Gu Jinli frowned as she saw Ms. Chu nearly breaking down.
Aunt Luo had always seed strong in her mory, never crying no matter what happened. What kind of tragic affair must it be for her to sob like this?
Third Grandpa spoke up: "Tie Zhu, if your wife has sothing to say, let her speak with Dashan’s wife. It’s easier for won to talk among themselves, so you don’t need to intervene."
Father Luo had left ho and not returned for many years, never ntioning his family, and Ms. Chu was the sa, having not brought up her own family for many years. Third Grandpa knew that the couple must have experienced so event in their youth, and now that Ms. Chu wanted to talk, she should do so privately with Mrs. Cui.
Father Luo wanted to say more, but Ms. Chu had already taken Mrs. Cui’s hand and left.
Father Luo chased after them for a few steps, then stopped.
Gu Dashan was a bit at a loss and wanted to say a few words to Father Luo, but Father Luo just waved his hand and said, "Dashan, we’ve been through thick and thin together for twenty years; it’s alright for you and your wife to know, there’s no need for you to say anything."
He had accepted her completely from the mont he decided to marry Ms. Chu.
Having heard that, Gu Dashan truly did not say more. Instead, he moved a stool over to sit beside Father Luo, and the two n, both over forty, sat waiting for Ms. Chu to co out with Mrs. Cui.
Gu Jinli and the others were also sitting in the dining hall waiting. After an hour, Mrs. Cui returned to the dining hall with red eyes and gestured to Xiao Yu: "Xiao Yu, you co here."
"?" Gu Jinli was startled. Why was she being called?
Mrs. Cui nodded: "Yes, co here. Aunt Luo has sothing to say to you."
Seeing that Mrs. Cui had not called out by mistake, Gu Jinli imdiately got up and followed Mrs. Cui out, reassuring an anxious Gu Jinxiu as she left: "Big sister, don’t worry, everything will be alright."
Gu Jinxiu nodded, letting go of Gu Jinli’s hand to let her leave.
Brother Cheng worried that Gu Jinxiu might be scared, so he ca over to sit beside her, smiling at her.
Mrs. Cui took Gu Jinli to the courtyard where she lived with Gu Jinxiu, entering Gu Jinli’s room, and began to speak about Ms. Chu’s matters.
"This is what happened; your Aunt Luo didn’t dislike your big sister. She was afraid Brother Wu wouldn’t be able to protect her, causing them a lifeti of pain. Over the past three years, our household has been thriving, and though she still worries, she has loosened up."
Gu Jinli was shocked, and after steadying her emotions, she asked Mrs. Cui, "Mother, what are you saying? Aunt Luo was previously married and was abducted and ruined before marrying Uncle Luo?"
Gu Jinli knew there must be reasons why Ms. Chu did not co to her family for a marriage proposal in those early years, but she had not expected such a dark shadow.
Mrs. Cui nodded, wiping her tears, "Yes, that’s what Aunt Luo said. Such matters should not be known to a young woman like you, but Aunt Luo understood that you’re sensible. She feared that if she didn’t tell you, you’d hold a grudge against her past actions, so she asked to find you and tell you the story."
"But she’s a senior, and Mother didn’t want her to tell you these things personally, so she asked to tell you first." Mrs. Cui instructed Gu Jinli: "Keep this knowledge in your heart, and do not reveal a single word of it. If an outsider finds out, Aunt Luo won’t be able to live."
Not even Sister Xiu could know this; if the marriage agreent between the two families proceeded, how could a daughter-in-law live knowing such things about her mother-in-law?
Gu Jinli said, "Mother, rest assured, I won’t say a word about this."
Mrs. Cui nodded, and couldn’t help but start crying again: "I thought my life was hard enough, but Aunt Luo’s life is even harder."
Such imnse suffering she had endured.
Gu Jinli said, "Mother, please don’t cry. If Third Grandma and the others see, they’ll grow suspicious. Take to see Aunt Luo."
Mrs. Cui nodded and led Gu Jinli to her own room.
Ms. Chu was no longer crying, sitting under the eaves of the main room, staring blankly into space.
Mrs. Cui hurried over and said, "Why aren’t you sitting in the room? It’s so cold outside."
Ms. Chu smiled: "The winter in He’an Prefecture is much warr than our Northwest. I’m bundled up well and sitting outside is fine."
Then turning to Gu Jinli, "Xiao Yu, Aunt Luo knows you hold resentnt in your heart, but she truly didn’t dislike Jinxiu. Just that..."
"There’s no need to say more, I already understand." She bowed to Ms. Chu in respect and said, "I apologize, I should not have dug so deep."
So things are not to be traced; when you unearth the past, you might not bring up joy and laughter, but the bloody and shattered pain of others.
