Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 38 -

After everything finally settled, we returned to our resting place.

The camp felt strangely quiet now, as if all the shouting and crying from earlier had drained the night of sound. I sat down on the blankets with a slow breath, my ankle still aching faintly. Fu Sheng sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders almost touched.

At the other corner, Master Fu and Madame Fu spoke in low voices. Their backs were turned to us, their heads bent together, both of them looking tired in a way that went deeper than the body.

Fu Sheng said nothing.

He stared ahead, his gaze fixed on the fire, his face calm but distant, like his thoughts were somewhere far away. Watching him like that made my chest feel a little tight. I pressed my lips together, then nudged him lightly with my elbow.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual. "Don’t tell me you’re upset with me for exposing Fu Li like that."

He didn’t answer right away.

For a moment, I thought he might ignore the question completely.

Then he spoke, his voice low and even. "Why would I be?"

I turned my head to look at him. "Because I dragged your family drama out into the open? Because I said it in front of everyone? Because I didn’t give her a way out?" I shrugged lightly. "I can list more if you want."

He finally looked at me then.

His eyes were dark, steady, and serious. "She pushed the wagon," he said. "That’s the truth. You didn’t create anything. You only revealed it."

I blinked, then smiled faintly. "That’s... surprisingly reasonable of you."

"I don’t deal in feelings when it comes to right and wrong," he replied. "If I did, I would’ve been blind a long time ago."

I let out a quiet laugh. "You say this now, is that why even after all I have done to both you and your family, you still didn’t annul your marriage with you?"

He looked at me for a brief second, clearly caught off guard by my question.

I didn’t miss it.

"What?" I continued, half-smiling as I spoke, trying to keep the mood light. "Am I wrong? Or—wait," I added, letting out a small laugh, "you wouldn’t tell me it’s because you’re in love with me, right?"

The laugh came out easy at first, almost teasing.

But Fu Sheng didn’t laugh.

He didn’t even respond.

He just looked at me once more, his expression unreadable, then turned his gaze back to the fire as if my words had never been spoken.

The silence stretched.

At first, I laughed again, softer this time, expecting him to brush it off, to say something sharp or cold like he usually did. But he didn’t. He stayed quiet, his face calm, his posture steady, as though nothing inside him had been stirred at all.

My laughter slowly faded.

The quiet between us felt different now, heavier, pressing down on my chest in a way I didn’t expect. I shifted slightly on the blanket, suddenly unsure of myself.

I watched his profile, the firelight outlining his jaw, the steady rise and fall of his breathing. He looked exactly the same as before, yet something felt off.

"...You’re not saying anything," I said quietly.

I tilted my head, studying him. "Still," I added softly, "if you were angry with me, I’d rather know. I don’t like guessing."

He was silent for a moment, then said, "I’m not angry. Just... tired."

That answer felt heavier than anger.

Before I could say anything else, hurried footsteps approached from the dark.

"Brother!"

Fu Tong’s voice came first.

Fu Sheng immediately stood up. I followed instinctively, but the moment I put weight on my injured leg, a sharp pain shot up, stealing my balance. My body tilted forward before I could stop it.

Strong arms wrapped around me at once.

Fu Sheng caught me easily, one hand gripping my arm, the other steady at my waist, pulling me close so I wouldn’t fall. For a brief second, I was pressed against his chest, his heartbeat solid and steady beneath my ear.

"Careful," he said quietly.

I cleared my throat, embarrassed. "I was being careful. My leg just betrayed me."

He didn’t let go immediately. Only when I was fully steady did he loosen his grip, though his hand stayed close, just in case.

By then, Fu Tong and Fu Teng had reached us.

They dropped five soaked bundles onto the ground with heavy thuds. Water dripped from the cloth, pooling into the dirt beneath.

Fu Tong wiped his face with his sleeve, breathing hard. "That wagon... it didn’t just fall. It shattered."

Fu Teng nodded grimly. "It split clean in two. The river dragged most of it away before we could do anything."

My heart sank.

Fu Tong crouched and untied one of the bundles. Inside, the contents were damp and muddy, some ruined, some barely salvageable. "This is all we could carry back," he said. "The rest... it’s gone."

Fu Teng clenched his fists. "If we had been faster—"

"It’s not your fault," Fu Sheng cut in calmly. "You did what you could."

