At the news that Gu Jiangzhi had returned after leaving, Nian Chujiu’s heart sank.
Of course. The man had always been suspicious by nature. Careless!
In her earlier confrontation with him, her emotions had run high. She had been so focused on venting her frustration that she failed to rein in her tongue.
By now, Gu Jiangzhi had probably put the pieces together and realized she had only been stalling for time. Once she understood this, she calmed down instead. She raised her eyes to the elders, whose expressions had turned grave, and dipped into a neat curtsy.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The Gu family has likely grown suspicious, so we can no longer rely on delaying tactics. Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, please proceed with the plan at once and split up as discussed. We must act before the Gu family makes their move.”
Nian Weiqing and the others nodded in agreement.
Nian Chujiu continued, “Third Uncle, please inform Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Brother about the plan we discussed earlier and have them make preparations. I imagine we’ll need it tonight.”
“Tonight?” Third Uncle asked in confusion.
Absolute certainty shone in Nian Chujiu’s eyes. “Yes. Tonight.”
Nian Weidong said nothing more. He hurried away with his brothers.
When Gu Jiangzhi stepped into the courtyard, he caught sight of several Nian family elders’ backs disappearing around the corner of the corridor.
His footsteps halted. Dark emotions churned in his eyes. Have they already come up with a countermeasure? What kind of plan? Were they preparing to pack their belongings and leave the capital before being driven out?
The thought that Nian Chujiu might leave and disappear from his life forever made his chest tighten for no reason at all.
When Gu Jiangzhi entered the main hall again, Nian Chujiu was already seated in the place of honor.
Candles had been lit inside. The flames flickered in the draft, casting shifting shadows that left everyone half-hidden between light and darkness.
Hearing his footsteps, she neither rose nor even looked at him. Her gaze stayed lowered to her hands, folded neatly in her lap.
Her voice was detached. “Sit.”
Gu Jiangzhi obeyed. Rainwater dripped from the ends of his hair, making the spacious hall feel even more oppressively empty.
Outside, rain crashed against the roof tiles and the ground in endless sheets, pounding against Gu Jiangzhi’s already chaotic thoughts.
The sharp contours of Nian Chujiu’s face seemed colder than ever. “Mingyue, serve tea.”
The scene reminded Gu Jiangzhi of the year they had first become engaged.
Back then, in similar light and shadow, the young Nian Chujiu wore an apricot-yellow spring robe. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she said, “Mingyue, brew a cup of tea for Young Master Gu.”
She even leaned slightly toward him, bright anticipation dancing in her eyes as she pointed to a celadon teacup. “Give it a try. This is the season’s first pre-rain tea from our estate. I think it’s even better than last year’s.”
Back then, the tea had been warm. And so had the girl.
Mischief sparkled in her eyes like patches of sunlight filtering through a forest canopy. “Taste it carefully. It’s excellent tea. In the future, you’ll have to train yourself until you can identify which sunny mountain slope it grew on just from its aroma, and whether it was nourished by dew before Qingming or mist before Grain Rain.”
After hearing her words, Gu Jiangzhi had lowered his head for a sip. The tips of his ears had reddened beyond his control. The tea rolling across his tongue had been clear and sweet, with a lingering fragrance that seemed impossible to grasp. At the time, he had thought that all the years of his future would surely be just as sweet. The Nian family had not looked down on the Gu family’s poverty when they agreed to the marriage. The real reason was that they admired his appearance and character and wanted him to marry into their family.
Everyone in the Gu family knew that the Nian family couldn’t bear to marry off their precious daughter.
The Nians had even said that if they had children in the future, the children could still carry the Gu surname. Everything in Miss Nian’s words and actions back then had clearly implied that she wanted him to help manage the family’s tea business in the future.
For years, Gu Jiangzhi had buried himself in tea manuals, hoping that one day he could serve her with all his heart. Now, almost unconsciously, he took a sip of the tea before him. He nearly threw the cup.
Hot! And salty! And even bitter!
He looked utterly miserable, like a clown.
Mingyue curled her lip. Hmph! The fact that I didn’t put arsenic in it already shows how kind-hearted I am!
