The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

Jiang Ming eyed Tang Qiu with a gleam in his eyes. He truly relished this woman’s feisty spirit–especially with the added knowledge that she belonged to his brother.

“Sis-in-law, if you go back alone, people will whisper that the Jiang family have treated you unkindly and wronged you.”

“That’s fine. I don’t care.”

“I will accompany Qiu when she returns home,” Jiang Shaocheng said. “You don’t need to worry about anything, brother.”

No sooner had Jiang Shaocheng finished speaking than he suddenly broke down into yet another coughing fit. Tang Qiu patted his back anxiously. Seeing as how he was coughing violently enough to hurl up his lungs, Jiang Ming quickly pinched his nose. “Don’t tax yourself, brother. All that repeated movement in and out of the car might cause you to end up in the hospital. If you need to make another visit to the ICU, who knows if you’ll make it out alive.”

Jiang Ming was essentially wishing misfortune upon his brother. A shadow fell across Tang Qiu’s face. “Aren’t you getting a little too worked up about this? Since when are our affairs as a couple your business?”

Seeing Tang Qiu’s temper flare to the surface, Jiang Shaocheng stroked her head in amusement. “It’s alright. He can come with us if he wants.” Since her husband didn’t seem to mind, Tang Qiu swallowed the rest of her protests and stayed quiet.

Tang Qiu went upstairs to prepare for their return to the Fengs’ household, putting on a breezy, pleated skirt and some light makeup. She looked elegant, as lovely as a fairy come to life. Jiang Ming glimpsed Tang Qiu’s pretty face and her fair, shapely legs peeking out from beneath her skirt. His eyes burned with jealousy. What a waste of such beauty on a worthless piece of trash like his brother!

In the car, Tang Qiu explained to Jiang Shaocheng, “I’m not on the best terms with the Fangs. I’m Fang Guo’an’s illegitimate daughter, but he took me in on the basis of our blood ties. So if you’d rather not waste your time with futile endeavors, we don’t need to go.”

Jiang Shaocheng knew all this from his investigations into Tang Qiu’s past last night. He was also aware that Fang Guo’an’s wife, Chen Man, held Tang Qiu in contempt, and didn’t acknowledge her as her husband’s child, claiming instead that she was the daughter of a distant relative. But it was tradition to return home to the bride’s home after the wedding, and the Jiangs were not a family to make light of such things.

When they arrived at the Fengs’ house, they found the door locked. Jiang Ming knocked on the door, and a servant opened it. “Where are your masters?” he asked.

Eying Jiang Ming’s expensive clothes, the servant responded cautiously, “Sir is at work. Madam went shopping. The young mistress is in school. No one is at home now.”

Jiang Ming kicked the wall angrily. “Are your masters out of their minds? Do they know what day it is today? Call Feng Guo’an and let him know that the two young masters of the Jiang family are here. Tell him to get over here now!”

The Feng estate paled in comparison to the Jiangs’; had it not been for Jiang Ming’s scheme to make use of Feng Lu to humiliate his pathetic older brother, he would never have deigned to even speak to them. Upon hearing that it was Young Master Jiang in front of him, the servant nodded fearfully and scurried to make the call.

Tang Qiu pushed Jiang Shaocheng’s wheelchair into the mansion. She had never had good relations with the Feng family; she might as well have been invisible to them. She couldn’t find it in her to be surprised at their behavior today. “I want to bring back all my belongings from this place,” she told him.

He nodded. “I’ll help you.”

Tang Qiu hesitated. Jiang Shaocheng covered his mouth and coughed. “I apologize. That was thoughtless of me. I’m already such a hassle. I’d only cause more trouble for you, I know.” fre𝑒𝘸𝚎𝚋n૦ѵℯl.c𝒐𝘮

He had misunderstood her. Tang Qiu quickly explained, “No, it’s just that my room is in the basement. I barely get any sunlight there all year round. It’s not the most pleasant of environments. I’m afraid you won’t be used to it.”

“I’m not some porcelain doll.”

Hearing that they were going to Tang Qiu’s bedroom, Jiang Ming trailed behind them on their heels, before he felt that something was wrong. “Wait, sis-in-law. Didn’t you say you were bringing us to your bedroom? Why are we going to the basement?”

“My room?is?in the basement.”

As she spoke, they had already reached the basement. Tang Qiu pushed the door open. The room was wide and spacious, cluttered with a variety of junk. Tucked all the way at the back behind a curtain was a small corner with a single bed, a worn desk, and a flimsy clothes rack.

Jiang Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was where the Fangs kept such a beautiful girl? Not only was there not a trace of sunlight here, but it was uncomfortably humid, and it was so stuffy that the air seemed to stick to one’s skin. How could anyone be forced to sleep here? Tang Qiu must have been worth less than dirt to the Fang family!

Tang Qiu had few belongings, so she was done packing in no time. Noticing that Jiang Ming was studying their surroundings in shock, she shrugged and said, “Okay, I’m done. Staring won’t make this place any prettier. Let’s get out of here.”

Jiang Shaocheng’s expression was more contained than his brother’s. The thin, flat line of his mouth was the only sign of the storm lurking beneath his reserved demeanor.