Yes. Absolutely no lie.
...
Dou Akou hesitated. She had been staring at the two earrings for half an hour. To wear them or not to wear them, that was the question.
Third Aunt knocked on her door: "Akou, come with me quickly! Something's happened!"
Dou Akou's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking about whether or not to wear it, she nervously grabbed the knife and rushed out.
Third Aunt muttered, "There's no need for a knife, is there?"
Dou Akou turned around and exclaimed, "Auntie! Where are you?!"
As if waking from a dream, the third concubine lifted her skirt and swayed in front of her with small, quick steps: "Come with me."
As soon as the two entered Dou Jincai's room, Dou Jincai roared and shook off the hairpins from Dou Akou and her aunt's hair without hesitation. It took the two a while to realize that this was not a sudden thunderclap.
Fu Jiuxin remained unmoved under the thunderous roar, letting Dou Jincai angrily point at him and curse. He knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "I dragged Akou off the bed, saying she had no self-respect—"
"How could you treat her like this!" Dou Jincai interrupted him before he could finish speaking. "How could you treat her like this! When you first came to our house as a child, you refused to eat. Who went on a hunger strike with you? In the dead of winter, you refused to wear your new coat. Who went without your cotton-padded clothes with you?"
Dou Jincai felt heartbroken. His daughter, whom he had never dared to touch since childhood, had been bullied like this. No wonder when he first arrived in Longfeng Town and saw Dou Akou, she was haggard, thin, and covered in wounds.
Fu Jiuxin knelt there quietly, letting Dou Jincai's accusations rain down on him. As he spoke, his pain was even greater than that of Dou Akou at the time, yet he still continued to speak as if torturing himself: "I let Uncle Chen drag Akou out by her hair and watch her being beaten by Uncle Chen."
Dou Akou, standing outside the door, shrank back; this was a past she didn't want to recall.
Fu Jiuxin, inside the door, spoke each word with unwavering conviction, each sentence etched into his very being. It was less a matter of being honest with Dou Jincai and more like he was speaking to himself.
The cruelty to oneself hidden within this calm narrative is even greater than physical suffering.
"It's my fault, I'll take responsibility." He knelt on the ground, his back straight, forming a dignified yet fragile curve.
"How can you take responsibility!" Dou Jincai's anger finally erupted. He grabbed an inkstone from the table and threw it at Fu Jiuxin.
"Father, no!" Dou Akou was terrified and tried to draw her sword to block Fang Yan, but it was too late.
The heavy inkstone struck Fu Jiuxin squarely in the chest, but he neither dodged nor flinched, enduring the blow.
"Ouch!" The one who cried out in pain was the third concubine, as if an inkstone had hit her. She covered her eyes and cried out.
Dou Akou felt sorry for Fu Jiuxin. She rushed to Fu Jiuxin's side, but didn't know where to start. She could only helplessly call out "Sir".
Fu Jiuxin's gaze swept over her empty earlobe, then down to the Shangfang knife Xu Liren had given her, before turning away without saying a word.
"Ako, let's go!"
Dou Jincai was furious and grabbed Dou Akou, then left.
The concubines dared not dissuade him and could only silently follow behind him.
Dou Jincai took a few steps, then suddenly turned back and glared at him: "This is my house, get out!"
Fu Jiuxin stood up silently and stepped out the door. Dou Jincai snorted, but then saw him stop outside the door, bend one knee, and kneel down again.
Dou Jincai's face was grim. The concubines exchanged glances, none daring to speak. Dou Akou felt a deep pain in her heart, even more so than when she was dragged off the bed that day.
Dou Jincai was worried that his daughter would be soft-hearted, so he insisted on keeping her with him and having her sleep with his concubines, in order to have the concubines keep an eye on her.
Dou Akou's mind was filled with Fu Jiuxin's frail figure, so she couldn't fall asleep. She didn't dare to turn over and disturb others, so she forced herself to stay awake through the night with her eyes open.
As night deepened, she finally couldn't bear the torment any longer, wrapped herself in a blanket, rolled out of bed, and moved to the door.
Afraid of making too much noise opening the door, she saw the window was wide open and struggled to climb out through it.
Fu Jiuxin felt a gust of wind beside his ear, and then a muffled thud as a strange object, completely wrapped in a blanket, landed right at his feet.
The blanket twitched a few times, and a head popped out from inside, opening its eyes and calling out to him, "Sir."
Fu Jiuxin was speechless, silently watching Dou Akou struggle to crawl out, staring at her messy long hair.
Dou Akou waited a moment, but Fu Jiuxin didn't speak. She couldn't help but speak up herself: "Sir, don't kneel anymore, go back to sleep."
"Akou." Fu Jiuxin turned to look at her. "Why did you come out?"
Dou Akou shrank back under the covers, stammering. She couldn't very well say that she couldn't sleep because she missed him so much.
"I...I..." She resorted to her childhood tricks, "If the master kneels, I'll kneel with him. If the master doesn't sleep, I won't sleep either."
In the past, she only needed to use this tactic to make even the most stubborn husband give in.
But things are different today.
Fu Jiuxin curled his lips into a cool, indifferent smile. The clear moonlight fell on his face, making the smile appear even more detached and aloof.
"Have you thought it through?" Fu Jiuxin's voice was very calm. "If you insist on staying here with me, no matter if you've overcome that hurdle in your heart or not, I will never let go again, even if you hate me or are afraid of me; if you haven't thought it through yet, leave now, immediately."
He was never a patient person, and waiting for her for ten years was already his limit.
Dou Akou shuddered. Her husband's attitude was very firm; this was an ultimatum, forcing her to clarify her thoughts and overcome that hurdle. If she didn't think it through, she might spend her whole life lingering on that hurdle, wasting her life.
He gave her a push from behind with an air of certainty; whether she took the step or not was up to her.
Dou Akou shrank further under the covers like a turtle spirit. Ten years of memories flashed through her mind: how that sensitive and silent boy had grown into a gentle man, and how he had given Akou his best.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Time flies so fast, and the world is ever-changing. Only her husband has always been by her side and has never left.
Amidst the chaos, Dou Akou suddenly regained her senses. A clear and unwavering determination gripped her heart. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding like a drum. Her fingertips gripped the corner of the blanket tightly. Peeking out from under the covers, she stammered, "S-Sir, I'll stay with you..."