Chapter 844: Chapter 800: Discussing Marriage (Part 2)
"Pa-da," Xu Jia heard the stick she was using to string fish fall onto the soft grass.
It took her a while to find her voice, "I think Iâm awake, Master Yun, you might still be dreaming."
Are you kidding me! Family Headâs wife? Yun Huaiâs wife? Her? Is he really not awake?
Yun Huai remained calm, "The Yun Family has rules, no speaking recklessly to others."
Xu Jia was stunned again, for a long time, and asked hesitantly, "Then does the Yun Family have a rule that the Family Headâs wife must be of pure and complete reputation?"
Yun Huai looked at her for a moment, then suddenly said, "I set the rule mentioned above."
The implication was that heâs the Family Head, whatever he says goes.
"Since itâs not your dream, it must be me dreaming then." Xu Jia said, while pinching her own arm.
Though it hurt, which proved it wasnât a dream, she still couldnât accept Yun Huaiâs sudden words; "shocked" wouldnât even begin to describe her current state of mind.
Yun Huai rarely saw her lose composure like this, a hint of amusement crept into the corners of his eyes, and his usually calm gaze faintly held a smile.
Xu Jiaâs heart raced wildly, stammering, "Donât look at me like that, Iâm not good at self-control, especially when beauty is before me, I, I..."
She originally intended to say something fierce to give herself some courage, but what exactly, she couldnât quite articulate.
Xu Jia was so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it, but Yun Huai next to her remained leisurely, after listening to her âme, myself,â he interjected, "I accept your opinion."
Xu Jia quickly said, "I havenât even proposed anything yet..."
Yun Huai calmly said, "Faced with beauty, I doubt you could propose anything useful. Letâs settle it that way."
"Huh?" Xu Jia was completely unable to follow his train of thought.
What did âsettle it that wayâ mean? Settle what? What was settled? Did she agree?
After taking countless deep breaths to calm herself down, Xu Jia sincerely said, "Master Yun, I think there might be a bit of misunderstanding between us."
"A big misunderstanding," Yun Huai said, "when we first met I hadnât done anything, and you hit me with a brick."
Xu Jia sighed lightly, "I personally think that since youâve reached the position of Family Head, you should expand your mind appropriately, donât hold onto grudges over trivial things."
"I donât hold grudges," Yun Huai clarified, "but when I choose to, sometimes I might remember them."
Xu Jia was conquered by his strong logic, "So the reason you said those words earlier was to vent, upset that I hurt you indiscriminately then?"
Yun Huaiâs thin, delicate lip corners seemed to lift slightly, "I think you can be more confident."
"Like?"
"For example, maybe I didnât say those words to you because I hold a grudge."
"Then what else could it be?" Xu Jia secretly rolled her eyes, "Could it be you feel..."
Before she finished, she saw Yun Huaiâs fair earlobes redden visibly.
Red?
The renowned Jianghu nobleman blushed?
Oh no, he seemed perfectly calm, if not for the change in ear color, Xu Jia wouldnât have noticed anything unusual.
Yun Huai saw her expression, and reminded her, "Generally speaking, when a girl hears these words, sheâll blush first thing."
Xu Jia originally wanted to say "Youâre already blushing first, so I donât have to," but stopped herself, instead said, "Perhaps my skin is thicker than theirs, not so easily blushing."
It was well understood that Yun Huai couldnât possibly have an interest in her; he must have other intentions in saying so, and sheâs too wary to have the leisure to blush.
Yun Huai stayed silent, gazing deeply at her.
This gaze, paired with his elegant and graceful appearance, was completely irresistible.
Xu Jiaâs face heated up instantly, ultimately she surrendered, she carefully recalled Yun Huaiâs words, "If I remember correctly, earlier you were discussing with me? Asking my opinion?"
"Sort of." Yun Huai nodded.
"Then can I refuse?"
"I can." Yun Huai said, "But rejecting is your business, whether or not I agree with your rejection, thatâs my business."
Xu Jia laughed, "Your Yun Familyâs way of asking for someoneâs opinion is indeed unique."
...
All the way back to the Western Marquis Mansion and locking herself in her boudoir, Xu Jiaâs mind was still in turmoil. She thought about a lot of things, recalling every detail from the first time she met Yun Huai up to today.
Then she realized that it wasnât entirely without trace; back then, she had tried every means possible to get close to Yun Huai for a bracelet. She had always thought Yun Huai disliked her, and at their parting, his words, "If you are not sincere, then you shouldnât start this casually," were never taken to heart by Xu Jia.
