The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 19: He’s Afraid of Poverty

Xiao Jingheng took a sip of the water. It was slightly sweet, but not like sugar water. He felt a wave of comfort wash over him. With another sip, he felt a bit of strength return to his body. He kept drinking until the water pouch was empty. His legs, which had been in excruciating pain, now felt a little better. Was it just his imagination? No, the pain had genuinely lessened. What kind of miraculous water was this?

At some point, he had been poisoned, though he didn’t know when or how. His subordinates had all been killed, and he had been chased until he was the only one left. Just as his poison flared up, his legs were brutally broken by his own fiancée and his elder brother, who then left him by the roadside.

Since they had chased him to this remote place, they simply dumped him here. He had no idea where he was or why his brother hadn’t just killed him outright.

He didn’t want to die like this. He wanted to live and seek revenge. He had been lying here for days, in a place so poor that he hadn’t even been able to beg for a sip of water.

He had crawled his way here, his already tattered clothes now completely shredded from the friction. He had grabbed at many people, but each time, they kicked him away, refusing to give him even a drop of water or a crumb of food.

For the first two days, he had moved slowly, too proud to beg. But by the third day, he had no choice. He reached out to anyone who passed by, only to be brushed off every time.

Another two days passed like this. This morning, he noticed a pretty girl carrying a bag of embroidery, likely heading to the embroidery shop to sell it. She probably had some money.

He crawled to the street and waited for a long time. Finally, the girl came out. He grabbed the hem of her dress, hoping for even a sip of water. But the seemingly gentle girl began to curse him, calling him a “filthy beggar,” an “ugly beggar,” a “stinking beggar”… She didn’t repeat herself for a full fifteen minutes, all while stomping on him with her small feet. He was nearly crushed to death, but the commotion drew a crowd, and the girl, embarrassed, finally stopped and ran away. The crowd dispersed, and still, no one offered him anything.

He remembered that girl’s face clearly. He thought he was finally going to die. But then, a pair of shoes passed by, and he instinctively reached out, though he had no strength left.

To his surprise, the person stopped and crouched down to ask him questions. He was too weak to answer.

Just when he thought all hope was lost, he had finally met a kind person who not only stopped but also gave him water. Xiao Jingheng now had some strength, but he was even hungrier.

“What’s your name? Where do you live? I’m Xu Zhizhi. I’ll call my brothers to help take you home,” the girl said, taking two meat buns from her basket.

Xiao Jingheng studied the girl. Her lively eyes sparkled like a pale butterfly lost in the darkness. Her face was smudged with dust.

In his experience, city girls wore makeup. Did country girls smear dust on their faces because they couldn’t afford cosmetics?

Her chin was pale and pointed, and her lips curved into a smile as fleeting and beautiful as fireworks.

“My name is Xiao Jingheng,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“Eat slowly. We’ll come back for you later.”

Xu Zhizhi thought the name sounded nice. She handed him the buns and left.

Xiao Jingheng took the buns and watched Xu Zhizhi’s retreating figure. Her back was straight, and her steps were lively and cheerful.

Many years later, he would still remember that back and those eyes.

He didn’t know if Xu Zhizhi would really come back, but with the water and the buns, he could survive a few more days.

Meanwhile, Xu Honghua, who had just sold her embroidery, was in high spirits and wanted to grab something to eat. But as soon as she stepped out, she was grabbed by a filthy, stinking beggar. Seeing that the street was empty, she lost her temper and began to curse and kick him, forgetting all about the proper demeanor her mother had taught her. Soon, a crowd gathered from the nearby shops to watch the spectacle. Terrified, she ran off. After all, she still hoped to marry into a wealthy family in town.

Xu Zhizhi arrived at the market to find Xu Honghua crying, with Third Uncle gently comforting her and the four brothers looking helpless.

“What’s wrong? Did you sell everything?”

Xu Dahu and his brothers happily replied, “The bean sprouts sold out a long time ago, and the wild boar meat just sold out.”

Xu Erhu added, “Honghua-jie is crying because she’s hungry.”

Xu Zhizhi said, “Third Uncle, take Honghua to get something to eat. Also, buy some rice and flour for our family.”

She handed the money pouch Xu Dahu had given her to Third Uncle.

Third Uncle didn’t take it immediately. “Zhizhi, aren’t you going to count it?”

“No need. Use all the money from today’s sales to buy rice and flour. I’ll take the brothers around town to grab something to eat. We’ll meet at the usual spot by the city gate where we take the ox cart.”

Xu Zhizhi led the four brothers out of the market and asked, “Do you want to eat rice or dumplings?”

She was also a bit hungry. She had only eaten one meat bun in the morning, and they still had work to do after eating.

“We’ll follow your lead,” the four brothers said in unison. Two of them were as tall as her, and one was even taller.

Xu Xiaowu clung to his sister’s hand. Xu Zhizhi took them to a dumpling stall and ordered five bowls of dumplings and four bowls of noodles. She and Xiaowu would share one bowl of dumplings and one bowl of noodles.

Xiaowu ate until his belly was round, and Xu Zhizhi was also stuffed. The other three each had two bowls and were undoubtedly full.

Xu Zhizhi then led the four brothers to the street where the embroidery shop was, to see if the beggar was still there.

To her surprise, the beggar was still in the same spot, unmoved.

From a distance, Xu Zhizhi could see the beggar’s expectant gaze fixed on the road they had come from. She slowed her pace.

Xiao Jingheng noticed the group of five slowing down, likely because they had been walking too fast and were out of breath.

They must be slowing down to catch their breath, he thought. He couldn’t help but smile, feeling a sudden sense of relief.

He had been lying on the ground, patiently waiting for the girl and her group to approach.

“Sister, there’s a beggar here. He looks so pitiful!” Xiaowu, walking at the front with his sister, was the first to see him and exclaimed loudly.

“He really does look pitiful. Sister, should we buy him some food?” Xu Daniu suggested.

Xu Zhizhi pretended to just notice the beggar. “Dahu, what do you think?”

Since he would be the one doing the heavy lifting, she wanted to hear his opinion first.

“Zhizhi-jie, whatever you say, we’ll follow,” Xu Dahu said earnestly.

Xu Zhizhi was very pleased. She crouched down and asked, “Where do you live? What’s your name?”

Xiao Jingheng watched as the girl pretended they hadn’t met before. He also noticed the tall young man calling her “sister.”

He had prepared a story earlier, but now he had to change it. “My name is Xiao Jingheng. I don’t remember anything else.”

Xu Dahu asked, “Zhizhi-jie, should I go buy him some food?”

Xu Zhizhi knew the beggar couldn’t be hungry yet—she had just given him two meat buns.

“Not yet. Since he doesn’t remember anything, we should take him to a clinic first. If he can be cured, he can go home on his own,” Xu Zhizhi said, slowly guiding her kind-hearted brothers.

“But will we have to pay for it?” Xu Daniu, who was most concerned about money, asked. He was afraid of being poor.

“We don’t have any money!”

“It’ll probably cost a lot.”

Xu Zhizhi, seeing that her brothers were only worried about the money, continued to coax them. “No matter how much it costs, it’s his problem. Once he’s cured, he can pay it back himself. We’re just taking him there.”

“Alright, we’ll follow your lead.”

“I’ll always listen to Zhizhi-jie,” Xu Erhu said naively.

(End of Chapter)