Chapter 3
“What?!”
Madame Wang widened her eyes, full of disbelief. Frowning, she looked at her carefully for a while, then eventually held Gu Wuyou’s hand, sighed softly, and said, “Mannan, are you excessively sad? If Grandmother knows about this, and if you are unhappy and hold grievances, it is understandable.”
“So, what do you want to do, Grandmother will comply with your wishes.”
She was not a foolish old woman who became dull with age. How could she not see through Wang Zhao’s schemes and thoughts? She refrained from revealing them due to consideration for her daughter’s reputation and the Wang family’s name.
“If you don’t want to see her, Grandmother will have her sent to the ancestral temple. When you marry Zhao Chengyou, she will be brought back. Is that acceptable?”
Madame Wang truly cherished Gu Wuyou to her core. Her words completely disregarded whether her own son, daughter-in-law, or granddaughter would be hurt, only wanting to make her happy. After saying these words, she pulled Gu Wuyou into her arms, just like when she was little, caressing her head and softly saying, “Mannan, marriage is not a game. You cannot say such things because of momentary anger.”
Gu Wuyou knew that her words would surely be met with resistance.
In her previous life at this time, she was too enamored with Zhao Chengyou. Everyone in Langya knew that the young miss from the Wang family who came to the capital was madly in love with the son of the Zhao family. She exhausted her efforts to repel one potential rival after another, unashamedly wanting to claim Zhao Chengyou as her own.
Wherever Zhao Chengyou attended a banquet, she would be there.
If any girl got close to Zhao Chengyou, she would turn hostile.
Because of Zhao Chengyou, she turned herself into a paranoid woman, thinking that by doing so, Zhao Chengyou would belong to her alone.
But the truth proved…
If a man doesn’t have you in his heart, no matter how deeply you love him, even if you love him humbly, lower than dust, it won’t change his feelings. Instead, it will make him more disgusted with you.
She thought about how Zhao Chengyou used to be cruel to her, and suddenly felt like laughing.
These things, if it were back then, when she separated from Zhao Chengyou, it would definitely have torn her heart apart, made her toss and turn in bed sleeplessly, but time, it’s truly a good thing. Those grudges and sadness that she thought she would never forget in her lifetime, after being polished by years, had long been forgotten by her.
Now.
Her heart is fully occupied by one person, she can no longer spare a single thought for anyone else.
Gu Wuyou nestled in Madam Wang’s arms, just like when she was young, lightly pinching the corners of the person’s clothes with two fingers, “Grandmother, I didn’t want to divorce in anger, I am serious.” She raised her head in her arms, her thin face due to illness did not diminish her beauty, but rather added a touch of vulnerability that she didn’t usually have, making people can’t help but feel pity.
“Before you also disagreed with me marrying Zhao Chengyou.” Before Madam Wang could speak, Gu Wuyou suddenly said, “Grandmother, can you tell me why?”
Madam Wang was stunned.
After a moment, she sighed looking at Gu Wuyou, “The child of the Zhao family has good character, good learning, and outstanding temperament, but his family background is complicated, his father is cold-hearted, even though he is the eldest son, his mother passed away early, his stepmother and younger brother are also formidable.”
“If you marry into that family, you will inevitably suffer under them.”
Gu Wuyou looked into Madam Wang’s eyes and said, “That is not the main reason.” Seeing Madam Wang’s expression change slightly, she continued, “Although the Zhao family is complicated, as long as the Wang and Gu families stand strong, they cannot do anything to me.”
“Grandmother, am I not right?”
Madam Wang did not expect Gu Wuyou to suddenly become so insightful.
She frowned, for the first time carefully examining her granddaughter, but ultimately surrendered under her clear gaze, she reached out to touch her hair, continuing her words, “As long as the Wang and Gu families stand strong, no one can harm you.”
“I never agreed to your marriage with Zhao Chengyou because—” she paused her words, staring directly into Gu Wuyou’s eyes before continuing, “That child from the Zhao family is making you less and less like yourself.”
Her stubbornness in the past, although proud, was not arrogant.
However, after falling in love with the child from the Zhao family, she seemed to have changed, becoming so obsessed to the point of madness, completely disregarding the opinions of others and even her own family, as if there was only Zhao Chengyou in her eyes, with no friends and no regard for family.
Good relationships should make people grow.
Not as it is now, loving someone to the point of losing oneself.
