Chapter 23
When Gu Xi got home and collapsed onto the bed, she still felt dizzy.
She originally wanted to break off her engagement with Shen Mingzheng, so how did it end up being about discussing marriage with him?
Perhaps it's because she's been a ghost for so long that her mind has become rigid; otherwise, how could she have thought what he said made so much sense? Even though she didn't think that way, she followed his lead.
Or perhaps Shen Mingzheng was too eloquent and adept at controlling the pace, directly ensnaring her?
Gu Xi couldn't help but bury her face in the pillow, and finally, unable to resist her physical exhaustion, she gradually fell asleep.
When she woke up, the evening sky was ablaze with color, and she was drenched in sweat, her clothes soaked through.
It's so hot.
The countryside is alright, but the city is like a giant furnace.
Gu Xi thought of the air conditioners that had become widespread in later generations, which were simply the greatest invention of mankind, a magical device for escaping the summer heat.
Air conditioning existed in this era, but it was extremely rare and not yet widespread in mainland China. Although fans existed, few households could afford them.
The Gu family has two fans, one in the living room and one in Gu Maowen and his wife's room.
To get through a sweltering summer, you have to rely entirely on your own willpower.
Gu Xi sat up, her hair soaked with sweat, and finally realized what was happening.
That's not right. Even if they get married, the daughter-in-law can't live with her parents-in-law forever. Aunt Feng and the others have jobs and can't leave Beijing before they retire. Given Shen Mingzheng's status, she will definitely have to go with him to the military after the marriage!
Of course, she could choose not to join the army, but Aunt Feng and the others would definitely object, believing that husband and wife should live together and that separation is not good.
Gu Xi ran her fingers through her sweaty hair and couldn't help but kick the thin blanket at her feet.
She felt that if she went to Shen Mingzheng tomorrow to say that she regretted it and still insisted on breaking off the engagement, Shen Mingzheng would be very angry.
So, do we really have to wait until next month to get married?
After Gu Xi regained her senses, she realized that she had really been tricked by Shen Mingzheng.
She was clearly worried that one day she would die and be unable to withstand the arrangements of fate, which would delay his life, so she wanted to break off the engagement.
It wasn't really to live with Aunt Feng and the others!
After hesitating for a moment, Gu Xi decided to wait until she saw Shen Mingzheng again before talking to him and see if she could change his mind.
I wonder if she'll fall into his trap again then?
Although he had been a ghost for decades, he only gained more knowledge, not intelligence.
She still felt like the village girl who had been illiterate for fifteen years in the countryside. Five years of city life, even with education, hadn't changed her essence. She wasn't smart, nor capable; she was just an ordinary person. Compared to someone like Shen Mingzheng, who had attended military academy, served on the battlefield, and had an impressive and remarkable life experience, she was indeed far inferior.
So it's not shameful to get caught up in his trap.
As Gu Xi thought about it, she got up and saw herself in the mirror again as she passed by the table.
Perhaps because she had just woken up from a nap, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she finally looked somewhat alive, with the melancholy between her brows having dissipated.
She was somewhat stunned.
Could it be because they survived yesterday's near-death experience?
Is it rare that I was able to talk things out with Shen Mingzheng face to face today and make a decision about the future?
Gu Xi understood that these two events had indeed had a great impact on her, especially yesterday when Shen Mingzheng pulled her away from that lake, allowing her to successfully survive the ordeal. It also made her clearly feel that she could finally live on in this world.
The feeling of being alive is so clear.
A conversation with Shen Mingzheng gave her a clear direction for the future.
He said they would get married next month.
After getting married, she became Aunt Feng's daughter-in-law, and she could take good care of Aunt Feng and her family.
Gu Xi looked at herself in the mirror, stood silently for a while, then patted her face hard, opened the door and went out.
As I passed by the living room, I saw Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanhui tidying up.
You can hear the sound of stir-frying in the kitchen; Gu Yuanxiang is cooking.
