Free Web NovelChapter 413: Chapter 411: I’m Willing to Marry Him
When Gu’er came out, she saw Sun Jiaming standing outside.
Seeing the concerned look in Sun Jiaming’s eyes, Gu’er felt her own eyes well up for some reason, as if a wave of self-pity had washed over her.
"It’s alright, it’s alright. Mom told me she threw up all the time when she was pregnant with me and my brother, too. It’s normal. You’re fine."
Sun Jiaming comforted Gu’er.
Gu’er nodded, a little embarrassed. She hadn’t been like this before. Why was she so delicate now? ’Does pregnancy change a person’s personality, too?’
"You should go on back. I’m okay. I feel a bit better now."
Back at the banquet table, Gu’er told Sun Jiaming to go entertain the guests. Otherwise, if he stayed by her side, people would gossip.
"Okay. If you start to feel sick again, come get me."
Sun Jiaming nodded. He really wanted to stay with Gu’er, but today was Liu Yuan’s wedding. When he himself got married, Liu Yuan and the others had bustled about helping out. Now that it was Liu Yuan’s wedding, he couldn’t just ignore his responsibilities.
Gu’er then forced herself to drink some soup and eat a few bland things. As someone who loved meat, she didn’t dare touch it now.
Although the older woman still wanted to talk to Gu’er about getting into the department store, she saw that Marina was constantly talking to Gu’er and that Gu’er hadn’t touched the meat she’d placed on her plate. The woman looked rather disgruntled.
They made it through to the end of the banquet. Some people stayed behind to pack up leftovers, some went on to the Liu family’s home, and the rest went home.
Because her stomach was empty and she had thrown up several times, Gu’er was feeling quite miserable. Sun Jiaming discussed it with Li Zhi and had Li Zhi drive Gu’er and Marina home first.
On the way, Gu’er even had Li Zhi pull over so she could throw up again. She never imagined that when a bout of sickness hit, it would be this awful.
After that, Gu’er fell into a cycle of eating only to vomit, then eating again, spending her days in a nauseous, dizzying haze.
She threw up for two whole months. Although her belly was growing, her face not only didn’t get chubbier but actually looked thinner than before. Sun Jiaming’s heart ached for Gu’er. Every night, he would soak her feet, find her appetizers, and tried every method he could think of to make her feel less miserable.
By the time May arrived, Gu’er’s vomiting had finally started to ease up a little.
"Marina, aren’t you scared?"
Gu’er asked Marina. Marina and Dingzi’s wedding was fast approaching, but Marina seemed just the same as usual, showing no signs of pre-wedding jitters, which Gu’er found a bit strange.
"Scared of what? I love Dingzi, and I want to marry him. I want to give him a whole bunch of kids. We’re very happy together every day. He’s my hero. I’m happy to be marrying him. Why would I be scared?"
Marina looked at Gu’er, her eyes sparkling, not understanding why Gu’er would ask such a thing.
Gu’er fell silent. ’Perhaps it’s because of our different upbringings.’ Marina was direct about her feelings, unlike girls in China who would get shy just talking about marriage.
"Gu’er, were you scared when you and Jiaming got married?"
Marina asked again. She only knew that she herself was full of anticipation and didn’t know what Gu’er’s state of mind had been at the time.
"A little. Even though I loved Jiaming and wanted to marry him, a part of me was still scared. I didn’t know what married life would be like. I was afraid he might change and not treat me as well as he used to. I was afraid that once we were married and grew familiar with each other, things would become mundane, the passion would fade, and we’d slowly drift apart. I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough, that he’d be dissatisfied, and that a rift would form between us. Back then, my heart was full of anticipation, but also fear and a bit of panic. It was just... very complicated."
Gu’er didn’t hide anything from Marina, speaking frankly. In truth, it wasn’t so much that she was afraid of marrying Sun Jiaming as it was a general anxiety about the future.
