Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Upon hearing this, Gan Cao shook his head at Ze Lan. Ze Lan was unaware that the Third Young Master had awakened, but Gan Cao had witnessed it himself. He dared not speak of it there, so he pulled Ze Lan out of the room first.

Once they were outside, Gan Cao whispered, “Sister Ze Lan, I really wasn’t lying. The Third Young Master truly disappeared this morning. Not only that, he was awake earlier and even asked me to pour him some water.”

As he spoke, Gan Cao couldn’t help but shiver.

They say that when someone is about to die, they experience a final burst of energy, a “deathbed rally.” The Third Young Master had woken up this morning and even left the room—could it be because he was about to die?

Gan Cao wailed, “It’s over, it’s over! Could it be… could it be that the Third Young Master is experiencing his deathbed rally?”

The Third Young Master’s health had always been poor, and after the near-drowning incident half a year ago, it had only worsened.

Because the Madam disliked the Third Young Master, the servants had never been particularly attentive to him. Even the medicine they brewed for him was often watered down.

Medicine brewing was precise work—too much or too little water would ruin it, and the heat had to be just right. If not done properly, the medicinal effects would be greatly reduced.

The Madam despised the Third Young Master. Though they were nominally assigned by the Master to serve him, in reality, they were the Madam’s people. Naturally, they were deliberately negligent in caring for him.

But even if they weren’t attentive, the thought of the Third Young Master actually dying still filled them with dread.

Gan Cao continued to sob, “What do we do? Isn’t the Matriarch supposed to visit the Third Young Master soon? If he dies like this, might we be sold off?”

Ze Lan was annoyed by his crying. She shoved the medicine into his hands and said, “Enough! Go! Hurry up and brew the medicine for the Third Young Master. If we take good care of him these next few days, he… might pull through.”

As long as they got through this visit, it wouldn’t matter if he died afterward. After all, it wasn’t like they had killed him—he would have just died naturally of his illness.

After saying this, Ze Lan turned to enter the Third Young Master’s room. But as she turned, she saw Su Qingruo standing in the courtyard, watching them.

She didn’t know when he had returned or how long he had been eavesdropping.

Thinking of the Third Young Master’s condition, Ze Lan felt guilty. Seeing him still listening in, she couldn’t help but snap, “What are you staring at? All you do is run around outside, not even caring that your husband is sick. What a heartless husband you are.”

Su Qingruo was furious when he heard this. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to care about Yun Changxie’s life—he simply had no standing to.

Yun Changxie didn’t like him, always believing he was the Madam’s plant, and thus refused to get close to him.

They had been married for half a year, yet they had never shared a room. Let alone tend to him—he wasn’t even allowed to enter his chambers.

As for why he was always running outside, it was because they refused to feed him. To avoid starving to death, he had no choice but to forage for himself.

Now that Ze Lan was preemptively accusing him, Su Qingruo seethed with resentment. *What a wicked person,* he thought. *They mistreat Yun Changxie, and now they’re trying to pin the blame on me.*

Fuming, Su Qingruo returned to his room. Given how poorly Yun Changxie had treated him, he had originally resolved to ignore the man’s fate. But after hearing what Ze Lan and the others had said in the courtyard, he began to worry that Yun Changxie might really die.

He had only been married for half a year. If Yun Changxie died now, he would become a widower.

Being a widower wasn’t easy. People said widowers attracted trouble—sometimes not because they sought it, but because others would target them simply for being widowers.

Su Qingruo hated trouble. He didn’t mind that Yun Changxie treated him poorly. As long as Yun Changxie was alive, he would have a place to shelter from the storm. He wouldn’t have to become a widower with a socially vulnerable position.

So… it would be better if Yun Changxie didn’t die.

Thinking about it, ever since Yun Changxie fell ill, Gan Cao and Ze Lan had shirked their duties, sometimes even forgetting to bring him meals.

Yun Changxie, in a bad mood himself, had no appetite and didn’t care about the servants’ negligence, which only worsened his condition. In recent days, he had even slipped into comas.

Su Qingruo didn’t want him to die. So when he prepared his own meal later, he made an extra bowl of porridge for Yun Changxie.

The ingredients in the porridge were all his own.

The kitchen was under Gan Cao’s watch. When Gan Cao wasn’t there, he would lock the cabinets, guarding them as if Su Qingruo were a thief.

When Su Qingruo carried the bowl of porridge to Yun Changxie’s room, he was still thinking about how to feed it to him. But as he approached, he saw Ze Lan emerge from the room, her face pale.

Normally, if Ze Lan saw Su Qingruo trying to be attentive, she would stop him. But she had just been scolded by the Third Young Master, and the medicine she had prepared had been thrown at her. Right now, she was too preoccupied to bother with Su Qingruo.

Su Qingruo watched her flee in disarray, then glanced at Yun Changxie’s half-open door. Summoning his courage, he stepped inside.

Yun Changxie was exhausted. All he wanted was to close his eyes and sleep. Being forcibly awakened by Ze Lan had drained him, and now he was completely spent.

Hearing footsteps again, he immediately opened his eyes warily, ready to order the intruder out.

He didn’t dare drink the medicine they offered, fearing they might poison him and end his life.

But when he looked up, he saw not Ze Lan or Gan Cao, but the protagonist—Su Qingruo.

A flicker of surprise passed through Yun Changxie’s eyes. He hadn’t expected the protagonist to be so bold. Given how strained their relationship was, how dare he come to see him now?