Seeing Gu Xi looking like she had just woken up, Gu Yuanhui, who had spent the whole day at the hospital and still had to clean the living room when he got back, immediately got angry and threw the half glass bottle he was holding at Gu Xi.
"careful……"
Gu Yuanzheng cried out in alarm. The glass bottle was cracked, with irregular nicks and chips all over it. If it hit his head, it would really be a disaster.
Gu Yuanhui was too angry and lost his temper. He only realized what he had done after he threw the object in his hand. Although he had wanted to kill Gu Xi by running her over yesterday at the hospital, that was an act of anger. Once the anger subsided and his rationality returned, he was still afraid of almost killing her.
Fortunately, Gu Xi reacted quickly and dodged, letting the half-glass bottle smash against the wall behind her with a crisp sound, scattering glass everywhere.
Hearing the noise, Gu Yuanxiang, who was in the kitchen, thought something had happened and ran out with a spatula.
Then, she saw Gu Xi grab Gu Yuanhui and start beating him.
Perhaps because she had seen too many scenes of Gu Yuanhui being beaten up recently, she wasn't very worried when she saw this scene. Instead, she wondered what Gu Yuanhui had done to offend her this time.
Knowing he'd get beaten up for provoking her, couldn't he have been a little more restrained?
This is a classic case of someone who gets hit but doesn't remember it, and doesn't even keep track of the number of times they've been hit.
Gu Xi beat up Gu Yuanhui and said coldly, "Gu Yuanhui, are you trying to kill someone?"
Gu Yuanhui cried and shouted, "I didn't, I just... I just..."
"Just what? You clearly wish I were dead, don't you?" Gu Xi sneered and punched him again. "Too bad, you don't have the ability to kill me! And if you did, murder would land you in jail, you'd be executed!"
Gu Yuanhui understood this principle, of course, but seeing her hateful face made him so angry that he wanted to kill her.
However, they couldn't win!
Gu Xi beat him up until he howled, then tossed him aside like trash and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
Neither Gu Yuanzheng nor Gu Yuanxiang tried to stop it, since they couldn't stop it anyway.
Gu Yuanhui's behavior just now was indeed too much and almost caused an accident. In addition, given Gu Yuanhui's impulsive and reckless nature, Gu Xi should give him a good beating. Anyway, Gu Xi won't kill him.
With that thought in mind, the two of them felt relieved and continued with their own things.
After washing her face and drinking a glass of water, Gu Xi went back to her room and stayed there, completely ignoring the situation at home.
Doing housework is out of the question.
In the living room downstairs, Gu Yuanzheng said to Gu Yuanhui while tidying up, "Don't cry, come and help. Hurry up and get this done. We still need to go to the hospital to deliver food to Mom and Dad later."
Gu Yuanhui felt both pained and aggrieved, and angrily said, "If you won't help me, are you still my brother?"
"I'm Gu Xi's brother too!" Gu Yuanzheng said calmly. "You were the one who started it. Your behavior was dangerous; you almost hurt her. She had the right to hit you to prevent you from doing something so reckless again. It's too dangerous!"
Gu Yuanhui was so angry he almost fainted.
That makes sense, but as a child who was spoiled at home since childhood, he always thought that his brothers and sisters should help him!
Instead of what he is doing now, where Gu Xi beats him up and his second brother makes sarcastic remarks.
Gu Yuanhui wanted to throw a tantrum and quit, but Gu Yuanzheng's words made him give in.
"You want Gu Xi to keep hitting you? I can call her down!"
Gu Yuanhui didn't want to be beaten, so he could only silently help tidy up the living room, and he couldn't describe how he felt.
At dinner time, Gu Xi came down to eat on time. Although she didn't have much of an appetite, she still forced herself to eat some to prevent her stomach from rebelling again.
After the meal, Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang went to the hospital to deliver food.
Gu Yuanhui was too ashamed to face anyone because of the new injuries on his face, so he hid in his room.
