Free Web NovelChapter 74: Chapter 74: Stepping Up
Zhou Mazi hadn’t expected Gu’er to say such a thing. How had it come to this? It seemed like no one in the village could keep Gu’er in line. So many people had already stepped forward, but Gu’er refused to yield or listen. Was she really not afraid of offending everyone in the entire village?
Zhou Mazi couldn’t understand what was going on in Gu’er’s head. Still, if Gu’er could really give him fifty yuan, it wouldn’t be a bad deal to agree. After all, the marriage proposal from Liu Shu Village wasn’t even a sure thing. If Gu’er truly refused to marry, it would be a huge hassle. The only question was, could she even come up with fifty yuan?
"You heartless little brat! Since you’re so desperate to sever ties with me, I’ll grant you your wish. Give me fifty yuan, then cut yourself twice so they won’t bother me about it later. Do that, and I’ll sever all ties with you. Let’s see how you survive after you leave the Zhou family!"
Zhou Mazi nodded, muttering curses under his breath. In his mind, with the whole village turned against Gu’er, she would never survive without his protection. ’In the end, she’ll definitely have to come crawling back to me.’ ƒгeewebnovёl.com
The crowd watched in disbelief. Zhou Mazi actually agreed? It was completely unexpected. ’Has Gu’er been acting so tough because she knows Zhou Mazi’s weakness? Does she know that as long as she offers money, he’ll definitely agree? But where could she possibly get that kind of money?’
The seated elders’ faces were grim. They exchanged glances but said nothing. Even though this wasn’t the outcome they wanted, Gu’er’s actions were a slap in their faces. ’It’s not herself she’s cutting, but us!’ Yet, they couldn’t say another word. No matter what, this was ultimately Zhou Mazi’s family affair. They could apply pressure, but they couldn’t make the decision for him. Now that Zhou Mazi had agreed, it would be unreasonable for them to interfere further.
"Fine. Write up an agreement. Once the agreement is written, you’ve pressed your thumbprint, and we’ve found guarantors, I will cut myself immediately, and I will give you the money."
Gu’er was determined to resolve this matter quickly, lest Zhou Mazi go back on his word later.
"Where’s the money? You give me the money first, then I’ll write the agreement."
Gu’er froze. She didn’t actually have fifty yuan in cash. She hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly; she had planned to save up enough money before leaving. She had some money with Sun Jiaming, but it was far from enough. If she had to borrow it...
’After the scene I’ve caused with the village, would Sun Jiaming lend me money? Would he be afraid that I’d drag him down? He’ll probably want to distance himself from me, won’t he?’
’But there’s that mountain ginseng with Sun Jiaming. If we sold it, my share would be more than fifty yuan. The problem is, selling it would take a few days at the very least, right?’
’Or maybe I could have it written in the agreement that I’ll give Zhou Mazi the fifty yuan within a week, and he’s not to look for me. A week isn’t long; Zhou Mazi would probably agree. I just don’t know what else might happen in the meantime.’
’But those elders and Zhou Da Kui would never act as my guarantors. They’re probably hoping this whole thing falls through so they can force me to kneel and admit I was wrong.’
It seemed she had to talk to Zhou Mazi first. Having made up her mind, Gu’er was about to open her mouth to speak.
"The money. I have it."
Just then, a deep male voice rang out, and Sun Jiaming walked in from the crowd.
Although Sun Jiaming didn’t live far from Zhou Mazi’s house and had heard people shouting about a commotion, he didn’t know it involved Gu’er. Plus, he was a bit tired today, so he hadn’t gone out to see what was happening. Instead, he had been inside talking with his grandmother.
Later, someone came to his house to get him, and only then did he realize Gu’er was in trouble. He rushed out with the person, arriving quite late—just in time to hear Gu’er’s words about severing her relationship with Zhou Mazi.
