Chapter 8: Little New Year

On the way back, a heavy atmosphere filled the car, primarily emanating from Qin Yi in waves of low spirits.

Lin Changchun, a chronic talker, kept his lips tightly sealed, afraid that one wrong word would provoke Qin Yi’s wrath.

Su Wan remained silent, staring out the window, lost in thought. What would become of her life in the end?

She was not without worry, but did worrying help? Whether Qin Yi’s leg would heal or not was beyond their control.

Yet she refused to accept defeat.

Why should her life be one setback after another?

She was a person of great resilience; once she set her mind on something, she had to make it happen.

It was just a leg. If the doctor said no, she would take him to another.

If Western medicine failed, she would try traditional Chinese medicine; if that failed, she would seek folk remedies or special healers.

She had witnessed people near death come back to life—so long as a person was alive, there was hope.

When she was ten, Su Wan’s foster mother sent her up the mountain to gather pigweed, and she accidentally fell off a cliff, her legs so injured she couldn’t walk.

Driven by sheer willpower, she crawled to a path where a kindhearted uncle from the village found her and carried her home.

But her foster mother saw her as a burden—refusing to treat her, scolding and beating her for not working, eventually leaving her bedridden.

Sometimes she was given a steamed bun; other times, she was left to starve.

She once thought she might die there, but fate was not yet done with her.

At her most desperate moment, a wandering Taoist healer came asking for water and saw her frail state. He treated her as a Taoist doctor, gathering herbs from the mountain that day, crushing them into poultices for her.

The old Taoist kindly returned every few days to change the dressings. After a month, miraculously, she was able to stand.

Later, through relentless daily exercise, she fully recovered.

Yes, that Taoist!

Su Wan’s eyes brightened—if she could find that Taoist again, perhaps Qin Yi could be saved.

Qin Yi was unaware of her thoughts; he only felt an overwhelming irritation. If he had known the outcome would be like this, he would never have let Su Wan bother with it.

The doctors had spoken; what good was it to get the medicine?

Unconsciously, Qin Yi feared something deeper—that Su Wan might leave him because of his leg.

He had faced death many times on missions and knew human nature well.

But human nature could not withstand such trials, especially when their marriage was arranged by their parents, and there was no real emotional foundation between them.

What if in a few years, Su Wan’s feelings changed?

What if she reached a point where she could take charge of her own life?

Would she still choose to stay?

Especially given the Su family’s status—what if they called her back one day?

Qin Yi’s mind was a tangled mess, growing more restless by the minute. He said nothing all the way home. Su Wan was not one for many words either, and the silence in the car felt suffocating.

Once home, Lin Changchun quickly took off, fearing one more second might spark Qin Yi’s anger, which he could not bear.

Qin Yi pushed his wheelchair to his room alone.

Grandma Qin, seeing his face, knew the examination results were disappointing and spoke with concern.

“Xiao Yi.”

Qin Yi responded by closing the door.

Grandma Qin looked anxiously at Su Wan, who shook her head, signaling not to disturb Qin Yi’s rest.

Busy kneading dough and preparing filling, Su Wan worked while Grandma Qin helped quietly beside her, her gaze frequently drifting toward Su Wan.

She was worried.

The previous granddaughter-in-law had fled after just a glance at Qin Yi confined to a wheelchair.

Now, after the checkup, Qin Yi was in this state—there was no need to imagine what would happen. Grandma Qin dared not think about it.

Sensing Grandma Qin’s unease, Su Wan felt a headache coming on. She was not good at handling such delicate relationships and felt helpless.

But seeing the sadness on Grandma Qin’s face, she decided to speak up.

“Grandma, don’t worry. I will find a way to cure him. I will make him stand again.”

“Ah! Good, good!” Grandma Qin was overjoyed and wiped away tears. She had known she had not been mistaken—Su Wan was a good girl.

While mother and daughter made dumplings, Su Wan relayed what the doctor had said as much as she dared. Grandma Qin took Su Wan’s hand and slipped the jade bracelet from her own wrist onto Su Wan’s.

Feeling the warmth of the bracelet on her wrist, Su Wan hastened to remove it.

“Grandma, I can’t accept this.”

“Why not? If I say so, then so it is. This was supposed to be for Xiao Yi’s mother, but...” Grandma Qin’s voice faltered, tears welling as she spoke of Qin Yi’s parents.

Both were soldiers who had died in service seven years ago, a loss that deeply affected Qin Yi. It fueled his determination to bring criminals to justice.

Biting her lip, Grandma Qin mentioned the previous woman she had tried to set Qin Yi up with.

She figured it was better Su Wan heard it from her than later discovering it on her own.

In any case, nothing had happened between Qin Yi and that girl—they hadn’t even been alone in the same room.

...

“Wanwan, you’ve been through so much.”

Grandma Qin held Su Wan’s hand, unwilling to let go.

Hearing all this, Su Wan's heart was a tangle of emotions—she felt pity for Qin Yi and something more... tenderness.

Su Wan made three dishes—two meat and one vegetable—along with dumplings.

She went to the room to call Qin Yi to eat, but he remained motionless, frozen in the position he’d entered in.

Su Wan pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. Qin Yi stubbornly turned his head away, yet inwardly he hoped she would say something.

He despised himself for it.

“Qin Yi, what are you afraid of?”

Like a cat startled, Qin Yi snapped back sharply.

“Who said I’m afraid? What’s there to be afraid of?”

“Qin Yi, I’m not leaving.”

“Huh?”

“Leave if you want!”

Su Wan showed no anger, calmly looking at him.

Qin Yi stared at her, puzzled by her words. What did she mean? Whether she stayed or left was none of his concern. If she wanted to leave, she should just go—why bother explaining? It wasn’t as if he cared.

He didn’t care whether she stayed or left.

Blinking awkwardly, he tried to mask his unease.

Strangely, the unease in his heart melted away.

A subtle sense of peace spread through his chest.

He had rarely shown emotion before, but since his legs had been injured, his temper had become uncontrollable and irritable. He knew it was wrong, but couldn’t help himself.

Su Wan pushed Qin Yi out, and Grandma Qin cheerfully set the table.

“Come, it’s time to eat.”

The carefully prepared dishes steamed hot on the table, a sharp contrast to the cold winter outside.

Su Wan poured Qin Yi half a glass of wine.

“The doctor said a little is good for circulation.”

Qin Yi said nothing but took the glass from her.

Grandma Qin looked at Su Wan with growing satisfaction.