Another day has passed.
The next day was a day off, and Gu Yuanzheng went to the hospital early in the morning to relieve Jiang Huijun, who had been taking care of him all night, so she could rest.
Jiang Huijun looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. She collapsed weakly onto the sofa as soon as she entered the room.
Hospitals are not places for rest. They smell bad, and you can only sit in a chair until dawn. Occasionally there are other noises, so you can't sleep well at all.
Having stayed up all night and being quite old, Jiang Huijun looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
When she saw Gu Yuanhui's face, she was surprised, "Why is your face bruised again? Did you fight with Xixi again?"
Perhaps it's because my youngest son's face hasn't been looking well lately. Old marks disappear, and new ones appear. The first time I saw it, I felt heartbroken, but after seeing it for a while, I got used to it, and my emotions no longer fluctuated.
I just have a headache thinking, can't they just get along and stop fighting?
Gu Yuanhui: "She hit me!"
"How did she hit you? Did you strike first?"
Gu Yuanhui: "..."
Jiang Huijun was so disappointed in him that she slapped him in anger.
Although Gu Xi has been causing a lot of trouble for the whole family lately, upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that she rarely initiates trouble, especially when it comes to physical violence. It's always others who provoke her first before she takes action.
This makes it impossible for them to criticize her; instead, she always manages to deflect their criticisms, leaving them feeling uncomfortable instead.
Just then, they heard a knock on the door.
Afraid that his mother would ask him why Gu Xi had hit him, Gu Yuanhui quickly jumped up and ran to open the door.
But when he saw the person standing at the door, he regretted it and wished he could turn back time and not have come to open the door.
Shen Mingzheng paused when he saw Gu Yuanhui's face covered in bruises.
It's obvious that this was caused by a beating, and the beating must have happened yesterday, as the marks are still quite fresh.
I noticed some marks on his face when we were at the hospital the night before last, but they weren't as serious as they are now.
Jiang Huijun, who was inside the room, was puzzled because she hadn't heard anything. Then she saw a handsome, aloof man in a neat military uniform walk in.
Gu Yuanhui shrank back in fright, too scared to go inside.
Good morning, sorry to bother you.
Shen Mingzheng held his military cap in his hand and nodded politely to the people in the room.
Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanxiang were both a little stunned to see him at home, and they quickly got up.
“Please…please sit down!” Jiang Huijun said hurriedly.
Gu Yuanxiang was also at a loss. Then, remembering something, she quickly went to the kitchen to get some water and hide there as well. For some reason, she was quite afraid of this man. It was probably because his aura was too terrifying, like someone who had been on the battlefield and killed people. She felt that even her older brother, Gu Yuanyang, didn't have as strong an aura as him.
Of course, it could also be because she hasn't seen her older brother for several years.
Shen Mingzheng sat down, his posture still upright, and asked, "Auntie, where is Gu Xi? I've come to find her."
"Huh? You're looking for Gu Xi? She... she's in her room." Jiang Huijun said, standing up abruptly. "You sit down first, I'll go get her."
As he spoke, he walked towards the stairs, his figure appearing as if he were fleeing in panic.
After Jiang Huijun left, Shen Mingzheng was the only one left in the living room.
Of course, there was also Gu Yuanhui, who was cowering at the door, too afraid to come in. If his face hadn't been bruised and battered again, he would have preferred to stay outside and never come back.
Shen Mingzheng didn't mind that no one was there to entertain him. He glanced around the Gu family's living room and noticed that many areas seemed empty, the certificates hanging on the wall were crooked, and there were some things piled up in the corner...
It looks like the living room has just been cleaned.
It's neither a holiday nor a festival, so under what circumstances would you need to clean the living room? And those things piled up in the corner are broken...
**
When Jiang Huijun arrived at Gu Xi's house and knocked on the door to call her out, her heart was still pounding.