Fu Tong let out a frustrated breath. "Father’s things... how much did we lose?"

"Too much," Fu Teng said quietly.

I knelt down slowly, ignoring the dull ache in my ankle, and looked through the bundles myself. Wet clothes. Torn cloth. A few usable items clinging stubbornly to usefulness.

"This isn’t the end," I said, more to myself than anyone else.

Fu Sheng glanced at me. "You sound confident."

I looked up at him and smiled, that familiar cheerful curve returning to my lips despite everything. "I always am."

Fu Tong raised a brow. "You don’t look like someone who just lost half her supplies."

"Because," I said lightly, brushing dirt from my hands, "I’ve learned something very important in this life."

They waited.

I met Fu Sheng’s eyes. "As long as we’re still breathing, there’s always another way."

For a moment, he said nothing.

I stood up slightly, dusting my hands, "We will head for Wu village tomorrow, I’m sure the guard would permit us to the market, getting supplies won’t be hard."

My words make the sigh slightly in relief as Fu Sheng just kept staring at me, his eyes not leaving mine.

"C’mon you guys, let’s get the roasting started, I’m very hungry and as for father’s injury.... We could use some herbs to help with it for tonight.... then by tomorrow we would have gotten his treatments." I said with a bright smile as Fu Tong and Fu Teng both exchanged teary looks.

"Sister in-law, what would we have done without your help?" they both cried out like kids as i just laughed at their childish behaviour, obviously the small smile that appeared on Fu Sheng’s lips didn’t escape my eyes.

Not far from us, the other Fu family gathered around their fire. They sat close together, eating and talking in low voices. Fu Li sat a little away from them with the children nearby, close enough to hear everything but not close enough to feel included.

She was quiet, staring at the ground, her thoughts tangled and heavy as everything that had happened replayed in her mind.

Back at their fire, Aunt Fu was the first to speak. Her voice sounded gentle, but there was bitterness underneath it.

"Mother, stop crying," she said. "You still have us. Some people clearly don’t know how to value family."

Fu Jia nodded quickly, adding, "Exactly. Grandma, we’ll stay by your side. Not everyone can be trusted."

Uncle Fu gave a cold laugh. "Dividing the family during exile... Big Brother really has no heart. When things get hard, family should stick together, not break apart."

They took turns speaking, surrounding Grandma Fu, comforting her while quietly blaming Master Fu for everything. Each word made it sound like he was cruel and heartless, like he had abandoned them without reason.

Grandma Fu wiped her tears and cried again. "That unfilial son... after everything I did for him, this is how he treats his own parents."

Only Grandpa Fu stayed silent.

He sat there holding his bun, barely eating. His eyes were fixed on the fire, his face tired and worn. When Grandma Fu complained again, he only sighed and said nothing, clearly unwilling to argue anymore.

Then Bai Ming spoke.

"I have good news," she said softly.

Fu Jia frowned. "You and your good news again. What is it this time?"

Bai Ming ignored her tone and continued, "My fifth aunt lives in Wu Village."

That caught everyone’s attention.

"She’s very rich," Bai Ming went on. "Her family does business there. Once we arrive, she’ll definitely help us. Food, money, clothes... we won’t have to suffer."

Aunt Fu’s eyes brightened at once. "Is that true?"

Grandma Fu stopped crying and leaned closer. "You’re sure?"

Bai Ming nodded confidently. "She’s always been good to me."

The mood around their fire changed instantly.

Their tense faces relaxed. Their voices became lighter. Just moments ago, they had been full of anger and tears, but now they were already talking about Wu Village as if comfort and safety were waiting for them there.

"Then exile won’t be so bad," Fu Jia said with a small, pleased smile.

Uncle Fu nodded. "I knew things would turn around for us. Thank goodness we even split the family, now we know that all the goods we would get, we wouldn’t share it"

Grandma Fu straightened her back, her crying stopping as quickly as it had started. "As long as we reach Wu Village, everything will be fine."

Only Grandpa Fu sighed again.

Just then, Fu Jia whispered low enough so Fu Li wouldn’t hear, "You guys should tell me what we ae gonna do about this brat.. We have accomplished what we needed her for but she is still here.. don’t tell me she would start living off us?"