Chapter 101 Fake Marriage
When she talked about her son, Old Mrs. Meng felt a great deal of helplessness.
Her tone deepened, tinged with a complex mix of lingering resentment: "Your father... I was too strict with him when he was young, which made him extreme and stubborn. He always wanted to prove to me that he wasn't just a mediocre person who could only rely on his mother, but he was too impatient and too hot-tempered. One wrong step led to another. Now, I'm too lazy to bother with him anymore."
Seeing that the topic had gone astray, the old lady waved her hand and brought the matter back to the main point: "From what you just said, Sijun has probably not yet made this relationship clear to you. He came to Lin'an intending to see you get married smoothly before leaving, as recognizing your kinship would only make things more inconvenient. He just didn't expect that you had no intention of getting married at all."
She looked at her granddaughter cautiously, “If you choose to marry him, given his character and blood ties, he will certainly not mistreat you in the future. However… he is ultimately a native of Qinzhou. If you were to abandon Lin’an City and Zhaoyu Hall to go to Qinzhou with him, would you be willing?”
Meng Yutong shook her head without hesitation. She had never considered leaving Lin'an.
Zhaoyutang was the culmination of her efforts, and more importantly, her grandmother was getting old, so how could she leave her grandmother here alone?
Moreover, she had never had any romantic feelings for Liu Sijun.
Grandma Meng showed a "just as I thought" expression and gestured to Bai Zhi to continue.
Bai Zhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, "The next one is the son of the owner of Qingfeng Teahouse next door, Young Master He Haochuan. Young Master He is of pure character and sincere to others. He is also a master at making pastries, and his family owns a tea garden on Phoenix Mountain. You once saved the owner of the teahouse, and Young Master He often brings you fruits, snacks and tea. He is very kind to you."
The old lady narrowed her eyes and turned to Granny Wu: "What do you think of this person?"
Granny Wu replied cautiously, "Judging from the description, his character seems decent. If you marry him, it will be close by, and you can continue to manage the business of Zhaoyutang. His family isn't a wealthy or powerful one, so you'll probably be able to make your own decisions in the future. It's a good option. However..." She paused, looking troubled, and hesitated to continue.
The old lady understood and picked up the conversation, hitting the nail on the head: "But since his family is neither a high-ranking official nor a powerful one, they have no one to rely on. If that old hag wants to cause trouble, she can easily find a pretext to shut down his teahouse, and then he will be implicated instead."
“Then…I’m afraid Prince Li is even less capable?” Bai Zhi was already in the zone and proactively brought up the next person without being urged.
Granny Wu couldn't help but roll her eyes. This girl was spouting nonsense. She was trying to avoid that person as much as possible, why would she go looking for him? She was simply asking for trouble.
“This won’t work, that won’t work,” Bai Zhi muttered under her breath, almost blurting it out, “Then only… Physician Ji is left.”
Upon hearing this, the entire courtyard fell silent.
After going around in circles, things seem to have returned to where they started.
Old Mrs. Meng's gaze was sharp as she looked directly at Meng Yutong. Her weathered eyes seemed to see through all secrets: "Aying, you were so determined to break off the marriage with the Ji family before... was it because you foresaw something in your dream?"
Meng Yutong abruptly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief and shock. Why would her grandmother ask such a question? Could it be that she…
The old woman held her granddaughter's slightly cool hand tightly, her voice low but powerful: "Whatever you dreamed about, remember, it's all up to you. You need to think clearly about the root cause of the suffering you experienced in your dream."
"Is it because you married into the Ji family, or something else? You have indeed broken off the engagement this time, but have you truly avoided all the knives that stabbed you in your past life in this one?"
She gazed into her granddaughter's bewildered eyes and said earnestly, "Aying, you are a smart child. You insisted on breaking off the engagement back then to take your destiny into your own hands and to avoid the whirlpool."
Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, Meng Yutong felt utterly confused. For the first time since her rebirth, she felt utterly lost, as if standing at a crossroads of fate, shrouded in mist.
She stared blankly at her grandmother's concerned yet resolute face, and finally, slowly nodded, her voice soft yet clear:
"I will...think about it carefully."
Before leaving, Old Madam Meng solemnly instructed, "It's useless for us to just talk here today. Marriage is about bringing good between two families, not creating enmity. We must know the other party's intentions. We should also let them know the details and implications of this matter, and then see if they still have the intention."
She beckoned Bai Zhi to come closer and whispered a few words of advice, which Bai Zhi nodded earnestly in response.
"Grandmother has said everything that needs to be said. You should think it over as soon as possible. If none of these people are suitable, Grandmother still has some old friends and connections, and will find a good match for you."
As she spoke, the old lady stood up with the help of Granny Wu, saying, "This matter needs to be settled as soon as possible, otherwise I will never be able to rest easy."
Meng Yutong rose to see him off. As she walked into the courtyard, she glanced up and saw Wu Lin sitting alone in the shadows on the second-floor veranda, his gaze fixed on his grandmother.
Just then, as if sensing something, Grandma Meng looked up.
Two gazes suddenly collided in mid-air.