Only then did Nian Chujiu raise her eyes. Her voice was unhurried. “Young Master Gu, you’ve returned after leaving. Did Madam Gu send you back to demand my dowry?”
Gu Jiangzhi coughed several times. His face burned with embarrassment, as though his thoughts had been laid completely bare. Setting down the teacup, he steadied himself and asked instead: “Miss Nian, when you agreed earlier, was it merely to buy time so the Nian family could purchase a house and establish residency?”
Nian Chujiu smiled faintly. “Your family wants to curry favor with powerful nobles, yet you can’t bear to let go of my family’s money. Doesn’t such greed look rather ugly?”
“My mother meant no harm,” Gu Jiangzhi replied, head lowered. “She’s simply afraid that the marriage between our families won’t happen. If Miss Nian marries into the Gu family as promised, none of the things you’re worried about will come to pass.”
Nian Chujiu’s voice turned cold. “The Gu family’s calculations are practically hitting me in the face!”
“Commoners cannot fight officials,” Gu Jiangzhi said darkly. “Miss Nian, don’t struggle needlessly. Wouldn’t it be better to wait peacefully for me to marry you?”
Her tone was openly mocking. “Your Gu family may hold a marquis title, but you can’t even afford a carriage. Aren’t you just counting on my dowry to fill your financial holes?”
They talked past one another. One sentence after another—neither listening.
Nian Chujiu’s every word of disdain stabbed into Gu Jiangzhi. His eyes reddened. At last, something he had suppressed for a long time snapped.
“I DON’T WANT YOUR DOWRY!” He surged to his feet and strode toward her, practically roaring. “Keep your family’s money for yourself! No matter how worthless I may be, I’m not low enough to covet that! I only want you! I only want you, Nian Chujiu!”
Nian Chujiu suddenly laughed. She didn’t say a word. She simply didn’t believe him.
“You don’t believe me!” Gu Jiangzhi’s chest heaved violently. He stared at her as if trying to burn through her. Each word emerged from between clenched teeth with reckless desperation. “You and your Nian family should stop dreaming about leaving the capital!”
“Really?” Nian Chujiu looked at him quietly.
There was no surprise. No emotion. Not even mockery. Only complete, frozen calm.
Slowly and clearly, she said: “Young Master Gu certainly speaks with confidence these days. Is it because your grandfather took a knife meant for His Majesty? Or because you happen to have an aunt in the palace who successfully climbed into the Emperor’s bed?”
The words hit Gu Jiangzhi like a club to the head. His ears rang. Even his furious breathing froze.
Tilting her head slightly, she smiled. “Leaving that aside, shouldn’t your family return the money you’ve borrowed from mine over the years? Eight hundred taels at the very least, if not a thousand. And what about that century-old ginseng root? Shouldn’t you return that before you earn the right to shout at me?”
Gu Jiangzhi clenched his fists so tightly that the taste of blood rose in his throat.
Nian Chujiu tapped the rim of her teacup, producing a crisp ding. “From top to bottom, inside and out, what part of the Gu family wasn’t obtained through calculation, exchange, or stepping on someone else to climb higher?”
Then her gaze swept over him mockingly. “And you, Gu Jiangzhi. This should be the time for you to make a name for yourself, yet you’ve chosen to play the coward, hiding behind your mother’s skirts. What right do you have to talk to me about your future?”
Ridiculous.
At that moment, Gu Jiangzhi’s rage reached its peak.
Nian Chujiu looked down on him! She had always looked down on him! If he held power and authority in his hands, would she still dare treat him with such contempt?
“Don’t regret this!” he ground out through gritted teeth, his face ashen.
“I’d rather be the wife of a poor man than the concubine of a marquis!” At last, Nian Chujiu repeated the cruel words she had once spoken in her previous life. “The daughters of the Nian family do not become concubines.”
The last shred of civility shattered. No room remained for reconciliation. Only the icy standoff inside the hall and the howling wind and rain outside the windows remained.
The last trace of color drained from Gu Jiangzhi’s face. He stared at her and slowly nodded. The words were forced out through clenched teeth. “Good. Very good. Tomorrow, I will return the betrothal contract exactly as it was.”