Chapter 15.1

After venting his frustrations, Grandpa Jiang felt lighter in his heart, the anger dissipating. “Alright, alright. I almost forgot why I came to find you.”

He went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought several locks, changing the lock cores for the yard gate, the main hall, and the room. He handed the keys to Jiang Ci. “So, has your mom really decided to marry Cui Er?”

“Yeah, they probably already got the marriage certificate.”

“She’s just acting out of spite.” Grandpa Jiang stomped his foot. He understood what kind of person his eldest daughter-in-law was—honest, diligent, and capable. Lin Wan didn’t want to be pitied, which was why she rushed to marry someone.

There was nothing Grandpa Jiang could do since they had already gotten the certificate. “Cui Er is shameless, taking advantage of the situation to delay you. He wants your Mom to be his lifelong caregiver without having to pay her? Bah! Does he think the Jiang family is that easy to bully?”

Jiang Ci felt a mix of anger and amusement. Grandpa Jiang was quite protective, even if her Mom had proposed to marry Uncle Cui.

Cui Er was so happy when Mom proposed to him, so how could he possibly bully her Mom?

“Grandpa, Uncle Cui is a soldier who protects the home and the country. We wouldn’t have such peaceful days now if it weren’t for their sacrifices. Please don’t speak ill of Uncle Cui.”

Grandpa Jiang sighed, looking at his eldest granddaughter, who he had raised. Thinking about having to support the marriage proposal that others would avoid at all costs nearly made him have a heart attack again.

“I can’t control the eldest, but I can at least manage the youngest. Let’s go to the military compound and have a word with Cui Pingzhou. I’ll take charge of your marriage. I absolutely won’t allow you to get engaged to that Gu family boy—what nonsense!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll go with you.” Jiang Ci linked her arm with Grandpa Jiang’s. “Grandpa, it’s one thing to talk, but don’t get physical. Uncle Cui’s family has security guards, and I’m worried you might get the worst of it.”

Grandpa Jiang: “…”

—o—o—o—

Xiao Tingxiang was eavesdropping by the stone wall, her mouth agape. “Grandma, Grandpa Jiang is so good at scolding people! Thankfully, he’s on Sister Ci’s side.”

“That old man has a bit of a conscience,” Miao Xiulan said, lounging on a rattan chair in the sun. She sat on the wild duck-down cushion Jiang Ci made for her years ago, wrapped in a thick blanket that Jiang Ci had sent. The warm sunlight made her drowsy. “A girl like that will bring blessings to whoever she marries. Chuan, come here.”

Gu Qingchuan, chopping firewood in the yard, paused in surprise. “Grandma, I’m already twenty! I can’t be slapped every day. My friends would laugh at me if I went out with fingerprints all over my face. Please leave me some dignity!”

“What good is having a face? When it comes to marrying a wife, you need to have a thick skin.” Grandma pulled the blanket up to her neck, satisfied, and closed her eyes to sleep. “You should go check on the situation at Cui Er’s place.”

“I’m not going,” Gu Qingchuan continued chopping firewood.

Grandma opened her eyes wide and glared at her eldest grandson. “Are you going or not?”

With no other choice, Gu Qingchuan sighed, “Fine, I’ll go right now.”

“Now we’re talking.” Grandma felt relieved. She genuinely cared for Gu Qingchuan. Over the years, there had only been one little Jiang Ci, and that girl was really naive, Grandma thought to herself.

Gu Qingchuan stacked the chopped wood in the corner of the yard, layering it with straw and covering it with a plastic rain cloth. This wood was fresh and needed to be air-dried for a winter; otherwise, the smoke would be thick enough to choke someone. He had chopped a lot this time, and half of it was for that girl.

After washing his hands, he grabbed his coat from the back of a chair and left the yard, heading toward the Heishui River to find Jiang Dasheng.

Raising wild chickens and ducks in the mountains posed a significant problem for winter. With autumn here, he needed to set up a warm shelter by the pond in that hollow ahead. He could cut bamboo on-site, but the plastic rain cloth and straw had to be transported in advance, along with the grain for feeding the chickens and ducks during winter.

If everything went smoothly, these chickens and ducks could be sold in batches by next summer. With the underground market developing along the Heishui River, there would be no worries about sales. Five thousand… should be manageable.

—o—o—o—

Grandpa Jiang stormed over to the Cui family’s house. Cui Pingzhou seemed to know he was coming. When they met in the study, Grandpa Jiang initially shouted a couple of times, but soon he quieted down.

Jiang Ci looked at the marriage certificates of Lin Wan and Cui Pingzhou. Because Cui Pingzhou had difficulty walking, the staff had processed the paperwork at home.

