The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

The news was like a thunderclap, and Ying Fuyan and Yao Ru looked at each other in dismay.

Yao Ru was momentarily flustered. A ripple appeared on the still pool beneath her dark eyelashes, before finally returning to silence. She placed the food box on the table, opened it, and took out the food inside.

It was as if they hadn't heard anything.

What happened to Ying Zhi?
So what if it's neither fish nor fowl?
She didn't care, but she was still somewhat disgusted.

Ying Fuyan then chased away the blue crow.

"It's filthy and disgusting to your ears."

But how easy is it to chase away crows?
It fears Wei Zhao, but it doesn't fear Ying Fuyan.

It flapped its wings and flew around wildly, sweeping across the incense burner, stirring up the smoke and ash, and shaking off a few shiny black feathers.

The crow cried out.

"Brother Yan!"

That's a familiar way of addressing me.

Yao Ru: ...

Ying Fuyan: ...

The crow now not only eavesdrops, but it also pieces together fragments from various places to form what it wants to express.

"Spare them!"

Its voice was shrill, like that of a wronged woman who had been abandoned.

"Don't we have any feelings for each other?!"

Ying Fuyan frowned absurdly.

Yao Ru glanced at Qingya, then at Ying Fuyan.

"Inkstone..."

He uttered a word, then swallowed it back, only asking the question that followed.

Does anyone else call you that?

But she knew better than anyone that it wouldn't happen.

Even if Ying Fuyan were healthy, let alone if he were in poor health, he wouldn't have any problems.

This person is more loyal than anyone else.

But that's really unfair. She's married and has children, while Ying Fuyan is still all alone. Yao Ru would rather he had someone who cared for him all these years.

Ying Fuyan did not respond, but instead ordered his trusted confidant to go inside and throw the blue crow out.

As the door was closed again, only the two people remained inside, but the indignant voice of the crow could still be heard from outside.

"You jerk! You've got a new love and you don't want your old one anymore."

Yao Ru smiled.

Don't listen to its gossip.

Holding a hand warmer in his arms, Ying Fuyan's face was pale: "You...why are you here?"

"Can't I come?"

Yao Ru: "Isn't the purpose of digging this tunnel to let me come over anytime?"

Her slender, jade-like fingers scooped up the milk tea and presented it to Ying Fuyan. With each movement, the twenty-four panels of her fragrant dress remained perfectly still. She wasn't deliberately dressed, but her features were gentle and dignified, her entire being exuding an air of elegance like a peony glistening with dew, or the fragrance of an ancient incense burner.

Just as Ying Fuyan was about to take it, Yao Ru showed no intention of letting go. He slowly lowered his hand again.

"It's to protect your safety."

Yao Ru stared at him intently, as if she wouldn't give up until she got an answer: "You mean... you don't want me to come?"

"Aru, I didn't mean that."

"That means they've been waiting for me to come."

Yao Ru: "I know you can't eat cold food, so I didn't let it cool down. The milk tea is warm right now, have a taste."

She bent down slightly, scooped up a spoonful, and fed it to his lips.

As I approached, the woman's delicate fragrance filled my nostrils.

Ying Fuyan subconsciously leaned back.

"What are you hiding from?"

Yao Ru: "You didn't answer the phone just now because you wanted me to feed you, didn't you?"

She is no longer the Yao Ru of the past.

She would blush with joy and be overjoyed when Ying Fuyan gave her the jade pendant as an engagement gift, and even toss and turn at night, unable to hide her girlish feelings.

Ying Fuyan was slightly taken aback: "No..."

Interrupted. Yao Ru still smiled: "So you're afraid of touching my hands. I've been married before, and you think I'm dirty."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Ying Fuyan's face suddenly darkened, his expression becoming intensely gloomy. His lips opened and closed, finally turning into a sigh.

"You know better than anyone that I hate to see you suffer, but I'm powerless to protect you. I'm thankful that my Aru is still alive and well, waiting for me to come back and save her."

"I do know."

The smile on her lips faded slightly.

"I also know that you've been deliberately avoiding me these past few days."

"You mean to say that you're a cripple, your body is already at its limit, and you don't know what tomorrow will bring?"

Ying Fuyan whispered, "Aru."

His eyes held a complex mix of emotions, which he deliberately avoided mentioning, feigning ignorance.

Yao Ru, however, was determined to get to the bottom of things with him and wouldn't allow him to dodge.

Why would you do this?

Ying Fuyan struggled to stand up, her hands gripping the table, her body swaying unsteadily.

With Old Master Ge's help in recuperating, his health did not deteriorate further, he no longer felt cold as before, and he became a little more energetic.

But the underlying issues are there.

That would be the best outcome.

He leaned against the table for support as he reached for the bowl in her hand. His fingertips brushed against her knuckles, a fleeting touch like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Yao Ru let go, allowing him to take it away, but hooked the peace knot tied to the side of the bowl.

Her gaze was calm as she met Ying Fuyan's eyes without flinching or dodging, but her delicate hand slowly touched the back of his hand where the veins were bulging.

Her hands were warm.

But Ying Fuyan felt a chill.

The jade bracelet on her wrist touched the rim of the bowl, making a clear, tinkling sound.

Amidst the fragrant aroma of herbs, she could see more clearly than anyone else, seeing the restraint in Ying Fuyan's eyes, and reflecting her own reflection.

Ying Fuyan's Adam's apple bobbed.

They used to be very well-behaved and, because of their young age, always maintained proper etiquette, with very little physical contact.

His tone was calm, without much fluctuation.

"I have long since disregarded life and death."

He didn't speak quickly.

"My mother suffered a difficult childbirth during our exile. After giving birth to my younger sister, she experienced severe bleeding and became delirious. Her prison clothes were stained with blood. She collapsed in my father's arms, reluctant to let go of my hand. Before she breathed her last, she was still worried that I would not be able to endure the hardships of Lingnan. The bright and noble Princess Yan could only be buried hastily in a pit dug by the roadside, without any dignity."

“My little sister was weak, and her cries sounded like a cat’s meow. Whenever she cried, I worried that she would get cold or hungry and would cry herself to death. My father took care of her day and night and fed her with his own blood, but due to limited resources, she went to find her mother a few days after she was born. When I held her for the last time, her body was already stiff and cold, and I… no longer had to worry about her getting cold or hungry or hearing her cry.”

and then?
Few people actually talk about Ying Fuyan.

It's just reopening the wound, and it's still bloody inside.

But the person in front of me is different.

“When I arrived in Lingnan, I was not used to the environment and the intensity of the manual labor. But my father supported me, and with him there, I had some breathing room.”

Ying Fuyan lowered her eyes.

"But he still couldn't protect me for a few more years."

"He was smiling on his deathbed."

It's nothing more than that.

"I can only live if he dies."

If the only son of the Prince of Yan were to get into trouble again, the gossip would be impossible to cover up, and the emperor ultimately cares about his reputation.

"I have witnessed people around me fall one after another. I know best what it feels like to be in such a terrible situation."

"Aru, isn't it better to keep your distance? Getting used to having me by your side isn't a good thing for you?"

"When my time comes, all love, hate, and grudges will vanish into nothingness after I close my eyes. And you? Will you mourn me for the rest of your life? In this world, it is always the living who suffer more."

Rather than that, it would be better to keep a distance from the beginning.

His silent protection of her was enough.

Yao Rujing listened quietly as he finished speaking.

Instead of refuting it, he started talking about something else.

(End of this chapter)