Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Denial
Yunjin had a good night’s sleep!
Gu Ya, however, only managed to doze off for a while just before dawn.
In the morning, when Yunjin got up, she saw dark circles around Gu Ya’s eyes, and even his handsome face looked dull and listless.
Clearly, he hadn’t rested well.
“You didn’t sleep well last night?”
Yunjin asked tentatively, her pair of bright, black eyes sizing him up, making Gu Ya’s handsome face feel somewhat unnatural, “No!” Gu Ya stiffly denied Yunjin’s words.
On the night of their wedding, his little wife was still afraid of him; it had been hard for Gu Ya to coax her into agreeing to let him sleep in the room, and he didn’t want to scare her again with his thoughts from last night, driving her back to the firewood room to make do.
Without blushing or skipping a beat, Gu Ya added another sentence, “Last night, I slept quite well.”
“Really?” If Yunjin believed what Gu Ya said, that would be strange! Her eyes weren’t blind; Gu Ya clearly looked as if he hadn’t slept at all last night.
How could it be as he said, that he had slept well?
Yunjin’s gaze fell on Gu Ya’s eyes; surely, if he had slept well, there wouldn’t be such big dark circles around them.
Yunjin did not believe it, and it was apparent that Gu Ya had no intention of further explanation.
So, the matter was dropped.
Neither of them brought it up again.
Yunjin’s health was frail, and the doctor said she needed to eat more meat to replenish her strength.
The two liang of meat that Gu Ya had bought the day before were already finished, and with the Gu Family in their current financial situation, there was no spare money to buy more meat for Yunjin to eat. Yesterday, Gu Ya decided to try his luck on the mountain, to hunt a couple of pheasants or rabbits to nourish Yunjin’s body.
After breakfast, Gu Ya brought the medicine Yunjin was supposed to take to her and then went to the firewood room with the help of a walking stick to get his bow and arrows that he used to hunt in the mountains.
Ever since Gu Ya and his father had a fall from the mountain, the Gu Family forbade Gu Ya from hunting on the mountains, and his bow and arrows had been sitting unused in the firewood room for over half a year.
After securing his bow and arrows and making sure they were well concealed, Gu Ya slipped away from the Gu Family members and headed towards the mountain from behind the house.
The Gu Family was unaware of Gu Ya’s venture to the mountain, but Mrs. Zhang saw him.
Instinctively, Mrs. Zhang was about to call out to stop Gu Ya when she suddenly thought of something and swallowed back her words. With Gu Ya’s crippled leg, there were often wild animals on the mountain; he could easily be eaten by a beast. Even if he was lucky enough not to be eaten, with his limping and uneven gait, one misstep could send him tumbling off the cliff.
A sinister smile curled on Mrs. Zhang’s lips. If something really happened to Gu Ya on the mountain, the Gu Family would no longer need to spend money each month for his medical treatment.
Besides, Mrs. Zhang had other schemes in mind. Gu Ya was an exceptional hunter, with few men in the village of the Gu Family able to match his skills.
It was thanks to Gu Ya’s talent that the Gu Family had meat and rice throughout the year. Unfortunately, during one hunting trip to save her father-in-law, Gu Ya broke his leg, not only losing the ability to earn money but also spending all he had.
Today, as Gu Ya went to the mountain, perhaps he would be lucky enough to catch some good game.
Looking at Gu Ya’s retreating figure as he climbed the mountain, Mrs. Zhang sneered secretly. No matter what happened to Gu Ya on the mountain, it was only beneficial and harmless to her.
“Elder daughter-in-law, what are you looking at?” Mrs. An came over, still holding the chicken feed for feeding the hens. Fearing Mrs. An would see Gu Ya, Mrs. Zhang quickly stepped in front of her.
She warmly took Mrs. An’s hand, “Mother, are you feeding the chickens? It just so happens that I am not busy right now, why don’t we feed the chickens together?”