Peng Fei brought her breakfast and washing water, both of which she smashed.
The bowls and chopsticks, along with the food, lay shattered on the floor.
Hearing her curses and the crashing sounds from inside the room, Mother Peng was also furious.
"What a disaster! Don't bowls cost money to replace? I married a living ancestor!"
Peng Fei stopped his mother from scolding, as Zhan Jingchun was now completely his.
She was so pure and flawless; following him had truly wronged her, and he couldn't bear to see her wronged further.
He picked up the broken bowls and chopsticks, swept the floor clean, and before heading out to work, gave his mother two tomatoes.
"You're not feeling well, you can't go hungry. Eat these later."
"Who wants your damn things? Get out!"
If she hadn't met him, Zhan Jingchun wouldn't have known she had such a violent side. She grabbed the tomatoes and threw them at his head.
Peng Fei was like a block of wood, unfeeling. He simply endured the impact and left in silence.
When he returned at noon, Zhan Jingchun still refused to eat. Fearing she would smash the bowls again, Mother Peng replaced them with enamel ones.
Unable to break the enamel bowls by dropping them, Zhan Jingchun, in her anger, smashed them with a piece of wood from a broken stool.
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 your pathetic self! Others make more noise than her and are fine. Only you fuss over her! Starve her for a couple of days, and she'll be alright. Trust me!"
Without eating or drinking, Zhan Jingchun became dizzy with hunger. After sitting alone on the bed for too long, she eventually fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was dark again.
She wanted to continue her tantrum with Peng Fei, but before she could even get up, she heard a banging sound by the window.
Looking up, she saw Mother Peng sealing her window with several wooden planks.
Hmph. Was she planning to keep her under house arrest?
What an ignorant rural woman!
"You will face retribution. I'd rather starve to death than stay in your home. Don't even dream about it."
Mother Peng seemed not to hear her, sealing the window with a blank expression before leaving.
That night, Peng Fei did not bring her food, nor did he enter the room again.
Leaning against the wall, Zhan Jingchun recalled her life at home and her time with the person she loved, and was overcome with grief.
She didn't know how to leave, how to challenge them. Besides punishing herself, she didn't know what else to do.
She cried until she was tired, then slept. When she was tired from sleeping, she cried again. She endured this for two days until Zhan Jingchun fainted.
Around noon on this day, Peng Fei returned from work and, as usual, sneaked a look at her from the doorway.
Normally, he would hear her shouting and making a fuss inside the room, but today it was quiet.
Having gone without food or water for two days, Peng Fei was truly worried about her.
He also wanted to check if the basin she used for her necessities had gone bad. After standing there for more than ten minutes, there was still no sound from inside.
He began to feel uneasy and quietly opened the door.
When he reached the bedside and looked, her face was already pale.
Normally fair-skinned with rosy lips, she now looked like a corpse.
Aside from a faint breath, she seemed devoid of all 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 running out in a hurry, she stopped him.
"What's wrong? Why are you running? Lost your soul?"
"She looks like she's about to die! I'm going to get Doctor Li!"
Mother Peng also panicked upon hearing this and quickly ran into the house.
She rushed in, touched her, and pinched her. She was indeed unconscious. She couldn't help but curse again.
"What a disaster! This living goddess! She won't rest until she drains all the money from the household! Why did I marry such a jinx!"
Old Man Li, the only village doctor in the surrounding ten villages, was in their village, and Peng Fei quickly fetched him.
After examining her pulse, Doctor Li declared Zhan Jingchun to be severely malnourished, dehydrated, with insufficient qi and blood, and in critical condition.
"She needs to eat well and be nourished to be healthy. She's dehydrated; she can't go on like this without eating or drinking. You need to put some effort into making her behave; don't just starve her. If the expensive bride you married dies, wouldn't that be losing the lady and the soldiers?"
Doctor Li prescribed a few doses of Chinese medicine and instructed Mother Peng to kill two old hens to nourish her.
After the doctor left, Mother Peng went to catch a hen, gnashing her teeth, and continued to scold her son.
"They all say you're the most handsome boy in the ten villages, and you're usually so tough with your friends, with everyone fearing you a bit. Yet, in front of this jinx, you're as meek as a mouse. You truly are capable!"
"Look at other families; who spends as much as we do? It's only been a few days, and now we have to kill chickens and buy tonics for her. I really owe you all from a past life!"
Despite her complaints, she still increased the firewood and stewed the old hen until it was fragrant.
She filled a large bowl with chicken soup and cooked some noodles, asking Peng Fei to deliver them.
After all the commotion, 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, sweating profusely, she was reminded of 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 hands covered in oil and his rough fingers, he feared scratching her face and ultimately held back.
"Let me help you up. Drink the chicken soup."
Hmph, in Zhan Jingchun's eyes now, Peng Fei was a criminal.
Zhan Jingchun closed her eyes and ignored him.
Peng Fei racked his brain: "Eat well, get your strength back, and then I'll discuss with my mother about letting you go."
This sentence was more effective 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 need 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, hadn't gotten familiar with anything, and had rashly asked to leave. They didn't know Zhan Bei Jue, so of course, they were wary of her.
The worst thing she did was to gamble with her own health.
As the saying goes, "As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn." As long as she was healthy, there would always 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.
Being fed by him, she drank the chicken soup spoonful by spoonful and ate the noodles.
Seeing her eat so much, Peng Fei's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
He had actually 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 he mentioned going home, she was willing to eat. Sigh.
After eating and drinking her fill, she finally felt the urge to use the restroom.
Without caring any further, she relieved herself into the basin. Peng Fei took it out.
As he was leaving the room, Peng Fei, holding the basin, said, "The color of your urine is a bit dark. I'm afraid you're too heated. I'll add some dandelion to the medicine I'm giving you to clear the heat. Lie down and don't move. I'll be back in a moment."
He didn't bother to eat. He washed the pot clean, brewed the Chinese medicine for her, blew on it to cool it down, and came to serve her.