Ms. Chu didn’t bla her and only said, "You were doing it for Jinxiu... It was I who shouldn’t have done that. Jinxiu is Jinxiu, I am . Our fates are different. I was frightened by past events, and hence I wronged Jinxiu and Brother Wu. Now Brother Wu..."
As Ms. Chu ntioned Luo Wu, tears began to fall again: "His father had approached him twice about proposing to your family, but he stopped it both tis. We held back from telling your family because we were afraid your family would get angry and completely disregard the marriage with us."
Ms. Chu thought to herself, to delay for a while longer, and as soon as Brother Wu had a change of heart, she would imdiately go to the Gu Family to propose marriage. But who knew that it could be delayed no longer.
Gu Jinli said, "How well Brother Luo Wu treated my sister before, we all saw with our own eyes. People don’t change without reason. Rest assured, Brother Qin will go to the county to find Brother Luo Wu soon and surely bring him back."
Gu Jinli did not bring up Ms. Chu’s past anymore. It’s best not to ntion it ever again, as it’s too hurtful. It’s enough to know that Ms. Chu did not disdain her eldest sister.
Now, the most important thing is to find Luo Wu and ask him what he really ans.
Ms. Chu knew disclosing her own past could only alleviate the dissatisfaction of the Gu Family with her own family. To marry Sister Xiu, it still depended on Brother Wu. If he showed no indication, the marriage between the two families would also not happen.
"I will accompany Brother Qin with Uncle Luo," Ms. Chu stood up, leaning on the porch pillar next to her.
Gu Jinli shook his head, "You should rest at ho."
How could Ms. Chu, who couldn’t even stand steady, go to find Luo Wu?
Mrs. Cui advised, "Xiao Yu is right, we should just wait at ho for news. Let Dashan and Brother Luo Er go to find Brother Wu."
Ms. Chu nodded and allowed Mrs. Cui to support her as they headed to the dining room in the front courtyard.
Father Luo, seeing this, quickly approached, said nothing upon seeing Ms. Chu’s tear-reddened eyes, and took Ms. Chu from Mrs. Cui’s hands, supporting her with his own arm.
Ms. Chu glanced at him and smiled, "I’m fine, it’s all in the past. Go with Dashan and San Lang to find Brother Wu. It’s been delayed for a long ti, bring him back and clarify things, we can’t keep dragging this on."
Father Luo saw her face was as white as a ghost and was reluctant to go. However, he knew that at this ti, Ms. Chu did not want him to accompany her; she would rather be alone, "Alright, I will take you back ho first, then go find Brother Wu."
Ms. Chu nodded, then turned to a worried Gu Jinxiu, "Sister Xiu, don’t worry, it’s nothing."
She also beckoned to Luo Huiniang, "Hui Niang, co ho with mother first."
Luo Huiniang, though unclear about what had happened, was certain it was nothing good. Her eyes reddened with distress as she quickly ca over to support Ms. Chu, "Mother."
Ms. Chu patted her head, "Don’t be afraid."
Father Luo soon supported Ms. Chu back ho, while Gu Jinli talked about going to the county to find Luo Wu.
Gu Dashan expressed his worry, "I’ll go too."
With that, he followed Gu Jin’an to get the mule cart ready.
By the ti the mule cart was ready, Father Luo had arrived with Luo Huiniang.
With indignation, Luo Huiniang said, "I want to go to the county too to find big brother; I must drag him back."
Mrs. Cui originally didn’t want Gu Jinli to go along, but seeing Luo Huiniang insisted, she agreed and brought cotton cloaks for Gu Jinli, Gu Jin’an, and Gu Dashan, telling them, "Be careful on the road, and if it gets too late, co back tomorrow."
Gu Dashan nodded, "Eh, this isn’t our first ti rushing on the road at night, don’t worry."
Gu Dashan and the others quickly got on the mule cart and left through the main gate, where Qin San Lang was already waiting with a horse.
Next to Qin San Lang was another mule cart, driven by Qiu Lang.
Zezi was also there and upon seeing the Gu Family People co out, he hurriedly said, "Master, you can sit in the workshop’s mule cart, I will drive."
Zezi’s driving skills were much better than those of Gu Dashan.
Gu Dashan was in a hurry to find Luo Wu, and upon hearing this, he quickly said, "Eh, you drive."
He also called out to Father Luo, "Brother Luo Er, let’s take the workshop’s mule cart."
With fewer people, the mule cart could go faster.
Father Luo imdiately got on the workshop’s mule cart, and Qiu Lang cracked the whip, sending the mule cart sprinting out of the village.
Qin San Lang, as a Company Commander of the Military Office, could enter the county even after the city gates were closed, thanks to a Token.
After they entered the city, the first place they went to was the residence that Luo Wu had bought.
Luckily, they found Luo Wu there.
The residence was pitch black, and Luo Wu was lying in the cold courtyard, already drunk to the point of incoherence.
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