Chapter 379: Chapter 380: Set on It
Gu Lehuan dropped to his knees before Li Cuicui. "I donât want any of those other options. The only one I want is Proprietor Xu."
Li Cuicui felt that if she werenât so hale and hearty, she would have fainted from the anger her grandson was causing her.
"She is still in a mourning period, and she has already clearly rejected you. Why must you insist on pestering her like this?"
Gu Lehuan said, "But sheâs in a difficult situation right now. If I donât step up for her, Iâm afraid she wonât be able to survive as an orphan all alone."
As he said this, Gu Lehuan glanced at Jin Qianqian, who was standing silently to the side, then quickly lowered his head again.
Jin Qianqian was speechless. âOne after another, they keep looking at me like they want to say something but canât. This is just great.â
Li Cuicui asked, "Youâve only just arrived in Shangjing. How could you possibly know she has no way to survive?"
The thought that her naive grandson was being fooled left Li Cuicui with a poor impression of this Xu Nuo.
Jin Qianqian knew a bit more and could guess at Xu Nuoâs current predicament. In the end, it all came down to how wealth could stir peopleâs hearts.
If that boy Gu Lehuan hadnât caused all this trouble, Jin Qianqian wouldnât have wanted to meddle in other peopleâs business.
But now it seemed she couldnât ignore the matter. She summoned Housekeeper Fu and had him send someone to investigate.
Li Cuicui still couldnât bear to see her grandson kneel for too long and had He Chun, who was standing nearby, help him up.
"Grandmother, your grandson begs for your blessing." But Gu Lehuan pulled away from He Chunâs hand and remained kneeling ramrod straight.
Li Cuicui said, "Youâre putting an old woman like me in a difficult position. From the moment your parents split from the main family, Iâve already said I would not interfere in your branchâs affairs.
Whatâs more, for a matter this significant, do you think an old woman like me can make the decision for you?
If you wanted to marry a girl of unimpeachable character, then this old woman would make the decision for you, even if it meant confronting your mother.
But itâs not like youâre unaware of our clanâs rules. Your youngest uncle being expelled from the clan was a huge affair. I donât believe you havenât heard the details since youâve been back.
With that cautionary tale before you, are you trying to stab me in the heart as well?"
Only then did Gu Lehuan show some hesitation. The thought of losing so many relatives at once brought a pained expression to his face.
Jin Qianqian watched the grandmother and grandson quietly from the side, not saying a single word from beginning to end.
When Ancient Wen Heng returned home, Jin Qianqian took the opportunity while he was changing out of his official robes to vent her frustrations.
"It seems Iâm just too good-natured. Everyone wants to use me as a stepping stone. Your nephew kept looking at me hesitantly, time and again. Itâs like he wants me to be the bad guy."
Ancient Wen Heng paused. "Just ignore them. Weâve helped them get established and given them a foundation. Iâve already repaid the debt of kinship owed by my predecessor. As for anything else, if we can get along, we will. If not, weâll just interact with them less in the future."
"Thatâs true in principle, but as long as the two elders are still with us, weâre bound to be tangled up with this family." Jin Qianqian believed that while Li Cuicui tried to be fair and just, even the five fingers on a hand arenât the same length. If the gap between the family branches grew too wide, the elders would likely become distressed over time.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "Didnât you send someone to investigate? Once we know whether the situation is good or bad, we can just hand it over to the old lady to deal with."
Jin Qianqian replied, "Thatâs what I was thinking too. After all, your mother brought him here. If she, as the grandmother, makes the decision, no one can find fault with it."
"How is Fourth doing? Has he found a location yet?" Ancient Wen Heng, having changed into his regular clothes, wrapped an arm around Jin Qianqian, taking the chance to steal a kiss.
Jin Qianqian pushed him away gently. "I heard him complaining earlier. The prices probably scared him. He was muttering about how long it would take to earn back the investment."
"Shangjing is a place where every inch of land is worth a fortune. Finding a spot on the second day means his luck is pretty good." Ancient Wen Heng wasnât annoyed that his attempt to steal a kiss failed; he even helped his wife smooth her hair.
"But arenât you about to be assigned to a post outside the capital? Should we tell them in advance?"
Ancient Wen Heng thought for a moment. "Letâs give them a heads-up. Itâs not set in stone yet, but given the current situation, it will probably go through."
Jin Qianqian checked the time and had Lichun and the others go invite everyone to the dining hall.
Li Qingmei walked to her side and said in a low voice, "Madam, Housekeeper Hu sent word. He said the investigation is complete."
Jin Qianqian glanced at Ancient Wen Heng beside her. He spoke directly, "Bring him to the dining hall."
Jin Qianqian immediately understood his meaning. He wanted to dump the matter entirely on Li Cuicui and Gu Lehuan so they could make their own decision.
Li Qingmei glanced at Jin Qianqian and, seeing no objection, curtsied and withdrew.
The servant sent to gather information reported everything he had learned in front of the whole family, even revealing the time Gu Lehuan had nearly entered an uxorilocal marriage.
The more Li Cuicui listened, the more she gritted her teeth. "Even if your mother doesnât know our clan rules, and even if your father is illiterate, how could he not know? Heâs grown up with these rules his whole life!
Sending his eldest son away to marry into another family... what is he thinking?
Back then, I refused to agree when he insisted on marrying Wang Caiyue. I canât believe heâs been so thoroughly brainwashed that he has no mind of his own."
The more the old lady thought about it, the angrier she became. Splitting from the main family early had its pros and cons, but she never imagined that Mrs. Wang would dare to bring such ruin upon her son and grandson!
Gu Yuanshui looked at his still-deluded nephew, then at Seventh and his wife watching coldly from the sidelines, and quietly shrank back.
"That young woman is indeed pitiful, but on the sole condition that she will only accept an uxorilocal marriage, itâs impossible for you two to be together." Although Li Cuicui knew this wasnât Xu Nuoâs fault, the idea of sending one of her grandsons away was absolutely out of the question.
Seeing her grandsonâs pleading gaze, Li Cuicui hardened her heart and said, "If she is willing to marry into our family, I will swallow my pride and, just this once, make the decision for you."
Jin Qianqian hadnât expected Li Cuicui to make such a move. She had completely kicked the problem back to the other party.
As long as the other party was willing to marry into their family, not even Wang Caiyue could object to the match.
Gu Lehuan shook his head. He knew his own familyâs circumstances all too well, which was why he didnât dare to entertain such a fantasy.
For one thing, his parents would certainly be unwilling to provide a large betrothal gift for him. He couldnât possibly expect Xu Nuo to pay her own way into the family, could he?
Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Ancient Wen Heng didnât wait around with them any longer and had Housekeeper Fu serve the meal.
When she saw the dishes being brought out one by one, Li Cuicui finally came to her senses. "Letâs eat first! You can go ask her later. If sheâs willing to change her mind, I will have a matchmaker go to her home with a proposal."
Jin Qianqian supported her by the arm and reminded her in a low voice, "Mother, Proprietor Xu is still in her mourning period, and she has no elders by her side."
She spoke up for Xu Nuo partly because she admired the girlâs courage to establish her own household all by herself.
If it werenât for Gu Lehuan, and if the girl had come to her for help, Jin Qianqian would have offered her some protection out of respect for that courage alone.