Chapter 11: Refutation

◎ Have you figured out her intentions? ◎

Zhang Dongling had seen Gu Ying—on the very first day Gu Ying moved into the compound.

It was sometime at the end of March when Sun Lan, carrying bundles of luggage, came to the gate of the compound to ask Uncle Zhao for information. Zhang Dongling happened to pass by and saw Gu Ying hiding behind Sun Lan.

Even though it was warm spring weather, Gu Ying was still wrapped in a thick cotton jacket. She was small in stature, yet even bundled up, she didn’t look bulky at all.

Standing beside Sun Lan, Gu Ying had a pair of bright, doe-like eyes. She didn’t glance around curiously, nor did she stick her head out and cause trouble. She simply stood quietly, waiting patiently for Sun Lan to finish her business.

That well-behaved appearance of Gu Ying’s left a deep impression on Zhang Dongling. She had two sons, both more mischievous than the other. She dreamed of having a gentle, sensible daughter—but fate never granted her that wish.

That day, when she saw Gu Ying at the compound gate, Zhang Dongling had stared at her for a long time. She thought, If only I had a daughter as obedient as this.

But daughters and daughters-in-law were not the same.

If Gu Ying were her daughter, Zhang Dongling would give her the best of everything, feed her until she was rosy and plump. But now that Gu Ying was to be her daughter-in-law, Zhang Dongling couldn’t help but fall into the habit of nitpicking.

Gu Ying wasn’t fair-skinned enough; she didn’t look stylish at all. She wasn’t very tall either—half a head shorter than Mingxue.

The most critical issue was Gu Ying’s weak health. Her limbs were as thin as sticks. In winter, she constantly had to drink medicine to keep her condition in check. With such a frail body, it’d be difficult for her to handle household chores—let alone bear children.

Gui Xiwen was getting married to a wife, not to a bodhisattva he’d have to worship daily at home.

Zhang Dongling felt that, as a mother, she had the responsibility to offer her son proper guidance when it came to choosing a spouse.

“I don’t agree. There are so many girls with good conditions in the compound—why would you pick the worst one?”

Gui Xiwen neither agreed nor disagreed.

He lazily gazed at his toes and spoke casually: “That’s fine. If you don’t agree, then I won’t marry, won’t date, and won’t go on blind dates for the next ten years. If you’re okay with that, then I am too.”

Gui Xiwen’s tone was extremely nonchalant, as if he were just joking—but Zhang Dongling knew he wasn’t. This damned kid of hers would absolutely do it.

Gui Xiwen was twenty-two now. Ten years later, he’d be thirty-two. At that age, he’d be like discounted goods in a shopping mall—no matter how high-quality the materials, they’d still have to be sold at a lower price.

Zhang Dongling was furious. She glared at him. “Are you threatening your mother?”

Gui Xiwen shrugged. “It’s not a threat. It’s a discussion.”

Discussion? What kind of discussion is this!

Both options were terrible—how was that even a choice?

Zhang Dongling was so angry her face turned red. She turned her gaze toward Gui Xiangrong, who had remained silent the entire time, and snarled through clenched teeth: “You’re his father—say something!”

Gui Xiwen dusted off his sleeves and stood up. “You two discuss it, then. I’ll stop bothering you.”

As Gui Xiwen nonchalantly walked off, Zhang Dongling’s eyes turned into sharp blades and swept over to Gui Xiangrong. She began scolding him: “You mute now? Your son comes to talk to you about such a serious matter, and you can’t even open your golden mouth to say a word?”

Gui Xiangrong picked up the evening paper again. The newspaper covered half his face, but it didn’t cover his next words.

“I don’t have an opinion,” he said.

“What?” Zhang Dongling thought she’d misheard him. She was so enraged she grabbed the newspaper from his hands and tossed it straight into the trash bag. Her face was full of disbelief as she questioned, “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

“Have you even met that Gu girl? Do you know what she looks like? What do you mean you have no opinion? Are you saying you agree to let Xiwen marry her?”

Gui Xiangrong sighed helplessly. He took off the black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, wiped the lenses with his sleeve, and said slowly, “Xiwen’s an adult now. He’ll be responsible for his own choices.”

Zhang Dongling was full of complaints and just waiting for Gui Xiangrong to say something even slightly disagreeable so she could unleash her anger. But after hearing this, she surprisingly fell silent.

After a moment, Zhang Dongling sharply picked out the hidden meaning in his words. “Oh, so this is about last time? You’re still mad I agreed to Xiwen and Ming Xue’s marriage on my own?”

“It’s not,” Gui Xiangrong replied.

“Of course it is! Don’t try to deny it!” Zhang Dongling wouldn’t let go, dragging out old grievances.

Gui Xiangrong didn’t argue. After living with Zhang Dongling for so many years, he knew her temperament—she just wanted to vent.

And so, a strange phenomenon arose in the courtyard. Previously, it was the Ming family that was noisy and quarrelsome, disturbing the peace. Now, it was the Gui family’s turn.

There are no walls without cracks. The neighbors picked up on bits and pieces of the arguments, and the next day, the entire courtyard knew the news.

The gossip in the courtyard was even juicier than during New Year. Everyone thought the Ming Xue and Zhang Kuo situation was already absurd—but this? Even more outrageous.

