Chapter 663: Gravely Ill

After listening, Master Xia looked at the resolute expression on Gu Jin’an, then turned to Gu Jinli, who seemed to be enjoying the drama. He felt a sinking feeling in his heart, knowing that this problem wouldn’t end well today. He set aside his pride as a Madman and pleaded with Gu Jin’an, "Good Brother An, this time it’s our fault for not thinking thoroughly and not informing your family in advance. Rest assured, it won’t happen again. Could you give me another chance?"

Gu Jin’an shook his head: "Master Xia, there is a saying, ’three strikes and you’re out.’ This is already the third time; your chances are up."

Three years ago, the Xia couple had already overstepped twice, and those incidents were settled with the temple master’s guarantee. But this being the third time, if they let it slide again, they would be pushovers.

But neither Gu Jin’an nor Gu Jinli were pushovers; they would not compromise again.

"I will write a letter to inform the temple master. If Master Xia wishes to continue living in the town, he can stay, but Brother Cheng won’t come to teach at the Xia mansion anymore, and I hope Master Xia won’t visit our village either."

After speaking, Gu Jin’an glanced at the still disheartened Zhan Er, and said to Master Xia, "The situation was caused by you and your wife; it’s only right for you to resolve it. I don’t want any harmful rumors about my elder sister spreading through the town."

After finishing, Gu Jin’an took Brother Cheng’s hand and called to Gu Dashan, "Dad, let’s go."

With that, the whole family started walking towards the entrance of the courtyard.

Lady Xia hurried to stop them, kneeling and pleading with them, "Good Brother An, it was our fault this time. Please, give us one more chance. Can’t you stay?"

Gu Jin’an ignored Lady Xia, holding onto Brother Cheng and walked past her.

In desperation, Lady Xia reached out to grab Brother Cheng, but Gu Jin’an was quick to lift him up and sternly warned Lady Xia, "Madam, don’t make a scene. Some things are not meant for outsiders to know."

Chilled by his words, Lady Xia had no choice but to give up trying to grab Brother Cheng and collapsed on the ground, weeping bitterly.

Xiao San of the Zhan Family had been watching the whole time. Seeing the Gu Family first scold his second brother and then treat Master Xia and his wife in such a manner, he couldn’t contain his anger and jumped out, shouting, "Gu Jin’an, stop right there! You extremely impudent man, scolding my brother is one thing, but to treat the teacher who taught you with such ruthlessness... You’re ungrateful! I’ll compose a poem and slander you at the literary meeting until your reputation is destroyed!"

Gu Jin’an laughed, "You want to compose a poem to slander me? Sure, but you should ask Master Xia if he agrees first. Also, we brothers never formally acknowledged Master Xia as our master; he was just the private school teacher whom our family has indeed paid tuition fee in silver."

Do you understand what a fully settled transaction means?

Although Master Xia was saddened, he still had his sanity and knew that he couldn’t let the reputation of Gu Jin’an and his brother be tarnished. He hurriedly scolded Xiao San, "Xiao San, hold your tongue. Don’t talk nonsense. This incident was indeed our fault initially."

"How can you, Uncle Xia, speak up for such an impudent man?" Zhan San was really upset. Seeing that Master Xia would not support him, he turned to Zhan Er and said, "You say that the man who marries a daughter of the Gu Family must not take a concubine or have maids, what about you? You are also a man; can you commit to only one woman for your whole life?"

Gu Jin’an put down Brother Cheng, looked at Zhan San and declared, "I, Gu Jin’an, swear to Heaven that I will only marry one wife in this lifetime, never accept a concubine, nor keep a maid. If I break this oath, may I not die well, and be reborn as a lower life form in my next life."

Zhan San was stunned, not expecting Gu Jin’an to be so resolute and dare to make such a vicious oath, "You, you..."

People of Great Chu always believe in these oaths; once made, they dare not break them.

Gu Jin’an looked at Zhan San, smirked and asked, "Do you have anything else to say? Or perhaps you also want to make a similar oath? If you don’t dare, then shut your mouth in the future to avoid being publicly shamed."

