Chapter 30 Captain Gu, your wife is here to marry you!

Gu Weiguo nearly lost his grip on the oil lamp in his hand, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.

“Unfilial son! You unfilial son!”

“You… you’re trying to anger your father to death, aren’t you? You actually dare to use your second brother’s job to threaten me! Your second brother is the pride of the Gu family. If you mess up his job, you’ll see what happens!”

Gu Shiyu let out a cold laugh, his sarcasm growing more obvious. Pride? A temporary worker bought with money becomes the family’s pride? Except for his current paralysis, which left him half-disabled, in every other way he was stronger, more capable, and more outstanding—but they had never regarded him as the family’s pride. That ridiculous assumption only made him feel even more certain.

“Tomorrow morning, Ji Tangtang will come to pick you up to go to the commune for the marriage registration. You’ll go with her,” Gu Weiguo said. “Don’t be stubborn. Your mother has already told them about this marriage. You don’t get a say.”

“I’m not going!” Gu Shiyu lay back under the covers, closing his eyes, clearly refusing further discussion.

“You’re going whether you like it or not.” Gu Weiguo slammed the door and stormed off in anger. Shen Meifang hadn’t gone inside but had likely overheard most of the conversation from outside. She was anxious and resentful.

“What can we do? He’s paralyzed—he can’t resist, can he?” Gu Weiguo said grimly.

“And the bride price? Do we just let it go?” Shen Meifang’s mouth went dry with worry, full of unwillingness.

“What else can we do?” Gu Weiguo replied irritably. “We can’t ruin the second son’s job over that little bride price.”

“But… but…” Shen Meifang still couldn’t let go of the money Ji Tangtang had, especially the watch. Since seeing it, she’d been obsessed with it. “Forget everything else, at least that watch has to come to us. That foolish girl doesn’t deserve such a fine watch. I’ll go talk to him. If he refuses, I’ll…”

“Do what? Show him by dying?” Gu Weiguo said, “Wouldn’t that just be what he wants?”

Shen Meifang had wanted to rush to Gu Shiyu’s room, but Gu Weiguo’s words stopped her in her tracks. He felt a bit of regret. “He’s paralyzed now; maybe he’s already lost the will to live. We’ve treated him poorly all these years. He might have no affection for us at all. If we anger him, he could really drag the whole family down with him. He’s paralyzed anyway; the rest of his life has no hope. Do you really want to risk the whole family for a tiny bride price?”

Shen Meifang didn’t dare move. Even if she didn’t think about herself, she had to think about Hongwen—her long-awaited, precious son.

“Alright, go back to sleep!” Gu Weiguo said weakly, like a rooster defeated in a fight. “Don’t bring up the bride price again.”

Shen Meifang followed him into the bedroom, dazed. The couple felt resentful but powerless. They tossed and turned all night, like pancakes on a griddle, until morning when they dozed lightly.

Not long after they fell asleep, the sound of a bicycle bell rang—“Ding-ling-ling.” Ji Tangtang, riding her bicycle, performed a stylish drift and came to a smooth stop at the Gu family gate. She had gotten up early, but still, a crowd of curious villagers had followed, eager to watch the spectacle. Seeing Ji Tangtang’s impressive figure, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Ji Tangtang snapped her fingers and called out loudly, “Aunt Gu, I’ve come to pick Shiyu up to go to the commune for the registration! Are you up?”

Shen Meifang heard Ji Tangtang’s voice and muttered a curse under her breath, calling her a persistent nuisance. She didn’t want to respond, but the villagers’ cheers outside were growing louder.

“Captain Gu, your wife has come to marry you!”
“Captain Gu, your wife is so cool!”

However, the cheers quickly turned into murmurs of gossip.

“Why hasn’t anything happened yet? The Gu family hasn’t even gotten up or prepared?”
“The registration is a big day, and the Gu family hasn’t prepared at all. This is outrageous! The rumors outside must be true—they really are mistreating Captain Gu.”

It was as if the crowd intentionally wanted the Gu family to hear them. The villagers’ chatter was loud, reaching inside the house. Shen Meifang and Gu Weiguo could no longer pretend to be asleep—they hurriedly got up to greet everyone.

Gu Hongwen, neatly dressed, also came out of the house. When he saw Ji Tangtang, his expression suddenly became complicated. Just two days apart, and she had grown so much more beautiful. His eyes reflected a hint of awe.

“I’ll take big brother to the city,” he offered. “I’m strong enough!”

“No need. I’m strong too!” Ji Tangtang coldly rejected him. “Lead the way—don’t waste time.”

Gu Hongwen’s gaze lingered on her. Still pretending! He didn’t believe she really liked that paralyzed man. She used to call him “Hongwen-ge, Hongwen-ge” so cheerfully whenever she saw him.

Seeing him not moving, Ji Tangtang didn’t waste words. She turned to Shen Meifang and Gu Weiguo.

“Uncle, Aunt, I’m taking Shiyu to the commune to register now!”

“Go, go, go!” Gu Weiguo hurriedly led Ji Tangtang toward Gu Shiyu’s room, while also trying to explain to the villagers that they had indeed prepared for their eldest son. But the villagers weren’t listening; all were curious, surrounding Gu Shiyu’s room, eager to see how Ji Tangtang would bring him to register today.

Gu Shiyu woke up before dawn today. Using his strong arms, he managed to dress himself in clean clothes and carefully tidied up his entire body. However, since he had no strength in his lower body, despite his powerful arms, he still broke into a sweat after finishing everything. His freshly changed clothes were soaked again with sweat.

Seeing Ji Tangtang, his long, slender fingers instinctively gripped the blanket. Ji Tangtang noticed his nervousness and gave him a small smile. “Ready?”

Gu Weiguo, standing nearby, anxiously watched, fearing that Gu Shiyu would refuse to marry Ji Tangtang. He quickly chimed in, “Ready! All ready!”

Ji Tangtang ignored him, looking only at Gu Shiyu. When he gave her a slight nod, she lifted the blanket and scooped him up in her arms.

From the crowd came a series of exclamations:
“She’s carrying him! Just like carrying a bride!”
“Beautiful!”
“Ji Tangtang truly lives up to being our team’s number one beauty—not only gorgeous and kind-hearted but also so strong!”

Praise and blessings kept coming.

Ji Tangtang held Gu Shiyu steadily and walked to her bicycle, placing him on the back seat. She winked at him and whispered, “Remember what I said?”

Gu Shiyu’s ears turned red, and he nodded uncomfortably.

Ji Tangtang mounted the bicycle, and Gu Shiyu’s long arms wrapped around her waist from behind. The bicycle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

The villagers watched their departing figures. Suddenly, someone said, “What’s going on? I think I’m a little envious of Gu Shiyu.”

“Who wouldn’t be? Being a son-in-law isn’t a problem—he has such a beautiful wife all to himself!”

“Exactly! If I had such a beautiful and strong wife, I wouldn’t care about being a son-in-law. Even if I had to live ten years less, I’d still be happy!”