Reborn as an Ugly Wife in the Countryside

Chapter 951 - 953: Xue Zhiyi and An Ping (Part 2)

Xue Zhiyi was genuinely kind to An Ping, caring for her like a child, perhaps due to the age difference between them.

Xue Zhiyi was thirty-five, exactly sixteen years older than An Ping, considering that Old An was only in his forties.

But seeing his daughter truly liked Xue Zhiyi, and Xue Zhiyi didn’t seem that old, the An Family agreed.

During the days Xue Zhiyi stayed at the An Family, he showered An Ping with care, making others envious.

Xue Zhiyi also stood up for An Ping against the family who broke off their engagement, thanking them for doing so, which allowed An Ping to be with him.

Additionally, he revealed to the villagers that he was the Divine Doctor Xue, so they wouldn’t underestimate An Ping and to support the An Family’s reputation.

This is why news of the Divine Doctor Xue at Anyi Village spread to Anding Village.

Thus, Xue Zhiyi stayed at the An Family for more than a month.

However, Xue Zhiyi had a mission to fulfill, and he needed to return to the palace, so he decided to leave Anyi Village.

Before leaving, he promised repeatedly that he would return in no more than half a year to marry An Ping.

And so, Xue Zhiyi left.

But after Xue Zhiyi left, An Ping fell ill, spending a lot of silver, and had to sell the family’s only land.

Despite that, the doctors in the town and county were still unable to cure An Ping’s illness, leaving the An Family truly anxious.

With Xue Zhiyi in the palace, they couldn’t reach him and thought that Xue Zhiyi was from Medicine King Valley, intending to head there.

Unfortunately, they had no money for travel to Medicine King Valley, so they sought help from the Chen Family to connect with the Zheng Family, borrowing twenty taels.

With the twenty taels, they rushed to Medicine King Valley, only to be denied entry due to strict regulations, instructed to go to Beijing for treatment.

They claimed An Ping was Xue Zhiyi’s betrothed bride, but no one at Medicine King Valley believed them.

With no options, the An Family headed to Beijing for treatment, but upon arrival, the delay in An Ping’s sickness meant that even if it could have been cured, the doctors said they arrived too late, yet the An Family refused to give up, spending all the twenty taels on treatment.

An Ping died on the journey home, aged only nineteen.

An Ping’s death left the An Family heartbroken and filled with hatred towards Xue Zhiyi.

They blamed him for not leaving them a recommendation letter to Medicine King Valley, resulting in An Ping’s salvation being lost due to the delay.

Not long after An Ping’s death, even before the mourning papers at the door had fallen, Xue Zhiyi came joyfully with a large betrothal gift.

He came joyfully, but returned heartbroken, beaten by the An Family and told never to step foot in their home again.

For some time afterward, Xue Zhiyi continually visited to apologize, seeking to compensate the An Family and take care of them in An Ping’s stead, but he was always turned away.

Eventually, after failing to gain their forgiveness for a long time, Xue Zhiyi gave up, possibly not wanting his presence to cause the family more pain, choosing to leave and never appearing again.

The An Family’s attitude towards Xue Zhiyi led the entire village to think the family was deceived by him, considering him an imposter, asking why else their eldest daughter would die?

Thus, news that Xue Zhiyi was an imposter spread throughout the village.

Regarding the villagers’ gossip, the Old An Family didn’t want to explain; they simply wished not to bring up the matter again, each memory of An Ping’s death plaguing them with sorrow and grief.