-in-law (their sister-in-law), who on her wedding day had looked down her nose at them, calling them country bumpkins and refusing to associate with them.
She was in a coma for two days and two nights, and now she wakes up with a completely different personality?
She even called her "Mom" of her own accord. It was unbelievable!
The younger sister desperately wanted to ask: 'Didn't you say just two days ago that my parents weren't worthy of receiving your ceremonial tea, let alone being your parents?'
That day, Gu Jiaojiao had stubbornly refused to serve the tea, courting disaster by spewing insults until she cursed herself right into a dead faint.
But the aftershock of her brother's roar still hung in the air, so she didn't dare speak. All she could do was stare at Gu Jiaojiao in stunned silence.
The way she looked, wanting to speak but holding herself back, was almost comical.
"Jiaojiao, let Mom help you sit up and have some porridge. Old man, what are you doing just standing there in the doorway? Hurry and bring it over."
A kind, gentle smile bloomed on Su's mother's sallow face.
"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom," Gu Jiaojiao said with genuine sincerity. This body really was starving.
"Don't... don't be so polite with your mom. As long as you're all right, Jiaojiao, that's all that matters."
Mr. Su said sheepishly, handing the porridge to his wife with a bashful smile. He then took the basin from his daughter's hands and turned to leave.
At the doorway, he glanced back at the people in the room, the smile on his face slowly widening.
Su's mother scooped up a spoonful of porridge with a ceramic spoon and fed it to Gu Jiaojiao. Standing beside them, the younger sister audibly swallowed. GULP.
Gu Jiaojiao looked at the coarse ceramic bowl. The rice grains had been cooked down until they were translucent and had lost their shape, creating a porridge of perfect, smooth consistency.
She truly had no strength, so she obediently drank from the spoon Su's mother offered. The plain rice porridge melted in her mouth, smooth and silken.
For a body that had starved for two days, a bowl of simple porridge like this was perfect.
Only heaven knew what this bowl of plain porridge meant to Gu Jiaojiao!
Gu Jiaojiao happily drank the porridge spoon-fed by Su's mother as if it were the most exquisite delicacy in the world.
The man lay beside her, motionless, his eyes squeezed shut. The younger sister, however, watched her eat with longing eyes.
Gu Jiaojiao was simply too hungry. She ignored her sister-in-law's burning gaze, kept her head down, and continued to take small sips of the porridge.
The smile never left Su's mother's sallow face as she patiently fed her daughter-in-law.
Gu Jiaojiao was full after half a bowl. She turned to look at the man on the bed, whose eyes were still tightly shut.
She couldn't tell if he was actually asleep or just didn't want to look at her. "Mom, I'm full."
When Su's mother saw that Gu Jiaojiao wouldn't eat more than half a bowl, she assumed the girl was upset. After some hesitation, she finally said,
"Jiaojiao, you haven't eaten in two days. Please, have a little more. Silly child, you need to stop thinking about Song Zijin. He was your fiancé for more than a decade. If he truly liked you, why wouldn't he have married you?"