Liu Yuan did his best to defend Gu’er, but no matter what he said, Wu Dahua and Wu Sanduo were adamant in their refusal. They both began to resent Gu’er, especially Wu Dahua. She felt she was being so reasonable, but now her son wouldn’t listen to her. He was utterly bewitched. It had to be Gu’er’s fault. Without Gu’er, her son would never be like this.
"Yuan, let tell you, don’t you think that Gu’er girl is anything good. You may fancy her, but she sure doesn’t fancy you. Why do you think Sun Jiaming stepped in to help her that day? It’s because she’s hooked up with him. Otherwise, do you think she’d have the guts to pick a fight with the whole village? Sun Jiaming has her back. He paid fifty yuan for her, which is the sa as buying her. She belongs to Sun Jiaming now. She even stayed at the Sun Family’s house that night. She claid she slept on the sa kang with Granny Sun, but who knows which room she really slept in? Nobody was there in the middle of the night to eavesdrop. I bet..."
Wu Sanduo paused and let out a mysterious, aningful smile. One look and you could tell her smile was full of malicious intent.
"The very next day, Sun Jiaming went and bought a bicycle, parading her around the village on it. Why buy a bicycle? It was all for Gu’er, of course. She must have asked for it. She’s just a troublemaker. Nothing has even happened yet, and she’s already demanding this and that. If she actually married into a family, wouldn’t she be asking for the moon? Big Sister, you have to stand firm, or you’ll be the one to suffer later on."
At that mont, Wu Sanduo would say anything to change Liu Yuan’s mind.
Hearing this, Wu Dahua’s heart filled with even more dislike.
"I get it now. A girl like that? We wouldn’t take her even if she were offered to us for free. What a disgrace! To think I actually bought vegetables from her back then. Now that I think about it, even the vegetables had a foul sll to them. It makes sick."
After speaking, Wu Dahua spat on the ground.
Liu Yuan’s face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. If the person in front of him wasn’t his mother, he would have thrown a punch long ago. But this was his mother; he was powerless.
He could only slam his fist hard against the doorfra.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Acting like this over a girl like her! Are you trying to anger to death? What kind of girl couldn’t our family find? A girl like her isn’t even worthy of carrying their shoes! It’s useless no matter how much of a scene you make. If you want to marry her, you can wait until I’m dead!"
Wu Dahua was both furious and heartbroken.
Liu Yuan was panting with rage, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight with his own mother. He tried to leave, but Wu Dahua refused to let him, holding onto him for dear life. Wu Sanduo grabbed his other arm.
Liu Yuan couldn’t bring himself to shove them away, so he couldn’t take a single step.
Wu Dahua cried and cursed.
Liu Yuan said nothing. Finally, he gave his mother a cold glance and turned to go back into his room.
Wu Sanduo called after him, but he ignored her completely and shut the door.
He didn’t co out for lunch.
Wu Dahua was stubborn. "Skipping one al won’t kill him," she said. "If he’s got the guts, he can just stay in there and not eat."
Liu Yuan said nothing and lay on the kang all afternoon.
He didn’t co out to see Wu Sanduo off when she left.
That evening, Wu Dahua called him for dinner. He didn’t answer, nor did he co out to eat. He was using a hunger strike to protest.
’I can’t win an argunt with you, so I won’t talk. I won’t eat. If you won’t let marry Gu’er, if you won’t let make my own decisions, then I’ll just starve.’
Liu Yuan knew his mother. He couldn’t reason with her, so this was his only option. Otherwise, there was no chance at all for him and Gu’er.
When Liu Yuan’s father returned that night and heard about the situation, he also disapproved. However, he wasn’t as harsh as Wu Dahua and told her to talk to their son properly.
But no matter what Wu Dahua said, good or bad, Liu Yuan remained silent and refused to move, making her chest ache with anger.
Finally, she gave up on him and went back to her room, complaining to Liu Yuan’s father for a long ti.
In the middle of the night, Wu Dahua suddenly sat up. She went to check on Liu Yuan’s room, but there was no sound. Then she went to the kitchen. The food she had left for her son was still in the sa spot, untouched.
Wu Dahua’s heart ached, but she refused to back down.
The next day, she went to call Liu Yuan, but he was still lying on the kang, not moving.
Seeing the dark circles under her son’s eyes and the bloodshot veins within them, she knew he must not have slept all night.
Wu Dahua lost her appetite as well.
After breakfast, Liu Yuan’s father had to leave for work. He told Wu Dahua to figure sothing out and not to keep butting heads with their son like this.
Wu Dahua sat there and thought carefully. She rembered what her sister had said—that Gu’er was now living with the Sun Family, that Sun Jiaming had bought her a bicycle and even paid fifty yuan for her. ’Doesn’t that an Gu’er belongs to the Sun Family now?’
’If that’s the case, I’ll let my son go see Gu’er. When they et, if Gu’er rejects him, he’ll naturally settle down and listen to my arrangents. He’ll only resent Gu’er and won’t bla .’
’But should I really let him go see her?’
She felt uneasy. Her son was handso, and their family was from the city. That Gu’er girl was no decent person; she was determined to do so social climbing. What if she ditched Sun Jiaming and latched onto her Liu Yuan instead?
’Even if she doesn’t latch onto my son, she could string them both along—seeing Sun Jiaming on one side while hooking my son on the other. My son is naive and honest; she could wrap him right around her little finger.’
Wu Dahua thought and thought until her head felt like it would explode. She couldn’t co up with a good plan, but she couldn’t just let her son starve.
’Fine, I’ll let him go. Even if that Gu’er girl gets her hooks into him, I have ways to deal with her. If she dares to dream of marrying into my family, I’ll see to it that her reputation is ruined.’
’And if she’s smart enough not to pester my son, he’ll co back and forget all about her. Then I can finally put this matter to rest.’
Once she had made up her mind, Wu Dahua went to call Liu Yuan. Her scolding tone was gone. She told him to go to the village and ask Gu’er what her intentions were, whether she had any feelings for him. It would be humiliating to send a matchmaker only to be rejected. If Gu’er was also interested and they ca to an agreent, then she would find a matchmaker. That was the proper way to do things.
The mont Liu Yuan heard his mom agree to let him see Gu’er, he knew his hunger strike had worked. He imdiately sat up. ’It’s a good idea to ask her. Gu’er must feel so lost and scared right now. I need to go comfort her, see if there’s anything I can do to help. I’ll also ask her how she feels about . If she feels the sa way, I’ll bring her to the city, help her find a job, and make sure she never has to go back to that village again.’
The thought of seeing Gu’er imdiately lifted Liu Yuan’s spirits, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitent. If he settled Gu’er in the city, he could see her every day. With him protecting her, no one would bully her anymore. She wouldn’t have so many worries. She would surely be happy with that. Thinking this, Liu Yuan impatiently got off the kang, put on his shoes, and started to head out.
Seeing her son like this, Wu Dahua felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she had been punched. It hurt deeply. She called him back, forced him to eat a al and drink so water, and only then let him go.
After Liu Yuan left, Wu Dahua was filled with anxiety. She waited at ho, growing more and more restless, not knowing what to do. Unable to sit still any longer, she went out to visit the neighbors.
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Thank you to all the dears who sent red envelopes. Honestly, I was very nervous when I started this book, worrying whether everyone would like this kind of genre and story, worrying about all sorts of things. As for red envelopes, I never thought anyone would send any. I was so surprised and touched that several of you did. Thank you all so much.
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