Chapter 96

Su Ruo saw the Battalion Commander's look and felt a twinge of reluctance; after all, having been reborn, in this life he had treated her well, yet she did not relent.

But Su Ruo, following a doctor's duty, stanched Li Zeyu's bleeding to prevent him from dying of blood loss on the road.

As soon as Su Ruo finished, the awakened Li Yanhong burst into the clinic, yelling that Li Zeyu must be taken to the county hospital and not treated by Su Ruo, accusing Su Ruo of plotting against him.

Su Ruo's face grew cold; she felt her decision not to treat Li Zeyu was utterly correct, otherwise, if his leg couldn't be saved, Li Yanhong would surely extort her.

Given Li Yanhong's nature, she might even believe Su Ruo deliberately harmed Li Zeyu.

The Battalion Commander's wife continually urged Li Yanhong to stay calm, mindful of the child in her womb.

The Battalion Commander gave Su Ruo an apologetic look and ordered Li Zeyu to be carried away.

Su Ruo stood at the door, watching the crowd leave, her feelings momentarily tangled.

In her past life, after using Su Ruo, Li Zeyu returned to the city; he later married a high-official's daughter, enjoying success in career and love, his life smooth and happy.

Yet Su Ruo was ruined by him, losing her reputation; she stayed in the village, blamed and scolded by all, later framed by Wang Tufu until she died miserably.

In this life, without Su Ruo as his free, ever‑willing maid, Li Zeyu, seeking a shortcut, chose to marry Li Yanhong.

But Li Yanhong is not Su Ruo; she has the Battalion Commander as her father backing her—how could he let Li Zeyu walk away unscathed after using his daughter?

Now Li Zeyu meets this fate—it's poetic justice!

Su Ruo knew that, given Li Zeyu's pride, becoming disabled would torment him more than death, and his tragic fate had only just begun.

After seeing Li Zeyu's fate, Su Ruo felt relieved; in her past life, her tormentors had already been punished, and now she would let go of hatred and start anew.

Because hatred is a double‑edged sword that harms both others and oneself, letting it go is also forgiving oneself.

When Su Ruo lifted her head again, the sky seemed much brighter; all that needed doing was done, and she said, 'It's time to leave here.'

Li Zhaodi saw Su Ruo standing there unmoving for a while and called, 'Master, it's time to eat.'

Su Ruo smiled, answered, and walked indoors.

As the New Year approached and the weather grew colder, Li Zhaodi, idle, used the leftover fabric to make several sets of cotton parent‑child outfits for Su Ruo, herself, and An'an.

An'an painted many flowers on them, looking playful and adorable, extremely lovely.

These days, because she had to return to Kyoto for the New Year, Bai Xinya's mood has been terrible; she hates to part with An'an, but she hasn't gone back in nearly a year, and if she doesn't return this year for the New Year, the elders at home will worry.

If she could, Bai Xinya wouldn't want to be separated from An'an even for a moment; she wanted to bring An'an back to Kyoto, knowing her parents would surely love her, but she also understood that An'an would never leave Su Ruo.

Seeing his wife's reluctance, Zhou Feng quickly comforted her: 'Don't be sad; the separation is only temporary—at worst, we'll come back right after the New Year.'

Moreover, once next year Su Ruo gets into a Kyoto university, you can meet whenever you want.

But these words did not soothe Bai Xinya's feelings until An'an walked over and handed her a painting.

Upon seeing the painting, Bai Xinya's eyes lit up with excitement; it depicted her holding An'an, both figures lifelike, their intimacy akin to that of a biological mother and daughter.

Bai Xinya clutched the painting to her chest; all her sorrow instantly dissolved, and she said she would treasure it well, taking it out to look at whenever she missed An'an.

Zhou Feng, seeing this, also felt helpless, but he had long realized that in his wife's heart he could not compare to An'an.

Days passed; as the New Year approached, a heavy snow fell, yet it did not dampen the festive spirit—firecrackers popped everywhere and children's laughter filled the air.

Yet amidst this joyful atmosphere, the Battalion Commander's family returned to the village with grim faces—Li Zeyu's right leg could not be saved and was amputated.

Li Yanhong saw Li Zeyu pushed out of the operating room and burst into tears, her heart wrenching; so agitated that the baby in her womb was almost lost.

Li Yanhong could not accept that the man she liked had become a cripple; had she known this would happen, she would never have let Li Zeyu go to the mine.

Regret and self‑blame made Li Yanhong even hate the Battalion Commander; she thought that if her father hadn't stubbornly decided thus, Li Zeyu wouldn't have been injured, let alone become like this, but she forgot that she herself had agreed to let Li Zeyu go to the mine.

Seeing his son‑in‑law turned into a useless man and being hated by his daughter, the stalwart Battalion Commander's hair turned white overnight; he smoked pipe after pipe, his whole person seeming to age ten years in an instant.

After learning his right leg was gone, Li Zeyu never spoke another word; he knew his life was over.

Even if he could leave this place, he could never rise again in this lifetime; Li Zeyu hated this unjust fate, and hated even more the Battalion Commander's family that had ruined him.

Li Zeyu swore in his heart that since they had made him suffer so terribly, he would never let them have an easy time—if they didn't want him to leave, then let them all go to hell together!

Li Shiro appeared only on the day Li Zeyu finished surgery; seeing him ignore her, she never came to the hospital again.

In fact, seeing Li Zeyu in this state, Li Shiro felt guilty, after all he was the brother who had loved her most since childhood.

If she had told Li Zeyu back then that the college entrance exam had been restored, he would not have married Li Yanhong, and perhaps none of this would have happened.

But Li Shiro refuses to regret; things have come to this point, she absolutely will not turn back, and she must enter university to leave this place.

Li Shiro studied even harder, hardly leaving her room; she must get into the nation's best university, for only then can she prove her choice was right—since one who does not act for oneself invites heavenly condemnation, she is utterly blameless.

When Li Yanhong's oxcart passed by, Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi were accompanying An'an as they set off fireworks by the roadside.

The three wore identical red cotton coats with white fur hats, looking extremely festive.

Yet this deeply pained Li Yanhong's eyes; looking at Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi's smiling faces, her gaze was filled with deep resentment.

She hated Su Ruo for refusing to help, believing that if Su Ruo had agreed to treat Li Zeyu then, perhaps his leg would not have needed amputation.

By now Li Yanhong had completely forgotten how she had shouted earlier, refusing to let Su Ruo treat Li Zeyu.

Li Yanhong also resented that Su Ruo had ruined her wedding yet could live so happily; she even felt that all her misfortunes were caused by Su Ruo.

Even the fact that Su Ruo and company are here now is just to wait and watch her make a fool of herself.

Because of Li Zeyu's accident this time, Li Yanhong's psyche has become twisted; she cannot accept having gone from an object of everyone's envy to a pitiful creature that everyone pities.

At this point Li Yanhong resents not only her parents but everyone around her, and of course she hates most of all Su Ruo, who is better than her in every way.

Jealousy and anger gradually robbed Li Yanhong of reason, as a vicious scheme slowly took root in her mind.