At first, when Aunt Wu (a neighbor of the Gui family) spread the news, many people didn’t believe it. With how great Gui Xiwen’s conditions were, how could he take a liking to that plain-looking, scrawny girl from the Gu family?

But Aunt Wu spoke with conviction. “Don’t doubt me! I might be old, but my ears still work fine. I heard it with my own two ears—Gui Xiwen said he’ll only marry that Gu girl. If not her, he’ll stay single forever!”

Thanks to Aunt Wu’s “sharp ears,” Gui Xiwen was now branded a devoted lover.

The more perceptive folks still didn’t buy it. They believed Gui Xiwen was just trying to get back at Ming Xue. Ming Xue had settled for the average Zhang Kuo, and now Gui Xiwen wanted to marry the courtyard’s worst option just to slap her in the face.

Rumors flew in all directions.

That afternoon, Sun Lan went out with a vegetable basket and noticed the way people looked at her was… odd.

She’d seen this kind of look before—when her husband Gu Changming had workplace issues, she’d faced similar whispering and scrutiny.

Her heart immediately tensed.

This is bad. Did something happen to Changming’s job again?

Aunt Wu didn’t give her time to spiral. She came over with her own basket and struck up a conversation. “Oh wow, what a coincidence! You’re buying veggies too? Let’s go together!”

Sun Lan relaxed a bit. She figured, if something had happened to her husband, no one would be approaching her this casually. So maybe it wasn’t about him.

She smiled. Though not close with Aunt Wu, she was always a kind person and didn’t brush people off. Since Aunt Wu came to talk, she responded, “Aunt Wu, let me ask—why do I feel like people are looking at me strangely today?”

Aunt Wu blinked. “You don’t know?”

Sun Lan was confused. “Know what? Should I?”

Aunt Wu clapped her leg with a laugh. “So you really don’t know? Gui Xiwen’s going to marry your daughter!”

Thud. The vegetable basket hit the ground.

Sun Lan clenched her clothes tightly, voice stammering. “Th-This is true?”

Seeing Sun Lan’s genuine surprise, Aunt Wu laughed heartily. “To be honest, I came over earlier just to dig for info. But you don’t even know as much as I do!”

Sun Lan quickly grabbed her basket and turned back home. “Aunt Wu, go on ahead—I need to go home.”

Watching her rush away, Aunt Wu wiped the smile off her face and muttered, “Tsk. Just what kind of dumb luck did the Gu family hit?”

Sun Lan sped home with her empty basket. Before even stepping inside, she called out, “Gu Ying! Gu Ying!”

Gu Ying replied from her room, “Mom, I’m here. Why are you yelling like that?”

Sun Lan tossed the basket aside and grabbed her daughter’s arm, eyes full of nervousness and excitement. “I heard Gui Xiwen wants to marry you. Is it true?”

Gu Ying blinked. “You’re asking me?”

Sun Lan was stunned by Gu Ying’s clueless expression. It didn’t look like she was aware of anything. But Gui Xiwen wanting to marry her couldn’t be for no reason—there had to be something between them.

Just as Sun Lan was about to interrogate her daughter further, someone knocked on the door in a hurry.

She turned and saw Zhang Kuo’s familiar face. Her expression immediately darkened.

She was not in the mood to entertain Zhang Kuo now. But before she could drive him away, Gu Ying stood up and said, “Mom, he’s here for me. I’ll go out for a bit.”

Sun Lan didn’t say anything, which counted as reluctant approval.

Gu Ying, very familiar with the layout, turned right after stepping outside with Zhang Kuo. The two walked side by side, and Gu Ying acted as naturally as ever.

“You haven’t come to see me lately. But I heard you’re getting married next month. You must be busy. Do you need help with anything?”

Her warm smile was pure, without the slightest hint of malice.

Seeing that smile made Zhang Kuo feel uncomfortable.

He hadn’t come to see Gu Ying because he couldn’t face her—he was afraid she’d be upset, afraid she’d question him. But she seemed completely unaffected and still treated him as a friend.

Strangely, that made it even harder for him to face her.

Taking a breath, he got straight to the point. “I heard Gui Xiwen wants to marry you?”

Gu Ying blinked innocently and said with a smile, “I just heard about it too.”

“You can’t marry him,” Zhang Kuo said firmly and decisively.

Gu Ying rubbed the tip of her nose and looked at Zhang Kuo with curiosity. “Why not?”

Zhang Kuo stopped walking and looked at Gu Ying silently, emotions he couldn’t suppress churning in his eyes.

After a long pause, he finally said, “Gui Xiwen only wants to marry you to get back at Ming Xue. Gu Ying, you’re a smart person—you must have figured out his motive.”

Gu Ying gave a casual “Oh,” and idly rolled a small pebble under her toe. She said nonchalantly, “Then have you figured out Ming Xue’s motive?”

“What?” Zhang Kuo didn’t quite catch that.

Gu Ying stopped moving her foot, lifted her eyes, and looked straight into Zhang Kuo’s, “Ming Xue gave up someone with better prospects and suddenly wants to marry you. Zhang Kuo, you’re not a fool—have you figured out her motive?”

Zhang Kuo’s heart trembled. He stayed silent for a long time.