Chapter Forty-Four: The Engagement is Settled

  Liu Guizhen's home village.

  Liu Yu went to the provincial capital to take the provincial exam, and after finishing the exam, he was invited to stay at his grandmother's house for over a month. Today, when he returned home, the whole family was still immersed in the joy of his return, but Liu Yu brought them an even more astonishing piece of news, which shocked his grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother into a stunned silence in the living room, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.

  It was Grandma Lin Lu who finally came back to her senses, "Yu'er, are you joking with us?"

  Liu Yu hung his head low, and there was no joy on his face that he should have had after passing the imperial examination. He said in a low voice: "Mother, you all didn't hear wrong, I...I'm engaged."

  Liu Yu's mother Qin Lan could no longer hold back her anger: "What nonsense are you talking about? Your parents, your grandparents are all here, who allowed you to decide on your own marriage?"

  Qin Lan was so angry she wanted to go forward and slap him twice, but fortunately Liu Zhidong pulled her back from behind, or else she would have done it.

  Lin Lu stopped Qin Lan from continuing, she wanted to ask some things first: "Yu'er, you're confused, engagement is when the matchmaker comes to your door with betrothal gifts, after getting the agreement of your parents and family members, then can be engaged."

  "I know." he said in a low and gentle voice.

  "Then what's going on with you? Tell me clearly." Qin Lan looked at her son, who was hesitating and couldn't get the words out, and shouted loudly.

  "My engagement letter has already been exchanged with her." Liu Yu still said in a low voice, softly.

  "What?! Who gave you the right? I'll tell you, that doesn't count! Which vixen has bewitched your soul?! Qin Lan was getting more and more angry as she listened. She knew about the vixens outside, her own father had brought one back before, causing trouble at home until he couldn't compare to his wife's tactics and finally kicked the fox spirit out. Now her son had gone out and come back with one of his own, how could she not be angry?"

  Liu Yu hung his head, he was almost in tears, and he didn't want to recognize this muddled relative either. If they really got married, he would rather choose Zhi Xiao than her, but who would have thought it would end up like this.

  Liu Yu slowly told the four people about the whole story.

  Liu Yu passed the imperial examination last year and became a child prodigy, so this year he can go to the provincial capital to take the exam.

  Liu Yu arrived in the provincial capital and first stayed at her grandmother's house to review, until the last few days when she went to take the exam. This was also a way for Qin Lan and Liu Yu's mother's family to get in touch with each other.

  Liu Yu originally planned to stay at her grandmother's house for a month and then return home after taking the exam.

  "But grandma, my aunt kept persuading me to stay a few more days, saying it's rare for me to come once, and advising me to have some fun, so I agreed. Then my aunt and grandma invited many people home, and everyone made plans to go out and play together, but..." Liu Yu looked up at them as she spoke.

  The four of them had different expressions on their faces at this time, and they probably could guess something. Liu Gui and Lin Lu gave a dissatisfied glance at their daughter-in-law, Qin Lan also looked regretful, if only she had known it would be like this, she would rather have accompanied her son or let him stay in the guest room than let him stay in that den of gossip, but it was not something he had sought out for himself, it was forced upon him.

  "But during a boat ride on the lake, my aunt invited her niece who was not very good at swimming, I..."

  "You just went down to save her?! Then you're going to marry her?!" Qin Lan couldn't bear it anymore, and hearing that it had something to do with her mother's sister, she was certain that nothing good would come of it. Seeing her son nodding his head with a sad face, she really wanted to go up and shake him awake.

  "You can't swim either, why did you go to rescue?" Qin Shi asked, suppressing her anger.

  Liu Yu was annoyed and thought that if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have gone out that day and this incident wouldn't have happened. After listening to his mother's words, he could only tell the truth:

  "At that time, no one was around, I was in a hurry and didn't think so much, just jumped down like that. Fortunately, the water wasn't too deep and it was near the shore, I rescued the person and swam to the shore in just a few strokes. After returning home, in just a few days, my grandma and aunt came to me and said that this girl's family had lost face, so they asked a matchmaker to come and propose marriage to me. I was stupid at the time, mom, I didn't want to, really, I told grandma and aunt that I wanted to ask my parents, but grandma and them told me that the girl cried many times after returning home, and once even tried to kill herself, saying she had no face to see people, so my parents asked someone to come to grandma's house to settle this marriage, and the engagement letter was also written by aunt."

  "So you didn't say come back and discuss with us before making a decision?" Qin Lan frowned at him.

  "Grandma and them told me to settle the marriage first before coming back to tell you all, saying that it's also a waste of time going back and forth on the road, afraid that the girl would do something foolish at home." Liu Yu lowered his head even more.

