With slow steps in the night, Đường Thiên Tuyết finally stood before the villa's door.
It was a villa with a dazzling and opulent exterior, but only those living within truly knew its hidden troubles.
Đường Thiên Tuyết, of course, had come to deeply understand this saying ever since she moved in as the daughter-in-law of the Tô family.
Đường Thiên Tuyết sighed, her eyes devoid of joy, as she stepped through the front door.
To get to her room, she had to pass through the living room, but there, someone always awaited her with a venomous gaze.
“Leaving work so early, are we? Only dragging yourself back when it’s late and dark. Do you even know what time it is?”
That voice was two parts sternness, and eight parts looking for trouble.
Vương Lan Chân had always hated her, at all times, in all places. No matter what Đường Thiên Tuyết did, she would pick apart everything to criticize, then curse her.
But facing her, Đường Thiên Tuyết had to humble herself, maintaining the proper decorum of a daughter-in-law.
She still called her ‘Mother,’ and gently explained.
“Mother, I had to work overtime.”
“Overtime? Who knows if you were working overtime at the company or at some hotel with a man?”
Đường Thiên Tuyết knew that no matter what she said, the woman wouldn't stop. Many times, she had accused Đường Thiên Tuyết of going out to flirt with men.
She was almost at her limit.
But no matter how frustrated she felt inside, she tried to hold it back and let the matter pass. She spoke again.
“If Mother doesn’t believe me, you can go to the editorial office where I work and ask directly. I’m not lying.”
She was defending herself, so her tone was somewhat firm, yet Vương Lan Chân acted as if she had been yelled at and started to get angry.
“Oh, so today you dare to raise your voice, do you? It seems if I don’t properly discipline you, you won’t improve.
A daughter-in-law like you only brings shame to the Tô family.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she reached out for the rattan cane that had been prepared.
She struck her hands, struck her waist, always choosing the most sensitive, thinly-skinned areas to hit.
Đường Thiên Tuyết dared not resist, standing rooted to the spot, enduring the blows. Each lash from her felt like a knife slicing into flesh.
She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, enduring the pain that pierced her to the core.
The torment persisted until she grew tired, only then allowing Đường Thiên Tuyết to leave.
She thought that was the end of it, but Đường Thiên Tuyết dragged her aching body back to her room, where she still had to bring water to wipe down her paralyzed husband.
Seeing her open the door and step in, Tô Dĩ Thần, finding her an eyesore, immediately snapped.
“Why are you back? You should just get lost and stay out of my sight.”
Đường Thiên Tuyết paid no mind to his hatred. She calmly went into the bathroom, carried a basin of hot water to the side of the bed, and only then replied.
“If I were to get lost, no one would take care of you.”
She had barely finished speaking and hadn't even set the basin down, when Tô Dĩ Thần, in a fit of rage, reached out swiftly and pushed her down.
“Ah!”
Startled, she cried out, her entire body scalding from the hot water spilling all over her.
That wasn't all. Tô Dĩ Thần then bent down, forcefully gripping her chin and lifting her face.
His eyes were filled with hatred, and he spoke with bitter, gritted teeth.
“Didn’t you cause these crippled legs? You should remember that you’re here taking care of me as a form of atonement, so don’t talk as if you’re doing me a favor. How despicable.”
Đường Thiên Tuyết was so aggrieved that tears welled up. She desperately wanted to say it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't open her mouth.
This wasn't the first time Tô Dĩ Thần had acted so outrageously towards her. She had endured it for nearly two years, and she couldn't give up now.
In the end, all she could do was say tremblingly,
“I… I’m sorry.”
It was always this same apology. Su Yichen had heard it so many times that his face showed utter boredom. He violently shoved her hand away, making her fall to the floor once more, and looked at her with extreme contempt as he spoke.
“To me, you’re nothing more than a servant in this house, so don’t harbor any other illusions.
If I can’t walk for the rest of my life, then don’t even dream of living an easy life.”
After hearing this, Tang Tianxue felt a bitter pang in her heart.
Su Yichen believed she was the one who caused his car accident, leading to his inability to walk. Yet, for the past two years, she was the only one who had brought him food and drink, and even handled his daily bathing and personal care, all with her own hands.
She cared for him meticulously, not daring to be negligent for even a minute.
Not only was he not moved in the slightest, but he also believed she would do any lowly job for money.
Despicable, shameless – that’s the kind of woman she was in his eyes.
…
Tang Tianxue and Su Yichen were merely husband and wife in name only.
When night came, he slept on the bed while she had to sleep on the floor.
If he needed anything, even if she was in a deep sleep, she had to jolt awake and attend to it immediately.
Tonight was no different from any other night; before sleeping, Tang Tianxue always took out a photo to look at.
In the photo was a little girl in a kindergarten uniform, smiling very happily, but as she gazed at it thoughtfully, tears involuntarily fell.
She brought the photo closer, hugged it tightly to her chest, and her whole body trembled slightly again.
Tang Tianxue was tired all day, so she fell asleep very quickly. The darkness in the room was quiet for a few hours when suddenly, a very loud crashing sound echoed.
Tang Tianxue woke up with a start, still dazed and unsure of what had happened.
She quickly ran to turn on the room light and saw Su Yichen, his body flushed red, yet his face was pale. His brows were furrowed as if in great discomfort, and he was tossing and turning restlessly.
Perhaps, unconsciously, he had knocked over a glass, causing it to fall and break.
Tang Tianxue quickly placed her hand on his forehead to check; it was unexpectedly hot, which made her quite flustered.
“Why is his fever so high?”
She quickly went to get a cold towel and fever medicine for him.
As she was giving him the medicine, the room door suddenly burst open. Wang Lanzhen rushed in, startled to see Su Yichen’s condition.
“Yichen, Yichen, what’s wrong with you, my son?”
She rushed over. By this time, he had finished taking the medicine. Tang Tianxue helped him lie back down and said to her,
“He has a slight fever, but I just gave him medicine. He should recover quickly.”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Tang Tianxue received a swift and unexpected slap.
Then came Wang Lanzhen’s familiar scolding voice.
“What did you do to let him get such a high fever in the middle of the night? If it weren’t for that loud noise, were you planning to hide it? If anything happens to my son, I won’t let you off the hook!”
“Mother, I didn’t…”
Tang Tianxue felt a surge of indignation and couldn’t help but want to explain, but Wang Lanzhen cut her off, not giving her a single chance.
“Shut up! If you can’t even take care of your husband, it just shows how useless you are.
You’re truly an eyesore!”
Wang Lanzhen scolded her fiercely, then went to sit on the sofa. She claimed she wanted to watch over Su Yichen, but in reality, she wanted to make things difficult for Tang Tianxue, not allowing her to rest comfortably.
So Tang Tianxue had to stand all night long.
Her legs ached and her hands trembled, but she absolutely did not complain or beg.
“Patience, patience, I must be patient.”
At this moment, in her mind, only two words kept repeating like a mantra, accompanied by the image of the little girl in the photo she gazed at every night.