Mistaken Husband After Blindness

As the saying goes, "The eyes may be blind, but the heart is not." Before losing her sight, Si had never thought this was particularly remarkable. But when she truly became blind, she realized how difficult it was to cultivate such a state of mind.

Because she couldn't see, she often paid excessive attention to the sounds she heard, overanalyzing them.

Just like now, she laughed at herself for being overly sensitive, yet she couldn't help but dwell on the subtle changes in his tone.

Soon, Si figured out the nuance.

In the past, he had been indifferent to everything, his eyes cold and aloof, his tone as detached as the waters of a frosty pond.

Now, he was still cold, but it was as if he had deliberately added ice to cool the spring water, carrying a hint of a barely perceptible smile.

There also seemed to be a faint trace of mockery.

Since Si herself often enjoyed secretly teasing others, she was particularly sensitive to the slyness in others. She could tell that the mockery in his tone wasn't biting or harsh, but more like an amused, silent teasing.

This wasn't malicious by any means, but such a tone was quite unfamiliar coming from Jiang Hui.

What had he experienced during their days apart?

Seeing her deep in thought, Yan Shuheng's interest grew, and he asked again, "Do you find anything different about me?"

Si snapped out of her reverie. "It's just that the way you speak feels slightly different from before."

"That's my oversight," he said slowly. "Have you noticed anything else?"

Si shook her head.

He asked again, "Do I remind you of someone you knew in the past?"

Si was puzzled and lowered her lashes, pondering.

Jiang Hui was a man of few words, never wasting a syllable. There must be a reason for his persistence on this point. She thought it was likely due to his reserved nature, his difficulty in expressing emotions, and his desire to talk to her more but not knowing how to start.

Si understood now. She lifted her long lashes, revealing clear eyes filled with affection. "In my heart, my husband is truly one of a kind. Who could possibly resemble you?"

There was no response from the other side.

Si was used to this. He was just feeling shy again.

She had secretly resolved to treat him better if he returned safely. Considering his fondness for sweet words and his easily flustered nature, Si tactfully steered the conversation to a more serious topic.

"Actually, what you said earlier makes sense. Every day we live brings us closer to death, so living is indeed no different from waiting to die. But if that's the case, then wouldn't my mother have suffered in vain by carrying me and giving birth to a child destined to die? If I live only to die, how is that any different from rushing to the afterlife right now?"

Thinking of the past few months, she continued with emotion, "To live is to never yield; to wait for death is to surrender."

With this serious preamble, the awkward silence on the other end was broken, and he laughed. "Well said."

Si sighed inwardly. It felt like she was coaxing a child.

But she didn't miss the opportunity to flatter him. "Actually, apart from my mother, there's someone else I need to live up to—my husband."

"Me? How so?"

Si's face, bathed in sunlight, looked as innocent as a child's. "You took me away, and even though I'm blind now, you haven't abandoned me. You're so good to me, so of course I must live up to you."

He chuckled, clearly pleased.

Si seized the moment to ask, "By the way, how is the matter with the doctor you mentioned last time? Are we short on funds? If so, we can postpone it for now..."

She tilted her face slightly upward, and Yan Shuheng looked down, meeting her sightless yet affectionate eyes.

She trusted her so-called husband quite a bit.

But he also needed a doctor to confirm whether she had truly lost her memory or was merely pretending. So he said, "Don't worry. I've recently taken on a new job and have some extra money. The doctor will come later."

Si was delighted, her words dripping with honey. "I knew my husband was the best."

Yan Shuheng smiled faintly, calmly accepting the compliment meant for her husband.

As he left, he happened to notice the marks on the floor tiles where she had fallen. He turned his head slightly. "You could adapt in a gentler way."

Si replied cheerfully, "It's fine. The pain will help me remember better."

Yan Shuheng glanced back at her.

He stopped himself from saying more and simply said, "True."

When he returned to his study, he instructed Chuan Yun, "Send someone to fetch a skilled eye doctor later."

Chuan Yun doubted his ears.

Showing kindness to an enemy was not the young master's usual style.

Six months ago, the young master had attended a gathering where he met a friend and learned of a young lady's passing.

On that sunny day, the young man gazed at the vast river, his half-lidded eyes revealing little emotion. He painted a portrait of the deceased, but before the ink could dry, the painting was blown away by the wind and found by a notorious playboy known for his lecherous behavior.

Seeing the beauty in the painting, the playboy was captivated. He went home and privately painted the lady in disheveled clothing, overcome with passion. He even boasted about it at a private gathering, claiming it was inspired by a dream of a divine maiden.