He didn’t reveal himself right away, simply watching in silence. He watched Gu’er speak those resolute words, watched her spine remain ramrod straight, and watched her face, which seemed cold and detached but was, in reality, etched with heartbreak. He felt his own heart ache for her.
But he didn’t step forward immediately. To the Zhou family, he was an outsider, after all. He remained silent, staying back and quietly listening to the conversations until he understood the whole situation.
It turned out Zhou Feng’er and Zhou Mei had conspired with Zhang Da to ruin Gu’er. Gu’er had fought for her life and injured them, and now the villagers were forcing her to cut herself and kneel before others. In that moment, Sun Jiaming was filled with rage. He felt those elders had gone way too far; this was no way to treat someone.
And Zhou Mazi was even worse than inhuman. Not only did he fail to protect Gu’er, he was leading the charge to pressure her. What kind of father was he? If Gu’er wanted to sever ties with him, then so be it. She was better off without a father and family like that. Without them, Gu’er could live a much better life!
Sun Jiaming was seething. He was angry at Zhou Mazi, but even more so at the villagers. These people had lived for so many years, yet they were all ganging up to bully a lone, vulnerable woman. ’Aren’t they ashamed of themselves?’ Several times, he wanted to step forward, wanted to be like Gu’er and point his finger in their faces and tell them they had wasted their long lives. How could they trample on Gu’er like this?
He wanted to step forward right then, but he held back again and again. He wanted to see what Gu’er’s plan was and how she would resolve this. He also wanted to see just how shameless those people could be, just how far they would go.
When Wu Sanduo said she could guarantee the marriage proposal from Liu Shu Village wouldn’t fall through, Sun Jiaming was already on the verge of losing his patience. But he wanted to hear what their angle was; only by understanding it could he help resolve the matter, so he held back. When he heard them say they wanted Gu’er to marry a paralytic—a hot-tempered one at that—he was overcome with anger, anxiety, and a deep ache for her. But still, he restrained himself. He understood that if he revealed himself too early and made Zhou Mazi think he was Gu’er’s backer, Zhou Mazi would never agree to her terms so easily.
But now that Gu’er was dead set on severing her father-daughter relationship with Zhou Mazi, he would help her.
’Gu’er has no money. If she can’t pay, she’ll remain under Zhou Mazi’s thumb. I can’t let her go on living like that. The Zhou family has hurt her so much; I can’t let her go back to them. I won’t let her be bullied like she used to be.’
Zhou Mazi had already agreed. Sun Jiaming knew the time was right. He no longer cared if others would gossip; he stepped forward.
Sun Jiaming’s appearance caused a huge stir. Murmurs and greetings erupted from the crowd. Clearly, no one had expected him to step forward.
Seeing Sun Jiaming step forward, Gu’er felt her eyes burn for some reason. All night long—being schemed against by her sister, nearly assaulted by Zhang Da, injuring someone with a knife, being forced by the crowd and her adoptive father to kneel and cut herself, being ostracized by everyone—she hadn’t cried. She had stood tall because she understood she could only rely on herself. No one would help her, so she had no choice but to be strong.
But now, Sun Jiaming had stepped forward. At a time when the entire village was pressuring her, he was willing to lend her money. He was willing to speak up in her defense, to support her decision to leave the Zhou family and sever ties with Zhou Mazi. He was the only one on her side. Gu’er’s eyes reddened, and she felt her heart tremble. ’It feels so good to have someone who cares, someone to stand up for me.’
————————————
We’ve hit 30 monthly votes, so here is a bonus Chapter for reaching that goal! Please continue to subscribe and vote, dears! The first month after going premium is very important. As long as there are votes, Xue will definitely post bonus Chapters. (The rate is one bonus Chapter per 30 votes, one per 5 Peach Blossom Fan gifts, one per He Shi Bi gift, and so on. I know there probably won’t be many gifts, but I’ll mention it anyway to make myself feel better.) Thank you so much!
