The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Chapter 12: Drained Half the Life From Him

Jiang Shaocheng took the towel from Tang Qiu and beckoned her to squat down so he could help dry her hair. Embarrassed, Tang Qiu made to rise, but Jiang Shaocheng pressed her shoulders down gently. “You helped me make dinner, and there is little else I can do for you. Surely you don’t mind?”

He must have wanted to do something for her, to prove that he was good for something. She couldn’t bear to bring his spirits down, so she didn’t resist as she let him wipe her hair dry.

Jiang Shaocheng hid a smile. Her hair was fine and soft, just like the rest of her; bending in his hands as easily as she bent to his lies. Tang Qiu began to enjoy his treatment, relaxing into it. “Have you done this for someone before, dear?” she asked.

Hearing that word from her lips made Jiang Shaocheng’s heart melt even more. “Only you,” he replied.

“Coincidentally, you’re also the first person to help me dry my hair. When I was younger, I used to be so jealous of Feng Lu and Feng Yao. They had people to help them wash and dry their hair, responding to their every beck and call.”

Hearing the hint of envy in her voice, Jiang Shaocheng paused. “I’ll help you wash and dry your hair in the future. I’ll do everything I can to take care of you.”

Tang Qiu lifted her head to look him in the eye. “You will?”

“I will,” he promised.

She beamed, like a kitten laying its small head in his lap. “Then I’ll do the same for you. I’ll do my best to look after you!” She would treat him as he treated her, with tenderness and kindness.

As the two prepared for bed, Jiang Shaocheng sat on the bed and deliberately asked, “Qiu, can you help me, please?”

His legs must be troubling him. Tang Qiu nodded without hesitation, crossing the room and supporting his arm over her shoulders. She had wanted him to lean on her so he could get onto the bed, but she misjudged his weight, and they fell on the bed in one heap.

Tang Qiu flushed bright red. Earlier, in order to avoid being crushed by him, she had ducked without meaning to, only to end up on her back with his body over hers. This close, their chests rose and fell to a common tempo, and she blushed even harder.

Fortunately, Jiang Shaocheng was the first to break the awkwardness. He shifted his arm so he was lying on his side, and Tang Qiu promptly turned her attention to rearranging the blankets. After her eyes had fluttered shut, Jiang Shaocheng found himself smothering a slight smile. The night passed between them both in silence.

Before falling asleep, Tang Qiu had made a note not to accidentally jostle Jiang Shaocheng; he was sick, and she needed to be careful around him. That didn’t stop her from her bleary, shocked discovery the next morning, that somehow, she had huddled up in his arms during the night. He didn’t seem to notice, so she hurriedly disentangled herself and fled.

After breakfast, Tang Qiu readied herself to leave for school. Jiang Shaocheng ordered He Lei to drive her there, to which she dismissed with a wave of her hand, “I’ll take the train. It’s convenient, and besides, He Lei needs to attend to you.”

“Let him drive you. I’ll be fine here,” Jiang Shaocheng assured her, gripping her hand. He was a little reluctant to see her go, after spending an entire night hugging her soft, supple body to his chest. At his insistence, Tang Qiu found herself unable to refuse him.

While sending Tang Qiu to school, He Lei eyed her maidenly silhouette in the backseat and thought to himself, The young master has been truly taken by her. In order to gain her sympathy, he was shamelessly playing the part of a weak, debilitating man.

Tang Qiu entered the classroom. A young woman waved to her instantly. It was her close friend, Xie Qingqing. Tang Qiu strolled over and took a seat beside her.

“Qiu, what’s wrong? You were absent for a few days. I called you a few times but you didn’t pick up,” Xie Qingqing asked with concern.

Tang Qiu saw no reason to hide the truth from her friend, so she said quietly, “Nothing happened. I got married, that’s all.”

Xie Qingqing nodded. Then her eyes widened. “Wait, married? You? We hang out all the time and I’ve never seen you with a boyfriend.”

Tang Qiu thought of her husband, shy all of a sudden. “It was very last minute. I married the young master of the Jiang family, Jiang Shaocheng.”

“Tang Qiu! Be serious with me!” Xie Qingqing’s eyes were practically bulging out of her head. “Everyone knows Young Master Jiang is a cripple who can barely walk; the accident practically drained half his life from him. He relies on medication now, but he won’t live past half a year more, so he’s unstable, a lunatic, a–”

With a sigh, Tang Qiu explained the situation involving Feng Lu. Xie Qinqing brought her fist down on the table in rage. “The Fengs are too much, to ship you off to meet such a fate!”

Fearing that someone would hear, Tang Qiu rushed to clamp a hand over her mouth. “Quiet,” she hissed. “You know nothing about the Fengs. Besides, I don’t regret marrying Jiang Shaocheng. He might be in poor shape, but he’s a good person, nothing like what the rumors say.”

“You idiot,” Xie Qingqing hissed back. “He won’t live long in that condition. What will happen to you then, as his widow? If the Fengs are capable of treating you like that, then after Jiang Shaocheng is… is gone, what do you think they’ll do to you?”

The thought that her husband had only half a year left to live made Tang Qiu’s heart ache. She clenched her fist, a look of resolution entering her eyes. “I’ll find a way to heal him!”