Ma Wuni raised an eyebrow. “What about before?”
Qian Jin remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, “I’ll head back first. You just wait to get married.” He couldn’t very well say, “I used to take a lot of abuse.” Nor could he say, “I’m not the same person I was back then; I won’t go running home to tattle anymore.” That would be too humiliating.
After their conversation, it was unclear who had outmaneuvered whom. Ma Wuni’s feelings were complicated. After all this back and forth, was she really going to marry Qian Jin?
Ma Wuni was in a foul mood. As for marriage, she truly had little enthusiasm for it. That tattletale Qian Jin—why couldn’t he just be straightforward?
Seeing Qian Jin bid farewell to Ma Jiye and the others, her eldest sister Ma Wuyi came in and asked Ma Wuni, “How did it go? What did you two talk about? It didn’t fall apart, did it?”
Ma Wuni answered distractedly, “What could we say? There’s nothing to discuss. Would he dare let it fall apart?”
Ma Wuyi had no way to deal with her sister’s temperament. “How can there be nothing to discuss? This is about marriage! Aren’t you two going to talk things over?”
Ma Wuni thought for a moment. “We did discuss something. He demanded that he not be mistreated in the future.”
Second sister Ma Wuju, who had been about to push the door open, froze. Was this really something that could be negotiated? Qian Jin had suffered plenty at Ma Wuni’s hands since they were children.
To this day, she still didn’t understand why Qian Jin had agreed to this marriage. Wasn’t he just asking for trouble?
Could it be that he wanted to marry Wuni just to get revenge later? Qian Jin was quite cunning—this really might be the case.
Eldest sister Ma Wuyi wasn’t thinking so darkly. “You’re really something—you still dare to mistreat him? Just settle down. Let me ask you: does he still remember how you used to hit him?”
What if this guy wanted to marry Ma Wuni specifically to get revenge? See—the two Ma sisters were thinking the same thing.
Ma Wuni, however, didn’t overthink it. “He probably hasn’t forgotten. He’s not the type to forget a beating.” But if he hadn’t forgotten, why was he still pursuing this?
Ma Wuyi grew anxious. She couldn’t just watch her sister walk into a trap. “You really hit him?” Then she added, “Not too often, right?”
Ma Wuni twitched her lips. Did the frequency really matter? “Probably not too often. I didn’t hit him every day.”
Outside, Ma Wuju pushed the door open and entered. “This is reckless. Is he deliberately planning to marry you to get revenge?”
The eldest and second Ma sisters exchanged a glance, sharing the same sentiment.
Ma Wuni, however, still trusted in her own strength. “He wouldn’t dare. He doesn’t have the ability.”
She continued, “I haven’t even said I’m going to torment him yet. Does he think I’m easy to mess with? If that’s really his plan, who knows who’ll end up dealing with whom?” By the end, she sounded proud.
Ma Wuyi and Ma Wuju both looked at their foolish younger sister, wondering if she had really been in a relationship with Qian Cheng all these years. How could she be so clueless? “Are you stupid? When a couple lives together, is it about ability? Being strong isn’t useful.”
Ma Wuni retorted, “Then what is useful? Let me tell you both: in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are paper tigers. I’m not afraid of him, anyway.”
Fine. As long as you’re not afraid of Qian Jin and are willing to marry him without resistance, that’s enough. But these words couldn’t be let slip to Qian Jin—otherwise, whether this marriage would happen or not was hard to say.
Besides, after all these years, who knew what abilities Qian Jin had developed? Was Wuni being too overconfident?
Qian Jin didn’t go home. Instead, he went to send a telegram and submit his marriage report.
Since Ma Wuni had agreed to the marriage, she likely wouldn’t go back on her word—this woman had a reputation for keeping her promises.
Qian Jin had already thought it through. The wedding couldn’t happen too quickly. There were still some formalities missing between them, and Qian Jin cared a great deal about such things.
As soon as he returned home, he discussed the matter of an engagement with Qian Laoshi.
Qian Laoshi hadn’t expected there to be a formal ceremony. Hadn’t it already been settled? Seeing the serious look on his eldest son’s face, he said, “An engagement? Sure, that’s only proper. I’ll send someone to the Ma family to discuss it right away.”
Hearing this, Qian Jin’s expression relaxed, the lines on his face softening. Things should proceed step by step. His marriage was not something to be taken lightly. Most importantly, Ma Wuni must not be slighted.
Seeing her eldest son in good spirits, Qian Jin’s mother broached another topic: “Son, about your younger brother… the Sun family’s intentions…”
Qian Jin cut in, “Let the Sun family discuss it directly with Qian Cheng. I’m busy with my own engagement. If Qian Cheng needs help, I’ll handle my own affairs.”
Hearing this, Qian Jin’s mother immediately dropped the subject of Qian Cheng. Her eldest son was clearly distancing himself from her. “What’s the rush, child? I’ll take care of things for you.”
She then added, “Qian Jin, since you’re engaged to Wuni now, treat her well. Don’t hold grudges over the past.”
Qian Jin’s gaze grew complicated. Why assume he held a grudge? Couldn’t it be that he still remembered her fondly?
After the day’s commotion, the Ma family was exhausted and went to bed early.
Though Ma Wuni was generally easygoing, she still felt unsettled. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, she wished she could drag Qian Cheng over and give him another beating.
That kid couldn’t even protect his own innocence—what good was he?
Late at night, something hit her window. Ma Wuni sprang up immediately. Did they think she was made of cotton, daring to mess with her?
An ordinary girl would have been terrified and called for her family for support.
But Ma Wuni was no ordinary girl. She was tough. Pushing open the window, she was ready to confront whoever dared provoke her. She was itching for a fight to vent her anger.
Under the bright moonlight, she saw a clear silhouette halfway over the courtyard wall. Who else could it be but that scoundrel Qian Cheng?
Ma Wuni slammed the window shut, not wanting to waste another glance on him. It wasn’t for any other reason—she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control her temper and would rush out to beat him to death.
From the wall, Qian Cheng whispered urgently, “Wuni, come out. I need to talk to you.”
Ma Wuni ignored him. Qian Cheng began tossing small pebbles at her window, trying to get her attention. It was unbearably annoying.
Furious, Ma Wuni gritted her teeth. With all this noise, others might not notice, but her father would surely hear. Letting Qian Cheng carry on like this was just embarrassing.
She dressed quickly and stormed outside, fully intending to teach Qian Cheng a lesson.
Ma Jiye pretended to be asleep and didn’t stop his daughter. He sighed. It wasn’t that he wanted to see her still entangled with Qian Cheng, but he had noticed there was more than one person outside—Qian Jin was there too.
At this point, it was better for Wuni to deal with Qian Cheng herself rather than him intervening. That would make Qian Jin feel better. So, Ma Jiye acted as if he knew nothing.
Still, he worried. What if his daughter changed her mind? He asked his wife beside him, “You don’t think she’d go back to him, do you?”
Wu Chunmei snorted. This man was so impatient. “She wouldn’t dare. I’d break her legs if she tried.”
She then added, “Our girl isn’t that kind of person either.”
Wu Chunmei was quite surprised that Wuni had agreed to the engagement with Qian Jin. After all, given Wuni’s temperament, she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with the Qian family again. Just the thought of them annoyed her.
It was all because of the Sun family’s meddling. Their daughter was acting out of anger at the time, and her decision wasn’t exactly rational. Who knows what she’ll think once she calms down and comes to her senses.