Xu Tingyu suddenly came to her senses and called out, "Big Brother."
It had been nearly a year since they last saw each other. He looked much thinner than before.
She had heard before that his old illness had relapsed, which was why he had been staying abroad.
One thing after another had happened in her family, and she hadn't asked about how his illness was.
Qi Ye didn't seem to blame her. Instead, he even reached out to wipe away the tear on the corner of her eye.
"Tingyu, are you okay? I'm sorry I haven't been able to come back these days. I'm really sorry."
His hand that was wiping her tears was trembling, as if he was afraid of hurting her. His tone was filled with great pain.
Xu Tingyu was startled by his sudden action. She dodged his hand and wiped away her tears in a hurry.
"Big Brother, don't apologize. How's your health?"
Only those who have been bedridden for a long time know how painful it is to be ill.
Especially Qi Ye, who had been in poor health since childhood and was even once on the verge of being abandoned by the family.
Qi Ye's eyes were also red. The hand he had reached out was left hanging in mid - air.
After a long while, he said, "I'm fine. I'm really sorry for what the Qi family did to you."
His pain and self - blame were all laid bare.
Xu Tingyu knew he was apologizing for the old master, but she didn't want to hear it.
"That has nothing to do with you, Big Brother. I know you're different from them."
Qi Ye was not only excluded from the Qi Group but also from the family affection.
When she first married into the Qi family, once, Liu Ning had called her back to the old mansion.
That day, Liu Ning seemed to be in a very bad mood and had been nitpicking at her.
At that time, Qi Ye had not returned abroad yet because he had attended their wedding and was temporarily staying in the capital.
When Xu Tingyu went in, Qi Ye was also there.
After they greeted each other, Liu Ning told her to go to the kitchen to cook.
Later, Qi Ye also followed in and said he would help.
Actually, Xu Tingyu didn't know how to cook at that time. She just did it bravely.
Although Qi Ye said he was just helping, in fact, he really knew how to cook.
Soon, they changed positions. Qi Ye became the main cook, and she became the helper.
Qi Ye was also happy to teach her how to cook, how to control the heat, and how to add seasonings.
The two of them were busy and harmonious in the kitchen.
Until Liu Ning appeared at the door.
She looked at the scene in front of her sarcastically, with a strange tone.
"Oh, what a harmonious scene. Tingyu, it seems you married the wrong son of mine. You should have married the eldest one."
This was not something a mother - in - law should say to her daughter - in - law.
Xu Tingyu was young and a newly - married daughter - in - law. For a moment, all she could do was blush and didn't know how to refute.
It was Qi Ye who retorted seriously, "Mom, you shouldn't make such jokes."
Liu Ning didn't like this eldest son either. Seeing him retort, she was even angrier.
"What, can't I even make a joke? Or are you feeling heartache?"
Qi Ye frowned and mercilessly exposed her, "Mom, be fair. Don't take out your anger on Tingyu and me."
Liu Ning was in a bad mood because when she went out to play cards, someone had insinuated that she was lucky her husband had died early, otherwise, there might have been an illegitimate child to fight for the family property.
She didn't dare to get angry with outsiders because they were all family friends of the Qi family whom they would often meet.
So she came back and took out her anger on the family members she looked down upon.
Xu Tingyu was one of them, and so was Qi Ye.
Now being exposed by Qi Ye in front of Xu Tingyu, she lost face. She immediately rushed into the kitchen and went crazy.
"I'm your mother. How dare you talk to me like this? You're trying to piss me off, aren't you?"
"She's only been married into the family for a few days, and you're already taking her side. What, are you going to fight with your younger brother for his wife?"
"Let me tell you, you'd better give up this idea as soon as possible. No one will like a sickly person."
"Instead of arguing with me here on behalf of an outsider, you'd better go abroad and take good care of your health."
...
She rushed over and knocked over whatever was in her way.
Xu Tingyu was greatly frightened.
Although Zhang Qiu sometimes got angry, she had never been so hysterical. Xu Tingyu was at a loss for a moment.
And while she was in a daze, Liu Ning suddenly rushed to the stove.
There was stewed braised pork in the pot. In a fit of madness, she picked up the pot and splashed it towards Xu Tingyu's face.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Qi Ye protected her and stepped back.
Most of the meat in the pot fell on the ground, and some landed on Qi Ye's back.
Although he was wearing a shirt, there were still a few blisters on his back.
Seeing that someone was hurt, Liu Ning calmed down, but she didn't apologize. She just cursed.
"If you hadn't angered me, I wouldn't have done this. You've given me a headache. I'm going upstairs to rest."
After saying that, she left, leaving behind a mess.
Later, the servants in the house came to clean the kitchen, and Xu Tingyu followed Qi Ye to the back garden to treat his wound.
Qi Ye took off his clothes, revealing his back.
There were several blisters on it.
Xu Tingyu couldn't help but feel scared. If that pot of meat had splashed on her face, she would definitely be disfigured now.
She couldn't help but have red eyes, feeling both grateful and scared.
Seeing that she was about to cry, Qi Ye still had the mood to comfort her.
"Don't be afraid. It's okay. Just prick the blisters and apply the ointment. My mom has unstable emotions. Did it scare you?"
After such a conflict, he could still speak kindly for Liu Ning.
It was obvious that he had been out of favor in this family for a long time.
Xu Tingyu felt even more heart - broken. When applying the medicine for him, her hands were shaking badly, and her voice was also trembling.
"I'm sorry, Big Brother. You got hurt because of me. I don't know how to thank you. I'm really sorry."
She apologized again and again. Her hands were soft, and her voice was soft too.
Qi Ye held her soft hands and emphasized again, "Don't cry. It's not your fault."
What was her fault? She had just married into this family.
It wasn't her fault that he was not valued and was marginalized in this family.
Xu Tingyu wiped away her tears and also held his hand, "Big Brother, you should be well, and I should be well too."
They were both not liked in this family, but they should both be well.
Coincidentally, just as she said this, Qi Shifeng came.
He saw their clasped hands and his face turned extremely ugly.
At that time, Xu Tingyu didn't know how to read people's expressions. Seeing him come, she felt even more aggrieved. The tears she had just stopped welled up again.
"Shifeng, Big Brother got hurt while protecting me. What should we do?"
With tears in her eyes, she didn't see that Qi Shifeng's face became even uglier after she said that.
He almost roughly pulled her over and said coldly, "If you're hurt, why aren't you going to the hospital? What are you doing here?"
Qi Ye stood up and put on his clothes while explaining.
"I'm fine. Just apply some ointment. You two talk. I'll go and check on the kitchen."