Chapter 36

Chapter 36

In his panic, Gu Lan Shi was overwhelmed with guilt, completely forgetting that the three onlookers couldn't hear their conversation. He was at a loss, his face beneath the straw hat paling as he looked up at Pei Yan a few steps away and asked desperately, "What should we do?"

Pei Yan's eyes flickered, almost laughing in spite of himself. He replied coldly, "You've come to find me repeatedly without considering the possibility of being seen? Now that you have been, you're asking me what to do? How would I know?"

Gu Lan Shi froze, instinctively protesting, "I did consider it."

Pei Yan gazed at him and asked, "And what was your plan? Did you have any means to deal with it?"

Gu Lan Shi fell silent, then shook his head. He had indeed thought about it, but hadn't expected this day to come so soon. He hadn't even prepared a response, nor did he know how to explain it to his parents.

Pei Yan felt a surge of anger, but seeing Gu Lan Shi's pale lips and his obvious distress, he suppressed his irritation. Carrying the basket of wild vegetables, he headed in the direction the three had taken, whistling. From the side, a shaggy black dog darted out.

The black figure suddenly dashed forward like a shadow, startling Gu Lan Shi. He hadn't noticed the crazed dog lurking nearby before.

Pei Yan had only been digging for wild vegetables in the vicinity, so anyone heading to the back mountain would have to pass by here. Thus, he hadn't locked the courtyard gate, allowing the black dog to follow him out.

Despite his guilty conscience, Gu Lan Shi realized that he hadn't been too close to Pei Yan, and they had only exchanged a few words. It was broad daylight, so any gossip that spread wouldn't be too exaggerated. However, he still felt uneasy and didn't dare approach Pei Yan together.

Lost in his solitary musings, Pei Yan was not an ordinary man; his boldness to confront someone directly was anything but common. The overly suspicious might read too much into it.

The barking of a dog nearby disrupted his thoughts, and he waited until Pei Yan returned.

Pei Yan stopped a few steps away and spoke, "That's enough, they won't dare speak out of turn."

His intimidation of the three men wasn't solely for Gu Lan's sake; he had his own concerns. A life free from rumors and whispers was preferable to being constantly stared at with malicious intent on the streets.

The black dog ambled over, sniffing at Gu Lan's bamboo basket. Its matted, dirty fur clung to raindrops, making it look even more disheveled. It then approached Gu Lan's calf.

Village dogs were generally like this – they wouldn't bark randomly when encountered on the road, but would only do so when they reached their own doorstep.

Feeling a sense of trepidation, Gu Lan didn't reply to Pei Yan, focusing instead on the non-threatening posture of the black dog.

Having done what needed to be done, Pei Yan called the dog back. The rain had intensified, and without a raincoat or hat, his clothes were already soaked.

Seeing Pei Yan take a few steps forward, Gu Lan suddenly spoke up, "Pei Yan, would you marry me?"

Noticing Pei Yan's lack of response, he gritted his teeth and continued, "If you don't agree, I'll keep coming back."

Pei Yan abruptly turned his head, his anger apparent in the tension of his jawline and the icy expression on his face.

Gu Lan was startled but still mustered the courage to meet his gaze, his confidence gradually fading as he whispered, "I'll come back."

With a stubborn determination, he muttered to himself, "I will definitely come back."

"Alright then."

Having been subjected to such frivolous inquiries repeatedly, considering their vastly different circumstances, Pei Yan's already short temper dwindled. He glared at Gu Lan with impulsive ferocity.

He was fed up with the naive foolishness and obstinacy of this twin. He wanted to see if Gu Lan would actually run away if he agreed to his request.

"I told you I'll come back again..." Gu Lan continued muttering, uncertain in his heart but relying on the fact that Pei Yan wouldn't physically harm him.

It wasn't until he realized what Pei Yan had just said that he lifted his head, mouth agape in disbelief, "Huh?"

Pei Yan found his ignorance infuriating. Having lost his patience, he sneered impulsively. Just as he was about to rebuke Gu Lan, the latter sealed his lips, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him.

"You can't go back on your word. If you agree, it's a promise. A man should be true to his word; otherwise, others will look down on you, they'll criticize and mock you."

Gu Lan Shi was both delighted and anxious, afraid that he had misheard. He hastily confirmed the matter on his own, pacing around in circles. He alternated between laughing at Pei Yan and earnestly reminding him, "You said it yourself, don't forget."

The intended scolding was swallowed back, replaced by a tinge of disbelief in Pei Yan's heart. It seemed that Gu Lan Shi truly wanted to marry him.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke calmly, "You can't decide this on your own. If you were to secretly marry any man without your parents' consent, would they agree?"

His intention was to discourage Gu Lan Shi, reminding him that with parents involved, a dual-gender individual couldn't independently decide their marriage. This cold shower had to be poured, or who knew what kind of nonsense Gu Lan Shi might say next.

Unexpectedly, Gu Lan Shi only paused for a moment before responding with unwavering certainty, "I'll convince my parents myself. You don't need to worry about that. I've already thought it through long ago."

He wasn't lying; he had indeed considered it beforehand. But due to Pei Yan's reluctance to marry him, he hadn't dared to mention it to his family. If his father faced rejection, he wouldn't be as shameless as Pei Yan to come again.

Completely unprepared for such a response, Pei Yan was momentarily speechless, a twinge of regret suddenly surfacing in his heart. If he had known, he wouldn't have acted impulsively just now.

Seeing Gu Lan Shi's joyful demeanor, he inexplicably felt frustrated. With a firm determination, he declared, "Fine then, this has nothing to do with me. If you can persuade them..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Lan Shi eagerly continued, "Then you'll marry me."

