Chapter 38: He Should Have Been Sad

"Wait!" Madam Su stared at Luo Yunhe with a狰狞 and vicious expression, her eyes glinting with resentment. She fiercely scooped several spoonfuls of rice and some vegetables from her own rice basin and dumped them into the bowl in front of Luo Yunhe.

Luo Yunhe looked at her meager bowl of food and thought it should be enough. However, when she remembered that her husband might not be able to return home at noon today, she couldn't help but worry about how he would manage his lunch outside. Without hesitation, she picked up another bowl, preparing to dish up a second portion.

"My husband hasn't eaten yet!" Luo Yunhe said with justified confidence.

"He won't be coming back at noon!" Madam Su glared, her eyes wide as if she wanted to devour Luo Yunhe alive.

"I'll take it to him!" Luo Yunhe replied firmly, showing not a trace of cowardice.

Madam Su was stunned, momentarily left speechless.

"Not going to dish it up? Fine, I'll go straight to the main hall right now!" Luo Yunhe was not joking; she would actually do it!

"I must have owed you in my past life!" Gritting her teeth, Madam Su spat out those words before reluctantly filling the bowl with rice and adding some vegetables.

"And meat!" Luo Yunhe pressed on relentlessly.

Although Madam Su was a hundred times unwilling, she finally picked up two chopsticks of meat and tossed them into the bowl, then picked up her things and hurried away.

Looking at the full bowl of food, Luo Yunhe was pleased. She placed the meal intended for Su Jingxuan inside the pot to keep it warm, then sat by the stove to eat her own share.

After finishing her meal, she brushed all the dirt off her clothes, picked up a small basket containing a bowl of food, and hurried out the door.

Not knowing which academy Su Jingxuan attended, she went to the village chief's house to inquire.

The village chief was somewhat surprised to learn that she intended to deliver food to Su Jingxuan, but nevertheless told her the exact location.

Heading east from Yuesheng Village, one would soon come across a three-way junction. Continuing forward along the widest road would lead directly to a very large academy.

This was the first time Luo Yunhe had walked such a long distance. From afar, she caught sight of an academy of considerable scale.

The academy was vast, serving students from all the surrounding villages within a radius of ten miles, and all the local youths studied here.

Yuesheng Village was not too far from the town. According to ancient timekeeping, the journey from the village to the town took about forty minutes at most. Thus, walking from the village to the academy took roughly twenty minutes.

Seeing the academy, Luo Yunhe quickened her pace, her spirits lifting considerably.

The academy was huge. As she drew closer, she could hear the clear sound of reading aloud from within, though she found it curious that they were still studying even though it was already noon.

Arriving at the front gate, the vermilion doors were solemn and majestic, the green patina on the door rings bearing witness to the vicissitudes of time.

She stepped forward, pulled the door ring, and knocked.

An elderly man opened the door. When he saw a charming young girl standing outside with a basket in her hand, a smile broke out on his wrinkled face.

"Young lass, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, grandpa. I'm looking for Su Jingxuan!"

"Oh, and what might you be to Master Su?"

"Grandpa, I'm his wife. I was worried he wouldn't eat well at the academy, so I brought him some food!"

"So you're his wife! Come in, quickly!"

Luo Yunhe nodded and stepped into the academy, feeling as though she had crossed through a tunnel of time.

A serene courtyard came into view. A winding path paved with bluestone meandered through it, flanked by flowers and plants that swayed gently in the breeze, releasing a delicate fragrance.

In the center of the courtyard stood a well-arranged rockery, from which clear water cascaded down into a shimmering pond, stirring up ripples.

Following the path further led to the academy's lecture hall.

Inside the tall and spacious room, desks and chairs were neatly arranged. Sunlight filtered through the carved lattice windows, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the floor.

Hanging on the wall directly in front of the lecture hall was a portrait of an elderly sage, solemn and dignified, as if perpetually watching over the students as they grew.

In a quiet corner of the academy lay a secluded garden with pavilions and winding corridors.

At this moment, inside the pavilion, many youths around eleven or twelve years of age were holding books and reciting aloud.

This reminded Luo Yunhe of her own school days in the past.

"Lass, Master Su is further back. Go on ahead!"

"Thank you, grandpa!" Luo Yunhe thanked him, picked up her basket, and continued deeper into the grounds.

After passing through a grove of bamboo, she finally spotted another pavilion.

A slender figure sat there, holding a book, with a pot of tea resting on the stone table before him.

He was reading with total concentration.

Luo Yunhe's arrival failed to disturb him at all.

Slowly reducing her pace, she approached his side, craned her neck, and glanced at the book in his hands. Though most of the characters were in traditional complex script, she could still make out quite a bit of it.

"Oh? Husband, are you reading *The Art of War*?" After glancing at the contents for just a moment, she immediately recognized that the book was about *The Art of War*, filled entirely with tactical strategies.

Hearing her young wife's voice so suddenly, Su Jingxuan snapped back to reality and saw her standing right beside him.

"Wife, why are you here?"

"I came to bring you something to eat! Look how thin you've gotten. Your younger brother came home today, and your mother prepared a whole table of good food! Hurry up and eat!"

Luo Yunhe took out the bowl of food and placed it before him.

Su Jingxuan looked at the bowl, then up at her. "Wife, I've already eaten. You eat it!"

"No way, I've eaten too! To show off her generosity in front of your younger brother and his wife, your mother cooked a lot of delicious food today. I had my share, and this portion is for you—you have to eat it!" Luo Yunhe pressed the chopsticks directly into his hand.

Looking at the food before him, Su Jingxuan could easily imagine how overjoyed his mother must have been upon his younger brother's return, seeing as she had always favored his younger brother and sister since they were children.

"Alright." Su Jingxuan picked up the bowl and began to eat, mouthful by mouthful.

His movements were extremely slow, and combined with whatever thoughts were running through his mind, it made Luo Yunhe's heart ache slightly.

He must be hurting inside!

After all, he had sacrificed so much for this family, yet he had never once received a kind look from Madam Su.

Now that his younger brother and sister-in-law were back, Madam Su treated him with blatant discrimination—not only had she fully stocked the kitchen with supplies, but she had even steamed white rice and stir-fried dishes with meat.

They were all born of the same mother and father; why were the others so cruel?

"Husband, don't be sad. If they want to play favorites, let them. From now on, I will cherish and take care of you!" Luo Yunhe said with absolute sincerity.