Grandma Meng abruptly stopped, her body swaying almost imperceptibly. She stood there stunned for a moment, her eyes swirling with extremely complex emotions, a mixture of astonishment and a hint of pain and guilt.
"Grandmother, what's wrong?" Meng Yutong stepped forward and asked softly.
Grandma Meng suddenly came to her senses, slowly shook her head, said nothing, and started walking out again.
As they were being escorted to the clinic entrance, just before the old lady boarded the carriage, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Who was that person on the second-floor veranda of the clinic just now?"
Meng Yutong replied, "It's Wu Lin, the original owner of this shop. I signed the lease with him. He usually sets up a fortune-telling stall under the old peach tree at the street corner. Does Grandmother recognize him?"
Upon hearing this, a deeper darkness flashed in Old Mrs. Meng's eyes, which ultimately turned into a very soft sigh: "Life is unpredictable, and we are all unfortunate people."
After saying this, she said no more, turned around and, with the help of the old woman, got into the carriage.
The carriage rumbled away. Inside, Old Mrs. Meng sat leaning back, eyes closed, silent, her face somber.
Granny Wu gently lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, glanced back at the receding Zhaoyutang signboard, and said in a somewhat dazed voice, "I never expected that the eldest young lady's clinic would be related to Lord Wu."
Grandma Meng kept her eyes closed, her voice low and hoarse: "He was also implicated by me in what happened back then, and I have no face to see him."
Granny Gui gently comforted her from the side, "Madam, how can this be blamed on you? It's all just bad luck."
The carriage remained silent the entire way, filled with a heavy, oppressive silence. It wasn't until they were almost at the Meng residence that Granny Gui couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Madam, why didn't you tell the young lady that Young Master Ji had come to the estate to see you today?"
It turned out that after signing the medicine supply contract with the Imperial Medical Academy last time, Old Madam Meng had finally breathed a sigh of relief and had been recuperating at her estate outside the city, planning to return to the city when it got colder.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yun found her at the manor and told her everything about how Zhaoyutang had been involved in the trouble and how the Empress Dowager had secretly made things difficult for her.
Given Ji Yun's keen interest in Zhaoyutang and his fierce protection of Meng Yutong, how could Old Madam Meng, with her extensive experience, not see through the young man's intentions?
And his move was indeed clever. If he had explained the stakes to Yutong in person, given her granddaughter's current aloof and guarded nature, she probably wouldn't have listened.
But only when spoken by her own grandmother, and connected with past grievances and heartfelt intentions, can the child truly listen and ponder.
Ji Yun had a clear understanding of human nature. The reason he went to such great lengths was simple: he was truly in love.
This seemingly cold and indifferent young man, when he gets emotional, is no different from any other ordinary man, and may even be more persistent.
He said that these procedures should have been formally initiated by the elders, but he feared that someone with ulterior motives would notice and that this would be detrimental to Yutong. After much thought, he had no choice but to take this expedient measure.
The wedding date on the marriage certificate was left blank, but the rest, such as the names of both parties, their places of origin, and the officiant, were all filled in according to the rules. It was clear that the Ji family had taken care of everything.
He had long anticipated that, given Meng Yutong's temperament, she would never easily agree to the marriage.
This was the backup plan he left behind.
If the Empress Dowager really makes trouble, both families have the documents, so they can stand firm on the basis of etiquette and law.
Grandma Meng leaned wearily against the car wall and said slowly, "Whether he says it or not is not important right now. The fact that he is so considerate and meticulous in his planning for Tong'er shows his sincerity. In this light, the Ji family is indeed the most suitable choice for her at the moment. It's just that this man is too cunning. If I were to speak frankly, I would still prefer Tong'er to be with someone simpler."
After Old Mrs. Meng left, Bai Zhi made an excuse to go out to buy groceries. Meng Yutong returned to the courtyard alone and sat down on the stone bench.
The night sky was dotted with stars, and the cool moonlight bathed the courtyard. She looked up at the starry sky, but her heart was in turmoil because of what Old Mrs. Meng had said.
Since her rebirth, she has never considered getting involved in marriage again. The excruciating pain of her past life makes her afraid to entangle her fate with another person.
But her grandmother's words had pried open a crack in her tightly guarded heart.
Heaven gave her a second chance so that she could avoid repeating the same mistakes.
But if she clings to the shadows of her past life, refusing to make any changes because of a potential setback, wouldn't that... lead her down a different path? What if that imperial concubine in the palace used her power to casually arrange her marriage...?
At that time, who knows if that helpless situation won't be another abyss?
Grandmother is right; she can arrange her marriage first.
Even if she gets married, she can still be Meng Yutong, the owner of Zhaoyutang, a doctor who can heal the sick and save lives, and a physician who can participate in the official selection process. Marriage should not be a grave to bury her; perhaps it can also be a barrier to her progress.
Her fingers tapped unconsciously on the cold stone table as her thoughts raced.
Suddenly, her fingertips paused, and a clear light flashed in her eyes.
Since the essence is to deal with an imminent crisis and seek a legitimate form of protection...
Why can't she... find someone and have a fake marriage?
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