“Father! Why are you taking this out?” Gu Yaoguo was the first to speak, reaching out to gently push Old Master Gu’s hand back.
“Ah, what do you know!” Old Master Gu insisted stubbornly. “This thing serves no purpose keeping it any longer. We might as well sell it and buy some meat to eat. An’an has just married into our family—we can’t very well let her go without a single meal of meat, can we?”
“How can you say that!” Gu Yaoguo’s face darkened. “That pocket watch was given to you personally by… him, back then. How can you sell something so precious just for meat?”
Gu Yaoguo’s expression turned stormy. Su Nian’an’s heart skipped a beat—if such an important heirloom was being sold just to put meat on her plate, she would be the guilty one bringing loss upon the Gu family!
“Grandpa, please don’t! Put it away quickly!” she spoke up hurriedly, stepping forward to help stop him. “I don’t need meat at all! Just having vegetables is more than enough, truly!”
“Grandpa, this is not something to bring out casually,” said Gu Qingyu, who sat across from her, his brows drawn together in a frown.
Persuaded by so many voices, a look of helplessness crossed Old Master Gu’s aged face.
“This watch… once stood as a mark of honor. But now…”
Truth be told, his offer to sell it came from a place of pain—every time he looked at it, memories flooded in and tormented him. A life of glory, now fallen to such straits… few could bear that gracefully.
“An’an,” he said, turning to her, “there is little I can give you as you join our family. So let me present this pocket watch to you. Do with it as you please.”
Before anyone could react, he placed the watch directly into Su Nian’an’s hands.
Shock rippled through everyone present. Who was this Su Nian’an? In barely two hours of meeting him, how had she won enough favor to receive a treasure he’d cherished for half his life?
Su Nian’an herself was bewildered. In the novel, Old Master Gu had barely appeared before passing away shortly after their relocation to the countryside. She had done nothing remarkable—and yet he treated her with such kindness?
“Grandpa… this is far too precious. Please take it back!” She could not possibly accept it. The watch meant something deeply—everyone’s reaction made that abundantly clear.
“Keep it.”
A cool, calm voice cut through the room. Su Nian’an looked up to see Gu Qingyu gazing steadily at her.
Is he serious? She stared back, half-convinced he’d lost his mind. And—who gave him the right to decide for me? Does he truly accept me as his wife now?
She searched his face, but found no hint of jest in his quiet, dark eyes.
“Hahaha… Qingyu is right,” Old Master Gu beamed, pressing the watch into her hands once more. “Keep it, as an old man’s wish. From today onward, you are truly one of us.”
No one stopped her this time. To accept was to fully take her place in the Gu family—and Su Nian’an hesitated. She could have politely refused, if not for Gu Qingyu.
She shot him a sharp, reproachful look—only to meet his calm gaze again.
Fine! she thought. If you want me to take it, then I shall! Who’s afraid?
Without further hesitation, she accepted the watch from Old Master Gu’s hands. It felt heavy and solid in her palms—genuine gold, and surely worth a fortune in the years to come.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” she said earnestly. “I will treasure it always.”
“Good, good!” Old Master Gu turned to his grandson. “Qingyu, from now on, treat An’an well and live in harmony, do you hear?”
Gu Qingyu glanced toward Su Nian’an almost instinctively, then gave a quiet “Mmm.”
Seeing that his grandson no longer rejected this marriage, Old Master Gu laughed heartily.
The meal that followed was surprisingly pleasant—easily the most enjoyable one the Gu family had shared since moving to the countryside. It wasn’t just the improved food; in such hard times, no one had the heart or appetite to feast. Yet tonight, the mood was light.
After dinner, Gu Yaoguo helped Old Master Gu back to his room. The small earthen house held no extra beds—and so the question of where Su Nian’an would sleep hung in the air.
Before Bai Yuyan could speak, Gu Qingyu turned to Su Nian’an.
“Are these all your belongings?” He nodded toward the woven sacks on the floor.
Su Nian’an blinked, nodding in confusion. Before she could ask what he meant, he lifted the sacks and walked straight toward his own room.
She hurried after him.
Inside, Gu Qingyu shut the door behind them.
Left in the main room, Bai Yuyan and Gu Qingyuan exchanged glances—both utterly stunned.
“Does this mean… my brother actually accepts her as his wife?” Gu Qingyuan whispered, turning to her mother, still hardly daring to believe it.
Originally, Gu Qingyu had been betrothed to Su Nianxi—who had clung to him endlessly, much to his annoyance. He’d tried repeatedly to break the engagement, only to be stopped by Old Master Gu, who valued his word above all else.
Yet after the family was sent to the countryside, Old Master Gu had privately regretted imposing his will on his grandson. He had been a stern, decisive man all his life—but hardship had softened him. Had the Su family refused to fulfill the match, the Gu family would have understood. And truth be told, Su Nianxi’s delicate, spoiled nature would have been nothing but trouble here.
Gu Qingyu and Gu Qingyuan, however, were made of sterner stuff. Old Master Gu had trained them both in the military since childhood—even his granddaughter was held to strict standards. They adapted as best they could, though the loss of comfort and plenty remained painful.
Now, Su Nian’an had come in Su Nianxi’s place. Technically, the betrothal remained unbroken—no specific name had ever been written into the agreement, though everyone had assumed it would be Su Nianxi. And since Su Nianxi was universally disliked—by Gu Qingyu most of all—Gu Qingyuan could not help but feel secretly relieved that her new sister-in-law was someone entirely different.