Only today did she suddenly realize, perhaps even at that time, Yun Huai had already shown his feelings. But due to her playful demeanor, he had no choice but to nip them in the bud.
So, when exactly did Yun Huai start having feelings for her?
This was a question Xu Jia dared not ask, because asking would not yield any straightforward answer.
However, thinking of Yun Huaiâs words, Xu Jiaâs heart became somewhat chaotic.
For one, it was too sudden.
Secondly, she couldnât quite grasp her own state; whether she was bewitched by beauty, or if there was truly some subconscious intention in that regard.
After all, she was no longer an inexperienced young girl; she couldnât ignore the inexplicable heartbeat every time she saw Yun Huai.
Shaking her head, she leaned against the small couch, preparing to take a nap.
At that moment, Mo Xiang came in and said, "Miss, I just went to the Madamâs courtyard and heard her talking with the young madam about something."
Seeing her full of excitement, Xu Jia asked, "What makes you so happy?"
"Last time, didnât you deliver a letter to the Vice Minister Li Mansion and saved Grandma Feng? As a token of thanks, Vice Minister Li is planning to become in-laws with us."
Xu Jia was startled, and her drowsiness vanished, "Say that again?"
Thinking she hadnât heard, Mo Xiang repeated, talking about how outstandingly handsome the young man from Vice Minister Liâs family was, how his father was the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, and how promising his future was. A young gentleman from such a prestigious family, the miss wouldnât be wronged marrying into it.
Xu Jia was quite conflicted, "Has my mother agreed?"
Mo Xiang laughed, "Such a good thing, of course the Madam agreed. But currently, itâs still the period of national mourning, so marriage canât be conducted. The Li family intends to consult a date once the mourning is over for the formal betrothal."
Seeing Xu Jiaâs odd expression, Mo Xiang asked doubtfully, "Why the reaction, miss? Do you think somethingâs amiss?"
Of course itâs amiss! Very amiss!
No wonder Yun Huai chose today to say those words; perhaps he was well-informed and already knew of the Li Familyâs intention to form an alliance with the Xu Family.
To be honest, if following her heart, Xu Jia would rather marry Yun Huai, after all, she was more familiar with Yun Huai, and he was a renowned gentleman in Jianghu. Except for his fondness for speaking in riddles, his way of dealing with things fit her heart well.
As for the young man from the Li Family, Xu Jia barely knew him, not to mention that she hadnât even met him, which made her naturally resistant.
After a night of rest, the next day Xu Jia went to pay respects to her mother, only to hear Mrs. Xu bring up the matter indeed.
Mrs. Xu beamed with satisfaction, pulled Xu Jiaâs hand, and said, "That time when the young lady from the Li Family could be saved was all thanks to you delivering the message promptly, Jiajia. Yesterday I ran into Mrs. Li when I went out, and she told me Mr. Li regards the matter highly, and mentioned her daughter being grateful for your saving grace, suggesting itâs a fateful connection, and proposed to make you sisters-in-law. Their family hardly has any objections; now theyâre just waiting for the mourning period to pass before inviting the official matchmaker to propose formally."
Xu Jiaâs eyelid twitched, "Mother, why didnât you ask my opinion before agreeing to this?"
Mrs. Xu replied, "Didnât you say to let me make the decision? Besides, this is a good match; the young man from the Li Family is talented and capable. Itâs said he doesnât plan to rely on his familyâs influence, and aims to enter the official career through the imperial exams. What an ambitious person, it sounds like heâll have a promising future, truly a good match for you!"
Saying this, Mrs. Xu held her daughterâs hand tightly, "Jiajia, mother doesnât ask for anything else, just hopes you can find a good man and marry nearby, so mother can know youâre living well."
These last words pushed back everything Xu Jia had planned to confess.
Her mother hopes she would marry close by, but the Yun Family is in Suzhou, so far away. Would her mother agree?
Even if both father and mother agreed, she wasnât willing to leave them and marry so far away.
Earlier in her life, she hadnât been able to fulfill her filial duties well, so in this life, she must make up for the regrets.
With this in mind, Xu Jia secretly made a decision; she planned to speak sincerely with Yun Huai.
Indeed, they hadnât developed a deep relationship yet, so whether they married or not wasnât a big deal. Besides, given Yun Huaiâs conditions, as long as he wished, there were many more superior women eager to marry him.
Having prepared a draft in mind, with an attitude of "no matter what you say, Iâm not going to marry far away to Suzhou," yet as soon as she arrived at Yun Huaiâs residence and stepped through the door, the scene inside stopped all her words.