No one taught her, so she learned slowly on her own. Although her handwriting was crooked, at least she recognized more and more characters.
She envied those who could go to school, but she understood even more clearly that she was already married and shouldn't be showing her face in public.
Her mother's traditional ideas had some influence on her.
She had always been looking forward to getting married.
Her parents were loving, and she naturally hoped to find a good man to spend her life with.
On the day she left home in her red wedding dress, she felt uneasy yet secretly joyful. From then on, she would have a husband, and later, she would have children of her own. From then on, she would be a devoted wife and mother.
Like all women of today, Gu Qingxiu hopes to spend her life with her husband and grow old together.
Unfortunately, less than three days after the wedding, Ning Zhen's blatant disdain completely chilled her heart.
He disliked her because she was illiterate.
It's okay, she can learn.
But when she showed Ning Zhen her handwriting with a hopeful look, Ning Zhen complained that it was ugly.
"They say that one's handwriting reflects one's character. Not only does your handwriting lack integrity, but it's also so crooked and extremely ugly."
Ning Zhen said this at the time.
Gu Qingxiu's heart turned cold and desolate, and she completely withdrew her expectations of Ning Zhen.
She wanted to write well, but no one taught her.
If Ning Zhen is willing to teach her, she believes she will definitely be able to learn it well.
But Ning Zhen had absolutely no patience for her.
Gu Qingxiu knew perfectly well what would happen to a wife who was disliked by her husband.
Fortunately, the new policy has just been established, so men cannot openly take concubines. Even if he wanted to take a concubine to keep her company, he couldn't do so openly. At most, he could only keep her outside the marriage, so as not to bother her.
Of course, what's even more fortunate is that the rest of the Ning family are all well.
Whether it's the parents-in-law or the eldest brother of the Ning family.
Generally speaking, if a wife displeases her husband, her mother-in-law will not treat her well either.
They might even complain that she couldn't win over her husband's heart.
However, the Ning family is different.
Ning Zhen's coldness towards her only made them feel more guilty towards her, and they treated her even better than before.
She was very grateful for that.
She no longer cared about what Ning Zhen was doing outside; she only wanted to be a good daughter-in-law of the Ning family. As for anything else, it didn't matter anymore.
"Qingxiu," Ning Hong called out, taking a calligraphy practice book from her sleeve and handing it to her. "I was just passing by the bookstore when I suddenly remembered that you seem to be learning to read and practicing calligraphy. Here, take this calligraphy practice book; you still need one to practice calligraphy."
"Big brother—"
Gu Qingxiu was taken aback, then blankly took the calligraphy copybook and flipped through it.
Calligraphy copybooks contain the most common handwriting and are suitable for beginners to learn.
The characters inside are all very simple, making it suitable for beginners.
But how did her older brother know she was learning to write?
Don't they object?
Gu Qingxiu looked at the calligraphy copybook and lowered her head.
His hands trembled slightly.
It has to be said that she was moved by Ning's eldest brother.
"If there are any words you don't recognize, you can ask me or ask your mother."
When practicing calligraphy, copybooks are very important.
After copying for a long time, one's style becomes fixed. Gu Qingxiu only wanted to learn to write and recognize characters; she didn't aspire to become a literary figure or have her own unique style. Copying was enough for her.
"Thank you, brother."
Gu Qingxiu held the calligraphy copybook in her hands with gratitude, her eyes slightly red.
Seven days later, Ning Zhen returned.
Aside from the two elders, probably no one in the Ning family will welcome Ning Zhen's return.
After all, Ning is really hard to please.
As for Gu Qingxiu, being with a man who constantly despised her was worse than being alone in an empty room.
Sure enough, just as Gu Qingxiu came over from the backyard, he heard Ning Zhen spouting nonsense.
She kept insisting on getting a divorce.
Gu Qingxiu's heart sank to the bottom, feeling utterly cold.
In this world, it's not uncommon for women to divorce and remarry, but those women usually have powerful family backers. But what about her? Her parents have passed away, and her sister-in-law is at odds with her. How is she supposed to survive in this world all by herself?
Ning Zhen is trying to force her to her death.
"Young mistress, don't worry, the eldest young master will not allow such a thing to happen." The maid Xiaomei looked at her with a worried expression.
Gu Qingxiu shook her head. Even if she didn't allow it, if Ning Zhen insisted on getting a divorce, her father-in-law and mother-in-law loved him so much that even if they didn't agree for a while, they would eventually give in.
Why get a divorce?
“Why? This is an arranged marriage, a feudal idea. As an educated young man who has embraced new trends, how can I marry a woman who can’t even read a single word?” Ning Zhen’s tone was full of disdain for Gu Qingxiu.
"What you call accepting new trends is divorcing your wife."
Ning Hong said calmly.
"Brother, that's not how it is. You don't have a wife, so of course you can say that."
If only he had followed his brother's example and not gotten married, things wouldn't be like this now.
"You say we had an arranged marriage? I did take you to meet Qingxiu once, and you agreed to it yourself."
“That’s different.” Ning Zhen’s voice softened.
Gu Qingxiu was beautiful, and even now, he still remembers the amazement he felt when he first saw her.
However, she was illiterate.
She was an uneducated woman.
"Brother, you should be more understanding of me. Look, Qingxiu can't understand me when I talk to her."
“I’m talking to you, but you don’t understand.”
Ning Hongze's voice grew even colder.
“We’re not completely ignoring Qingxiu. How about this, we’ll buy her a house and hire a few servants to take care of her. Wouldn’t that be better?”
He absolutely had to divorce Qingxiu; otherwise, how could he pursue Bai Chen?
"This isn't a good idea," Ning's mother hesitated. "Qingxiu is a young girl. What will she do in the future if you do this?"
"Mother, I don't care. If you don't agree, I'll go on a hunger strike. If I can't pursue the girl I truly love, I might as well be dead. What's the point of life then?"
"Nonsense, absurd! Is this all you learned at that university?"
Ning's father slammed his hand on the table. "They're even threatening us now."
"Father, Mother, please grant my wish."
"Don't even think about it. If you want to go on a hunger strike, then go ahead and try. Let's see how long you can last!" Father Ning flung his sleeves and left, his face full of anger.
Ning's mother glanced at Ning Zhen, shook her head, and followed behind Ning's father.
"Brother, you're often out doing business, you should understand me, right?"
"I can't understand it. I only know that I wouldn't marry a girl I didn't truly love, but once we're married, it's for life—"
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