Chapter 446: Breaking Off the Engagement

Wan Family, Scholar Wan didn’t sleep well last night, his eyelids twitching constantly.

The next morning, after getting up, he called Old Ni: "Is the mule cart ready? Get your daughter-in-law to urge Ms. Ni to send Ni Ruiniang back to Ni Family quickly."

Old Ni, a servant who came as part of Ms. Ni’s dowry, listened to Ms. Ni regarding everything in the household; Ms. Ni had already instructed him on how to handle Scholar Wan.

"Old Master, the mule cart is already prepared, and Shi Liu has neatly packed the cousin’s luggage. The cousin is currently having breakfast with the lady, saying that she will return after breakfast, so please rest assured."

Scholar Wan was very dissatisfied upon hearing this, but he couldn’t very well refuse Ni Ruiniang breakfast. If he sent her away without even allowing her breakfast, Ms. Ni would make a scene.

Just yesterday, it took an entire afternoon of fuss to get Ms. Ni to agree to send Ni Ruiniang back to the Ni Family.

"Where is Brother Fang?" After washing his face with clean water, Scholar Wan asked while sipping warm tea.

Old Ni replied, "Young Master is having breakfast with the lady."

Bang! Scholar Wan slammed the tea bowl hard on the table and exclaimed angrily: "He dares to join Ni Ruiniang still, wasn’t yesterday’s beating light enough? Get him to come to me right now!"

Gu Yumei had even hit the wall, and he still hadn’t learned his lesson.

"Yes." Old Ni hurried off to find Wan Lifang.

When Wan Lifang arrived at the front courtyard study, Scholar Wan had almost finished his breakfast. Seeing him arrive, he angrily said: "You are to prepare a generous gift today, and go with your mother to apologize to Gu Dafu’s family."

Upon hearing this, Wan Lifang nearly laughed out loud and said to Scholar Wan: "Dad, do you really think mom would go?"

Ni Ruiniang was nearly scared into a miscarriage because Gu Dafu’s family showed up; his mother absolutely detested Gu Dafu’s entire family—how could she possibly go apologize?

Moreover...

"Right now, Gu Dafu must still be furious, and if our family goes to apologize at this time, wouldn’t I be beaten to death by his brothers?" Wan Lifang had been severely beaten by Gu Dafu’s brothers yesterday, and his body was incredibly sore; he would rather die than go to Gu Dafu’s house today: "Let’s wait a few days until Gu Dafu’s anger subsides, then I will go with mother to apologize to Gu Dafu’s family."

Secretly resenting Scholar Wan in his heart, always making him and his mother go, why don’t you go yourself? Is it because you can’t lower yourself to bow to the Gu Family? I don’t want to bow down either.

"Still making excuses!" Scholar Wan pointed at Wan Lifang and scolded him thoroughly, finally saying: "The day after tomorrow, you and your mother must go to Gu Dafu’s house to apologize, and check on Gu Yumei, make sure to coax her well; this marriage cannot be called off."

Wan Lifang snorted: "Dad, you don’t need to worry about Gu Yumei calling off the marriage; she would rather die than call it off. If she does, she might as well die."

After saying that, he gave Scholar Wan a meaningful look.

Scholar Wan shivered and asked, "What do you mean by that? Don’t tell me you... did something to Gu Yumei?"

Scholar Wan knew his son was unruly. If he could behave that way towards Ni Ruiniang, he could certainly harm Gu Yumei.

Wan Lifang laughed and said, "He hasn’t gotten her yet, but my son has touched her. She’s foolish, and I scared her with this matter. She’s so afraid of being drowned in a pond that she’d rather hit a wall than dare to break off the engagement with our family. So, Father, rest assured, my son has Gu Yumei completely under his control, and she is destined to be a slave to our family for her lifetime."

After hearing this, Scholar Wan felt no guilt at all, only a sense of relief. That’s good, that’s very good. This marriage arrangement is settled, now he could be at ease.

Knowing that Gu Yumei wouldn’t dare to break off the engagement, Scholar Wan happily drank a bowl of sweet potato porridge: "Tell your mother to hurry up, it would be best to marry Gu Yumei this year. I’m tired of having sweet potato porridge every day, my mouth has become tasteless."

He often burped while teaching his students, which was quite indecent. Marrying Gu Yumei sooner would also use her dowry to improve the family’s meals.

"Eh, understood, Father. Rest assured, now it’s Gu Yumei who is begging me to marry her." Wan Lifang was very proud. Since Gu Yumei bumped into the wall yesterday, he has become arrogant, knowing that Gu Yumei would rather die than break off the engagement.

Seeing his smug expression, Scholar Wan snorted coldly, rinsed his mouth with tea, straightened his clothes, and went to the front private school to teach the students.

Scholar Wan cared about his reputation; his school’s students must have heard about yesterday’s commotion. To salvage his dignity, he immediately assumed a serious demeanor as he started to lecture the students on moral principles, imitating the righteous and stern demeanor of a saint.

While he was speaking passionately, Old Ni rolled and crawled in: "Master, master, it’s bad news, Gu Family people have come again!"

With a thump, Scholar Wan was so startled that he fell to the ground, causing the students in the school to burst into loud laughter.

Scholar Wan’s face turned as red as a monkey’s butt, and he roared, "How dare you laugh at your teacher? What kind of behavior is this? All of you get up, go to the corridor to stand as punishment!"

"Yes." The students of Wan’s Private School were often punished to stand, so they took a book and headed to the eave corridor in a practiced manner, standing facing the wall while reading.

Scholar Wan grabbed Old Ni’s hand to stand up and asked, "What happened? Why have the Gu Family People come again?"

Old Ni grimaced sadly: "Old servant also doesn’t know, sir. The lady and Miss are having breakfast in the backyard, and suddenly the gates of our big house were smashed open, and a large group of people rushed in, led by Brother Dafu. Mrs. Chen has already gone to the backyard; hurry up or Madam Chen will cause Miss to miscarry."

Mrs. Chen indeed wanted to cause Ni Ruiniang to miscarry, but Third Grandma stopped her: "Don’t hit her. If you cause the child to be lost, there will be no evidence of Wan Lifang’s affair with Ni Ruiniang. We need to keep this child so that everybody will know that it is the Wan Family who has wronged us."

Mrs. Chen then stopped, but she was extremely angry. Her family, because of this matter, couldn’t even sit down for breakfast, let alone have dinner last night. Seeing that Ms. Ni and her niece still had the mood to eat breakfast, she rushed over, and with a bang, flipped the Ni Family’s dining table.

With a clattering sound, bowls and plates fell to the ground, shattering everywhere.

Seeing this, Ms. Ni, trembling with anger, pointed at Mrs. Chen and said, "In-law aunt, you come to my house to flip the dining table early in the morning. Do you want to completely sever ties with my family? Do you still want to go through with this marriage?!"

Wan Lifang had told Ms. Ni about his fondling Gu Yumei, and Ms. Ni, thinking she had caught Gu Yumei’s weakness and that Gu Yumei could only marry her son Brother Fang, spoke with an unusually high voice, chin raised, glaring arrogantly at Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen, fierce and never afraid of a fight or argument, saw Ms. Ni’s arrogance, immediately rolled up her sleeves, and with a slap, struck Ms. Ni: "A whole family of unvirtuous fools, what are you so proud of? Do you really think your family is of noble status? Who would want to marry into your house? Let me tell you, even if a golden sedan chair was sent to carry my niece, she would not come to such a dog’s den. We are breaking off the engagement with your family!"