It didn't take long for Ji Shijun to figure out what this girl was up to.
There was a fire at the Zhao Mansion. A concubine of the Zhao family was injured, and the third young lady of the Zhao family, who was the arsonist, was expelled from the family.
This incident caused quite a stir for a while.
However, this was only a big deal in Huangcheng. In Qucheng, hundreds of miles away, not a single whisper of it reached the ears of the locals.
But something strange had recently happened in Qucheng.
A mysterious and wealthy man of unknown origin had come to town. He was extremely generous, buying a two - courtyard mansion all by himself.
Qucheng was a small place with few rich people. So, when such a young and wealthy gentleman suddenly appeared, it was only natural that some people couldn't resist the urge to dig for information.
As it turned out, this man was married, and his wife was a patient who seemed to have suffered serious injuries and was in a coma.
The man whom no one could guess the identity of after much speculation...
Was none other than Ji Shijun, who had fled from the Ji family.
As for his wife...
She was a burden he had picked up on the way.
Ji Shijun's pageboy was not happy about this burden.
"Master, we're not here for a sightseeing tour. Once the Ji family gets wind of this, they'll surely look for you everywhere. Why do you still insist on bringing her along?"
It was no wonder the pageboy was so dismissive. Not only was Ji Shijun in a precarious situation himself, but even if he were still the eldest young master of the Ji family, Zhao Luoyu would still be a headache.
Leaving aside the fact that she was a suspect in the arson and injury case, just her current condition was enough of a problem. Half of her arm and one side of her body were horribly burned, and every doctor who came to examine her would just shake their heads. Even an ordinary family couldn't afford to take care of her.
Ji Shijun had already spent more than half of the silver he had brought with him on her.
Ji Shijun looked at the little girl lying on the bed and said, "We're both men, and most doctors are men too. It's quite inconvenient to change her clothes. Shouldn't we buy a maid to take care of her?"
Hearing this, the pageboy was almost furious.
"Master, are you even listening to me?"
Ji Shijun sighed and waved his hand at the pageboy, signaling, "Let's talk outside."
Ji Shijun led the pageboy into the yard. He took out a bag of silver from his bag and gave it to the pageboy. "Go find a human trafficker and buy a maid. It doesn't matter if she's expensive. It's best if she's experienced and good at taking care of people."
The pageboy was in a dilemma. "Master, I don't mean to be long - winded, but you've already spent a lot of silver on her. It's already more than enough that you saved her."
Ji Shijun shook his head with a smile. "It's okay. We can always earn more money. If I'm really on the verge of starvation, I can always go back to the Ji family and be the eldest young master."
The pageboy had been with Ji Shijun for many years and knew that Ji Shijun was just saying this. Ji Shijun had worked so hard for so many years just to escape. He would never go back easily.
However, as a servant, he could only offer some advice and had no way to interfere with his master's decision.
"Master, are you really sure you want to take her with you? Once we go missing, the Ji Mansion will surely investigate us. And she's an arsonist. The government is also looking for her. She's been abandoned by the Zhao family and has no support. Sooner or later, we'll be exposed."
"I abandoned my family, and she was abandoned by hers. Consider it my way of repaying my karmic debt."
Hearing this, the pageboy said no more and took the silver and left.
Neither the master nor the servant knew that inside the room, Zhao Luoyu, who had been in a coma, opened her eyes.
Zhao Luoyu woke up the next day.
From Ji Shijun, she learned that she had caused a huge disaster and was now a criminal.
She wanted to go back, but Ji Shijun stopped her.
"If you go back now, you'll only cause trouble for your mother, brothers, and sisters. They can't protect you. They'd probably hope you don't show up."
Zhao Luoyu lowered her head.
She saw her horribly burned wounds.
After all, she was a girl. Seeing her body burned like this, she was extremely scared and desperate.
Ji Shijun knew what she was thinking and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Your face wasn't hurt. You can cover it up with more clothes."
Zhao Luoyu held back her tears.
She knew that at this point, she really couldn't go back.
She didn't regret it.
She just hated that she couldn't take that damned Chen Xiulian with her.
Not only did she fail to do so, but she also let Chen Xiulian turn the tables on her.
From Ji Shijun, Zhao Luoyu learned about her family's attitude after her accident.
She had been expelled from the family, while Chen Xiulian used this incident as leverage to get herself and her daughter officially included in the family genealogy.
Her sister must be very sad.
She should have listened to her sister and endured for a while longer.
Thinking of this, Zhao Luoyu looked up at Ji Shijun.
Although she didn't know why this man had saved her, it seemed that he was now her only lifeline.
Zhao Luoyu lowered her head, lost in thought.
Time passed quickly in Qucheng.
Zhao Luoyu took the alias Ning Ruonian, and Ji Shijun took the alias Shi Jun. They settled down in Qucheng.
Since he couldn't have any business connections with the Ji family, Ji Shijun had to start from scratch and also had to be on guard against the Ji family. His business was struggling.
Thankfully, by this time, Zhao Luoyu had recovered a lot, and the wounds on her body had scabbed over.
She was a remarkable girl. She never used anesthetic when applying medicine and never cried out in pain. She just gritted her teeth, and her little face turned as white as a sheet.
This made Ji Shijun feel a bit of pity for her.
The more stubbornly she refused to cry out in pain, the more heart - wrenching it was.
Ji Shijun paid more and more attention to Zhao Luoyu. Occasionally, he would bring back some trinkets for her. And after this great disaster, Zhao Luoyu no longer acted impulsively as before. Although she was still very strong - willed, her personality had mellowed a lot. She would cook for Ji Shijun, looking just like a virtuous wife.
Originally, people only guessed, but now, the way Ji Shijun and Zhao Luoyu got along really seemed like an old married couple.
Although Zhao Luoyu had a large scar on her body due to the injury, outsiders couldn't see it. They only thought that Zhao Luoyu was beautiful and that she and Ji Shijun were a perfect match.
Zhao Luoyu could feel that Ji Shijun's feelings for her had gradually changed from sympathy to love.
But did she have feelings for Ji Shijun?
Zhao Luoyu didn't know.
She had just passed the age of fifteen and hadn't even fallen in love yet. She had no idea what it felt like to be in love.
She only knew that this was the lifeline she must never let go of. Let go, and she would die.
However, not everyone was blessing Ji Shijun and Zhao Luoyu.
The pageboy who had come to Qucheng with Ji Shijun was the one who least approved of them.
Zhao Luoyu knew that the pageboy didn't like her, but she had no choice.
After all, the pageboy was Ji Shijun's right - hand man. If she drove the pageboy away, Ji Shijun's business would be affected.
So, even though she knew the pageboy didn't like her, she could only pretend to be oblivious and bear her discomfort.
However, Zhao Luoyu never expected that even though she didn't provoke others, others didn't intend to let her go!