The protagonist, Su Qingruo, was a slender, delicate youth.

He was only eighteen years old—practically still a child in Yun Changxie’s eyes.

Yun Changxie himself was twenty-eight, while the original occupant of this body was twenty.

Both he and the original occupant were older than Su Qingruo.

Remembering Su Qingruo’s personality from the book and seeing him standing there now, Yun Changxie found it difficult to be too cold toward him.

But considering the original occupant’s character and their fractious dynamic, he couldn’t be too friendly either.

Yun Changxie said indifferently, “What is it?”

Su Qingruo carefully stepped forward, holding the bowl of porridge. He lifted it slightly and clumsily gestured drinking.

He knew Yun Changxie didn’t like him. Coming here now with hot porridge, he doubted he would accept it.

But after hearing what Gan Cao and the others had said, he was afraid that if Yun Changxie persisted in fasting, he might really become a widower.

So as he held up the bowl, his expression was pleading, his mind frantically devising ways to coax Yun Changxie to drink the porridge.

Yun Changxie was indeed hungry, but his discomfort left him nauseated.

Still, after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Let me have it.”

Su Qingruo was the protagonist—kind-hearted and would never harm him.

Even if he had no appetite, he needed to eat something. Otherwise, starvation would claim him before his illness could.

Su Qingruo was both delighted and surprised that he was willing to eat. The Yun Changxie before him, though at death's door, seemed far more approachable than before.

If he recovered and remained this “gentle,” their situation might actually improve.

Yun Changxie’s hands shook too violently for him to feed himself, so he let Su Qingruo do it for him.

Su Qingruo was dutiful and meticulous, feeding him the porridge with more attentiveness than Ze Lan ever showed.

Watching him, Yun Changxie mused silently. *Such a kindhearted youth—it’s a shame his canonical fate was so cruel.*

As Su Qingruo fed Yun Changxie the porridge, he couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Why does this guy keep staring at me?"

Since they'd never gotten along, Su Qingruo didn't consider other reasons and simply thought there might be something on his face.

Yun Changxie only drank four mouthfuls before refusing to drink any more.

Seeing this, Su Qingruo didn't force him. After setting down the bowl, he touched his face to make sure it wasn't dirty, then picked up the bowl to leave.

Suddenly, Yun Changxie looked at him and said, “You’ll bring dinner tonight.”

He didn't trust either Gan Cao or Ze Lan.

Su Qingruo turned around, looking uncomfortable.

Yun Changxie asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Qingruo gestured for a while before Yun Changxie finally understood.

He meant that the kitchen was currently managed by Gan Cao, and he had no food left.

The bowl of porridge he made for Yun Changxie was originally his own food for tomorrow. Now that he had given it to him, he had nothing left to eat.

Looking at Su Qingruo’s thin, sallow face, a faint smile flickered in Yun Changxie’s gloomy eyes.

*What a poor thing—he’s probably gone hungry and cold since marrying into this household.*

“From now on, you’ll manage the kitchen.”

While the mountains had plenty of food, it was dangerous and not always accessible. Since Yun Changxie needed care lately, he might as well let him stay and recover properly.

Su Qingruo looked utterly disbelieving at these words. He automatically touched his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

Yun Changxie, who hated him so much, was actually letting him manage the kitchen?

Yun Changxie added, “They’ve been negligent in their duties. This is my punishment for them.”

The original person’s character wasn’t something Su Qingruo truly understood.

After marrying Su Qingruo, the original host had always treated him badly due to misunderstandings.

In truth, Su Qingruo hardly knew much about the original host’s temperament.

Moreover, since Su Qingruo was mute and struggled to communicate with others, Yun Changxie wasn’t intimidated by him.

Since Yun Changxie had given the order, Su Qingruo worked up the nerve to approach Gan Cao.

At the time, Gan Cao was in the courtyard preparing medicine. The previous dose had been spilled by Master Yun, so to prepare for Madam Yun’s visit, they had no choice but to brew another batch.

Just then, Su Qingruo came to ask for the keys.

Gan Cao was already in a bad mood. Seeing Su Qingruo gesturing, he understood the motion for unlocking but pretended otherwise.

Gan Cao smiled and said, “What are you gesturing, Master Su? I don’t understand. I’m brewing medicine for Master Yun now—you shouldn’t stay here. If the fumes bother you, I couldn’t be responsible.”

Su Qingruo got angry. He pointed toward Yun Changxie’s room, trying to say Yun Changxie had sent him. But Gan Cao lowered his head, refusing to acknowledge him.

Gentle and kind by nature, Su Qingruo couldn’t bring himself to drag him out and beat him.

Angry, he hurried back to Yun Changxie’s room.

Yun Changxie, who had been about to sleep, opened his eyes looking fierce and dangerous.

Su Qingruo recoiled, frightened. He expected him to lash out, but instead, his voice was surprisingly calm.

“Now what?”

This time, before Su Qingruo could finish gesturing, Yun Changxie guessed what had happened.

Impatiently, he said, “You’re the master; he’s the servant. If he disrespects you again, just beat him. Don’t be afraid—he’s just a worthless servant. Even if you kill him, I’ve got your back.”

The original host’s death wasn’t just due to Mrs. Yun’s schemes—these disloyal servants were largely to blame.

They were accomplices in his death, plain as day.

Now that he was the original host, that karma was now his too.

There was no reason to be nice to those who wanted him dead.