C9 Need Sutures
"Wait until I get back, and we can have a proper talk."
In the past, Sheng Nanzhen might have forgiven anything Yang Shuxian did, but now, she just wanted to be rid of this jerk as soon as possible.
"I don't think there's much left for us to say."
Yang Shuxian frowned slightly. "Nanzhen..."
"Her face is bleeding. If you don't take care of it soon, it might leave a scar."
Sheng Tianjiao let out a frightened cry. "Hurry up and take me."
After saying so much, it wasn't just her mouth that hurt—her cheek hurt even more. Sheng Nanzhen added, "If her face ends up with two cuts, it'll look terrible."
Yang Shuxian was drawn to Sheng Tianjiao because she was prettier than Sheng Nanzhen, delicate, and came from a good family.
He was an orphan from the village, and no one knew his real name. He was left outside the village as a child, and the old village chief took him in and gave him this name. However, the old chief passed away when Yang Shuxian was ten.
Life hadn't been easy for Yang Shuxian since then. The current village chief, the old chief's eldest son, never liked this adopted brother.
The original Sheng Nanzhen fell for Yang Shuxian at first sight because he looked refined and elegant, like someone from the city. Even though his clothes were plain, he was still easy on the eyes.
Yang Shuxian was indeed the most handsome man in the area. So, Sheng Nanzhen started getting close to him, treating him well. Yang Shuxian, struggling in the village, found solace in Nanzhen's company during his lowest times, which led him to accept her presence.
However, a month ago, Sheng Tianjiao suddenly confessed her feelings to him, saying she wanted to marry him. Yang Shuxian was overjoyed; having two girls from Azure Mountain Village wanting to marry him filled a void he couldn't satisfy in his own village. He chose Tianjiao.
On New Year's Eve, he planned to meet Nanzhen to explain everything, but days of heavy rain prevented him from speaking his mind. Eventually, Nanzhen fell into the Azure River, and his words remained unspoken.
"Zhen, how could you curse me?" Tianjiao whimpered.
"From now on, we'll go our separate ways, no more connections," Nanzhen declared.
Yang Shuxian paused, surprised by Nanzhen's words. He turned to look at her, but she had already walked away.
Tianjiao, feeling panicked, tugged at Yang Shuxian. "Hurry, take me to the village clinic."
At the clinic, only Sheng Zan, a part-time doctor, was available. Seeing Tianjiao's wound, he said seriously, "It needs stitches!"
Stitches!
Tianjiao started trembling at the thought. How could she dare get stitches here? She remembered the last time someone from the village had fallen down a hill and ended up with stitches here. The result was a web-like scar on their foot, a grotesque lump that was nauseating to look at. If something like that ended up on her face... she'd rather die!
Tianjiao grabbed Yang Shuxian urgently, "Hurry up and find a car to take me to the city."
...
When Nanzhen returned home, she paused at the doorstep. Azure Mountain Village had plenty of land but few people, so houses were built freely. Her house stood alone with no neighbors nearby. Yet, the house wasn't perfectly square; it was missing a corner in the northeast direction. That wasn't the main issue, though. The real concern was the bamboo grove not far from their home. At some point, a single bamboo shoot had grown out at an angle, pointing like a sword right at their front door...