Free Web NovelChapter 53: Chapter 53: Plans
Just as Sun Jiaming was about to answer, he heard footsteps approaching.
"Ah, Jia Ming, you’re here! What are you doing standing at the door? Come on, come inside and sit."
Surprisingly, Zhou Mazi came out just then. He had been inside the house, unaware of what Gu’er was up to, as she was out so late. Not that he was worried. He had just stepped into the courtyard to relieve himself when he heard Li Hua’s voice. It sounded like Sun Jiaming had arrived, so he walked over.
He was incredibly warm toward Sun Jiaming. He didn’t mind Gu’er being with him at all; in fact, he was hoping something would blossom between them. He’d be thrilled to have a son-in-law like Sun Jiaming.
"I can’t stay, Uncle, Auntie. I ran into Sister Gu’er on the other side of the mountain today. We were just planning to cut some chives and head back, but she said she wanted to go up the mountain to see if there was a way to make some money, so I went with her. It’s all my fault—I didn’t lead the way properly, and we got lost. We ended up wandering around for half the day just to find our way back. We didn’t find anything, and now it’s this late. I’m so sorry."
Sun Jiaming took all the blame. He said it was his fault they got lost and his fault Gu’er didn’t find anything profitable. That way, Zhou Mazi wouldn’t blame her.
"Nonsense, what’s there to be sorry for? We couldn’t be happier that you’re helping Gu’er. Why would we blame you? We feel at ease when she’s with you. Jia Ming, when you’re not busy, you should come over and have a drink with me."
Zhou Mazi had completely lost the domineering air he put on in front of the Zhou family. He was nothing but warm and amiable when speaking with Sun Jiaming.
"Alright. Uncle, Auntie, you two should head back in. I’m going home now."
Sun Jiaming agreed and then left.
"Be sure to come over when you have time!"
Zhou Mazi kept calling after him even as Sun Jiaming walked away.
Sun Jiaming was already several paces away. He didn’t look back or call out a reply. If not for Gu’er, he wouldn’t have bothered speaking with Zhou Mazi at all.
"Still dawdling out there? Are you waiting for me to invite you in? Get the hell inside!"
The moment Sun Jiaming was gone, Zhou Mazi sneered at Gu’er. His friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by a completely different, ugly expression.
Gu’er said nothing. ’That’s just how people are,’ she thought. ’If you’re well-off, they respect you and greet you with a smile. If you’re struggling, they look down on you.’
"You must be starving. I saved some food for you," Li Hua said, taking Gu’er’s hand and speaking softly. Her worry was genuine. "Next time you go to the mountains, just let me know, alright? Otherwise, I worry. It’s a good thing you had Brother Jia Ming with you today. What would you have done if you were alone and couldn’t find your way back?"
"Hmph."
Zhou Mazi snorted, then demanded of Gu’er, "Well? Did you get anything from the mountain today?"
Zhou Mazi couldn’t care less whether Gu’er had been in danger. He only cared if she had made any money.
"We got lost on the mountain and didn’t find anything. Brother Jia Ming gave me some chives to bring back."
Gu’er said calmly. There was no way she was going to tell Zhou Mazi about the mountain ginseng.
"So, you’re telling me you can’t bring any more money home?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Zhou Mazi’s voice turned sinister, and he felt a growing irritation. ’If Gu’er doesn’t bring in any money soon, how am I supposed to go drinking and gambling? I want to live the good life!’
’Should I just marry her off?’
’Another matchmaker did come by recently. The family is from the next village over, and they’re offering twenty yuan. It’s not as much as Zhang Da offered, but their family is better off than his. The groom would be their second son, who’s twenty-two this year. They say he’s decent-looking, just a bit short and dark-skinned. I heard he’s not even as tall as Gu’er.’
’But none of that matters,’ Zhou Mazi thought. ’A marriage is a marriage. Whatever husband she gets is her fate as a woman. All I care about is the money—whoever can offer more.’
’That Zhang Da hasn’t been around lately. I wonder if he can still come up with over thirty yuan. If this new family could match Zhang Da’s price, I’d agree to them. I hear they’re doing alright. If Gu’er married into their family, she could still funnel some resources back home. That would be better than her ending up with Zhang Da.’
Then Zhou Mazi’s thoughts turned to Sun Jiaming. ’He’s been spending a lot of time with Gu’er lately. Is he interested in her? If he really is, the Sun Family would be the best choice by far.’
’I shouldn’t rush to agree to anything yet. I should hold out and see. Maybe an even better family will come along. Maybe I can get forty, or even fifty yuan.’
Zhou Mazi plotted in his mind. He had completely forgotten his promise to Gu’er—that if she earned him thirty yuan within a year, he wouldn’t marry her off. He never had any intention of keeping his word anyway. In his mind, money was the only thing that mattered. Who his daughter married and whether she had a good life in the future had nothing to do with him.
Gu’er didn’t know what exactly was going through Zhou Mazi’s mind, but she knew him well. ’If I don’t give him money for a long time, he’ll start getting ideas. I have to find another way to earn money. It doesn’t have to be much. Even if I just give him twenty cents a day, as long as he has cash in hand, he won’t be in a rush to marry me off.’
’But that’s not a long-term solution. How can I escape the Zhou family for good?’
After eating, Gu’er lay in bed, her mind consumed by this one question.
Leaving the Zhou family was easier said than done. In this day and age, there was no way for a girl to officially separate from her family unless she got married.
’My status as an adopted daughter might be useful, though. If only I could find my birth parents. Then I could leave the Zhou family openly and justifiably. But I couldn’t even find them in my past life; it’ll be just as hard in this one.’
’Or maybe some major incident could happen, something that would give me the moral high ground. Then I could have a complete falling out with Zhou Mazi without seeming like an ungrateful traitor.’
’But what could that be?’
Gu’er’s head began to ache from all the thinking, but she couldn’t come up with a viable plan. Little did she know, the solution to her problem was already quietly closing in...
「The next day」
Gu’er met with Sun Jiaming. He had already written out the contract, signed his name, and pressed his thumbprint.
As he watched Gu’er write her name on the paper, a flicker of confusion crossed Sun Jiaming’s face.
’I knew she never went to school,’ he thought. ’But her handwriting is actually pretty good. I never would have expected this. Is Gu’er... literate?’
’Who could have taught her?’
Suddenly, Sun Jiaming felt that Gu’er was full of secrets he didn’t know or understand. He longed to see through her, to know everything about her.
Gu’er was oblivious to Sun Jiaming’s thoughts. In that moment, she had completely forgotten that she had never gone to school and that the person she was now was supposed to be illiterate.
Gu’er was, in fact, literate. While she didn’t know a vast number of characters, she had learned a fair amount from reading books later in her life. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Later in life, many things had required her signature, so she had gotten quite good at writing her own name. She didn’t think about any of this and simply signed her name and added her thumbprint as a matter of course.
Of course, Gu’er entrusted the document to Sun Jiaming for safekeeping. Since she hadn’t left the Zhou family yet, she was afraid it would be discovered if she tried to hide it at home.
Sun Jiaming went off to find someone to deal with the mountain ginseng, while Gu’er accompanied Li Hua to the Li Family’s home.