"You think too much. If you love someone, you should be with them. Who knows what the future holds? Why worry about it? As long as you’re happy together now, that’s all that matters."
Marina felt Gu’er’s way of thinking was needlessly anxious. Such thoughts were completely unnecessary.
"You’re right. I’m not as level-headed as you. I’m always worrying about things that might never happen."
Gu’er smiled.
"I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I haven’t been able to help you. Have you bought everything you need?"
Gu’er asked Marina again.
"We’ve bought everything. Dingzi went with me to buy most of it, and it’s all stuff I like. Grandma also bought a lot. We’re not missing a thing now, so don’t you worry about it."
Marina held Gu’er’s hand. Gu’er was her only female friend here, and she cherished her. As long as Gu’er stopped vomiting and feeling sick, she was happy.
"That’s good. Liu Yuan is back to his regular work schedule now, and he’s in charge of renovating the fourth floor, so Dingzi doesn’t have to be busy anymore. After you get married, have you thought about having Dingzi take you out somewhere?"
The concept of a honeymoon trip wasn’t common yet, but Marina wasn’t the type to be bound by convention. She had never been anywhere besides this city; if she wanted to go, Dingzi could take her traveling to see the sights.
Marina fell silent.
"To be honest, I’d really like to go back for a visit. I want to tell my father that Dingzi and I are married and get his blessing. But I also know things are very chaotic over there right now. The last time I called, I managed to reach my father, and he told me to stay put here and not come back."
Marina’s spirits sank. She missed home, she missed her father, and she missed her sister. Even though things were good here, that place was, after all, where she had lived for many years.
"You’ll go back. Once all this chaos is over, have Dingzi take you back. As long as your father is alive, that’s what matters. He’ll give you his blessing."
Gu’er patted Marina’s hand, comforting her.
"Mm."
Marina nodded and gave Gu’er a smile that made Gu’er’s heart ache a little. Marina was a strong girl.
The sixth day of the fifth lunar month arrived. Sun Jiaming booked the restaurant. Since Dingzi didn’t have many relatives and Marina had no family of her own here, they didn’t invite a lot of people. A total of six tables were arranged.
"Why so many tables? With just our group, two tables should be more than enough, right?"
Grandma Dingzi was a little surprised to hear Sun Jiaming’s arrangements. She didn’t have many people to invite—just Li Zhi’s family, the Lin Family, and the Sun Family. Six tables seemed like such a waste.
"Don’t worry, Grandma. They definitely won’t be empty. I’ve invited a lot of friends to come and liven things up."
Li Zhi said with a grin. His brother was getting married; there was no way they could have just two tables. It had to be a lively affair.
"Alright, alright. Call all your friends over. Grandma isn’t afraid of a crowd. The more, the merrier."
Grandma Dingzi was also very happy to hear this.
On the evening of the seventh, Gu’er accompanied Marina to the Lin Family’s home. Since Marina’s family wasn’t here, she couldn’t very well be married from Dingzi’s house, and the Sun Family’s home was too close. So, Gu’er had discussed it with Chen Fengjiao and arranged for the Lin Family to act as Marina’s maternal home, allowing her to be married from there in keeping with tradition.
Chen Fengjiao agreed. Gu’er then called Lin Shan, who said that the eighth happened to be a weekend, and he would do his best to get back in time.
A little after nine in the evening, Gu’er, Marina, Chen Fengjiao, and Lin Sui’er were chatting in the living room. Lin Zheng was already asleep. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a key in the lock. Chen Fengjiao’s eyes lit up; she knew Lin Shan was back.
Gu’er hadn’t expected her father to return today. She would have been happy enough if he’d just made it back tomorrow for the wedding. Still, her heart was filled with joy.
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Thank you to Pacific Stone Monkey and 6763hs for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for your support. I’ll be adding an extra Chapter tomorrow to make up for the one I owe. As compensation, there will be three Chapters the day after tomorrow as well.