Yan Shuheng was also present that day.

He merely glanced at the painting, seemingly indifferent.

But the next day, Chuan Yun heard that the playboy had died in a ditch, his body mutilated by wild dogs.

That night, the Yan family hosted a banquet. Yan Shuheng was chatting and laughing with scholars, but Po Wu, who was usually by his side, was absent.

Chuan Yun hadn't seen the painting himself, but he had subtly inquired and learned from Po Wu that the lady in the painting wasn't particularly close to the young master and had even provoked him.

Among the noble families, interests came first, and emotions followed.

Chuan Yun guessed that, given Yan Shuheng's temperament, it wasn't so much that he couldn't stand the playboy defiling the deceased, but rather that he couldn't bear to see his own painting tarnished.

Logically, since the assassin had nearly killed the young master, he should feel even more hatred toward the assassin's wife.

Chuan Yun couldn't help but ask, "Why are you sending a doctor to the assassin's wife?"

Yan Shuheng was dipping his brush in ink, not even looking up as he replied indifferently, "Since she called me her husband, isn't it only natural for me to send a doctor for my wife?"

Mentioning the assassin, the young man's brows furrowed. "We've increased our patrols around the city and the mountain cottage, but we haven't seen any suspicious individuals. The city has also been searched thoroughly. Is the assassin capable of invisibility? And Zheng Wu—still no trace of him."

Yan Shuheng tapped his brush lightly. "The assassin likely won't return. Zheng Wu, too, is probably gone."

He said this with a smile, then added, "No use dwelling on it. Tomorrow, I'll take my beauty out for a stroll."

Chuan Yun wasn't as meticulous as Po Wu, and he didn't know much about Yan Shuheng's past. He assumed the young master was planning to use the assassin's wife as bait and hurried off to make preparations.

.

At noon, Zhuyuan brought the doctor.

This doctor spoke elegantly, his voice aged, suggesting a man of profound medical skill.

Si's hopes were rekindled, and she volunteered, "Eight months ago, I was injured and lost all my memories. I also suffer from occasional headaches. Before I lost my sight, I nearly fell off a horse. Though I wasn't injured, I had a severe headache that night, and the next day, I went blind."

The old doctor took her pulse and examined her eyes carefully. "Madam, your blindness isn't caused by an eye condition. It's likely due to a blood clot in your brain. You seem unaware of this—didn't you see a doctor after your injury?"

"I did, but..." Si paused, her tone cooling. "The doctor hid it from me."

When she first woke from her illness, her mind was a blank slate. The only thing she remembered was that her name might be "Si." Seeing a thin, middle-aged man standing by her bed, she instinctively called out, "Father."

That middle-aged man was Zheng Wu.

Zheng Wu was momentarily stunned but quickly deduced that Si had lost her memory.

He then told Si that he was her father, a doctor who had sent her to live with relatives in their hometown years ago due to financial difficulties. Because of the war, he had brought her to Licheng, but on the way, their carriage had overturned, causing her severe injuries.

Si vaguely felt that it was true—she had indeed left her hometown due to the war, and her father hadn't been with her.

So she believed Zheng Wu wholeheartedly.

If she hadn't overheard that conversation that night, she would never have imagined that the man who had been so kind to her was a stranger, treating her well only to exploit her!

Now, hearing the doctor's words, everything became clearer.

Zheng Wu had saved her because of her beauty, intending to offer her to the lustful city lord. When she mistook him for her father, he went along with it, hoping to deepen their bond and gain more benefits in the future.

Zheng Wu, who could treat the city lord, must have been a skilled doctor. He didn't want her to regain her memories, so he deliberately avoided treating her, delaying until her blindness set in.

What a thoughtful plan!

What a benevolent doctor!

She pushed these thoughts aside and asked the doctor, "Can it be cured?"

The old doctor sighed. "Chronic illnesses are hard to treat, and brain injuries are particularly tricky. I can only prescribe some remedies to mitigate the damage. You should also prepare yourself for the possibility that your sight may not return."

Even though she had already considered the possibility of permanent blindness, hearing it confirmed felt like a needle piercing her heart, followed by a burning ache.

After the physician left, Zhuyuan stepped forward to console her: "Madam, please don't be too upset. My relative was once seriously ill, and the physician also told us to prepare for the worst, but now they are perfectly fine."

Si smiled faintly: "I'm fine."

