Chapter 9: The Miraculous Spring—Wounds Slowly Fade

“Bang!”

The door slammed shut with a tremendous force, as if the entire doorframe might be torn down.

Startled by the sudden noise, Zhou Susu’s sobs caught in her throat.

She turned sharply, only to see the door shaking violently and the heavy, restrained breathing of the man outside, brimming with fury.

He… saw everything?

Wiping away her tears, she sniffled.

It’s good that he saw it.

That way, he wouldn’t think it was the current ‘me’ who caused it.

“An An… don’t cry…”

A cold little hand gently brushed her cheek.

Zhou Susu lowered her head and met An An’s large, worried, and bewildered eyes.

The little one was clearly frightened by the earlier atmosphere, but she didn’t cry. Instead, she clumsily reached out to wipe Zhou Susu’s tears.

“An An… it doesn’t hurt…” she whispered softly, comforting Zhou Susu.

As if all those shocking injuries belonged to someone else.

That simple “it doesn’t hurt” stabbed Zhou Susu’s heart like a knife.

Her tears broke free once more, flowing uncontrollably.

What sin had the original owner committed to bring such an angelic child so much suffering?

“I’m sorry, An An, I’m sorry…”

Zhou Susu pulled the child tightly into her arms, her burning tears soaking into An An’s frail shoulders.

She wasn’t apologizing on behalf of the original owner—she was apologizing to this child for the cruelty of the world.

“Be good, it’s mommy’s fault, mommy won’t cry anymore.”

Drawing a deep breath, Zhou Susu forced down the swelling emotions.

Now was not the time to cry; healing the child’s wounds was the most important thing.

Composing herself, she offered a tear-streaked but gentle smile.

“All right, let’s ignore that big bad grump throwing a tantrum. Let’s get you clean.”

She carefully placed An An into a bath filled with spring water she had secretly drawn from her space while Lu Zhan was away.

To make it less abrupt, she had mixed in some ordinary warm water.

The warm water instantly enveloped An An’s small body.

An An let out a contented hum, relaxing and stretching out in the water.

Zhou Susu picked up a soft towel and began gently cleaning her body.

Avoiding the worst injuries, her touch was as delicate as brushing a feather.

A miraculous thing happened.

When the towel imbued with the spring water’s energy lightly brushed over the purplish bruises, An An didn’t cry out in pain. Instead, she closed her eyes in comfort, like a cat being stroked in the right way.

The warm, peculiar energy seeped through her skin, slowly penetrating every limb and bone, repairing damaged tissues and soothing fragile nerves.

Her body, tense from prolonged malnutrition and fright, completely relaxed under the spring water’s nurturing touch.

The little one even splashed happily in the tub.

Watching this, a heavy weight lifted from Zhou Susu’s heart.

This spring water truly was a treasure!

After the bath, Zhou Susu wrapped An An in a dry, soft towel and carried her back to bed.

She then took out a precious ointment she had secretly stored in her space—made from rare herbs combined with spring water.

In her previous life, this was the gift she used to honor her mentor; it was priceless and unparalleled in promoting blood circulation, dispersing bruises, removing scars, and regenerating skin.

She scooped a small amount, warmed it in her palm, and carefully applied it to the scars on An An’s back.

The ointment felt cool and was quickly absorbed into the skin.

An An lay comfortably on the bed, and before long, fell into a deep sleep, a faint smile of satisfaction on her small face.

Zhou Susu tucked her in and smoothed the blankets before standing up and exhaling deeply.

Outside, Lu Zhan was gone.

In the courtyard came the rhythmic sound of chopping wood—quick, sharp strikes as if each axe blow aimed to split the sky.

Zhou Susu knew the man was venting his rage and helpless guilt through this brutal task.

She chose not to disturb him.

Some emotions must be endured alone.

That night, Lu Zhan stayed in the courtyard.

He chopped enough firewood to last the entire winter until dawn, then dragged his weary body to lie fully clothed on the cold, hard plank bed in his ear room.

He didn’t sleep a wink.

His mind replayed the horrific wounds on An An’s back over and over.

He hated it!

He hated the cruelty of the Zhang family, hated Zhou Susu’s venomous heart, but most of all, he hated himself!

He hated his negligence, his incompetence!

He thought bringing An An to him would give her a safe home, but instead, it had become another kind of hell.

How utterly failed he was as a battalion commander!

The next day, Lu Zhan emerged from the ear room, eyes bloodshot and mind dazed.

Zhou Susu and An An were already up.

Breakfast was steaming meat buns and warm soy milk, again made from ingredients in Zhou Susu’s space.

Lu Zhan had no appetite. His gaze immediately focused on An An.

The little one sat on a tiny stool, holding a meat bun bigger than her face, eating with relish, her mouth greasy.

Seeing Lu Zhan, she didn’t shrink back in fear like yesterday. Instead, she gave him a sweet smile smeared with soy milk.

His heart twisted painfully, soft and sore.

His eyes unconsciously drifted to the back of An An’s neck.

Yesterday, there had been a glaring purple bruise there.

But today…

Lu Zhan’s pupils contracted slightly.

That bruise seemed much lighter!

The color had shifted from a shocking deep purple to a faint pale yellow, almost invisible unless closely examined.

What was going on?

Was he imagining it?

Or…

A wild and bold suspicion rose in Lu Zhan’s mind.

He sat down quietly, picking up a bun but his gaze kept scanning An An.

He clearly remembered a circle of purple marks on An An’s wrist.

Now, that mark, too, was visibly fading!

This defied all logic!

Even the best medicines couldn’t heal so quickly!

A storm of emotions surged within Lu Zhan.

He looked at Zhou Susu, his eyes full of inquiry and confusion.

How many secrets did this woman still hide?

Who was she really?

Zhou Susu felt his gaze but ignored it.

She busily wiped An An’s mouth and said, “An An, the weather’s nice today. Mommy will take you out to bask in the sun, okay?”

“Okay!” An An replied brightly.

This was the first time she showed genuine anticipation for going outside.

Zhou Susu dressed her in a stylish little cotton jacket, took her hand, and opened the door.

Sunlight spilled in perfectly.

Bathed in the sun, An An’s pale little face had gained some flesh, carved delicately like a lucky doll.

Her appearance was completely transformed from the emaciated, filthy little wretch just days before.

At that moment, a sharp, cutting voice rang out inappropriately.

“Oh, isn’t this Commander Lu’s family? Looks like the sun’s risen from the west today—finally willing to take this ‘scourge’ out?”

Zhou Susu turned toward the voice and saw Sister Li from the next courtyard, holding a washbasin, hands on her hips, looking at them with disdain.

Sister Li’s husband was the deputy commander, always outshone by Lu Zhan, so she especially despised Zhou Susu—the “temptress” who married a good man just because of her looks.

Seeing the renewed Zhou Susu and the plumper An An, jealousy nearly spilled from her eyes.

She sauntered forward, scrutinizing Zhou Susu from head to toe.

“Tsk tsk, haven’t seen you for a few days, Susu, have you changed? Learned to dress up and take care of the kid?”

She curled her lip, speaking loud enough for the military wives hanging laundry nearby to hear.

“But let me remind you, doing things for show won’t get you far.”

Her gaze shifted to An An, laced with contempt.

“Don’t think you can keep up appearances. The moment Commander Lu’s away, you’ll show your true colors and take it out on the child, won’t you?”