Thus.
She disagreed.
“I originally wanted to tell you, but at that time, your eyes and heart were only on the child from the Zhao family. I thought that maybe things would improve once you were married, so I didn’t stop you.” Madam Wang spoke out all her thoughts before sighing.
After speaking.
She looked at her, seeming to still be puzzled, “Manman, have you sorted things out now?”
Gu Wuyou nodded, under Madam Wang’s questioning gaze, holding her hand, whispered, “Grandmother, I have also gone through a lot this time. Those things I couldn’t understand before, I understand now.”
“My marriage with Zhao Chengyou was something I forced.”
“What do you mean forced?!” Madam Wang had been listening attentively before, but now she seemed displeased, pursing her lips, interrupting her, “We didn’t hold a knife to their necks, his father knew of our intentions, and the next day he sent the wedding invitation over, afraid that we would regret it.”
One’s own child is always the best.
Especially for someone like Madam Wang who is biased, how could she bear to hear her beloved granddaughter say such things?
The smile in Gu Wuyou’s eyes deepened, she still liked her grandmother, no matter what she did, her grandmother would always protect her. She was like she had shed the experiences of the past decades, like a child, snuggled in this long-lost embrace, speaking with a gentle tone, following up on her words, “Yes, Zhao Chengyou doesn’t like me, it’s his loss.”
Once she made her happy, she continued, “Anyway, since Zhao Chengyou is indifferent to me, I no longer have any other thoughts about him, rather than continuing like this, it’s better to end it now.”
“You—”
Madam Wang looked at her with a hint of hesitation, “Have you truly made up your mind?”
She always felt that Manman couldn’t possibly just let it go so easily.
But Gu Wuyou seemed too calm, not evading at all, just looking at Madam Wang, nodded, “Grandmother, I have truly come to terms with it.” It took her so many years to come to terms with this.
Now, towards Zhao Chengyou.
She held no grudge, no love, she just regarded him as a stranger among the countless people she knew.
She didn’t want to entangle with him anymore.
There’s no need.
**
Madam. Wang did not immediately go to the Zhao family to retrieve the invitation card in accordance with Gu Wuyou’s wishes. But this matter was no longer a secret in the Wang family. No one had expected that the young lady from their family was actually planning to break off the engagement with the eldest son of the Zhao family, who was named Gong Langya.
Unbelievable.
Could not dare to believe it.
The most unbelievable of all was Wang Zhao.
On this day.
On a rare sunny winter day, Gu Wuyou was still young. With a few days of rest, her illness would be cured. She also planned to return to the capital. All the carriages outside were filled with Gu Wuyou’s belongings from the past and the things prepared by the Wang family for the Gu family.
Although Madam Wang did not like the Gu family, she still had to handle things properly.
Six carriages.
There were more than twenty guards on both sides, along with maids, servants, totaling more than thirty people, showcasing Gu Wuyou’s status in the Wang family.
This departure was different from the past.
Gu Wuyou had already decided to break off the engagement with Zhao Chengyou. But in Langya, it was impossible to find someone as good in terms of family background, character, and talent as Zhao Chengyou. Madam Wang was reluctant in her heart but could only let her return to the capital.
It could be said so.
When the time of departure came, she still held Gu Wuyou’s hand and felt uncomfortable, saying, “When you go to the capital, it’s far away. Even your grandmother can’t take care of you.”
Gu Wuyou also felt a little uncomfortable.
In her previous life, before her grandmother passed away, she had always stayed in Langya. Even if she went to the capital, it was only once a year, staying for seven or eight days before packing up and returning. For her, Langya was her home, and her grandmother was her closest family member.
But now—
Although she was full of reluctance, she had to leave. Except for meeting the general sooner, she also wanted to see her family in the capital.
After she broke off the engagement with Zhao Chengyou, her father took her back to the capital.
She still remembered her father rushing to Langya with an imperial decree. When he saw her, tears fell from his determined face. He knelt in front of her, his thick hand slightly trembling as he touched her face, saying, “I… Father came late.”
Later, he took her away from Langya, ignoring Zhao Chengyou’s obstruction, and even gave Zhao Chengyou a good beating on her behalf.
Her father was actually a good person.
But in the past, her prejudice against him was too deep. She resented him, hated him, and refused to call him father.
