Tian Xiwangâs wife wanted to call on her man and son to move Tian Huiâer down from the mule cart, but when she realized Tian Huiâer had really fainted, she cried out anxiously, "Her father, her father, come quickly and see, our Huiâer has really fainted."
Gu Dagui: "..."
So Tian Huiâer was pretending to faint earlier?
Upon hearing this, Tian Xiwang and his son felt scared too, fearing Tian Huiâer might have something serious and wouldnât be able to marry into the Gu Family to support her own family. They then said to Gu Dagui, "Take us to the clinic quickly!"
They decided to have Huiâer treated first, knowing the Gu Family wouldnât escape. Once Huiâer recovered, they would revisit the marriage proposal.
With a snap of the whip, Gu Dagui drove the mule cart and took them to the Liu Family Clinic.
Doctor Liu had just returned from the Shi family, and as soon as he came out of the bath, he heard there were patients at the door, arriving by mule cart, suggesting they must be from a wealthy family. He couldnât miss such an opportunity, so he skipped dinner and personally went to diagnose.
But before the diagnosis, he kindly asked Tian Xiwangâs wife, "I am the best doctor in Liu Family Clinic. If you want me to diagnose personally, the fee is a bit high."
Tian Xiwang minded the silver and asked, "How high is high?"
Doctor Liu: "Not very high, just the same as what rich familiesâ young masters and misses pay for medical treatment."
Tian Xiwang hesitated upon hearing this, knowing well that the medical fees for young masters and misses of wealthy families were never cheap.
However, Tian Xiwangâs wife cursed, "What are you dawdling about? Itâs only a dozen or so taels for the diagnosis. Once Huiâer marries into the Gu Family, she could bring back tens of thousands of taels of silver."
Tens of thousands of taels of silver!
Doctor Liu straightened his back upon hearing this and, adopting a miraculous tone, said, "This girlâs life is precious and needs careful examination, or it may affect her offspring in the future."
Tian Xiwangâs wife panicked, "What? My Huiâerâs illness could affect her offspring? Oh no, that canât wait. Please quickly take a look."
If Huiâer couldnât bear children, even if she married into the Gu Family, she would be divorced and sent back home.
After hearing this, Doctor Liu started taking Tian Huiâerâs pulse, but... the pulse felt a bit wrong, as if she had a blood-spitting condition; the pulse was weak but she didnât look like she was dying.
And it seemed this girl was poisoned?
However, Doctor Liu couldnât be sure, as he couldnât determine whether the girl was poisoned just by feeling her pulse. He needed to test.
Strangely, after examining the girlâs blood for an hour, the result showed no toxins in her body.
Tian Xiwangâs wife saw Doctor Liu toiling for an entire hour and thought Tian Huiâer had some terminal illness, almost fainting with fear.
But fortunately, Doctor Liu finally said, "We canât be sure now. You should stay in the clinic tonight, and weâll observe after your daughter wakes up tomorrow."
If she wakes up without any issues, then there is no major illness. If she wakes up spitting blood or faints again, she might be poisoned or suffering from a terminal illness.
Tian Xiwangâs family had no choice but to stay. However, staying there cost silver as well. They wanted to ask Gu Dagui for money, but Gu Dagui was nowhere to be found.
Tian Xiwangâs wife cursed, "Miserly Gu Dagui, ran away faster than a rat. Bah, do you really think we would borrow money from you and not return it?"
Once Huiâer marries Gu Jinâan, their family would have endless silver to spend.
...
Gu Dagui had already returned to Gu Jinliâs house, telling them about the events at the clinic and that sentence from Tian Xiwangâs wife, "Our Huiâer really fainted this time," to everyone there.
"That Tian family girl must have been pretending to faint earlier."
Mrs. Chen, hearing this, raised her chin and proudly said, "I knew from the start that girl was pretending, just wanting to cling to Xiao Yuâs family for a chance to marry Brother An. Who doesnât know such tricks? If she really wants to marry Brother An, she should use another method, like saving the man and bringing him home."
"If a man spends a night in the girlâs house, he learns the girl saved him, and for the girlâs reputation and gratitude, he has to marry her immediately, right? That Tian family girl just used the wrong method. In such times, who still tries to cling to a manâs family using such delicate means. Do you think just by clinging to a manâs family, theyâll marry you? Are their parents fools? They wonât let a vixen like that get her way!"
Mrs. Chen spoke passionately, spitting on the snacks on the table as she talked.
The Third Grandma glared at her in disgust and scolded, "Talking is one thing, but why are you yelling? Your spit is all over these snacks; how are we supposed to eat them?"
Mrs. Chen laughed, "If no oneâs going to eat, Iâll take them to my room. Iâve been feeling very hungry in the middle of the night lately and need something to fill my stomach."
The Third Grandma angrily replied, "In your dreams, these snacks were sent as a gift from the Magistrate. You canât eat them all by yourself."
With that, she took the upper layer of snacks and placed them on the yellow paper, then took the ones underneath, along with the plate, and left.
Mrs. Chen didnât get angry. Instead, she happily picked up the snacks on the yellow paper and ate them.
While she was enjoying her food, she noticed Gu Dagui staring at her as if heâd seen a ghost and immediately yelled angrily, "What are you staring at? Havenât you seen me before?"
Gu Dagui raised his hand, pointed at her, and, trembling, asked, "Back then when Little Tyrant Lin from the neighboring village set dogs on me, leading me to fall into the pond, you rescued me and brought me clean clothes... Was that your plan all along? Did you pay Little Tyrant Lin to bully me?"
Gu Dagui and Mrs. Chen werenât brought together by a matchmaker but because he took a liking to her himself.
He was taken with Mrs. Chen precisely because she saved him and, despite the risk of being beaten by her family, stole her brotherâs clothes to give him, and even gave him food to eat.
Even though what she gave was only two wild vegetable and sorghum cakes, causing his throat to get scratched up, he was still so moved, feeling that Miss Chen was so kind to him and willing to help even if it meant getting beaten by her family.
From then on, their relationship developed from returning clothes and returning food to pleading with his family to go to the Chen family to propose marriage and asking to marry Mrs. Chen.
But just now, what did he hear?
Could it be that the life-saving kindness he thought of years ago was actually Mrs. Chenâs own design?
"When Brother Wang turned one year old, I went to town to buy items for his celebration and met Little Tyrant Lin. He said it was his credit that I was able to marry you. At that time, I didnât think much of it, only thinking that our fate was thanks to him bullying me. But now I realize he meant something else!"
Gu Dagui was about to explode with anger, roaring, "You wicked woman! I have been so good to you, and you were scheming against me!"
Mrs. Chen slapped her own mouth. This mouth of hers, why couldnât it keep a secret? One slip of the tongue and everything came out.
However, Mrs. Chen wasnât afraid of Gu Dagui discovering the truth about back then. With her hands on her hips, she shouted, "So what? Even if I was the one who liked you first, and arranged for Little Tyrant Lin to set dogs on you, what of it? If I hadnât done that, when would a wooden blockhead like you ever notice me?"
Her family was notorious for being down and out across the ten miles and eight villages, with no decent family daring to propose marriage. The only ones coming were widowers wanting her as their second wife.
She refused to marry those people and actively sought good young men across the ten miles and eight villages. Eventually, she filtered out a few, one of whom was Gu Dagui.