Zhan San was so furious that he almost choked on his own blood, and retorted, "You’d better live up to your words, or else you might not end up well in the future!"

Gu Jin’an laughed, "I’m not one of those who would die without a woman, I can certainly do what I say."

His swearing was not just talk; he really intended to follow through.

"Let’s go." Gu Dashan, having seen the shameless behavior of the Zhan Family, wished to delay no longer.

Zhan Er, who had been in a daze for so long, finally came to his senses. He rushed over and knelt before Gu Dashan, crying and begging, "Uncle Gu, please give me another chance. I will treat Sister Xiu well, I will only marry her in my lifetime, and will never accept a concubine. I mean what I say, please, sob sob sob..."

Zhan Er was truly heartbroken. He felt that he was deeply in love with Gu Jinxiu, and life would be meaningless if he couldn’t marry her.

Unfortunately, Gu Dashan had seen Yue’er and also witnessed Zhan Er’s heartless flip-flopping. He dared not entrust his eldest daughter to him: "Young man, please get up, I will not give my daughter to you."

Fearing that Zhan Er would persist, he added, "My elder daughter doesn’t like you; she actually detests you. She even cursed you for a long time at home yesterday."

Zhan Er wouldn’t listen and just kept crying and begging Gu Dashan. His demeanor was pitiful, almost as if he would cry himself to death on the spot if he didn’t get the girl.

Gu Jinli was speechless. He lifted his foot and kicked Zhan Er to the ground: "Father, let’s go."

Gu Dashan, also wary of Zhan Er’s persistence, quickly signaled to Gu Jin’an and Brother Cheng to leave.

Lady Xia was crying as she chased them to the gate, but she couldn’t stop the Gu Family. She could only cry and watch them leave, then turned to look at Master Xia who had come out with her and asked, "Husband, what should we do now?"

Even Master Xia was at a loss, but he wouldn’t give up on Brother Cheng. The tutor for the Lu Family heir must be him, thinking he could suppress him by bringing up the temple master?

Little did he know, Master Hu was just a person who had a say in the Lu Family. The real decisions weren’t made by Master Hu.

"Let’s go, let’s go back. Don’t stand out here crying, it’s too conspicuous." This town’s people are all uncouth, always ready to make a spectacle at the slightest disruption. Xia Gu didn’t want his family treated like monkeys being gawked at.

Zhan Er was still kneeling on the ground, crying, hanging onto Old Master Zhan San’s arm, pleading, "Uncle, uncle, write a letter home and ask grandmother to come to Qingfu Town to help your nephew propose... I truly love Gu Jinxiu, I will only marry her in this lifetime. Without her, I’d die right away."

Master Xia entered just in time to hear this, he frowned. He initially thought Zhan Er was decent, but seeing him now found him unbearably irritating, and couldn’t help but reprimand, "Zhan Hengzhi, get up! What kind of posture is this to be kneeling? We’ve been arranging this marriage well, and you cause all these troubles. Now that the Gu Family disapproves and the marriage falls through, do you still have the face to cry?"

After hearing this, Zhan Er cried even more miserably, only calling out Gu Jinxiu’s name, saying he couldn’t live without her. In the midst of his crying and shouting, he suddenly couldn’t breathe and fainted.

"Xiao Er, Xiao Er, what’s wrong with you? Don’t scare your uncle." Old Master Zhan San hurriedly supported the fainted Zhan Er, shaking him and pinching his philtrum, but could not wake him.

"Quick, go fetch the doctor!" Master Xia urgently shouted to Housekeeper Xia next to him, truly overwhelmed by today’s events.

"Yes, this old servant is on it." Housekeeper Xia quickly ran to Xuanhu Fang to fetch Elder Wu.

Doctor Wu arrived quickly and after examining Zhan Er, he said with a stern face, "Didn’t I instruct earlier? This young man should cultivate his moral character and maintain his health. Why did he engage in intercourse again? The old illness hasn’t healed, and now with a new injury, even a young man’s strength cannot withstand such exertion in one night."