Old Master Zhou spoke up.
Zhou Shouye stopped what he was doing just as he was about to start the tractor. He exchanged glances with his daughter, Zhou Yue.
Zhou Shouan and Guan Shujun had been directly called out by name. Although they were full of questions, they followed Grandpa Zhou to a tree where no one else was around.
Seeing that Old Madam Guan hadn’t moved, Grandpa Zhou specifically added, “In-law, you come over too.”
Old Madam Guan hadn’t expected this matter to involve her, but she followed them anyway.
The group stood beneath a large tree, away from everyone else. They could talk freely without worrying that anyone might overhear them.
Grandpa Zhou then explained what he knew.
“Liang Feng really is a piece of work. Just to get out of his engagement, he had someone drug Zhou Shu’s liquor. Zhou Shu and that girl, Zhong Yi, have already been intimate.”
The moment he finished speaking, the other three were stunned. Zhou Shouan and Guan Shujun hadn’t realized there was such a story behind everything.
Old Madam Guan, however, reacted more directly. She immediately launched into a string of curses. She scolded Liang Feng just as harshly as she had previously cursed Ji Mingxuan.
She spared no words in expressing her anger!
“Zhou Shu was also the one who proposed marriage. From what I gathered, that girl Zhong Yi never intended to make him take responsibility in the first place…”
Grandpa Zhou paused before continuing, “We originally planned to handle this quietly and didn’t intend to let more people know. After all, it’s not something to be proud of. We were only going to tell outsiders that Zhou Shu had fallen for Zhong Yi and insisted on marrying her. But then there’s this girl Gu Qingtang…”
Grandpa Zhou clicked his tongue a few times. He didn’t have a particularly good impression of Gu Qingtang either.
After all, when it came to the Zhou family’s affairs, her identity made it inappropriate for her to get too deeply involved.
“Now that you know what happened, that’s enough. Just keep it in mind, and don’t make things difficult for Zhong Yi. Her family may have had a run of bad luck, but Zhong Huilan is a loyal and devoted person, and Zhong Yi is a good girl too. Otherwise, how could Liang Feng have clung to their family and drained them of their money for so many years? Eight years, a full fifteen hundred yuan! Would any of you be willing to hand over that much money?”
Old Madam Guan was the first to shake her head. She certainly wouldn’t agree. Not only did she not have that much money, but even if she did, wouldn’t it be better to keep it and buy meat for herself?
After hearing Grandpa Zhou’s explanation, Zhou Shouan and Guan Shujun developed an even greater respect for the mother and daughter of the Zhong family.
People who were truly loyal and devoted were rare these days.
“Besides, our Zhou Shu is serving in the military. Once word of his marriage spreads, his comrades will definitely ask him about his love story with his wife. Should he tell them that someone drugged him and that he and his wife were almost caught in bed together? Would that sound good if it got around? Wouldn’t it affect Zhou Shu’s reputation?”
Grandpa Zhou’s words carried considerable weight. He wasn’t trying to make excuses for anyone; the situation really was as he had described.
Some things were better kept within the family. There was no need to make everything public and invite endless speculation.
Nearby, Zhong Huilan watched the Zhou family gathered together in conversation. Her brows furrowed slightly, and worry was written all over her face.
Her own marriage had been unfortunate, but she still hoped her daughter could find happiness.
Besides, her daughter and Zhou Shu had already…
If the Zhou family refused to let him marry her, her daughter’s future marriage prospects would become a difficult problem.
It wasn’t that Zhong Huilan couldn’t support her daughter. She simply didn’t want Zhong Yi to spend the rest of her life accompanying her. Her daughter couldn’t stay by her side forever. She would grow old and eventually die. What would happen to Zhong Yi when she was gone and her daughter was left all alone?
Zhong Yi, on the other hand, was much more relaxed.
As she had said before, she mainly thought Zhou Shu was a dependable man. As for marriage, she could take it or leave it.
Before long, the group returned.
It was obvious that the Zhou family now regarded Zhong Yi with a little more affection and sympathy.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they said that once they managed to get in touch with Zhou Shu, they would find out when he had time to come back so they could arrange the wedding.
