The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

In a stricken rage, Huamei clutched her face and ran off to find some ice cubes.

Jiang Shaocheng turned to see his little wife staring at him with wide, blank eyes. He exhaled, wondering if he had frightened her. The wheelchair hindered his mobility, otherwise, that woman would have gotten off lightly with mere disfigurement.

“I was teaching her a lesson. Did I scare you?”

Returning to her senses, Tang Qiu’s lips curved upwards. “Scared? You startled me, that’s all. You moved so fast–I didn’t even see it coming!” It was amazing, how he had moved so deftly. If she could only be half as agile as him, she wouldn’t have had to suffer all those years of bullying!

Jiang Shaocheng reached out and stroked her head. “Next time, if anyone dares to mistreat you, you must tell me. You’re my wife. It’s my responsibility to protect you.”

Tang Qiu kept her face neutral, but inside, it was as though fireworks had gone off in her heart. Her own parents had never said such a thing to her, but he–this man whom she had only been married to for a few days–was promising to protect her? He might have been sickly, with only half his lifespan left to him, but a deep well of gratitude blossomed within her. She took his hand, her manner serious. “I understand.”

Right then, He Lei arrived, and they went to the men’s clothing section in the store from earlier. Tang Qiu helped her husband pick out some casual clothes. When she showed them to him, he couldn’t help teasing, “Qiu, these clothes look very similar to yours. Are they meant to be our couple outfits?”

Tang Qiu was momentarily stunned. Turning her attention away from him, she held out the clothes to the service staff and said, “I want all these. How much are they?”

Recalling her previous instructions, the staff member calculated the price of the clothing and found herself speechless, but she plastered a bright smile onto her face. “Miss, since you won first prize in our lucky draw, you get 10% off these clothes, plus a buy-one-get-one-free deal.”

“If it’s so cheap, I’ll get a few more items.” Tang Qiu squatted down in front of Jiang Shaocheng. “Dear, the quality and style of the clothes here are not bad. Why don’t I get you some more?”

“Sure, it’s up to you,” he replied fondly. 𝐟𝐫𝗲𝙚ｗ𝚎𝐛𝙣𝐨𝙫𝘦𝗹.c૦m

In the end, it only cost 300 yuan to buy 15 sets of clothes. Tang Qiu handed the money over quickly and easily.

After they finally left, the staff member felt the tension that had been brewing in them dissipate. Their boss had called and ordered them to entertain those customers to the very best of their ability, and if they failed, they would not only be penalized, but fired. In front of Tang Qiu, the service staff had deliberately been all smiles, giving her whatever she desired.

“Manager, who was that woman, and why did the boss make such arrangements?”

The store manager looked up from her calculations to glare at them. “I don’t know who that woman was, but I heard that the man in the wheelchair is one of the higher-ups in headquarters. With how respectfully he treated that woman, she must be from no ordinary background, whatever it is.”

Understanding dawned on several of the staff. Someone must have wanted to keep that woman happy, to force them to put on such a performance.

Back in the mansion, Tang Qiu looked at the sight of the overflowing wardrobe and felt her heart swell with something inexplicable. She ran downstairs, her footsteps sounding to a joyful tempo. She was going to cook dinner for her husband, to repay her husband’s efforts in taking her out shopping.

“Qiu, do you need any help?”

Tang Qiu was about to say no when she recalled that he was ill; it must be lonely to have to sit in his wheelchair all day. It wouldn’t hurt to let him help her out in small ways, to be mindful of his feelings and prevent him from feeling inferior. “You can help me peel the onions,” she said, lifting her brows at him.

Jiang Shaocheng couldn’t help his mouth curling upwards at her tone; one she might use to speak soothingly to a child. “Alright, I will.”

In between her tasks, Tang Qiu would occasionally glance his way, as though afraid he would hurt himself. In half an hour, they were done and dinner was ready.

“This is the first meal we made together, dear. Hurry up and try it, it’s sure to taste wonderful.”

Jiang Shaocheng took a bite. It was delicious indeed, but then again, he had always known she was a skilled cook. She had only said that they made the meal together to please him; he had done no more than chop the garlic and peel the onions.

As they ate, Tang Qiu kept chattering away, “I’ll make soup for you tomorrow, with some herbs to nourish your qi and blood, and we’ll save some money for your treatment in the future. Oh, and tomorrow morning I’ll take you out for a walk…”

Jiang Shaocheng listened in silence, nodding from time to time. He watched her lips move, and was faced with the sudden urge to kiss her. And he was a decisive man of action; when had it ever been in his character to deny himself the pleasure of what he desired? Without hesitation, he cupped the back of her neck and kissed her.

“Oh.” Tang Qiu made a dazed sound of surprise, her vision blocked by his hands over her eyes. In the darkness, the scent of fresh, cool pines on him was even more heady and intense.

“Qiu, we’re married. Kissing isn’t anything unusual, is it?” He wanted to nudge his way into her heart, just a little, the way she had his.

He would wait for her to grow comfortable with him, to fall in love with him… and only then could he reveal all his secrets to her.

He didn’t want to let her go.

“It isn’t,” Tang Qiu echoed. She sucked in a few breaths. No feelings might exist between them, and they were no regular couple, but they were married nonetheless. If she were to refuse some of his requests, she feared that it would wound him into thinking that she disliked him.

When Jiang Shaocheng heard her reply, he couldn’t hide the interest that flickered across his dark eyes.