Chapter 11

“Dad, are you really going to adopt our Duoduo and give her to Gu Qingchuan? The third family also has a daughter; why don’t you adopt from them? You’re being so biased, it’s ridiculous.”

Yin Qin questioned her father-in-law in the standalone family residence of the military compound. Her husband had died in battle, and after being a widow for twenty years, she had only one daughter. She had always hoped to find a good match for Duoduo, so how could she bear to have her adopted by the second son, Cui Pingzhou?

What kind of person was Gu Qingchuan? He came from a landlord family, had no formal job, and still had a younger sister and an almost blind grandmother at home. He was definitely not a suitable match.

If this engagement were truly settled, she would have nothing to say about it, but it clearly wasn’t. It was Cui Yuanshan who, unwilling to back out of the marriage for the sake of his pride, had set his sights on Duoduo since he had no children of his own.

Cui Yuanshan had two sons with his first wife. The eldest had died on the battlefield the year after getting married, while the second son, Cui Pingzhou, had been crippled in battle and, feeling disheartened, was unwilling to marry. His first wife could not bear the blow of losing one son and having another disabled, and she passed away the following year.

The year after that, he remarried Mei Baoying, who brought a stepson into the family. That stepson had indeed fathered a daughter.

Cui Yuanshan lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. “The third family’s daughter is not truly of the Cui bloodline. Gu Qingchuan is twenty this year and has reached a marriageable age. I must uphold the promise made with his grandfather; I cannot go back on it.”

What a load of nonsense that promise was! It was just an issue of pride. With the stepmother now in the house, the years of her whispering in his ear had made the old man even more biased.

What nonsense about bloodlines! It was simply that Mei Baoying was reluctant to let her own granddaughter be adopted by the second uncle; no one wanted to accept this marriage.

They were taking advantage of her being a widowed mother and set their sights on Cui Duoduo.

“Last time, when Gu Qingchuan came to break off the engagement, you insisted on keeping your pride and wouldn’t let it go. Go discuss it with the third family,” Yin Qin said in a stiff tone. “Duoduo is about to join the art troupe.”

Once she joined the art troupe, given Duoduo’s looks and family background, she would definitely be a perfect match for an officer. She couldn’t let the old man ruin her daughter’s future.

Cui Yuanshan stubbed out his cigarette, determined as he had been back then when he disregarded his first wife’s objections and sent both his sons to the battlefield. “I had the documents for Duoduo’s entry into the art troupe retracted. You should let her focus on preparing to get married.”

Yin Qin felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, unable to breathe. In one sentence, the old man ruined her daughter’s entire life.

She glanced at the closed door of Mei Baoying’s room; Grandma was pretending to be deaf and mute. Yin Qin turned to find Cui Pingzhou; only Duoduo’s second uncle could persuade Cui Yuanshan.

“Pingzhou, you need to talk to Dad. Duoduo cannot marry Gu Qingchuan,” Yin Qin said as she found Cui Pingzhou sitting in a daze in his wheelchair in the study.

Cui Pingzhou had gone to war at twenty, earned a first-class military honor at twenty-three, and then lost his brother and mother. He had become disabled in the process.

Before his mother passed away, she had asked him to take care of the family. The only child of his brother was Cui Duoduo, and now the old man wanted to dictate Duoduo’s life. Ha…

“Don’t worry, sister-in-law; I have a way to make the old man give up on the betrothal with the Gu family,” Cui Pingzhou assured her.

“Good. Then it all depends on you for sister-in-law and Duoduo,” Yin Qin replied, feeling a pang of sympathy. Cui Pingzhou had been injured years ago and had lain in the hospital for several months. After his injury healed, he could never stand again.

That once vibrant young officer had fallen silent in just a few months. If it hadn’t been for Lin Wan, who had been working as a nurse at the military hospital and had come home to care for Cui Pingzhou, he might not have found the will to live.

Lin Wan hadn’t come that morning, and Cui Pingzhou was now staring out the window.

When Cui Pingzhou woke up in the hospital, he had completely lost the will to survive. Lin Wan’s care and encouragement helped him emerge from despair.

At that time, Lin Wan’s husband had gone missing, and everyone said he was dead, urging her to remarry. Lin Wan refused each suggestion and continued to endure life with her young daughter.

Cui Pingzhou thought that life could continue like this indefinitely.

“Lin Wan didn’t come today,” Cui Pingzhou said.

Yin Qin felt a tremor in her heart. With all the turmoil surrounding the Jiang family, it was likely that her uncle had heard something. “Jiang Guozhu brought a woman back, and Lin Wan went to handle the divorce with him. She may not have come today, but she will definitely be here tomorrow.”

Lin Wan was Cui Pingzhou’s reason to live. Yin Qin wanted to say that Lin Wan had already divorced; her uncle might as well marry her.

But she didn’t dare to bring it up. Cui Pingzhou was such a proud man; there was no way he would allow himself to be a burden on Lin Wan with his disabled body.

He likely would never let Lin Wan come to care for him again.

She truly felt sorry for her uncle. “I’ll go find Lin Wan and ask if she’s coming this afternoon.”

Cui Pingzhou lifted his gaze to look at her, his expression somber. “Don’t let her come anymore.”

Lin Wan was already divorced; she was no longer the wife of a missing man. A divorced Lin Wan could find a good man to marry without shame rather than continuing to serve someone like him, a disabled person… that would tarnish her reputation.

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Yin Qin. “This month’s salary; please help me give it to her.”