Old Madam Guan had no objections. Grandpa Zhou was right. Her daughter, son-in-law, and their family were respectable people, and this kind of story really wouldn’t sound good if it got out.
Besides, her grandson had already been intimate with the young woman. If he still refused to marry her, what kind of man would that make him?
Although Old Madam Guan could sometimes be difficult to deal with, she wasn’t confused when it came to matters of principle.
Especially since her daughter and son-in-law came from a respectable family, their reputation mattered a great deal.
That was also why Zhou Shouan and his wife had been able to keep her in their home to help raise the children all these years.
Everyone had their own temperament, strengths, and weaknesses. But when it came to right and wrong, as long as a person didn’t lose all sense of reason, they were still someone worth getting along with.
In the end, both families had reached an agreement about the marriage.
However, there was one very important problem.
They couldn’t get in touch with Zhou Shu.
There were telephones in the government compound, and the Zhou family even had one installed in their own home. They also had the contact information for Zhou Shu’s military unit.
But whenever they called, someone would answer. As soon as they asked for Zhou Shu, the response was always that he was out on a mission.
Four cold, impersonal words.
They were both the truth and one of the greatest frustrations of his profession.
“We’ll give you his contact information for the military unit. You can write to him or try calling him yourself,” Guan Shujun suggested.
Zhong Yi replied, “He gave me all of that before he left.”
Guan Shujun was a little surprised. She knew her eldest son was thoughtful and responsible, but to have arranged everything so thoroughly, he must have had more than just a careful nature. There had to be genuine feelings involved, too.
That was a good thing. When two people came together because of their feelings for each other, they would have a better chance of building a happy life.
“Good, good! If anything comes up, the two of you can discuss it together. If you need us to help with anything, just let us know.”
Having thought things through, Guan Shujun felt even more satisfied with Zhong Yi.
Whether their family was marrying off a daughter or welcoming a daughter-in-law, what mattered wasn’t the other person’s family background or social standing. What mattered more was whether the two people genuinely cared for each other.
The group then climbed back onto the tractor and left.
Zhong Yi sat in the trailer. As the tractor turned the corner and left the government compound, she spotted a familiar figure standing near a wall.
It was Gu Qingtang, who had run out during the meal. Apparently, she hadn’t gone far and had been wandering around the compound. At that moment, she was still staring in the direction the tractor had gone.
This girl…
Zhong Yi thought Gu Qingtang was rather stubborn.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Gu Qingtang liked Zhou Shu. But it was equally obvious that Zhou Shu had absolutely no romantic interest in her.
If he had felt anything for her, the two of them had every opportunity to get together. They lived so close to each other, and Old Madam Guan had even been encouraging the match. They could have married long ago. For all she knew, they might already have had children running around.
Besides, that morning, Gu Qingtang had gone to such lengths to seduce him, yet Zhou Shu had remained completely unmoved. That alone should have made things clear.
In other words, Gu Qingtang didn’t need to target her at all. Even if Zhong Yi weren’t in the picture, Zhou Shu’s heart still wouldn’t belong to Gu Qingtang!
Who knew when the girl would finally understand that?
Gu Qingtang didn’t return to the Zhou family home until evening.
As soon as she entered, she saw Guan Shujun sitting on the sofa. Hearing the noise, Guan Shujun raised her eyes to look at her.
“You’re back, Qingtang.”
Gu Qingtang lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze. She murmured an acknowledgment and started walking toward her room without looking up.
“Wait a moment. We need to talk.”
Guan Shujun was a teacher herself. She believed that when problems arose, they needed to be addressed through timely communication. That was precisely why she had been sitting there waiting for Gu Qingtang.
Gu Qingtang understood what Guan Shujun wanted to discuss, but she didn’t want to talk about it.
Perhaps she was also afraid that Guan Shujun would tell her to leave the house.
After all, she wasn’t really a member of the Zhou family. They had only taken her in out of kindness, and she understood that perfectly well.
“Aunt Guan, I’m feeling a little tired. I’m going back to my room to rest first.”
After saying that, she hurried into her room without looking back and closed the door behind her.