Chapter 4: What’s Done Is Done, So Let’s Just Stick With It

“Enough!”

Li Jiaojiao’s voice rang out abruptly in the still night, cutting through Lu Tingbai’s fury. He whipped around, his bloodshot eyes locking on her like he wanted to tear her apart alive.

Her scalp prickled under his gaze, but she forced herself to stay calm. Lifting her chin, she walked toward him.

“Lu Tingbai, haven’t you made enough of a scene?” Li Jiaojiao drew a deep breath, trying to steady her tone. “Things are already like this. What more do you want?”

“What do I want?” Lu Tingbai ground out between clenched teeth. “Li Jiaojiao, you’ve got some nerve! You actually dared to scheme against me!”

Li Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh, her retort sharp and unyielding. “Scheme against you? Don’t forget—it was you who insisted on marrying me! Now that it’s done, what else can you do?”

“So now it’s me who insisted on marrying you, is it…” Rage knotted in Lu Tingbai’s throat, leaving him almost speechless.

“Lu Tingbai, let me tell you, this was all my mother’s idea. I’m a victim too!” Li Jiaojiao pushed everything onto Zhang Guizhi without hesitation. “She came up with it, she forced me to do it! If not for her, how could I ever have…” Her voice caught, her eyes welling up as her words broke off into sobs.

She wiped her tears and said in a trembling voice full of grievance, “Tingbai, I know you’re upset, but I had no choice! Things are already like this—tell me, what can we do now?”

Lu Tingbai looked at her tear-streaked face, delicate as a pear blossom in the rain, and his emotions churned. He knew she was telling the truth. He was well aware of what kind of person Zhang Guizhi was. But now, with things at this stage, what choice did he have?

“Tingbai, I know you’re angry. You can hit me, scold me if you want. Just… please don’t go after my mother.” Li Jiaojiao pleaded through her tears. “She only wanted the best for me. She… she just lost her head for a moment…”

Lu Tingbai closed his eyes, breathing deeply to tamp down the storm raging inside him. When he opened them again, his tone was cold. “Li Jiaojiao, since the deed is done, we’ll just have to let it be. As for your mother scheming against me—on your account, I’ll let it go.”

With that, he turned and walked away. But as he left Li Hongmei’s house, his chest felt weighed down by a massive boulder.

He wasn’t a fool—of course he could see this had been a trap set by Li Jiaojiao and her mother. He might be a man who couldn’t consummate a marriage and was raising a child alone, but he was still a soldier, a man with pride. And yet, he had been played like a fool by a mere village woman.

A man’s dignity couldn’t bear such humiliation.

“Damn it!” he cursed under his breath, slamming his fist into a tree trunk. The rough bark scraped his knuckles raw, but he didn’t even flinch.

He trudged down the muddy road, one heavy step after another. Under the dim, yellow streetlight, his shadow stretched long, his face flickering with stormy emotions.

And then his mind turned to the simple, foolish girl waiting at home. A restless frustration welled up in his chest.

Li Mumian’s clear eyes floated into his memory—pure as a mountain spring, untouched by the world. She was terrified of him, trembling like a frightened fawn even when he treated her harshly. She had only wept silently, without a word of protest.

He recalled the look of fear and helplessness on her face when he shoved her to the ground—it tugged at something deep in him, an urge to protect.

“Yes… that woman is just a fool,” he muttered. She too was a victim. None of this was fair to her.

Lu Tingbai closed his eyes, rubbing his brow in weary frustration. But what could he do now? With his family still branded with disgrace, his body crippled, and a five-year-old child in tow—who would ever willingly marry him?

Being mocked by the Li family—he’d swallow it. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog.

As for Li Mumian—she was his wife now. He’d accept it. At least she could keep little Yunchi company.

His eyes snapped open, the gloom clearing away in an instant.

“That’s how it’ll be!” he muttered, turning toward home.

But when he reached his doorstep, he froze. It was only then, after everything, that he remembered—his son was still at Auntie Wang’s house.

The night pressed thick around him like boiling porridge, heavy and stifling. Yellow lamplight streamed from the window, casting broken shadows across the courtyard. From inside came Aunt Li’s voice.

As she tidied away the dishes, she spoke casually to the little boy squatting on a stool, molding clay figures in his hands.

“Yunchi, the auntie your father brought home today—she’ll be your mother from now on.”

She stole a glance at the boy, watching for his reaction.

Without looking up, Yunchi asked, “What’s a mother?”

Aunt Li blinked, then smiled. “A mother is someone like your grandmother—she makes you food, washes your clothes, and tucks you in at night.”

Yunchi finally lifted his head, his dark eyes full of confusion. “But Dad said Mom went far, far away.”

Aunt Li’s smile faltered. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.

“Did Mom leave because I was bad? Because I didn’t eat properly and made her angry?” Yunchi suddenly hurled the clay figure from his hand, his voice catching with a faint sob.

Aunt Li pulled him into her arms, patting his back gently. “No, no, Yunchi, you’re a good boy. Mom would never leave you. She just went far away. When she’s done with her work, she’ll come back to see you.”

Yunchi’s tear-filled eyes searched her face, his little voice full of hope. “Really?”

She couldn’t bear to disappoint him, so she nodded. “Really. Your mother will definitely come back to see you.”

At that, Yunchi broke into a smile. He wiped his tears away with his small hands and said earnestly, “Then I’ll make a clay figure for Mom. When she comes back, she’ll see what I made for her.”

Aunt Li’s heart twisted as she looked at the innocent child. She knew the truth—that Lu Tingbai had married into the Li family just to silence gossip and to give the boy a companion. But tonight, everyone in the village had seen that the bride was Li Mumian, the fool. How could she possibly care for a child?

Sighing, Aunt Li glanced toward Lu Tingbai’s darkened room. No light, no warmth.

“Ah… when will these hard days ever end?” she murmured.

Hearing that things had quieted inside, Lu Tingbai finally exhaled. Raising his fist, he knocked at the door. Dong, dong, dong.

“Aunt Li, I’ve come to take Yunchi home.”

“It’s Dad!” Yunchi cried, jumping to his feet. “Grandma Li, Dad’s here for me. I’m going!” He grabbed his schoolbag and ran outside.

“You little rascal, slow down,” Aunt Li called after him.