Lu Shijia had to admit that he had never liked the idea of an arranged marriage. At present, he had no interest in romance at all.
But hearing Xu Nianchu voluntarily suggest breaking off the engagement in exchange for a job still left him stunned.
If she married into the Lu family, she might not live extravagantly, but her life would certainly be far better than becoming an army cultural troupe performer.
Could it be…
She wasn’t satisfied with his looks?
To Lu Shijia, that was what her words implied.
But when Old Master Lu heard them, they carried an entirely different meaning.
Even in such a desperate situation, this child remained neither servile nor overbearing. She wasn’t desperately asking someone to rescue her from the mud. Marriage was clearly the easiest path available to her.
Yet she insisted on relying on herself and fighting for her own future.
He turned to Yu Wei and said gravely,
“You’re more familiar with the cultural troupe. I’ll leave this matter to you.”
Yu Wei nodded before smiling gently.
“Alright. I just met with a close friend a couple of days ago. They’re currently recruiting performers in the capital, but they’re only looking for ballet dancers. Miss Xu… do you know ballet?”
Most female soldiers in the cultural troupe specialized in yangko dancing or waist drum dances—relatively simple performances.
Since Xu Nianchu wanted to join the troupe, Yu Wei assumed she had seen her elder sister’s plan fail.
Retreating in order to advance.
She would first enter the cultural troupe, then gradually cultivate a relationship with her son.
Since the old master had entrusted the matter to her, she would naturally provide Xu Nianchu with an opportunity to audition.
Whether she passed or not…
That would no longer be her responsibility.
Ballet was the most difficult dance discipline. Secretly, she hoped the girl would back down in the face of the challenge.
After all, everyone was ordinary.
She hoped her son could marry someone who would help his career—
Not a girl who possessed nothing but extraordinary beauty.
She only wanted her son’s future to be a little easier.
Unexpectedly, the moment she finished speaking, the old master refuted her.
“Ballet? Do you take me for a fool just because I’m old?”
“Every cultural performance has the fewest ballet dancers because it’s the hardest discipline. How could a girl raised in that kind of family possibly know ballet?”
Yu Wei swallowed nervously.
She hadn’t expected the old master to see through her little scheme the instant it surfaced.
Watching his expression darken further, she clenched her fists tightly.
This is bad…
Xu Nianchu stepped forward.
“Today’s visit has already caused everyone enough trouble. I do know ballet. Auntie, please arrange a time for the audition.”
Yu Wei hurriedly replied,
“Come tomorrow morning. I’ll take you there personally.”
The fact that the young girl actually knew ballet genuinely surprised her. Under the old master’s pressure, she no longer dared to drag things out.
Even Lu Beichen found her choice surprising.
Ever since they’d met, every decision she made had exceeded his expectations.
Lu Zhengbang coughed several times.
Meng Qi’an immediately handed him a cup of hot water.
“Drink some.”
After observing the old man’s complexion, Xu Nianchu asked,
“Grandpa Lu, if you don’t mind… may I take your pulse?”
Yu Wei immediately objected.
“Young lady, you’re barely grown up. First you say you know ballet, now you claim to know medicine too? Where did you learn all these ridiculous things?”
“The doctors who treat the old master are all the country’s foremost experts.”
Lu Zhengbang’s face darkened again.
“Have I been too lenient today?”
“Tell the eldest to report to my study when he comes home tonight.”
Yu Wei shrank back.
“I’m only thinking of your health. What could a little girl like her possibly know?”
The older he got, the more unreasonable he became.
It was only a childhood engagement, yet he trusted an outsider so readily.
Meanwhile, she—the daughter-in-law—was wrong no matter what she did.
“This is my decision. You’ve overstepped.”
With that, he extended his arm onto the table.
“Go ahead.”
Yu Wei called out quietly,
“Dad…”
How could this be so absurd?
Xu Nianchu remained expressionless, but in her heart, Lu Shijia’s score had already dropped into the negatives.
With a mother-in-law like this…
Even if he were the most handsome man alive, she would never choose him.
This engagement was destined to fail.
She reached out and placed her fingers on Old Master Lu’s wrist.
A minute later, she withdrew her hand.
“Does the pain become much worse at night?”
The old master hadn’t expected her to actually know what she was doing.
“That’s right.”
Xu Nianchu examined his tongue coating, then gently felt the joints in his fingers before confirming the diagnosis.
“I’ll bring the herbs tomorrow. Auntie can take them back.”
His illness had accumulated over many years of warfare.
On the battlefield, soldiers had to endure every imaginable hardship.
The seeds of the illness had been planted long ago.
His pulse was deep, thin, and rough.
Yu Wei frowned and muttered under her breath,
“She can’t even write a prescription right now. She’ll probably just grab some random weeds after she goes home. She only knows how to say a few impressive-sounding words to fool people.”
Lu Zhengbang finally exploded.
“Tell the eldest not to come see me anymore.”
“Have him kneel in the courtyard for two hours instead.”
“Beichen, see Comrade Xiao Xu home.”
The Lu family rarely punished their daughters-in-law.
But husbands were expected to answer for their wives’ mistakes.
If he couldn’t discipline the wife, then he’d discipline her husband.
Xu Nianchu stood and said respectfully to the old master,
“If the herbal prescription works, your symptoms should noticeably improve after three doses.”
She wasn’t being modest.
In her previous life, she had earned her undergraduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the nation’s top university, then completed her master’s and doctorate there in rapid succession.
Her friends never understood why the daughter of a wealthy family would throw herself into such a demanding profession.
Her academic record had been exceptional.
Everyone who met her believed she had limitless potential.
Even so, she began clinical practice early and stayed so busy she barely had time to breathe.
Perhaps because she devoted herself entirely to medicine, after completing her bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, and residency training, she had barely spent any time with the man she had been engaged to through an arranged marriage.
No feelings?
Then simply call off the engagement.
But instead, after their wedding invitations had already been sent out…
He cheated on her with a nightclub hostess.
How could she possibly tolerate that?
She had slapped him across the face on the spot.
Then immediately canceled the wedding.
Her gaze lowered.
In this lifetime, the one thing she could never tolerate was betrayal in a relationship.
She had an intense obsession with fidelity.
Seeing her suddenly fall silent, Lu Beichen assumed his sister-in-law’s remarks had upset her.
“Alright.”
“I’ll take you home.”
He picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and walked outside.
Watching the two leave together, Lu Shijia felt something was off.
Wasn’t Xu Nianchu supposed to be engaged to me?
Then why is Little Uncle the one escorting her home?
Do I really seem that unreliable?
He looked toward Old Master Lu.
The old man immediately glared back.
“Enough pretending.”
“You’ve only been driving for a few years.”
“What if you drive the girl into a ditch?”
After getting into the vehicle, Lu Beichen noticed that she was walking with a slight limp.
“What happened to your foot?”
Xu Nianchu stretched out her leg.
“I stood and walked for too long. My shoe rubbed my heel raw.”
She had bought the leather shoes only that afternoon.
She hadn’t expected to run around the entire city. It was already dark outside, which showed just how much walking she had done.
Lu Beichen glanced at her foot.
Sure enough, the back of her heel was blistered and scraped open.
He reached into the storage compartment between the seats and took out a roll of bandage.
“Do you want me to dress the wound?”