Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Xu Yun smiled and said, âAlthough we joked about getting the two engaged when they were young, the children are grown up and have their own ideas now. Weâre not old-fashioned parents; we should listen to and respect our kidsâ opinions. Iâve given my children plenty of freedom, so they grew up very independent, including Shi Xiu. Iâve never forced my kids to get married, and I wonât start now.â
Bai Jie smiled. âOf course. Itâs the twenty-first century after allâarranged marriages are a thing of the past. However, itâs really not an easy feat to find a suitable marriage partner for families like ours. I donât mind if the kids want a love match, but we canât just let them fool around, right?â
âDo you still remember the Xie family? Both of their sons had married celebrities. As for their daughter⦠She insisted on marrying her bodyguard. In the end, the sonsâ divorce proceedings are in full swing after less than ten years of marriage, and their daughter actually got abused by her bodyguard husband and even made it into the entertainment news,â Bai Jie informed Xu Yun.
âOld Master Xie was so angry that he fell ill and got hospitalized. When Gu Feiâs grandparents heard this, they sighed and told us we canât let our kids mess around where their marriage is concerned. Our children should find good matches, isnât that right?â
Xu Yun concurred, âYou do have a point. However, itâs still up to the kids whether they want to get married or not. You canât force love; after all, marriage means theyâll have to live together for the rest of their lives, and we canât watch them for their entire lives.â
Bai Jie smilingly replied, âOf course. Thatâs why we came; we wanted to let the kids spend more time together and give them a chance to get to know each other. You never know; they might develop an interest in each other; fate is a mysterious thing. The two were already engaged when they were youngâwhoâs to say this wasnât meant to be? Wonât it be great if their childhood relationship comes to fruition? It really isnât easy for families like ours to find a match of equal status!â
Xu Yun smiled politely. She agreed with Bai Jieâs logic, but she didnât approve of her method. She still felt that mutual affection is more important than equal social status in a marriage.
However, she didnât want to continue arguing, so she didnât say anything further. Her daughter is assertive, and her two sons and daughters-in-law werenât just for show. Theyâll be able to take care of it; she truly didnât have to worry about this.
Bai Jie thought she had convinced Xu Yun when the woman didnât refute her and was secretly happy. âEverything I said is true, so ofcourse, Xu Yun couldnât argue,â Bai Jie thought. It was true that there werenât many families of equal status to the Gu family; there were only two or three families that could match her familyâs social standing in White City, and these families had watched their children grow up, so they knew each other very well.
None of those kids were suitable to be Gu Feiâs wife. Gu Fei was currently the only male child in their clan, so saying that his wife had to be one in a million wasnât an exaggeration. They must be stringent when choosing his wife because this was a major issue that concerns the Gu familyâs future bloodline!
Shi Xiu was the most outstanding out of all the potential marriage candidates. Therefore, the Gu family rushed to Rong City to let the children spend time together and develop a good relationship. It was fine if young people liked to play around and didnât like arranged marriages. Love can grow over time, so they just have to let the kids spend more time together and get to know each other, and naturally, theyâll fall in love.
The Gu family had already left by the time Shi Nian, his brother, and their wives returned home, so Xu Yun told them about the Gu familyâs visit. âTheyâre here for Shi Xiu. I think Gu Fei is a nice boy, but itâs up to Shi Xiu whether she wants to marry him or not. Weâll drop the matter if Shi Xiu doesnât like him. Your grandfather isnât home for a few days; heâs gone to a gathering with some old friends. The Gu family wishes to wait for your grandfather to return before coming to visit us again.â
Shi Ke shared a look with Shi Nian. This matched what those Gu women were saying in that altercation just now. However, they didnât know why those women thought Gu Man was Shi Nianâs fiancée.
Noticing theyâd returned, Shi Xiu ran out to meet them and excitedly asked, âYun Nan, when are we leaving?
âSeems like she doesnât care about Gu Fei at all,â her two brothers thought, immediately relieved.
âShi Xiu, your big brother and I will also be going with you guys!â Xiang Yang told Shi Xiu. She also didnât bring up the Gu family.
Shi Xiu was ecstatic and replied, âThatâs great, Xiang Yang! Then we can play around together for a few more days.â
Xu Yun laughed. âOh, you! Youâre always thinking about having fun and playing around. When will you grow up?â
âI have my brothers and sisters-in-law to shelter me,â Shi Xiu stated proudly. âSo Iâm not in a hurry to grow up. Isnât that right, Big Brother?â Shi Ke affectionately tugged her hair.
Yun Liu returned to the Gu residence nervously. As expected, Madam Gu grabbed a teacup on the table and threw it onto the floor the moment she entered the house. Yun Liu was so frightened that her entire body trembled. Little Madam Guâher motherâglanced at her displeasedly, and Yun Liu shrank back and lowered her head.
Gu Wen and Gu Man ignored the broken cup and stepped over it to sit on the sofa. Madam Gu glared at them and snapped, âGu Man! Did you know beforehand that Shi Nian had a wife?â
Gu Man avoided her eyes and uttered, âThey didnât hold a wedding, so who Imows whatâs up with that? Hadnât Yun Liu seen their marriage certificate before? She also didnât mention he was married..