“Mom, are you going back tonight?” Jiang Ci returned the marriage certificate to Lin Wan. She didn’t know if the Cui family was going to host a banquet. If they did, when was it scheduled? Should she send a few pieces of clothing over to Lin Wan in advance?

“Of course I’ll go back. I’ll still come during the day and return at night, just like before,” Lin Wan said as she discussed the evening’s menu with the nanny. She then asked her daughter, “Why do you ask?”

Jiang Ci thought to herself, “……” Uncle Cui got married, marrying away someone lonely.

“Did your grandfather make things difficult for you?” Lin Wan noticed that Grandpa Jiang was in a bad mood when he arrived, and when they first met, he hadn’t shown her any respect. She felt a bit better, knowing he had probably scolded Jiang Ci at home already.

She felt pity for her daughter, who had to endure her grandfather’s wrath because of her own decision.

“I really didn’t get scolded,” Jiang Ci said, feeling lucky. “Grandma Xu was encouraged by Kang Guixiang to make a fuss over Qu Shui Bridge and even touched Grandpa’s treasured tea set. Grandpa scolded them thoroughly, and once he got tired of yelling at them, he stopped scolding me and went to find Uncle Cui to question him.”

Lin Wan looked at the clock on the wall; it was nearly seven. She had no idea how long Grandpa Jiang and Cui Pingzhou would talk. “I just remembered, your grandmother must have used a spare key to unlock the door. We need to change the lock cylinder.”

“Grandpa has already changed it,” Jiang Ci replied.

—o—o—o—

In the study, Grandpa Jiang asked Cui Pingzhou again, “Can the Gu family really wait until the day the landlord’s hat is removed? Cui Er, don’t deceive me. Jiang Ci is my old Jiang family’s most cherished granddaughter. I invested a lot in her dowry; she could find any family she wanted in Qin Province. I really don’t need to waste time on the Gu family’s boy.”

“Indeed, you’re right. Jiang Ci is now my daughter, too. If Gu Qingchuan isn’t good, I wouldn’t want to give my daughter to him. Wouldn’t you agree?” Cui Pingzhou replied.

“Right now, it’s Xiao Ci who likes him. You see, you insisted on having Jiang Guozhu marry Lin Wan, and now that your son is gone and your daughter-in-law is gone, if you interfere with Xiao Ci’s freedom in marriage, aren’t you afraid that this most filial and sensible child might come to resent you in the future?”

This statement struck Grandpa Jiang’s nerves. He paced back and forth, thinking that if she ended up with someone Xiao Ci didn’t like, they might just get by for a few years and then divorce, which would be a huge loss.

He was getting old and weary, and he didn’t understand why young people insisted on pursuing freedom in marriage.

In the past, marriages were all arranged by parents, and he endured marrying Grandma Xu for so many years, so why couldn’t she?

But Xiao Ci was different. He couldn’t bear to see his granddaughter suffer even a little. Just the thought of her marrying someone she didn’t like and possibly ending in divorce pained him.

Cui Pingzhou continued to sway Grandpa Jiang in a timely manner, saying, “Once Gu Zhengchu is exonerated, I will send Chuan to the army for training for a few years. He’s my only son-in-law, and all my resources will be given to him. Is there anything you’re still worried about?”

Grandpa Jiang remained silent.

It seemed somewhat reasonable, and with Cui Pingzhou’s serious and confident demeanor, Grandpa Jiang believed him a little. “Cui Er, I’ll trust you once. I will agree to this marriage as soon as you can get that Gu kid into the army.”

When it came to joining the military, the political review could not be taken lightly. If the review failed, no matter how capable Cui Pingzhou was, there would be nothing he could do.

—o—o—o—

Jiang Ci didn’t know what Cui Pingzhou had discussed with Grandpa Jiang, but when she entered, she felt like she could punch someone; however, when she came out, she was calm. “Grandpa, what did Uncle Cui talk to you about?”

“Children shouldn’t ask so many questions.” He neither agreed to the marriage nor continued to oppose it.

—o—o—o—

As night fell, Cui Pingzhou wheeled himself to the entrance to see them off. He told Lin Wan that she was his wife. In this building, he had already cleared out unrelated people. He wished his wife and daughter could move in with him.

However, he thought that wasn’t possible. He had agreed with Lin Wan before the marriage certificate was issued that she would not live here and would not hold a wedding. If Cui Pingzhou’s superiors or friends needed to be invited, they would arrange for a couple of tables of food at home.

Lin Wan had severed ties with her family to give birth to her daughter so no relatives would bless her. She didn’t have any friends or relatives to invite on her side.

Cui Pingzhou felt a bit lonely. Grandpa Jiang waited on the steps for two or three minutes without the man speaking, which made the old man angry.