Seeing Pei Yan's glare, Gu Lan Shi grew a bit timid but still couldn't help grinning foolishly. He praised himself inwardly, never feeling as clever and resourceful as he did today. Finally, he had sealed the betrothal.

Pei Yan was utterly speechless and left with his black dog.

Gu Lan watched him disappear into the distance, elated beyond measure. He longed to dance with joy but restrained himself, biting his thumbnail to regain composure.

The rain grew heavier, pounding against leaves and grass. With only a bamboo hat on, he patted his face and hurried home, drenched from head to toe.

In the afternoon, after the Qian family's funeral was concluded, Gu Tieshan and Miao Qiulian returned home in succession. Gu Lan Yu and Gu Lan Zhu had already fled from the fields when the rain intensified.

Gu Lan Shi changed into clean clothes and served his parents each a bowl of steaming ginger soup. Despite his assurance to Pei Yan, the sight of his parents stirred fear within him, filling him with nervousness and apprehension. He hesitated multiple times, unable to bring himself to speak honestly.

Both Miao Qiulian and Gu Tieshan were somewhat worn out, so after drinking their ginger soup, they retreated to their room for rest, oblivious to Gu Lan Shi's demeanor.

After dinner, as Gu Lan Shi tidied up the kitchen, his heart pounded with anxiety. Having taken the initiative in such a significant matter, how could he not be afraid?

Gu Lan Yu was weaving rush strands in the main room. If it rained again tomorrow, he would stay home and make himself a new pair of straw sandals; his old ones were becoming too small.

Brother Zhu helped secure the woven rush strands under a stone to prevent them from unraveling.

Gu Lan Yu glanced at Gu Lan Shi, whose expression was fraught with unease, and asked, "Brother Lan Shi, what's wrong?"

Gu Lan Shi sighed. What had to come would come. He said, "Nothing, I'll tell you later. First, I need to find Mother."

Miao Qiulian was sweeping the bed and arranging the bedding inside the room. Upon Gu Lan Shi's entrance, he immediately lent a hand. After they finished, he whispered, "Mother, I want to marry Pei Yan."

Hearing such a statement out of the blue, Miao Qiulian thought she had misheard. She looked stunned. "What?"

Knowing there was no turning back once he started, Gu Lan Shi steeled himself and spoke louder with his eyes closed. "I said, I want to marry Pei Yan."

He kept his eyes tightly shut, his eyelids squashed together from fear. But when no scolding came after a while, he dared to sneak a peek.

Seeing that he had opened his eyes, Miao Qiulian picked up the small broom on the bed and swatted at him. Gu Lan Shi wanted to cry but couldn't, nor did he dare run away. He took two steps to the side but still got hit on the arm, causing him to wince in pain and sob, calling out for his mother.

"Don't call me Mother, you're my mother," Miao Qiulian said, not knowing how to handle her anger. She spanked his bottom twice more, threw the broom aside, and scolded, "Oh, my ancestor, you've really grown up. You dare to say such things as wanting to marry a man. If others found out, where would my old face be? Your father would slap himself silly."

Gu Lan Shi, who was rubbing his sore bottom, felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, and he began to sob, yet he managed to choke out, "Mother, those people outside aren't good. Lin Jinpeng grew up under everyone's watch, yet he turned out to be a scoundrel. As for Lin Dengzi, forget it. They're all lustful beasts. If I were to marry another one like that, they might deceive even you. How could I live?"

He wept bitterly, tears falling like a broken string of pearls. "Mother, I'm scared. When Lin Dengzi was pulling at my clothes, no one came to my rescue except Pei Yan."

Miao Qiulian was speechless, at a loss for words.

"My dear mother, you don't know how scared I was. They tore my clothes like that, it was as if they wanted to ruin my innocence. Every night, I dream of that day..."

He wept in sobs, revealing his hidden fear for the first time. His words were jumbled, only able to repeat the word "afraid." The mere thought of the incident made him feel suffocated.

Gu Tieshan stood by the door. He had come over upon hearing Gu Lan's cries. Gu Lan Yu and Gu Lan Zhu also remained silent.

Miao Qiulian wiped her tears. On the day of Gu Lan's mishap, she and Gu Tieshan had not been there. As a mother, she had failed to protect her child. When Gu Lan fell into a fever-induced coma, she cried every night, overwhelmed with fear and regret. If anything truly terrible had happened, she didn't know how she would have coped.

Gu Lan was still young, so it wouldn't be proper for her, as an adult, to cry alongside him. She dried her tears, glanced at Gu Tieshan by the door, and saw him nodding solemnly. She took out her handkerchief, hugged Gu Lan, and gently wiped away his tears while patting his back to comfort him. "Alright, then we'll go find Pei Yan."

Finally, Gu Lan's pent-up grievances found an outlet. He buried his face in his mother's embrace and cried for a long while until he was exhausted and fell asleep. Miao Qiulian wiped away her tears, realizing that it was already dark outside.

Gu Lan Zhu was sensitive and had witnessed Gu Lan's accidents several times. It was natural for him to be upset. He cried outside, causing Gu Lan Yu to rush to wipe away his tears, sighing and urging him to stop crying.

Gu Tieshan couldn't rest either. He alternated between checking on Gu Lan at the door and comforting Gu Lan Zhu.

Before drifting off to sleep on his parents' bed, Gu Lan thought to himself that he had finally passed this difficult test with his parents.

In truth, the tactic he had in mind was learned from Gu Lanxiu. If the family didn't approve, the plan was to resort to crying, making a scene, and as a last resort, threaten self-harm – fortunately, it hadn’t come to that.