Peng Fei brought her breakfast and wash water, both of which she smashed.
The bowls, chopsticks, and food were scattered across the floor.
Hearing her curses and the crashing sounds from the room, Peng's mother was also furious.
"What a disaster! Don't bowls cost money to replace when they're broken? I really married a living ancestor!"
Peng Fei didn't let his mother scold. After all, Zhan Jingchun was completely his now.
She was so pure and flawless; following him was truly a hardship for her. He couldn't bear to see her suffer any more.
He picked up the broken bowls and chopsticks, swept the floor clean, and before heading out to work, he gave his mother two tomatoes.
"Your body isn't well, and you can't go hungry. Eat these two later."
"Who cares for your rotten things? Get out!"
If it weren't for meeting him, Zhan Jingchun wouldn't have known she had such a violent side. She grabbed the tomatoes and smashed them at his head.
Peng Fei was like a piece of wood, unfazed by the pain. He just let her smash them and left in silence.
When he returned at noon, Zhan Jingchun still refused to eat. Fearing she would smash the bowls again, Peng's mother replaced them with enamel ones.
They wouldn't break when dropped on the floor, so Zhan Jingchun, in her anger, smashed a wooden stool against the bowl.
She cut her hand but still couldn't break the bowl.
Peng Fei heard the commotion and wanted to check on her, but his mother stopped him.
"Look at you, so pathetic! Other people's wives are much more violent than her, and they're fine. Only you dote on her! Starve her for a couple of days, and she'll be fine. Trust me!"
Without eating or drinking, Zhan Jingchun became dizzy with hunger. Sitting alone on the bed for too long, she eventually fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was dark again.
She wanted to continue arguing with Peng Fei, but before she could get up, she heard a series of banging sounds from the window.
Looking up, she saw Peng's mother sealing her window with several wooden planks.
Ha. They wanted to confine her?
This ignorant rural woman!
"You will face retribution. I would rather starve to death than stay in your house. Don't dream about it."
Peng's mother acted as if she couldn't hear her, expressionlessly finishing sealing the window before leaving.
That night, Peng Fei didn't bring her food again, nor did he enter the room.
Leaning against the wall, Zhan Jingchun recalled memories of home and the person she loved, and she was overcome with grief.
She didn't know how to leave this place, how to shake them, and besides punishing herself, she didn't know what else to do.
She cried until she was tired, then slept, and cried again when she woke up. She endured this for two days before fainting.
At noon that day, Peng Fei returned from work and, as usual, peeked at her from the doorway.
Normally, when he heard sounds, she would be cursing and making a fuss inside the room, but today it was quiet.
Having not eaten or drunk for two days, Peng Fei was genuinely worried something had happened to her.
He also wanted to see if the basin she used for convenience had gone bad. After standing for more than ten minutes, there was still no movement from inside.
He couldn't help but feel anxious and quietly opened the door.
When he reached the bedside, he saw her face had turned pale.
She, who was usually fair-skinned with rosy lips, now looked like a corpse.
Apart from a faint breath, she seemed devoid of life.
Realizing she might be in trouble, Peng Fei rushed out.
His mother had gone to the vegetable garden earlier and was just entering the house, carrying a hoe.
Seeing him rush out with quick steps, she grabbed him.
"What's wrong? Why are you running? Lost your soul?"
"She seems to be in critical condition. I'm going to find Doctor Li!"
Peng's mother panicked when she heard this and quickly ran into the room.
She went in, touched her, and pinched her. Zhan Jingchun had indeed fainted. She couldn't help but curse again.
"What a disaster! This living immortal. She won't rest until she's emptied the family's coffers! Why did I marry such a plague god!"
Old Li, the only village doctor in the surrounding ten villages, was in their village. Peng Fei quickly invited him over.
After examining her pulse, Doctor Li diagnosed Zhan Jingchun with severe malnutrition, dehydration, and qi and blood deficiency, stating she was in critical condition.
"She needs to eat well and be nourished to be healthy. She's dehydrated; it won't do to continue like this without eating or drinking. If you want her to behave, you'll need to put in some effort. Don't just starve her; otherwise, after spending a fortune to marry her, you'll lose both the wife and the soldiers. It's a double loss!"
Doctor Li prescribed a few doses of traditional Chinese medicine and instructed Peng's mother to kill two old hens to nourish her.
After the doctor left, Peng's mother gritted her teeth as she went to catch a hen, while also cursing her son.
"They say you're the most handsome boy in the ten villages. You're usually so fierce among your friends, and everyone fears you a bit, yet you're as meek as a mouse in front of this plague god. You truly are capable!"
"Look at other families; who spends as much as we do? It's only been a few days, and now I have to kill chickens for her and buy tonics. I really owe you from a past life!"
Despite her complaints, she still stoked the fire and stewed the old hen until it was fragrant.
She poured a large bowl of chicken soup and boiled some noodles, asking Peng Fei to deliver them.
After all the fuss, Zhan Jingchun had regained consciousness, but her body was still weak and she couldn't move.
Drawn by the aroma of the food, she slowly opened her eyelids.
Looking at the young man in front of her, covered in sweat, she couldn't help but recall yesterday's dream. Filled with anger and hatred, she couldn't help but shed tears again.
Peng Fei felt immense heartache but didn't know how to express it. He wanted to wipe her tears, but seeing his oil-stained, rough fingers, he feared scratching her face and ultimately held back.
"I'll help you up. Drink the chicken soup."
Hmph, in Zhan Jingchun's eyes now, Peng Fei was a criminal.
Zhan Jingchun closed her eyes, ignoring him.
Peng Fei racked his brains: "Eat well and recover your health. Then I'll discuss with my mother about letting you leave."
This sentence was more potent than any chicken soup.
Zhan Jingchun immediately opened her eyes again.
Peng Fei squatted in front of her and slowly blew on the chicken soup.
"I'm not lying. If you really don't want to stay, I'll let you go. But you have to be able to walk. Drink the soup first."
To be honest, Zhan Jingchun regretted her foolishness of the past two days.
She had only arrived a few days ago, and before she had a grasp of anything, she rashly asked to leave. They didn't know Zhan Bei Jue, so of course, they were wary of her.
Her biggest mistake was playing with her own health.
As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope." As long as she was healthy, there would eventually be a way to leave.
What was the point of dying in this godforsaken place?
So, comforting herself, she allowed Peng Fei to help her up.
As he fed her, she drank the chicken soup spoonful by spoonful, and then ate the noodles.
Seeing her eat a good amount, Peng Fei felt a mix of emotions.
Actually, he had lied to her just now; he had no intention of letting her go. He just didn't want her to starve to death.
The moment she mentioned going home, she was willing to eat. Alas.
After eating and drinking her fill, she finally felt the urge to go to the toilet.
Without caring about anything else, she used the basin to relieve herself. Peng Fei took it out for her.
As he was leaving, Peng Fei, holding the basin, said, "The color of your output is a bit dark. I'm afraid you're too inflamed. I'll add some dandelion to your medicine to reduce the heat. Lie down and don't move. I'll be back in a moment."
He didn't have time to eat. He washed the pot, brewed her traditional Chinese medicine, cooled it, and came to serve it to her.