Chapter 9 Do you really want to marry that old man?

“Hello, Uncle, I’m Gu Jingming.” Gu Jingming spoke first. Ye Qingtao was surprised that he didn’t call him “Dad,” she was initially taken aback, then she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Gu Jingming.” Ye Yongjin responded, pushing the door open and walking in. He usually liked to sit on the wooden sofa for a while when he came home, then drink some tea, close his eyes and rest. Now Gu Jingming was sitting in the spot he usually liked to sit, he was too embarrassed to ask him to move, so he could only stand there. “Gu Jingming, you can sit there.”

 Ye Qingtao pointed to another spot, Gu Jingming didn’t understand but still moved. Ye Yongjin sat back in his “throne,” a smile finally appearing on his face. If he wasn’t mistaken, this daughter of his was quite respectful and listened to her a little. It seemed like it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. “Qingtao, there’s a guest at home today, go buy Dad a bottle of wine.” Ye Qingtao knew that her father was trying to get her out of the way so he could start interrogating Gu Jingming. “Uncle, I brought a few bottles of wine with me this time, take a look and see which brand you like.

I’ll bring you some often.” Gu Jingming opened the bag containing the wine, and several bottles of beautifully packaged fine wine appeared before them. They were all wines that Ye Yongjin wanted to drink but couldn’t afford. The young man in front of him was a little too generous, Ye Yongjin felt like he was dreaming. Ye Yongjin looked up, about to speak to Ye Qingtao again. It was clear that he didn’t want her to stay, Ye Qingtao quickly held her forehead and walked to her room. “Dad, my head still hurts, I’ll go back to my room to rest, you two chat slowly.” Ye Qingtao had just closed the door to her room when Ye Yongjin couldn’t wait to start asking questions.

“I heard from my colleagues on my way home from work that I have a son-in-law, I want to know what’s going on.” Ye Yongjin went straight to the point, Gu Jingming quickly told him about the wedding. “So that’s how it is, what are your plans now?” After understanding the basic situation, Ye Yongjin started interrogating him. “Where are you from? How many people are in your family? What do your parents do?” “I’m a local, I live with my father and grandmother, my father runs his own business.” Gu Jingming answered each question clearly and logically.

 Gu Jingming’s situation sounded very good, his family was small, and their lives were secure. “What about you? What’s your situation?” “I’ve been in the army for ten years, now I’m a small officer, my work is busy, I often have to go on missions.” “In the army for 10 years? How old are you?” Ye Yongjin’s brow furrowed even deeper, this Gu Jingming looked tall and handsome, although he was steady, he didn’t look old. Now he said he had been in the army for 10 years, wouldn’t he be in his late 30s? His daughter was only 20 years old after the new year, marrying a man in his 30s, even if the other party’s conditions were good, Ye Yongjin still couldn’t feel happy about it.

“I’m 28 this year.” Gu Jingming knew that Ye Qingtao was young, and he felt a little guilty when he mentioned it. Sure enough, Ye Yongjin’s already dark face turned even darker than charcoal. “28 this year? That means you’ll be 29 after the new year? My daughter is only 20, you’re 9 years older than her!” “You beast! She’s still so young, how can you do this?” “I don’t agree with this marriage, take your things back, take this wine back too, I, Ye Yongjin, am not worthy of such a gift.” The age difference was too big, an old man marrying a young woman, they would inevitably have conflicts if they stayed together for a long time, the more he thought about it, the more inappropriate it seemed. If he knew that Gu Jingming was also injured in that area, and his daughter might be a widow after marrying him, he would never agree.

 Ye Qingtao had been listening at the door after entering the room, now seeing the two of them breaking down, she suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. Gu Jingming stood up awkwardly, luckily Zhu Guihua came out with the dishes at that moment, she stopped him. “What’s wrong with being eight years older? Older men are better at taking care of people!” Zhu Guihua put down the dishes and dragged Ye Yongjin into the kitchen, she lowered her voice and said, “What’s the use of you disagreeing? I disagree too, but our daughter is willing, what can you do about it?” “Lu Yunchuan is young and handsome, but what’s the use if he doesn’t like our daughter?

Our daughter has finally come out of it, can’t you just give her this once?” “Marriage is a big deal, how can I just agree?” Ye Yongjin stomped his feet in anger, Zhu Guihua stuffed a plate of dishes into his hand. “Don’t rush to make a decision, let’s talk about it after dinner, okay?” Ye Yongjin was so angry that smoke was coming out of his head, seeing that his wife made sense, he forced himself to calm down. “Alright, I’ll listen to you this once, I’ll ask my daughter what she thinks and then make a decision.” Ye Yongjin suppressed his anger and brought the dishes to the table. Zhu Guihua’s cooking was good, and she had made a lot of good dishes today. The meal was a little dull because everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.

After dinner, Ye Yongjin pulled Ye Qingtao into the room, Zhu Guihua stayed behind to keep Gu Jingming company. “Qingtao, are you really going to marry that old man?” Ye Yongjin’s voice was a little hurried, his first words after closing the door made Ye Qingtao a little speechless. “Dad, you know my situation, even if I stay at home, you and Mom will force me to get married and have children.” “I used to like Lu Yunchuan, but I don’t anymore, I think Gu Jingming has some flaws, but his good qualities outweigh his flaws, my current situation makes marrying him the perfect choice.” “Unless Dad wants to go to Lu Yunchuan’s house to ask for his hand again, then I can give up marrying Gu Jingming.”

Ye Qingtao turned her back and smiled, Ye Yongjin was so angry that he stomped his feet. “Lu Yunchuan wasn’t good to you, and his father isn’t a good person either, you’d be better off marrying a beggar than him!” “Is Gu Jingming worse than a beggar?” Ye Qingtao’s soul-searching question left Ye Yongjin speechless. “Stay in your room, I’ll go out and ask around, if Gu Jingming’s character is really good, then maybe we can talk about it.” Ye Yongjin always thought that his daughter was smart and beautiful, both Lu Yunchuan and Gu Jingming were not worthy of her.

But if he had to choose between the two, he still preferred Gu Jingming. Lu Yunchuan’s attitude towards his daughter was hot and cold, he often played her for a fool, making her lose face in the residential area. A man who truly cared and loved her would never let the woman he liked get hurt. Lu Yunchuan was so heartless to her, it was clear he didn’t love her. When Ye Yongjin went out, Zhu Guihua was chatting with Gu Jingming.

 They were clearly not from the same social class, and sometimes their conversations were nonsensical. But miraculously, they got along very well, and they were getting happier and happier as they chatted. Ye Qingtao initially planned to eavesdrop, but their questions became increasingly boring, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Ye Qingtao lay on the bed, closing her eyes and resting. Soon, there was a knock on the door. Ye Qingtao rubbed her eyes and got up to open the door, only to see Gu Jingming standing at the door with a cheerful smile.

“Your parents have agreed to our marriage, I’ll come pick you up the day after tomorrow to go to the amusement park in the provincial capital, and I have something else to discuss with you.”