Her thoughts tightened, âWe agreed to give me some time and not discussâ¦â
âNot that.â He said, âI just want you to know some of my past, understand some of my thoughts. Last night, I couldnât sleep, thinking a lot, and my mind became much clearer. I donât want to hurt you like a headless fly anymore, and I donât want you to misunderstandâ¦â
âGo ahead, second brother.â She saw a long stone about thirty to forty centimeters high by the roadside, with a fairly smooth surface. She blew on the stone and wiped off the dirt on it, then sat down.
Xiao Yishan thought of his ruined left face, âYueâer, I want to know first, do you really dislike my left face?â
She raised her head and glanced at him, âThis question, I donât want to answer no matter when you ask.â
The stone was large enough for two people to sit on. He sat down beside her, with his crutch, and didnât continue to ask this question. Instead, he unconsciously stroked his left face, âYueâer, you know how I got the injury on my left cheek, right?â
âIt was clawed by a bear.â She said succinctly, âThe villagers said you were clawed by a bear while hunting. If you were really injured while hunting, I guess you wouldnât mention it so deliberately. There must be some hidden reason.â
He nodded slightly, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes, âDo you know about Liu Haitang from the same village?â
She thought for a moment, âIâve heard people mention her, the daughter of the Liu Family in the village and Liu Xianglianâs cousin sister. Liu Haitang seems to have married a landlord in a neighboring town. I donât know much else.â
âLiu Haitang and I are the same age. We grew up together, you can say weâre childhood sweethearts.â As he recalled the past, his mood used to be painful, but now he was quite calm, âAlthough the Liu Family is not very wealthy, the Xiao Family is even worse off. Haitangâs parents always disliked the Xiao Family for being poor and opposed our association. I also thought about not holding her back, letting her find a better marriage. After she turned twelve or thirteen, we gradually drifted apart. She was beautiful, and people kept coming to propose to her, but her parents had high demands. They were picky, so at nineteen, she was still unmarried.â
One day, she told me the reason she was unmarried at nineteen was that she had rejected all the arranged marriages her parents had tried to set up because she only had me in her heart. I believed her and decided to hunt hard to earn more money and marry her as soon as possible. At that time, my third and fourth brothers had not had any mishaps, and I did indeed dream of a bright future with her.â
He paused at this point and looked at her.
He had thought she would be jealous and angry, but she was expressionless, just like listening to someone elseâs story.
He couldnât help feeling a little disappointed, âAfter she confessed to me, she treated me passionately and seduced me. I was young and could not resist the temptation, and finally in a cornfield at her home, weâ¦â
Finally, she glanced at him, âYou and her⦠âthatâ?â
âIâm sorry, Yueâer!â He quickly apologized, âI was too young at the time, and I didnât know I would meet you. I only did it once with her, I promise. After that, I will never do anything to hurt you!â
She frowned for a moment, âThen what?â
âA month later, she told me she was pregnant.â He mentioned it, and anger flashed in his cold pupils, âAt that time, I was very happy to hear it, thinking I was going to be a father, and willing to spend all my familyâs fortune to marry her.â