Forget it. Cui Pingzhou’s father was a reckless fool who even dared to point a gun at his precious granddaughter; sending him to a nursing home was only fitting. His mother had died young, and his older brother was gone as well. With no immediate family to make decisions, the old man felt taking charge of these two was best

“Cui Er, discuss a wedding date with your uncles and aunts. Lin Wan will come from our family, and I’ll provide the dowry. I’m not blind; your wife has had a hard time over the years. I’ll treat this as marrying off my daughter.”

Cui Pingzhou’s eyes lit up. A splendid wedding, no less, and it would be hosted by the Jiang family. Who would dare to speak ill of Lin Wan afterward? “Uncle Jiang, have you thought it through? Your eldest son…”

Once the marriage was finalized, the most embarrassed person would be Jiang Guozhu, as Grandpa Jiang personally slapped him in the face. Cui Pingzhou felt a bit of admiration for Grandpa Jiang’s decisiveness.

“Dad, this isn’t appropriate. If I go all out with the wedding, how can Jiang Guozhu get married at home? He had already booked his banquet. I discussed it with Pingzhou; we’re not having a wedding…”

“Of course, it’s appropriate. How can it be not appropriate?” Grandpa Jiang glanced at Cui Pingzhou. “At 39 years old, he can still marry such a wonderful wife and even gets a daughter for free. He must be dreaming if he thinks we won’t have a wedding banquet.”

Cui Pingzhou smiled slightly, surprised at Grandpa Jiang’s openness; it was truly rare. “Alright, we will definitely have it.”

Outsiders saw the Jiang family at a disadvantage, and Jiang Guozhu had thoroughly lost face. However, the Jiang family still had Second Son, Jiang, Jiang Laoshan, and several grandchildren.

Since Lin Wan came from the Jiang family, and Jiang Ci was also his granddaughter, the Cui family could not deny this connection.

Abandoning the useless Jiang Guozhu would help the other two sons find solid backing. Others would look up to them, considering the Cui family’s influence.

Lin Wan had no intention of hosting a wedding at all. It seemed Grandpa Jiang was determined to make it a big affair. She quickly said, “Xiao Ci, persuade your grandfather. I think things are fine as they are; let’s not have a wedding.”

Since Grandpa had already spoken, Jiang Ci thought to herself, why wouldn’t they have a wedding? Was she supposed to wait for Jiang Guozhu to make a grand show and provoke her mother? Ha…

“Grandpa, let my Mom get married at home. I’m afraid Grandma and Jiang Guozhu will make a fuss that day. It wouldn’t look good if relatives and friends came over, and will turn into chaos.”

“I’m still alive; they wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.” Grandpa Jiang crossed his arms behind his back. “You two should head home early. Once the wedding is over, Lin Wan can come to live here.”

Lin Wan was speechless. Had she ever heard of such a thing? Getting married at home while also preparing a dowry? Was Grandpa Jiang out of his mind?

Cui Pingzhou smiled slightly. Since Grandpa Jiang had given Lin Wan and Jiang Ci a face, he would also take care of his own descendants in the future.

—o—o—o—

Cui Pingzhou and the patriarch of the Cui family quickly set a wedding date. October 6 was a suitable day for marriage, and the betrothal gifts were sent to the Jiang family’s main residence as if they were free. The neighbors had mixed feelings—some were envious, some were jealous, and some were gossiping.

Without exception, they mocked Jiang Guozhu, who had a beautiful wife, but let her go. She could turn around and marry an officer. Grandpa Jiang did not help his son, but supporting his former daughter-in-law was a hot topic among the elders in Qin Province.

Jiang Guozhu’s family still lived in the guesthouse, and even the service staff looked at him with mockery. Unable to bear it, Jiang Guozhu snapped at Kang Guixiang for the first time. “I told you to rent a house. Why hasn’t anything been found in the past few days? If I had known you were this useless, I wouldn’t have come back to Qin Province.”

Kang Guixiang sliced a pear and offered it to Jiang Guozhu. “Eat this pear to calm down. Renting a house is such a waste of money. Soon, Jiang Ci’s little courtyard will be vacant, and we can move in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jiang Guozhu said dejectedly. “My dad is going to marry Lin Wan off at home; he clearly doesn’t intend to acknowledge me as his son. How could he possibly give me that house? Besides, Lin Wan’s wedding is going to be a big deal, so let’s skip our banquet. I can’t afford that kind of shame.”

Kang Guixiang scoffed. Sighing was of no use; she looked down on the man beside her. He was utterly unreliable when it counted, and she had to rely on herself. “If Lin Wan and Cui Pingzhou’s wedding can’t happen, it won’t bring shame on you. So just go ahead and arrange the banquet.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Because she had approached Mei Baoying, who had given her a package and a letter. Kang Guixiang had known about Mei Baoying’s little schemes from her previous life. That woman had suffered a great loss this time and would definitely seek revenge.

—o—o—o—