She lowered her gaze, suppressing the coldness in her eyes.

Originally, out of gratitude for saving her life, she had considered letting bygones be bygones. But now she had changed her mind. If she ever encountered Zheng Wu again in her lifetime, she would repay him in kind!

Si only felt a brief moment of disappointment before returning to her carefree demeanor. That night, she retired to bed earlier than usual.

After the candles were extinguished, Zhuyuan left the small courtyard and reported what she had heard that day to Yan Shuheng.

Yan Shuheng was strolling on a curved bridge, his brows gradually furrowing: "She was injured and lost her memory?"

Zhuyuan replied, "Her blindness is also due to a blood clot in her brain that wasn't treated in time. Whether her sight can be restored is still uncertain."

Yan Shuheng lowered his head in thought and then asked, "Aside from blindness, are there any other symptoms?"

Zhuyuan shook her head: "The lady told the physician that she occasionally suffers from forgetfulness and headaches, but there are no other abnormalities."

Yan Shuheng fell into a long, contemplative silence.

His voice, tinged with regret, sounded lonely in the night: "She truly has forgotten everything from the past. What a pity."

Zhuyuan returned to the small courtyard, and Po Wu carefully analyzed the situation: "If that's the case, then the lady's injury might not have been an accident but rather a deliberate act of harm. After discovering that she had lost her memory, someone seized the opportunity to send her to the young master's side.

"From the looks of it, the lady is unaware of all this."

Yan Shuheng smiled: "Po Wu, you feel pity for her and think I should let her go, don't you?"

Po Wu wanted to explain that he had once received the lady's help by chance, but he remembered Yan Shuheng's requirement for his personal guards: "Hearts as cold as iron, bodies as swift as arrows."

His expression became impassive: "If the young master pities her, then I pity her; if the young master has other plans, I will follow them. However, I don't understand why someone would place the lady by your side. Could it be to cause a mistake in your marriage arrangements?"

Among the noble families, marriages were often arranged to consolidate power. As the future head of the clan, Yan Shuheng's marriage was naturally a matter of great importance.

Yan Shuheng smiled and plucked a bamboo leaf, his fingers as elegant as the leaf itself: "If this was done intentionally, then that person must know my preferences quite well. They went to great lengths to bring in an assassin with a similar voice—perhaps they know even more than that."

Po Wu couldn't guess further and could only hope to uncover something from the Chen and Jiang families.

He glanced at Yan Shuheng.

The young man was toying with the bamboo leaf, his fingers gently stroking it from the base to the tip, as if handling the sharp edge of a dagger.

It was the night of the full moon, and the bright moonlight cast bamboo shadows on his slender, jade-like fingers. A gentle breeze stirred the shadows, and the surroundings gradually distorted...

The bamboo leaf turned into a bamboo pole.

A small, delicate hand gripped the pole, and a playful voice asked, "Father! Do I look like a lotus-picking girl?"

Her head was gently patted.

A warm, indulgent voice replied, "I've never seen you so enthusiastic about studying."

Mention of studying made the child unhappy. She shook the bamboo pole vigorously, causing the raft to sway and ripples to spread across the water, only to vanish again. The emerald waves and lotus leaves were shattered, leaving behind a deathly silence.

A long time later—

"Why do you want me to paint you at seventeen?"

A clear, melodious voice broke the endless silence, like a jade stone falling into a deep pool. Ripples spread across the mirror-like water, and as the light grew, tender lotus leaves emerged from the surface, blooming and withering. The once-budding lotus had now turned into a seedpod.

A delicate hand plucked the seedpod.

Another hand, as elegant as a jade flute, took it: "But you're still in your early teens. How can I paint you at seventeen?"

A clear, girlish voice rang out like silver bells, utterly delightful: "I don't care! Either you paint me to repay the debt, or... you repay it with yourself. Big brother, you decide!"

The young man chuckled: "Then I think marrying you at seventeen would be more cost-effective than painting you at seventeen."

Her heart suddenly fluttered, like ripples spreading across water.

But then a fierce wind arose, capsizing the boat. The elegant hand disappeared, and she desperately swam forward, only managing to grab a blood-stained lotus seedpod. Her heart sank into emptiness.

The water receded, and beneath her feet was now a smooth wooden floor. A maid approached with a lacquered tray, holding a flowing silk dress and hair ornaments that shimmered with light.

The gentle, pleasant voice turned into a respectful, formal tone: "My lady, it's time to dress for the banquet."

