Gu Jinxiu just reacted now, turned her head to Sister Li and said: "Sister Li, Iām so tired... Iām leaving, I have to chase after him. If Iām late, who knows where he would go in his next life?"
Luo Wu was shocked; the letter just now was about his death news.
Sister Xiuās premature labor was caused by him.
Luo Wuās heart was ripped apart as he shouted at Sister Xiu lying on the bed: "Sister Xiu, donāt chase after me, itās not worth it. You have to pull yourself together, give birth to the child safely... I beg you, please, donāt be so foolish!"
Unfortunately, Gu Jinxiu couldnāt hear his words at all. He was so anxious he was almost going mad, while Gu Jinxiu still looked unwilling to live.
Sister Li pleaded with Gu Jinxiu: "Sister Xiu, donāt be like this, Brother Wu wants the best for you... Listen, give birth to the child safely and live well... Maybe, just maybe, this child is his reincarnation."
However, no matter what she said, Gu Jinxiu had lost the will to live.
She was so intent on dying, ignoring the midwivesā pleas, closing her eyes, still clutching a red head rope, a gift he bought for her the first time he received his salary.
...He had once treated her well at the cost of his own life, itās just a pity that they had no marital fate.
Luo Wu was already beyond tears, continuously wailing: "Iām begging you, please donāt die, donāt die..."
Bang!
The door of the innās room was smashed open by two workers, as the Shopkeeper rushed in and shook Luo Wu lying on the ground: "Sir, sir, wake up!"
But Luo Wu couldnāt wake up, still wailing, his grief-stricken appearance scared the innās staff.
A crowd gathered outside the door, seeing the state he was in, they said: "Heās been possessed by a nightmare, he needs to be beaten out of it."
The Shopkeeper had no other choice and let two workers punch Luo Wu several times, finally waking him up.
"Please forgive us, sir. You were possessed by a nightmare; we had to beat you awake." The Shopkeeper humbly apologized, fearing the young man who was carrying a knife, had a horse, and looked strong might get angry and destroy the inn.
But Luo Wu just gasped for air and looked around, hearing the Shopkeeperās words, he started to cry and laugh: "Itās a dream, not real, itās a dream, Sister Xiu isnāt dead."
Shopkeeper: "..."
How did they end up with a madman in their inn?
"Did the guest have a nightmare? These dreams are all ominous, guest, why donāt you go home and check?" The Shopkeeper was scared of Luo Wu, this man had stayed in their inn for a few days, squatting in the room, not going out, drinking late into the night without sleeping; it was better to send him away quickly, otherwise, he might bring disaster to the inn.
Luo Wu was startled when he heard this and recalled the events in his dream; indeed, it felt like God was giving him a warning, too real for him not to believe it... This could be Sister Xiuās fate in the future.
Luo Wu laid down ten taels of silver and immediately got up and ran to the back yard where the animals were kept, took his horse, and galloped home.
He traveled day and night, and finally arrived at the village in the morning of the next day. He didnāt go home but went straight to knock on the Gu Familyās gate.
"Da Tuan, open the door, I need to see Sister Xiu!" Luo Wu was scared by that nightmare, disregarding the social taboos about gender, bluntly stating he was looking for Gu Jinxiu.
However, it wasnāt Da Tuan who opened the door, but Father Luo.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Father Luo, seeing him, was so mad that without saying a word he started hitting him with a big stick: "You little bastard still have the face to look for Sister Xiu, where have you been all these days? Are you still a man? Iāll beat you to death, you debt-collecting ghost!"
Over and over again, did he think Sister Xiu would marry no one but him? His twenty years of brotherly bond with Dashan were nearly ruined by that kid.
Luo Wu was frantic to find Gu Jinxiu. This time, he wasnāt passively taking a beating; instead, he fought back, snatching Father Luoās stick and kneeling before Gu Dashan inside the door: "Uncle Dashan, I know I was wrong. Please let me see Sister Xiu, I have something vital related to a personās life to tell her."
That nightmare was too real. Whether everyone believed it or not, he had to tell Sister Xiu about the dream, to keep her from attending the Winter Embroidery Meeting.
"Youāre too late. Sister Xiu isnāt at home," Gu Dashan sighed as he looked at Luo Wu, disappointed to his core by the son-in-law he had favored for many years.
Luo Wu was shocked: "Sister Xiu is not at home? Where did she go?"
Ms. Chu and Mrs. Cui heard the noise and rushed out. Upon seeing Luo Wu, they charged at him and began to hit him: "You bastard, you knew to come back. You drove Sister Xiu away. Sheās gone to Linhe Prefecture."
"Sister Xiu has gone to Linhe Prefecture!" Luo Wu stood up in shock and asked Ms. Chu, "Is she going to Linhe for the Winter Embroidery Meeting? How long has she been gone? When did she leave?"
Every year at the end of October, Sister Xiu would receive an invitation from Huaiyu Embroidery Shop to participate in the Winter Embroidery Meeting in Linhe Prefecture, but she never wanted to trouble the family so she never went.
This time she would go...
"Itās my fault, Iāve really doomed her," muttered Luo Wu, thinking of his dream, he immediately mounted his horse.
Seeing him trying to leave again, Father Luo immediately grabbed the horseās head and bellowed at Luo Wu: "You beast, get down from there! If you run away again, Iāll wring your neck!"
He had always thought the boy was just quietākeeping things hidden in his heart. Now he realized that his son was reckless, out of control in his fury.
"Father, please step aside. I must save Sister Xiu. Iām afraid something might happen if Iām too late," Luo Wu said, wanting to gallop away but worried about injuring his father.
"What nonsense are you spouting? How could anything happen to Sister Xiu? Are you not going to be satisfied until you harm her?" Ms. Chu became furious. Brother Wu was getting increasingly irrational. Where had his previous stability gone?
Luo Wu came back to his senses, aware that he couldnāt leave in such a hurry, so he softly said, "Father, Mother, I know I was wrong. Please let me go find Sister Xiu and apologize to her in person."
He added, "I had a dream, a bad omen, and Iām scared. I want to find her."
The parents from both families frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that? What sort of nightmare could be such a bad omen?"
The Great Chu people believe in these things, and with Gu Jinxiu having just left on a trip, they couldnāt help but press for details upon hearing this.
Luo Wu had no time to explain in detail to them. He tried to take the horse, but his father clung tightly to the animal, unwilling to let go.
Brother Cheng popped up from nowhere, grabbed Father Luoās hand, and looking up, he sweetly called out, "Uncle Luo."
He was the youngest child of the Gu Family, and he had always been adored by Father Luo and Ms. Chu. Hearing his voice, Father Luo turned to look at him and said, "Brother Cheng, be good. This place is too chaotic and dangerous. Go stand aside."
Before the words were finished, a pain shot through his hand; Luo Wu had pried his hand away, turned the horseās head, and rode off: "Father, Iām sorry. Punish me when I return."
Then he turned back to Brother Cheng, who had helped him, and asked, "How long since your sister left?"
Brother Cheng shouted back, "Big sister and Big Brother left yesterday morning. They took the land route. Youād better hurry and bring Big Sister back, and then weāll beat you up!"
"Luo Wu, you rotten kid, come back!" Father Luo tried to chase after him, but the horse had already sped off more than ten meters and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Seeing him go, Father Luo breathed a sigh of relief... It was good for Brother Wu to go after Sister Xiu; let the two kids clarify things. Maybe the wedding could still happen.