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Chapter 3: Lu Yan Agreed

“Don’t go around saying we bullied your family.” Madam Yang flicked her sleeves and didn’t even look at the brother and sister. “Marrying Gu Leyou to Lu Yan was your mother-in-law’s idea.”

The mother-in-law Madam Yang referred to was the mother of the Gu brothers—a widow for many years, selfish and partial to her eldest and youngest sons. Whatever Madam Yang whispered into her ears, she readily agreed to.

“Yes, yes.” Gu Haixiong lowered his head and mumbled meekly, “Since it’s Mother’s wish, I’ll go propose the marriage to the Lu family tomorrow.”

“No need, I’ll go for you,” Madam Yang cut him off.

“Alright, all good, we’ll listen to Sister-in-law.” Gu Haixiong didn’t dare oppose anything further.

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The next day, Madam Yang swaggered into Lu Yan’s home.

“I’m here to arrange a marriage,” she said with the same arrogant expression as last night. But Lu Yan didn’t buy into her act.

“Arrange a marriage? I never said I wanted to marry,” Lu Yan replied curtly while tending to the child in bed who was running a fever.

The child was frail. He had played too long in the cold yesterday and came down with a fever in the middle of the night, which still hadn’t subsided.

“What? A hunter with no education and a little burden like that—you have a bride delivered to your door and still refuse?” Madam Yang’s tone grew nastier, clearly annoyed by Lu Yan’s attitude.

“Xiaoyao is not a burden.” Lu Yan coldly answered while using a cold towel to wipe the boy’s forehead.

“Enough nonsense. We’re marrying Leyou to you—how much dowry will you offer?” Madam Yang finally dropped the pretense.

She had actually already arranged with a broker to sell Gu Leyou as a maid in town. But Gu Leyou’s poor reputation had spread even there, and the broker backed out.

The deal slipped through her fingers, and Madam Yang was furious. Her daughter Gu Mingyue had egged her on to marry off Gu Leyou to Lu Yan instead. Seeing it as an opportunity to extort a fat dowry, she went straight to Lu Yan.

“I already said—I don’t want to marry,” Lu Yan’s patience wore thin. His voice, already cold, now carried a dangerous edge. “And I don’t have money to give you a dowry.”

His livelihood came from hunting in the mountains. He was never wealthy. The child’s frequent illnesses also drained any savings. There was no way he could afford what Madam Yang wanted.

Madam Yang slammed the table and stood up. “No way! You must marry Gu Leyou and give me ten gold coins as a dowry!”

Lu Yan looked at her as if she were insane. “Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll go outside and scream that you molested me!” Madam Yang crossed the line, loosening her waistband and tugging at her collar. “I’ll let everyone in the village know you’re a beast in human skin! Let’s see which doctor dares treat your sick little brat then!”

Lu Yan was angry now—but this threat hit his weak spot.

He didn’t care about gossip or even doctors refusing to treat Xiaoyao. What worried him was their identity. He and Xiaoyao had secrets. If exposed, disaster would follow. That’s why they always kept a low profile. If Madam Yang started spreading rumors, it might truly cause trouble.

“…Fine. I agree,” Lu Yan took a deep breath and said helplessly. “But you’ll have to give me some time for the dowry. I’ll hunt in the mountains and exchange the prey for money.”

“No way. What if you change your mind?” Madam Yang thought her tactics had worked and sneered as she adjusted her clothes.

“I keep my word. If I said I’d give it, I will,” Lu Yan replied coldly. “Or, you can look around my house—anything valuable, take it.”

Madam Yang looked around with disdain and realized he really had nothing of value. “Fine. But I’m only giving you one month. If I don’t get the ten gold coins, I have plenty of ways to deal with you!”

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At the Gu household—

Gu Leyou woke up around noon. Heavy rain poured down outside, the endless sound grating on her nerves. Her forehead throbbed, and her stomach grumbled.

“Sis, you’re awake!” Gu Leshu was sitting by the bed, eyes sparkling.

“Is there food?” Gu Leyou’s voice was weak as she struggled to sit up.

“Yes!” Gu Leshu nodded and brought over a bowl of hot porridge. “I saved this for you from lunch—it’s still warm.”

After finishing the porridge, Gu Leyou noticed the injury on Gu Leshu’s temple—it was still bleeding slightly and seemed to have only been wiped clean without proper treatment.

“Why hasn’t the wound been taken care of?” she asked with a frown, clearly worried.

“I’m fine.” Gu Leshu tried to smile to reassure her, but his smile faltered. “Sis… your marriage has been decided. Aunt Yang went to Brother Lu’s house early this morning. He… agreed.”

Unable to stop the marriage, he felt utterly useless.

“What?” Gu Leyou had expected her parents might cave to pressure eventually—but hadn’t imagined Madam Yang would act so quickly.

Ignoring her weakness, she struggled out of bed and dressed.

“Sis, where are you going?” Gu Leshu asked quickly. “It’s still raining outside!”

“To talk to Brother Lu, of course,” she replied simply. “Help me speak to our parents.” With that, she threw on a raincoat and hurried out the door.

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She still remembered the way to Lu Yan’s house, but when she arrived, he wasn’t there—only a delicate little child was at home.

“Sister? Who are you?” the little one asked politely, blinking large eyes without a hint of fear.

“My name is Gu Leyou.” She gently rubbed the child’s head, smiling. “Are you Brother Lu’s child?”

“I’m Lu Yao,” the child said without denying it. “You’re the one who’s going to marry my dad, right?”

“There’s been a misunderstanding. I came here today to talk to your dad about that. Do you know when he’ll be back?” she asked, but as she withdrew her hand, her fingers brushed his wrist—and her heart skipped a beat.

“This morning a scary old lady came and forced Dad to marry you. She asked for a lot of money. Dad went hunting in the mountains. I don’t know when he’ll be back.” Little Lu Yao’s voice held a trace of worry.

Though his explanation was vague, it was enough for Gu Leyou to piece together the situation. Her expression dimmed.

“I’m sorry… I dragged you and your father into this,” she murmured.

“Dad said you’re not a bad person,” Lu Yao said softly after a pause. “You were forced too.”

She hadn’t expected that Lu Yan, after just one encounter, would trust her so much. The guilt in her heart deepened.

“How about this?” she offered, “I’ll help cure your old illness. Think of it as a way for me to make it up to you. Is that okay?”

Lu Yao was surprised. “How do you know about that?”

“Because your big sister is a very skilled doctor.” Gu Leyou finally smiled a little with pride.

In her past life, she was from a renowned family of traditional Chinese medicine. Though from a side branch, she had been immersed in TCM since childhood. Her mother was a Western doctor, so she also had some knowledge of Western medicine—but her specialty was Chinese medicine. From just a momentary touch of Lu Yao’s pulse, she already had a good grasp of his condition. But how could such a young child…

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