To the west lived their neighbor, Zhang Qiaozui, a woman with a malicious tongue who twisted every word she uttered.
She was incredibly annoying, but she had a son who excelled in his studies. If not for the fear of jeopardizing her son's future official career, her gossip would have spread throughout the entire town.
"Oh! Second Daughter dares to come back, TSK TSK." Zhang Qiaozui, who had come out to get something, taunted Gu Qingli as she saw her walking down the road.
Gu Qingli's heart skipped a beat. Did someone see?
"Aunt Qiaozui, what do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean? Go home and see for yourself," Zhang Qiaozui replied, her expression disdainful.
Gu Qingli quickened her pace.
"Second Daughter! COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Just as she reached the courtyard entrance, a frail-looking woman ran out, coughing relentlessly.
The woman's features were more delicate than average, but she had dark circles under her eyes. She wore a coarse linen dress, her hair secured with a wooden hairpin. Her thin body seemed on the verge of collapsing from the coughing.
Pulmonary tuberculosis! Gu Qingli knew at a glance.
"Mother, why are you running out in such a hurry?" Gu Qingli supported her. This woman was the Original Host's mother, Ms. Wu.
Ms. Wu glanced at her clothes, then tearfully pulled Gu Qingli into the courtyard. She urged her to put down the back basket and then enter the main room of the central building.
Gu Qingli glanced at the people in the room: the Original Host's paternal grandparents, eldest paternal uncle Gu Dashan and his wife Ms. Yun, the Original Host's father Gu Dalin, another woman in her late thirties, and a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen.
Seeing the young man, she suddenly remembered he was the Original Host's fiancé, Chen Erlang from the same village, whose formal name was Chen Zihao.
The woman was his mother, Ms. Liu, who was currently staring at Gu Qingli with burning anger.
It wasn't just Ms. Liu; the Original Host's grandmother Ms. Hua, eldest paternal uncle Gu Dashan, his wife Ms. Yun, and her father Gu Dalin were all glaring at her furiously.
Only Master Gu Changhai was puffing away, PUFF, PUFF, at his dry pipe.
Ms. Liu's sharp eyes scanned Gu Qingli from top to bottom. Then, she addressed Ms. Hua, who was seated in the main position, "Aunt Hua, now that your Second Daughter has been defiled, if this engagement continues, it will ruin my son Erlang's reputation, won't it? He is to take the imperial examinations next year. Such a ruined woman will only tarnish his name. Today, I've brought both Erlang and our betrothal gift. Let's call off this engagement."
As she spoke, she took out a small silver lock from her bosom and placed it on the table.
Ms. Hua snatched it immediately and then looked at Ms. Wu.
Ms. Wu, trembling, took out a jade pendant of ordinary quality, about to hand it to Ms. Liu.
Gu Qingli stopped Ms. Wu and took the jade pendant from her hand.
Ms. Wu looked at her in surprise, wondering what she was doing. Second Daughter seems different today. She's not crying or making a scene about something as huge as breaking off the engagement?
Moreover, the inexplicable aura Gu Qingli exuded made her impossible to refuse.
The others in the room also stared at her in astonishment, especially Chen Erlang. He hadn't wanted to break off the engagement. So what if she's a ruined woman? She's beautiful! I don't mind. At worst, I just won't make her my principal wife in the future, he thought.
But he couldn't overrule his mother, which was why they were here.
Gu Qingli wasn't against breaking off the engagement. Rather, she had clearly seen that the small silver lock was quite exquisite, much more valuable than this mediocre jade pendant.
"Second Daughter, what are you doing? Are you unwilling to break off the engagement? Look at yourself, you piece of ruined goods! Still dreaming of marrying my son? Dream on! Hurry up and give me your family's token. It's bad luck to delay any longer!" Ms. Liu assumed Gu Qingli was unwilling to break the engagement. She flew into a rage, stood up, and pointed at Gu Qingli, cursing.
Gu Qingli remained indifferent. Ruined woman or not, it saves me the trouble of getting married later, she thought. She said, "Aunt Liu, if you want to call off the engagement, we just need to exchange the tokens. There's no need to get so agitated."