  Lin Lu finally understood, "How can you be so stupid? This is a trap set for you. I reckon this family has been in the county government early and heard about your high school, so they joined forces with your aunt to perform this play. You don't believe me, you can ask your mother, what kind of person your aunt is, and why it's so coincidental that it's your aunt's niece."

  Liu Yu turned to look at Qin Lan, "Mother, would Aunt really be such a person?" Thinking back on the whole thing, it seemed that Aunt had been somewhat hasty in trying to bring about this matter.

  Qin was so angry that she itched to bite Liu Yu's mother, who was now in front of her. She thought that if she could just take a few bites out of her, she would know that this sister-in-law was not someone to be trifled with. Her natal family relied on their wealth and were very snobbish, and normally they wouldn't even look at her son, but as soon as they found out he had passed the imperial examination, they started thinking about him.

  Considering the son's age is still young, there's no need to rush for now, maybe after a few more years he can still take the imperial examination and become a jinshi or something, at that time his status will be different, I reckon they're thinking along these lines too?

  She thought it was beautiful, but she didn't agree.

  Qin sighed, blaming her for being too strict with her son, not even noticing this little calculation by others. However, her son was only thirteen years old and couldn't be blamed entirely. She pulled Liu Yu over and said:

  "Son, tell your mother, are you willing to marry her?" Seeing Liu Yu shaking his head like a rattle drum, extremely displeased, she said again: "Then, we just won't acknowledge this marriage and that's it."

  "Wife, have you gone silly? The contract has already been exchanged, how can you still refuse to admit it?" Liu Zhidong reminded her.

  "No matter what, my son is a Liu, if we're going to swap, it's with the Lius. When did it become acceptable for outsiders to swap family heirlooms with us? Did we agree to this? Did his parents agree?"

  Liu Guiyi heard this and slammed his hand on the table: "Well said, my grandson is a Liu, why can others decide his marriage?!"

  Liu Zhidong heard his father say, "Is that okay? They won't come to make trouble? Qin Lan's sister-in-law's family has some background." Moreover, breaking off the engagement after it was set would actually be of no benefit to either side. If his son were to have a future and become an official, wouldn't he be afraid of being exposed for past mistakes, giving others a handle to attack him?

  "What's there to be afraid of? I still suspect that this girl has some problem, at least let us parents meet her. They're fine, my son saved their daughter, but then they secretly harm my son. Is there anyone in the world who is so unreasonable?"

  Liu Zhidong said: "Isn't it said that it was deliberately designed? Who would reason with you, what if their daughter is dying and comes to your doorstep?"

  Qin Lan only cared about these things: "If she really died, it would be clean. Look at their family's daughter, is she dead? From this perspective, their family's daughter is also a careless one. If our family really married her, it would truly be a disturbance in the household, Mother, don't you think?"

  Lin Lu was really satisfied with this daughter-in-law for the first time, although she was strict with her grandson in daily life and was dissatisfied with him. However, today she didn't stand on the side of her own family, and between the lines, she was maintaining Liu's family. Just this point, she would look at her differently.

  Lin Lu sank into thought, "I think their family will definitely come knocking on our door, of course we also need to think of a countermeasure."

  Liu Gui discontentedly said: "We are in the right, what can they do to us? They engaged with my grandson and didn't even come to our house."

  Lin Lu was deep in thought when Qin Lan's eyes suddenly lit up: "Dad and mom, why don't we help Liu Yu find a wife too?"

  Liu Gui looked at her: "But it's too hasty, can we find a good one? What if their family members find out, the matter will be even more exaggerated."

  Lin Lu thought for a moment, and now this method is the most reliable. "However, we can't openly search for him. Once we find him, we'll tell others that he was engaged to Liu Yu since childhood, but we never told Liu Yu about it, so he's been kept in the dark all along, which led to such an absurd situation. Is this feasible?"

  Everyone who heard it thought that there was only one way, but the wife of that family would never dare to want it, she's too cunning.

  Liu Yu sat on the side and listened to the whole family make a decision that he still wanted to get engaged, thoroughly disappointed. To him, wasn't it all the same anyway?

  Brief: She muddled through life in a daze.

  Unclear about who they had offended, they were brutally murdered by others.

  At the moment when her soul left her body, in front of the person who killed her, she finally knew the truth.

  Why is she so confused, hasn't seen clearly the person in front of her for a long time?

  Floating around him, enduring the pain of being scorched by the fierce flames, she wants to see through everything about him, tear off his disguise.

  I hope she will be smarter in her next life...

  Waking up from a dream, she found herself back in a year later, living with another identity.

  And then I met this man,

  This time, she would never allow herself to be confused again...