Xu Yangui felt dejected. What did she mean by “no feelings”? How could there be no feelings? If she didn’t like him, how could she willingly do so much for him?
But if there were feelings, why did she leave with someone else before?
Xu Yangui, usually adept at understanding emotions, found himself confused for once. After pondering for a long while without concluding, he simply rushed back to Yangui Gate like a gust of wind.
“You’re back?” As he pushed open the door, the room was filled with the aroma of food. Xu Yangui paused, feeling a warmth rising in his heart.
Since she had come here, he felt that life had a different flavor. This place no longer seemed like a simple room, but more like a home. Someone would wait for him when he returned late, cook for him, and add layers to his clothes.
These small gestures were common for wives in ordinary households, but to him, they were especially precious. Like a cup of warm water, perhaps not as fragrant as tea or as strong as wine, but it made one feel at ease.
He wasn’t sure if he liked Gu Huairou. Saying he liked her felt somewhat awkward, but ever since she said in the darkness that she preferred him at night, he treated her differently. Perhaps after being a shadow for so long, being seen as a light for the first time inevitably moved his heart. In any case, he no longer used her for practice and, as promised, brought her out to care for her for life.
Wasn’t this the natural progression? Next, they would marry, and if anyone at Yangui Gate dared to speak ill of her appearance, he could rightfully teach them a lesson without hesitation. She wouldn’t need to be a maid anymore and could live proudly in his courtyard. When things were less busy, they could travel and sightsee together. When busy, she would wait for him here.
He thought this kind of life was exactly what he had dreamed of, yet surprisingly, she disagreed.
Sitting down and glancing at the dishes, Xu Yangui sighed.
Gu Huairou was startled: “You don’t like these dishes?”
“It’s not that.”
“…” Then why the sigh?
Looking up at her, Xu Yangui’s eyes were full of melancholy: “I’m just disappointed that someone who cooks so well refuses to marry me.”
“Married or not, it’s the same. This servant will always cook for you.” Gu Huairou unconsciously touched her face: “Marrying me would only cause you trouble.”
With such a face, he would be reluctant to keep her as a maid by his side, let alone as his official wife. If he married her on a whim and then divorced her later, wouldn’t it just break her heart?
Xu Yangui was stunned and frowned at her: “You’re still concerned about your face?”
Gu Huairou nodded, then shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say, and finally turned and walked out.
What did this mean? Xu Yangui couldn’t understand. He finished his meal glumly and was about to go find her to clear things up when he ran into Luoshan midway.
Luoshan grinned: “I heard the Gate Master’s proposal was rejected?”
“No need for you to worry about it.” Xu Yangui’s expression soured at the sight of him: “If it weren’t for your poisonous tongue making her feel inferior, she wouldn’t be rejecting me now.”
Raising an eyebrow, Luoshan asked, “Does the Gate Master think it’s because of her inferiority that she won’t marry you?”
“What else could it be?” Xu Yangui glared at him: “She’s very conscious of her face.”
“If she truly cared that much, she wouldn’t have stubbornly stayed here with that face,” Luoshan shook his head. “What she cares about is your opinion. You couldn’t stand being gossiped about behind your back, so you were unwilling to keep her by your side. That was the attitude you clearly showed from the beginning. Now you’ve suddenly changed your mind and want to marry her. How do you expect her to react?”
Stunned, Xu Yangui asked blankly, “Are you saying she rejected me because of my attitude?”
Luoshan nodded and added mischievously, “You despised her first, and now you’re eager to marry her. No woman would agree to that. Are you being foolish?”
Having said this, as if knowing Xu Yangui would hit him, he immediately fled.
Xu Yangui stood silently for a long time, then turned and walked towards the accounting office.
Life continued. Gu Huairou felt that Xu Yangui had changed somewhat. He sent Fengwu away from the courtyard, leaving only her. Whenever there were meetings or activities within the gate, he would bring her along.
At first, she was somewhat resistant, but he insisted. Whenever anyone said something unpleasant, he would severely punish them afterward. Gradually, she realized that Xu Yangui was showing her through his actions that he no longer looked down on her.
How could there be a man who didn’t care about a woman’s face at all? Gu Huairou found it strange and pondered by the pond for a long time, unable to understand. Just as she was about to get up, a force from behind unexpectedly pushed her into the water.
“Ah!”
Startled, she looked back to see the annoyingly smiling Luoshan.
“Cool off a bit. Something big is about to happen at the gate.”
What big event required her to cool off in the water? Gu Huairou was angry and splashed him: “How can you be so inconsiderate of others’ feelings? Is falling into water fun?”
Luoshan dodged with a grin, looked at her deeply, and said, “I won’t have the chance to make you this angry in the future.”
What nonsense? Gu Huairou frowned deeply, watching him bounce away like a monkey over the wall. She could only climb out of the water and return to change her clothes.
Just as she returned to her room and prepared hot water for a bath, she sensed some movement in the room. Gu Huairou looked around puzzled, saw no one, and proceeded to close the doors and windows before continuing her bath.
However, after finishing, she found that her prepared dry clothes were gone. Instead, a set of wedding clothes hung on the screen.
What was going on?
Confused, she suddenly heard a commotion outside, with many footsteps approaching. Gu Huairou was frightened and hurriedly put on the wedding clothes. She couldn’t be naked, after all.
Just as she finished dressing, people outside seemed to have timed it perfectly. They pushed open the door, covered her with a red veil, and carried her out.
“What… are you doing?” Gu Huairou struggled a bit, and someone nearby quickly reassured her: “Don’t be nervous, Madam. We’re just taking you to perform the wedding ceremony with the Gate Master.”
Just a wedding ceremony? Gu Huairou was dumbfounded. She lifted the veil slightly to look around. Somehow, Yangui Gate had been decorated festively, with people everywhere, some she knew and some she didn’t. Xu Yangui, dressed in wedding attire, was waiting for her in the brightly lit main hall.
“I think it’s time,” he said, looking at her and handing her the love knot. “No matter what I do, you silly girl don’t seem to get it. So I might as well force you to marry me. We can work on the rest in the days to come.”
Her throat tightened, and Gu Huairou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You have many better girls to choose from.”
“I know,” Xu Yangui said. “But unfortunately, living with you makes me feel at ease.”
They hadn’t experienced any earth-shattering events together, but time is the best test of feelings. Since it felt right, why not try living together? She had never been a principal wife in this life, and no matter what, he should let her fulfill that role first, as a way to repay her for taking care of him for so long.
As for the rest of their lives, with such a beginning, why worry about the ending?
Not everyone’s love story needs to be as dramatic as the main characters. When it feels right, try being together. If you don’t even dare to be together, what right do you have to lament that you and someone are not meant to be? Without even trying, there’s even less ground for regret.
In the end, may all lovers in the world become partners for life.