Perhaps it was because of the fact that Shen Mingzheng had brutally slammed Gu Yuanhui against the door frame during their first meeting that she was left with a deep psychological scar. As a result, instead of being a mother-in-law who was increasingly satisfied with her future son-in-law, she became more and more afraid of him.
Although she wasn't a timid person, she naturally felt a sense of fear towards men who looked fierce, capable, and had a powerful aura.
Seeing Gu Xi with her hair disheveled and still wearing pajamas, Jiang Huijun's expression was complicated as she said, "Ming Zheng is here."
I don't know what's wrong with my daughter. Lately, she's been eating and sleeping all the time at home, and she sleeps in late every day. She's not diligent at all.
A girl this lazy will probably be disliked by her in-laws after she gets married, right?
Gu Xi was taking a nap and was a little slow to react. When she understood what she was talking about, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Why is Shen Mingzheng here? Could it be that there was still a problem with their conversation yesterday, and he came to find her to continue talking?
She also felt that they should continue talking!
Thinking this, Gu Xi instantly perked up, quickly went back to her room to change clothes and comb her hair, braided a trendy single braid, casually draped it over her shoulder, and then opened the door to go out.
When they got downstairs, they saw Jiang Huijun sitting there stiffly keeping them company, and Gu Yuanxiang brought over a glass of water.
The room was quiet, and no one spoke; this was clearly not the way to treat guests.
When Gu Xi arrived, she noticed that the Gu family members all breathed a sigh of relief, clearly feeling a lot of pressure when facing Shen Mingzheng.
She could understand this very well, and believed that any normal person would feel pressured when facing Shen Mingzheng alone.
Gu Xi walked over and sat down next to Jiang Huijun. Seeing that no one spoke, she took the initiative to say, "Big brother, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing the address "Big Brother," Jiang Huijun's eyebrows twitched, finding the form of address rather nonsensical.
She calls her fiancé "Big Brother," so what does she call Gu Yuanyang? If Gu Yuanyang is also there, wouldn't that make two "Big Brothers"?
Shen Mingzheng said, "Mom said you're not feeling well. I happen to have some time today, so I'll take you to the hospital to see a doctor."
Gu Xi was taken aback, not expecting that this was the purpose of his visit today.
When she had a fever last time, she stayed at Shen's house for a few days. At that time, Feng Min kept saying that she would take her to the hospital, but she didn't want to go and always made excuses to refuse.
"Take Xixi to the hospital?" Jiang Huijun asked anxiously. "What's wrong with Xixi?"
As she spoke, she looked at Gu Xi's face. Perhaps it was because Shen Mingzheng had mentioned it that she realized that Gu Xi's face was very pale, and it seemed that she had been like this for some time.
But because she could eat and sleep well, and even go crazy and fight, naturally everyone ignored this and only cared about being angry at the things she did.
Even last time, when she clearly stated that she was not feeling well, they did not believe her and thought she was making excuses to act crazy.
Could it be true?
Gu Xi ignored her and refused, saying, "Big brother, there's no need, I'm fine."
Shen Mingzheng just looked at her, and from his eyes she knew he was very insistent; she had no choice but to go, whether she wanted to or not.
From their conversation yesterday, she could already sense how stubborn this person was about things he insisted on, how he wouldn't easily change his mind, and how steadfast he was.
Seeing this, Jiang Huijun was afraid that Shen Mingzheng would be angry, so she whispered, "Xixi, since Mingzheng is going to take you to the hospital, you should go and get it checked out. If you have any illnesses, get them treated in time."
Although I was angry with my daughter, I didn't intend to do anything to her. If she's sick, she should see a doctor.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes and said softly, "Okay."
After saying that, she obediently stood up, grabbed a straw hat to shield herself from the sun, and put it on.
Shen Mingzheng was a decisive person, so he stopped talking and prepared to go out with her.
Before leaving, he thought of something and said to Jiang Huijun, "Auntie, Gu Xi and I are getting married next month. When I come back, I will personally visit you."
Jiang Huijun: "..."
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