Free Web NovelChapter 625: Chapter 625: The Provocation Worked
Gu Ruinian said blandly, "I’m down on my luck now. You’re the daughter of the village chief, and I don’t dare to reach too high. You should go back."
Wu Na shed tears of grievance.
Ever since her family knew about her feelings for Gu Ruinian, Wu Ren and his wife had started to interfere strongly.
That year, her family had arranged many potential marriage partners for her.
Those her parents favored looked down on the Wu family’s reputation and refused to marry into the Wu family.
Those willing to marry into the family were mostly trying to climb up due to Wu Ren being the village chief.
Additionally, Wu Na always had Gu Ruinian on her mind, so no suitable match was set.
"Brother Ruinian, your words are harsh. I’m the village chief’s daughter, while you’re a child student," Wu Na said.
Gu Ruinian was momentarily speechless.
If Wu Na didn’t know that someone with a lame leg couldn’t take the imperial exams, Gu Ruinian would have thought Wu Na was mocking him.
Wu Na wiped her tears and said, "In the autumn when Jingzhe became the top provincial graduate, everyone in Black Dragon Pond knew. I wondered how pained you must have felt then. Your knowledge is no less than his, yet you’re stuck in Qinghe Bay unable to take the exams."
Gu Ruinian: "..."
He wanted to say stop, just stop right there.
Was Wu Na comforting him? It felt like she was stabbing him in the chest.
Even though Gu Ruinian had no hope of making waves in this world, the news of Jingzhe becoming the top provincial graduate in the autumn still hit him like a boulder, and it felt like his head was splitting.
The anger led him to burn his own books.
"Nana, it’s cold in the house. Here’s a hand warmer to warm your hands."
Mrs. Jia suddenly came in with a hand warmer, interrupting Wu Na.
She discreetly took Gu Honglian’s hand warmer and gave it to Wu Na.
Wu Na accepted the hand warmer.
Mrs. Jia observed Wu Na’s eyes and could tell she had deep feelings for her son, or she wouldn’t cry in front of him.
Mrs. Jia casually said, "In Pingchuan, I heard your mother talking about finding a match for you. Has it been settled?"
Wu Na shyly shook her head.
Mrs. Jia was delighted and pretended to be unaware as she said, "Then I suppose your parents want to take care in choosing for you. After all, people live their own lives after marriage. Sometimes what parents like, we may not like. It’s important to follow your heart. I see you as someone with your own ideas, so my advice might be unnecessary."
Wu Na carefully considered Mrs. Jia’s words and looked up at Gu Ruinian, which Mrs. Jia sharply noticed.
Mrs. Jia added fuel to the fire with a sigh and said, "I’ve spoken to your uncle several times about potential matches for Ruinian, but he doesn’t agree with any. I don’t know what he’s looking for. When asked, he says there’s already someone in his heart, which frustrates me to no end."
Gu Ruinian thought his mother was quite the actress, and he shyly said, "Mother, please stop."
Mrs. Jia laughed and said, "No matter who you like, even if they’re the enemy’s child, as long as you like them, your father and I will propose for you. Yet, you choose to keep it a secret. Fine, fine, say it when you are ready, I won’t force you."
"Nana, Ruinian doesn’t listen to anyone but you. Talk to him and see which girl he likes, then tell me secretly."
After saying this, she smiled kindly at Wu Na and then left, leaving Wu Na and Ruinian alone in the room.
After Mrs. Jia left, Wu Na’s eyes reddened again, and she couldn’t help but ask Gu Ruinian, "Your mother said you have someone in your heart. Could it be Xu Zaohua?"
Gu Ruinian suddenly stood up angrily and said, "Xu Zaohua, Xu Zaohua, you know I was framed. Don’t mention her to me, I can’t wait to kill that wench."
Wu Na was startled by Gu Ruinian’s distorted face. She tugged at his clothes and said jealously, "Mentioning Xu Zaohua makes you mad. If it’s not Xu Zaohua, then who is it?"
Gu Ruinian looked down at Wu Na.
His gaze made Wu Na’s face turn red.
Wu Na’s heart raced as the answer seemed obvious, yet she dared not believe it.
When Mrs. Jia discussed Gu Ruinian’s marriage with her mother in Pingchuan, she said Gu Ruinian liked pretty girls. Wu Na had been secretly upset for a long time.
Could it be that Mrs. Jia only said that because her mother often belittled the Gu family? Was Gu Ruinian actually fond of her?
Gu Ruinian said, "It’s you."
Despite having guessed the answer, Wu Na was still bewildered by Gu Ruinian’s boldness, feeling a bittersweet rush in her heart.
She wasn’t sure how to react.
Gu Ruinian had not expected Wu Na to be stunned; wasn’t she supposed to be moved to tears? Shouldn’t she be excited?
Could it be that Wu Na, like those interest-driven girls, needed time to weigh her options?
Gu Ruinian could not allow Wu Na to think like that and spoke again, "Didn’t you just ask who the person in my heart was? I told you straight; I wasn’t looking for a response. You’re the village chief’s daughter, and I know my family’s situation isn’t good enough for you. Even if you agreed, your parents wouldn’t allow it."
"You should leave. If your parents find out you came to my house, they’ll surely be angry."
Wu Na came to her senses and urgently said, "Brother Ruinian, let me ask you, do you want to marry me?"
Gu Ruinian was secretly pleased. The village chief’s daughter really was a naive sweet girl.
"Of course, I do," Gu Ruinian blurted out, then stomped his foot as if regretting it. "No, no, I can’t ruin you. My family has no silver coins, and I can’t pursue a scholarly career. You can’t suffer with me."
"You should just go back."
Gu Ruinian kept insisting Wu Na leave.
This made Wu Na feel that Gu Ruinian looked down on her.
Wu Na cried and said, "What do you take me for in your heart?"
At this moment, Gu Ruinian knew his reverse psychology was working.
Finally, Gu Ruinian, with a stern face and gritted teeth, firmly put Wu Na onto the carriage, insisting that he was not good enough for her and shouldn’t hold her back, fearing she’d suffer at the Gu family.
Wu Na cried incessantly on her way back home in the carriage.
Tong Zhaodi’s eyes twinkled with a plan in mind.
She didn’t like this prospective sister-in-law at all.
Even though the prospective sister-in-law treated her better than Tong Pandie, it was because she had carefully worked for it.
Despite this, Wu Na still occasionally exposed her disdainful nature in front of her.
She had seen how Wu Na sneered and encouraged Wu Musheng to torment Tong Pandie.
Soon she would marry into the Wu family. Once the sister-in-law relationship was established, Wu Na would treat her as an enemy, just like she treated Tong Pandie.
She had no intention of flattering Wu Na endlessly.
If Wu Na married early, she would have a better time in the Wu family.
With this in mind, Tong Zhaodi gave Wu Na some advice on how to persuade Wu Ren and his wife to agree for her to marry Gu Ruinian.
"The hardest obstacle is your parents. You know, due to a partnership with Uncle You Tian, my father is at odds with their family, and there’s also the matter of Ruinian and Xu Zaohua... If my parents find out I want to marry Gu Ruinian, they’d kill me." Wu Na looked distressed.
Tong Zhaodi smiled and said, "Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu pamper you; as long as you don’t commit some heinous crime, they wouldn’t bear to lay a hand on you. It all comes down to courage. If you have the courage, you can marry Gu Ruinian."
Wu Na asked, "Zhaodi, do you have a way?"
Tong Zhaodi then said, "Back when Tong Pandie didn’t want to marry your brother, do you know how it eventually happened?"
Wu Na frowned, why bring up such a troubling person?
What does that have to do with her marriage?
