Chapter 18: The Blameless Su Li!
After Su Li’s words, Li Er was momentarily taken aback. “Are you suggesting that Lizhi can hear?” he asked softly.
“I can’t say for certain, but I heard a story about someone who planted two flowers separately – one facing words of negativity every day and the other facing words of praise. As a result, the former withered early while the latter was exceptionally beautiful,” Su Li replied.
This was a modern experiment conducted by Su Li. In reality, plants couldn’t understand human language as praise or curse. However, regardless of whether they could hear or not, if one was to mourn in front of a patient constantly, he would inevitably feel as though his time was running out and he would lose confidence.
Li Er was moved by Su Li’s words and began to reconsider his actions.
When I think about it, since Changle went into a coma, the goddess of mercy and I have always been sad. Before I thought Changle was in a coma, so I couldn’t hear or feel it. Now that I think about it, if you hear parents so sad, I’m afraid the heart is more panicked.
“Give me Changle,” Li Er said, stretching out his hand.
Su Li calmly got up, handed over Changle to Li Er, and then retreated knowingly. It was evident that Li Er had listened to his advice and planned to appease Changle. Unfortunately, Su Li didn’t know how long he would talk this time, and he wasted his time collecting points.
Princess Changle, who was taken over by Li Er, was conscious and aware of everything. The story isn’t over yet… isn’t he going to divorce? Changle thought.
Princess Changle couldn’t control her body and spent her days in silence and tears, with no entertainment at all.
Su Li told her a story that made her ecstatic. Although Su Li’s story sounded a bit strange, Changle had taken a lot of interest in it.However, the story ended abruptly at the most critical moment. Nalanran had encountered the Xiao family and had retired. What happened next? How did they deal with it? Changle was curious and wanted to know more.
The most significant characteristic of the small white text was its ability to evoke emotions and mood swings in people easily. Princess Changle, who had not experienced the modern network bombardment, found it challenging to withstand such emotional upheavals. Moreover, she had no entertainment at all, so even if she didn’t usually enjoy this type of story, it was a rare pastime for her.
Although, just as the story was getting exciting, the chapter abruptly ended, and Changle felt a sense of hatred for the first time. It wasn’t Su Li’s fault. Rather, it was Li Er’s sudden arrival that brought the story to an end. Changle couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful towards Li Er’s sudden visit, thinking that it would have been great if her father had come later so that she could have finished listening to the story.
Li Er noticed that his daughter Lizhi looked pale and had dull eyes, and he felt a surge of emotion in his heart. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad, completely unaware that his caring little daughter was complaining that he had come at the wrong time and had ruined her pastime.
Upon seeing his daughter’s pitiful state and reflecting on her helpless marriage to a peasant, Li Er couldn’t help but feel sad. However, after remembering what Su Li had told him earlier, he put on a brave face and tried to appear relaxed as he began to chat with Lizhi.
After talking for a long time, Li Er finally finished around five o’clock in the evening. He then carried Princess Changle out of the yard and handed her over to Su Li’s arms before leaving. Su Li sighed, lamenting the fact that he had lost out on earning more points due to Li Er’s unexpected visit.
With the sky already dark, Su Li knew that there was no excuse to have more intimate contact with Princess Changle. She had to go back to bed, and a female officer was appointed to prevent any inappropriate behavior. Su Li realized that the only option left for him was to use small hand gestures to communicate with her.
Su Li calculated that he might only be able to save three or four thousand points after buying Introduction to the Art of War that day. He sighed and carried Princess Changle back to the house. Even though he could earn points, the Princess Mansion was always full of people, and Changle was unconscious, so Su Li had to be careful not to attract any attention to himself.
“Alas…” sighed Su Li as she placed Princess Changle on the bed. He sat back down on his little stool and held the little princess’s hand, watching the rate of points increase and then slow down once again.
What about the story…why doesn’t he tell me? Princess Changle had been listening to Li Er’s chat for a long time, but her mind was still focused on the broken story.
However, when Su Li put her on the bed, she hoped that Su Li might continue the story, but there were no more words.
Why did he sigh? Princess Changle suddenly thought of the sigh she had heard just now and couldn’t help but start to wonder.
Meanwhile, Li Er had returned to the palace and was sitting face-to-face with Empress Zhangsun Wu Fei inside the bedroom.
“How is Lizhi doing now?” Zhangsun Wu Fei asked.
“She’s still not getting better…” Li Er shook his head and let out a sigh.
He had talked to his daughter for a long time, but in the end, he couldn’t help feeling sad. Even though he didn’t show it, considering what Su Li had said, he went straight back to the palace.
“How about taking care of Changle? Will her husband ‘Su Li’ be able to do it?” Zhangsun Wu Fei asked.
Initially, both Li Er and Empress Zhangsun viewed Su Li as nothing more than a source for wedding benediction, not as a real son-in-law. However, when the imperial doctor suggested that Su Li could assist in the treatment and rehabilitation of Changle, they had to consider his character.
Su Li was capable of performing the same tasks as the imperial doctors and even better. However, the nature of the actions involved close and prolonged contact. Although Su Li was the legitimate son-in-law, there was still some awkwardness involved in it.
Additionally, considering the imperial doctor’s approval of Su Li’s suggestions, it was not possible for Changle to be surrounded by a group of elderly doctors.
Regardless, Su Li was the legitimate son-in-law and Changle’s husband. If something were to happen to her, he would be buried with her. Therefore, it was only natural that he would do his best to assist in her care.
Li Er was conflicted, as he didn’t believe that Su Li was a suitable son-in-law, being nothing more than a peasant. Although, the reports from the Princess Mansion’s female officer indicated that Su Li had been taking care of Changle in ways that were not visible to the outside world.
He slept beside Changle’s bed on the first night of their marriage and woke up several times during the night to turn her over to prevent her from remaining in one position for too long and becoming stiff. Later, he even proposed his own suggestions for Changle’s diet and daily care, which were approved by the imperial doctor.
Although Su Li’s time with Changle had been short, there was no denying that his actions, as reported by the female officer, were commendable.