Yin Qin’s fingers gripped the envelope tightly as the study door closed behind her, turning pale. She felt a twinge of regret; perhaps she shouldn’t have asked her uncle to confront the old man on Duoduo’s behalf…

Yin Qin found Lin Wan and handed her the envelope. “Pingzhou asked me to give this to you. He said… to tell you not to come anymore.”

Yin Qin felt quite embarrassed saying this. Lin Wan had originally been an intern nurse at the military hospital and was about to become a permanent staff member. Later, she agreed to come and care for Cui Pingzhou privately.

—o—o—o—

Cui Pingzhou, although disabled, still held a military rank. Half of his salary was given to Lin Wan, but even this paled in comparison to a formal job with guaranteed security.

“Pingzhou said he has found several job opportunities for you: a hospital nurse, the department store’s purchasing manager, and a city council receptionist. Which position do you want to take?”

Lin Wan opened the envelope and found a stack of money inside. Cui Pingzhou had given her an amount equivalent to six months of her salary as severance pay, along with an excellent job that others would desperately seek.

“What happened at home today?” Lin Wan asked Yin Qin. “How was his mood when you left?”

Yin Qin thought for a moment. “There wasn’t much difference from usual. Cui Yuanshan wants to adopt Duoduo, and Pingzhou says he could make the old man behave. Then he asked me to come find you, telling you to pick a job and not go back home afterward.”

“That sounds a bit serious; his behavior isn’t normal,” Lin Wan said anxiously. “We need to hurry back home and see what’s going on. Cui Pingzhou, he…”

He couldn’t possibly be thinking of ending his life, could he? Would he use his blood to ensure that Cui Yuanshan could no longer dismiss the situation as a joke, ruining Cui Duoduo’s life forever?

What a man who could be so ruthless to himself.

Lin Wan felt a surge of anger. After so many years, she knew this man too well. If they delayed even a little longer, the Cui family might be headed for a bloodbath.

When Lin Wan arrived at the detached house number four in the compound, Cui Pingzhou had just finished writing his suicide note.

As long as he died, Cui Yuanshan would regret it for the rest of his life. He would no longer have any reason to interfere with the only daughter left behind by his elder brother.

Lin Wan pushed open the study door and saw that Cui Pingzhou had a gun pressed to his forehead. Furious, Lin Wan shouted, “Cui Pingzhou, are you even a man? What problems can dying solve?”

There were so many ways to protect Cui Duoduo, yet he chose the most extreme path.

This man must really want to end his life.

Lin Wan was enraged and rushed forward, throwing the gun into the drawer. “You’ve got some nerve! I’ve only been gone for half a day, and you’re already talking about dying. I’ve taken care of you for over a decade, and you think you can just die without even asking me? Is my hard work that worthless to you?”

Cui Pingzhou remained silent, unable to express the pain he felt. He hoarsely replied, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s just a marriage, isn’t it? You in the Cui family may not care, but our family cares about it!” Lin Wan was practically shouting in frustration. She had just finalized her divorce that day, and in the afternoon, Jiang Guozhu had taken that woman to get their marriage certificate. After getting the certificate, they went to the department store to go on a shopping spree, claiming they would throw a lavish banquet.

Well, Jiang Guozhu didn’t care about his ex-wife’s feelings at all. So why should she bother caring about the reputation of the old Jiang family’sfamily?

“Cui Pingzhou, if I marry you, then Xiao Ci will be your daughter, and with a daughter, there will be no need to adopt Cui Duoduo,” Lin Wan said, looking seriously at the man in the wheelchair. “If you’re willing, we can go get the marriage certificate.”

Cui Pingzhou took a long time to process her words. “You… want to marry me?”

Lin Wan nodded. “I’ve been your caretaker for so many years, and it seems you have no intention of marrying anyone else. Now that I’m divorced, I don’t want to find another man. Xiao Ci really likes Brother Chuan, and it’s true that I’m using your connections. If you agree, I can guarantee that I will stay in the Cui family for the rest of my life and take care of you until I die. What do you think?”

This was the most suitable solution Lin Wan could think of. By getting married to Cui Pingzhou, she could care for him without anyone gossiping.

She had watched Cui Duoduo grow up and didn’t want her to end up like her—trapped in an arranged marriage.

Her own experience with Jiang Guozhu had been ruined by an arranged marriage.

And for Xiao Ci, if she became Brother Chuan’s legitimate fiancée, the two children wouldn’t have to feel so awkward anymore.

Lin Wan watched Cui Pingzhou, who looked stunned, and asked again, “Say something! Marrying me can solve so many troublesome issues. You’re a grown man; why are you hesitating?”

Cui Pingzhou clenched his hands tightly, a pain tightening in his chest. “I’m disabled. If you marry me, you’ll ruin your life.”

“What ruin? It can’t be worse than it is now,” Lin Wan replied firmly.

Seeing the look on Cui Pingzhou’s face, she sensed that he was willing to consider it. “If you weren’t disabled, I probably wouldn’t marry you at all. We would just be a nominal couple; I would still take care of you as I did before, and you would keep paying me my salary. You can be a good father to Xiao Ci. She will be filial to you.”

Yet Cui Pingzhou remained silent.

Yin Qin had not expected Lin Wan to be so open-minded about the situation.

Cui Pingzhou had hidden his feelings well; he hadn’t let Lin Wan realize that he liked her until now. With Lin Wan taking the initiative to propose marriage, what was there to wait for?

It didn’t matter if they were only a nominal couple; as long as Lin Wan stayed, Cui Pingzhou could live.

Yin Qin felt her eyes welling up with tears. “Pingzhou, what are you hesitating for? You’re gaining a wife and a daughter. If you keep being so stubborn, brother and mom will  get angry with you all over again from the grave!”

—o—o—o—

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