She rose lazily, barefoot, and stretched out her arms, allowing the maid to dress her. As the hairpin was placed in her hair, the dangling pearls and jade beads swayed, emitting a crisp, tinkling sound.

Steady footsteps approached from behind.

The newcomer's voice carried a hint of teasing and intimacy: "Little Si, you don't remember me, but I still remember the promise I made. Two years is too long to wait. I don't want to wait. How about—"

His words were tender and affectionate, but they filled her with guilt and fear. She turned around in a panic, but the young man was nowhere to be seen.

The bright, spacious room turned into a desolate wilderness.

Above her, crows flapped their wings and flew away, their cries eerie and terrifying. As she stumbled forward, everything around her blurred into chaos.

Tangled bushes.

Jagged rocks.

Ragged breaths.

The relentless approach of swords.

The path came to an abrupt end, and beneath her feet was a bottomless cliff, like the gaping maw of a beast, ready to swallow her whole.

Si tightly shut her eyes. After a sharp, dizzying fall, her back hit something soft and solid.

The dream ended.

Si opened her eyes and waved a hand in front of her face. The endless darkness remained, and for a moment, she didn't know whether to be relieved at escaping the nightmare or disheartened by the darkness that greeted her upon waking.

Sitting up in a daze, she called for Zhuyuan: "Please, Ah Yuan, bring me the silk band for my eyes."

Zhuyuan glanced toward the window before replying, "My lady, please wait a moment. I'll fetch it right away."

Si had already calmed her emotions. She placed the silk band over her eyes and was about to tie it at the back of her head when a voice interrupted her.

"You're already blind. Why bother with this?"

The voice was clear and pleasant, but its suddenness, coupled with the lingering fear from her dream, startled Si. The silk band slipped from her hands, and she bolted upright on the bed: "Husband? When did you return? You scared me..."

Her sudden movement made her look like a startled rabbit.

Yan Shuheng smiled with evident amusement: "I just arrived."

Zhuyuan lowered her gaze, pretending not to hear or see anything. Just arrived? The young master had been here since the lady started having nightmares, murmuring things in her sleep.

Yan Shuheng leaned down, lying on his side beside the bed, propping his head up with one hand while the other gently brushed over Si's brows, studying her expression intently.

His gaze was affectionate, as if they were truly a newlywed couple.

But he hadn't woken her from her nightmare.

Zhuyuan had initially thought the young master cared for the lady, given the warmth in his eyes whenever he looked at her. But now she wasn't so sure. Who would watch their beloved suffer through a nightmare without waking them, simply observing in silence?

It was like a cat watching a mouse it had caught.

Or a wolf sizing up a lamb that had wandered into its den.

It was strange. Too strange.

Meanwhile, Si pressed a hand to her chest, calming her racing heart. Remembering how she had been startled, she couldn't help but feel a bit irritated.

But she didn't show it, maintaining her gentle demeanor.

"Did you return for a reason, husband?"

Yan Shuheng didn't answer her question. Instead, he bent down to pick up the silk band and walked over to the bed, stopping in front of her.

Si was about to speak when she felt something soft brush over her eyes.

He was tying the silk band for her.

His movements were even gentler than the soft fabric, as if he were handling a fragile treasure.

Si was momentarily stunned.

Had this man returned with a newfound sense of tenderness?

"What's the purpose of this silk band?" he asked casually.

Si replied, half-seriously and half-jokingly, "Husband, you might not know this, but even blind people can sense light. When it's too bright, it can hurt their eyes. Of course, there are other benefits to wearing this. For example, it reminds others that I'm blind, so they might be more considerate. And—"

She hid her cunning behind a shy, gentle smile: "With my eyes covered, others can't see me clearly. That way, no one will be tempted by my beauty and try to steal me away from my husband."

In this context, her words carried a deeper meaning.

Standing in the corner, Zhuyuan kept her eyes downcast, her head lowered even further. She stole a glance at Yan Shuheng.

Yan Shuheng simply smiled faintly.

The young man lifted his long lashes, his gaze resting on Si.

At this moment, Si's expression was shy and reserved, as if she were genuinely troubled by her beauty. It didn't seem like there was any hidden meaning in her words.

With a smile, he tied the silk band behind her head, forming a neat knot. Mimicking the tone of a devoted husband, he asked softly, "The only 'others' here are me and your maid. Zhuyuan is just a young girl, so the only one who might 'steal you away' would be me. Are you implying something, my dear wife?"

"Or perhaps, is there someone else you wish to marry?"