Hearing this, Ms. Liu's face darkened, and she turned to look at Ms. Hua.
Ms. Hua had an ordinary appearance; her eyes were passable, but not when they were glaring at Gu Qingli.
"Second Daughter, hurry up and give the jade pendant to your Aunt Liu!"
"Give me the silver lock in exchange."
Ms. Liu instantly understood. So, Ms. Hua wants to pocket this 'ruined woman's' silver lock for herself!
She stretched out her hand. "Aunt Hua, give it here."
Ms. Hua retorted, "Give what? Isn't she my granddaughter? What's wrong with me, her grandmother, keeping this silver lock for her?"
Ms. Wu finally understood Gu Qingli's intentions.
She whispered to Ms. Hua, "Mother, that little silver lock belongs to Second Daughter. Let her keep it."
Ms. Hua's eyes widened in anger. "Bullshit! It's not your place to tell me what to do!"
Ms. Wu trembled with fear and dared not utter another word.
Gu Qingli glanced at Master Gu. He was still puffing away, PUFF, PUFF, at his dry pipe, as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him.
Her eldest uncle, Gu Dashan, and his wife, Ms. Yun, however, remained composed.
Her father, Gu Dalin, merely shot a furtive glance at Gu Qingli and her mother, then also remained silent.
"TSK, TSK, TSK... I must say, Aunt Hua, it's a good thing I came to call off this engagement today. Otherwise, who knows what kind of life Second Daughter would lead here? Her own grandmother covets her granddaughter's belongings!" Ms. Liu shook her head, giving Ms. Hua a meaningful look.
The implication was clear: if Ms. Hua behaved this way in front of an outsider, one could only imagine what happened behind closed doors.
"Ms. Hua, give it to her," Master Gu finally spoke. If word gets out that we confiscated Second Daughter's belongings in front of an outsider, who knows what rumors will spread in the village. We can't afford to lose face like this today.
"Old man!" Ms. Hua exclaimed in shock.
"Give it to her!" Master Gu roared, his anger flaring. This ignorant woman! All she sees is silver, with no regard for the future of her sons and grandsons! If our reputation is ruined, how will my sons and grandsons ever succeed in the imperial examinations and secure official positions? Utterly foolish!
Startled by his roar, Ms. Hua quickly tossed the silver lock onto the table. Ms. Liu snatched it up, walked over to Gu Qingli, and exchanged it for the jade pendant.
"Second Daughter, from now on, you and our Erlang are to go your separate ways. Stick to your own path and don't come pestering him," Ms. Liu said, glaring fiercely at Gu Qingli and then at Chen Erlang. If I hadn't gone up the mountain today and accidentally seen Gu Qingli lying there with her clothes in disarray, who knows how many times my son would have been made a cuckold in the future! She's so shameless even before marriage, how could there be any talk of a future?
When Chen Erlang saw the engagement tokens exchanged, a wave of disappointment washed over him. He lowered his head again under his mother's glare.
He sighed inwardly. Oh well, she's no longer a virgin anyway. Since it's broken, it's broken. If my fellow students found out after I pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, wouldn't they laugh me to death? I'm taking the examinations next year. My Master himself has said my essays are well-written and my future prospects are limitless.
Gu Qingli nodded. "Aunt Liu, you can rest a hundred percent assured, I will not pester your son."
The Original Host may have liked Chen Erlang, but I certainly don't.
With a HMPH, Ms. Liu pulled Chen Erlang and left.
Once Ms. Liu and her son had left, Gu Qingli took Ms. Wu's hand, intending to leave as well.
"Stop," Master Gu commanded.
Gu Qingli retracted the foot she had just put forward and looked at this head of the family, who usually didn't concern himself with household matters.
Master Gu's murky eyes swept over the remaining people in the room. He said, "Second Son, this incident with Second Daughter... You know that your third brother and your nephews are all taking the imperial examinations next year. Therefore, your branch of the family will separate and live independently from today onwards."