Chapter 379 - 380: Set on It
Chapter 379: Chapter 380: Set on It
Gu Lehuan dropped to his knees before Li Cuicui. "I don’t want any of those other options. The only one I want is Proprietor Xu."
Li Cuicui felt that if she weren’t so hale and hearty, she would have fainted from the anger her grandson was causing her.
"She is still in a mourning period, and she has already clearly rejected you. Why must you insist on pestering her like this?"
Gu Lehuan said, "But she’s in a difficult situation right now. If I don’t step up for her, I’m afraid she won’t be able to survive as an orphan all alone."
As he said this, Gu Lehuan glanced at Jin Qianqian, who was standing silently to the side, then quickly lowered his head again.
Jin Qianqian was speechless. ’One after another, they keep looking at me like they want to say something but can’t. This is just great.’
Li Cuicui asked, "You’ve only just arrived in Shangjing. How could you possibly know she has no way to survive?"
The thought that her naive grandson was being fooled left Li Cuicui with a poor impression of this Xu Nuo.
Jin Qianqian knew a bit more and could guess at Xu Nuo’s current predicament. In the end, it all came down to how wealth could stir people’s hearts.
If that boy Gu Lehuan hadn’t caused all this trouble, Jin Qianqian wouldn’t have wanted to meddle in other people’s business.
But now it seemed she couldn’t ignore the matter. She summoned Housekeeper Fu and had him send someone to investigate.
Li Cuicui still couldn’t bear to see her grandson kneel for too long and had He Chun, who was standing nearby, help him up.
"Grandmother, your grandson begs for your blessing." But Gu Lehuan pulled away from He Chun’s hand and remained kneeling ramrod straight.
Li Cuicui said, "You’re putting an old woman like me in a difficult position. From the moment your parents split from the main family, I’ve already said I would not interfere in your branch’s affairs.
What’s more, for a matter this significant, do you think an old woman like me can make the decision for you?
If you wanted to marry a girl of unimpeachable character, then this old woman would make the decision for you, even if it meant confronting your mother.
But it’s not like you’re unaware of our clan’s rules. Your youngest uncle being expelled from the clan was a huge affair. I don’t believe you haven’t heard the details since you’ve been back.
With that cautionary tale before you, are you trying to stab me in the heart as well?"
Only then did Gu Lehuan show some hesitation. The thought of losing so many relatives at once brought a pained expression to his face.
Jin Qianqian watched the grandmother and grandson quietly from the side, not saying a single word from beginning to end.
When Ancient Wen Heng returned home, Jin Qianqian took the opportunity while he was changing out of his official robes to vent her frustrations.
"It seems I’m just too good-natured. Everyone wants to use me as a stepping stone. Your nephew kept looking at me hesitantly, time and again. It’s like he wants me to be the bad guy."
Ancient Wen Heng paused. "Just ignore them. We’ve helped them get established and given them a foundation. I’ve already repaid the debt of kinship owed by my predecessor. As for anything else, if we can get along, we will. If not, we’ll just interact with them less in the future."
"That’s true in principle, but as long as the two elders are still with us, we’re bound to be tangled up with this family." Jin Qianqian believed that while Li Cuicui tried to be fair and just, even the five fingers on a hand aren’t the same length. If the gap between the family branches grew too wide, the elders would likely become distressed over time.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "Didn’t you send someone to investigate? Once we know whether the situation is good or bad, we can just hand it over to the old lady to deal with."
Jin Qianqian replied, "That’s what I was thinking too. After all, your mother brought him here. If she, as the grandmother, makes the decision, no one can find fault with it."
"How is Fourth doing? Has he found a location yet?" Ancient Wen Heng, having changed into his regular clothes, wrapped an arm around Jin Qianqian, taking the chance to steal a kiss.
Jin Qianqian pushed him away gently. "I heard him complaining earlier. The prices probably scared him. He was muttering about how long it would take to earn back the investment."
"Shangjing is a place where every inch of land is worth a fortune. Finding a spot on the second day means his luck is pretty good." Ancient Wen Heng wasn’t annoyed that his attempt to steal a kiss failed; he even helped his wife smooth her hair.
"But aren’t you about to be assigned to a post outside the capital? Should we tell them in advance?"
Ancient Wen Heng thought for a moment. "Let’s give them a heads-up. It’s not set in stone yet, but given the current situation, it will probably go through."
Jin Qianqian checked the time and had Lichun and the others go invite everyone to the dining hall.
Li Qingmei walked to her side and said in a low voice, "Madam, Housekeeper Hu sent word. He said the investigation is complete."
Jin Qianqian glanced at Ancient Wen Heng beside her. He spoke directly, "Bring him to the dining hall."
Jin Qianqian immediately understood his meaning. He wanted to dump the matter entirely on Li Cuicui and Gu Lehuan so they could make their own decision.
Li Qingmei glanced at Jin Qianqian and, seeing no objection, curtsied and withdrew.
The servant sent to gather information reported everything he had learned in front of the whole family, even revealing the time Gu Lehuan had nearly entered an uxorilocal marriage.
The more Li Cuicui listened, the more she gritted her teeth. "Even if your mother doesn’t know our clan rules, and even if your father is illiterate, how could he not know? He’s grown up with these rules his whole life!
Sending his eldest son away to marry into another family... what is he thinking?
Back then, I refused to agree when he insisted on marrying Wang Caiyue. I can’t believe he’s been so thoroughly brainwashed that he has no mind of his own."
The more the old lady thought about it, the angrier she became. Splitting from the main family early had its pros and cons, but she never imagined that Mrs. Wang would dare to bring such ruin upon her son and grandson!
Gu Yuanshui looked at his still-deluded nephew, then at Seventh and his wife watching coldly from the sidelines, and quietly shrank back.
"That young woman is indeed pitiful, but on the sole condition that she will only accept an uxorilocal marriage, it’s impossible for you two to be together." Although Li Cuicui knew this wasn’t Xu Nuo’s fault, the idea of sending one of her grandsons away was absolutely out of the question.
Seeing her grandson’s pleading gaze, Li Cuicui hardened her heart and said, "If she is willing to marry into our family, I will swallow my pride and, just this once, make the decision for you."
Jin Qianqian hadn’t expected Li Cuicui to make such a move. She had completely kicked the problem back to the other party.
As long as the other party was willing to marry into their family, not even Wang Caiyue could object to the match.
Gu Lehuan shook his head. He knew his own family’s circumstances all too well, which was why he didn’t dare to entertain such a fantasy.
For one thing, his parents would certainly be unwilling to provide a large betrothal gift for him. He couldn’t possibly expect Xu Nuo to pay her own way into the family, could he?
Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Ancient Wen Heng didn’t wait around with them any longer and had Housekeeper Fu serve the meal.
When she saw the dishes being brought out one by one, Li Cuicui finally came to her senses. "Let’s eat first! You can go ask her later. If she’s willing to change her mind, I will have a matchmaker go to her home with a proposal."
Jin Qianqian supported her by the arm and reminded her in a low voice, "Mother, Proprietor Xu is still in her mourning period, and she has no elders by her side."
She spoke up for Xu Nuo partly because she admired the girl’s courage to establish her own household all by herself.
If it weren’t for Gu Lehuan, and if the girl had come to her for help, Jin Qianqian would have offered her some protection out of respect for that courage alone.