Sometimes, she would think that her father, who was a trusted confidant of the emperor and a prominent minister of Great Zhou, should have lived more comfortably than anyone else. Yet, in her previous life, he passed away before reaching fifty due to melancholy.
Was it because of her?
He lost his beloved at the peak of his life, and his most cherished daughter treated him as a stranger. He had everything but had nothing. That’s why, before he died, he stroked her hair, tears in his eyes, and said to her, “If I hadn’t married your mother, she wouldn’t have died so soon.”
“But I… still can’t bear it.”
Thinking of this, Gu Wuyou’s eyes reddened. Since she was given a chance to start anew by fate, not only to meet the general sooner but also to cherish her family. She swallowed back the tears, forcing a smile and saying, “Even if it’s far away, I will come to see you often.”
With her husband by her side.
In her previous life, when she married Li Qin, her grandmother had already passed away.
This life, she wanted to bring him to see her grandmother sooner. Her general was so good that her grandmother would definitely like him.
Madam Wang wiped away her tears, giving some instructions.
Gu Wuyou responded one by one, bidding farewell to her uncle, aunt, and several cousins, taking some time before being helped onto the carriage.
As the carriage was about to depart, someone shouted, “Gu Wuyou!”
It was Wang Zhao’s voice.
Perhaps she didn’t expect Gu Wuyou to appear. Gu Wuyou was taken aback before lifting the curtain. She saw Wang Zhao being supported by two maids, limping towards her. Pushing aside the maids, she walked over, stood next to the carriage, and asked, “Are you leaving like this?”
Gu Wuyou nodded, “Yes.”
“You!” Wang Zhao bit her lip, her face full of doubt, “Are you really willing to leave?”
This time, Gu Wuyou did not directly answer her question. Instead, she leaned against the carriage, lowered her gaze, and looked at her earnestly. This was the first time she had seen Wang Zhao since waking up, not the eternal dignified and luxurious look in her memory.
Now, she looked too young.
“Do you like Zhao Chengyou?” Gu Wuyou asked her, her voice calm and soft, only enough for the two of them to hear.
Miss Wang Zhao’s face changed, she seemed a little nervous, afraid of others overhearing. But under Gu Wuyou’s gaze, she couldn’t help but straighten her back, as if afraid of being looked down upon by her. Gritting her teeth and tensing her neck, she said, “I just like him, so what?”
“If it weren’t for you, he should have been mine!”
If it weren’t for Grandmother’s affection for Gu Wuyou, Zhao Chengyou should have been hers; she was the one who was most suitable for him!
But Gu Wuyou just smiled at her, completely different from the way she had acted towards her before, the wind brushed over her face, she lifted her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, then looked at Wang Zhao and lightly smiled, “Well, I wish you all the best.”
“The wind is strong, I should go, and you should go back too.”
With that, she paid no more attention to Wang Zhao and lowered the curtain of the carriage.
The carriage slowly moved forward, Wang Zhao watched Gu Wuyou leave in a daze, furrowing her brows after a while… What is this woman playing at? She didn’t believe that she would leave so easily.
She must still have some tricks up her sleeve!
*
Half a month later.
Approaching the harsh winter, the snowstorm grew fiercer.
Fortunately, Madam Wang knew Gu Wuyou was sensitive to the cold, so she had prepared a good amount of high-quality silver charcoal. But even so, Gu Wuyou was still freezing, Bai Lu and Hong Shuang held blankets to tightly seal the seams of the carriage, and brought out all the fine fox furs as if they were worthless, piling them all on Gu Wuyou.
“Why haven’t we arrived yet?” Hong Shuang complained while rubbing Gu Wuyou’s hands.
“I’m guessing it will be at least half a day before we arrive.”
Bai Lu also looked at the freezing Gu Wuyou and suggested, “Why don’t we rest nearby? The snowstorm is so strong. If you continue like this back home, you’ll probably freeze. Let’s wait until the snowstorm subsides before we continue.”
Gu Wuyou curled her entire body in the fox fur, her teeth chattering from the cold.
She shook her head, about to refuse, but then heard Hong Shuang say, “I remember there’s a temple nearby. How about we rest there for a while?”
A temple? Gu Wuyou hesitated.
If she remembered correctly, that temple was the Jintai Temple, where she first met Li Qinyuan… Although it was several years ago, she couldn’t help but want to go and take a look.
“Then let’s take a break there.”
