Chapter 56: No wonder Lu Mingchao doesn’t want you anymore.

Chapter 56: No wonder Lu Mingchao doesn’t want you anymore.

Gu Zhen’s tone was sharp, her words cutting, as if indignant and eager to expose Gu Huai’s seemingly flawless facade.

“What right do you have to call me a waste?”

Gu Huai was not provoked, his expression unchanged, still as composed as ever, sneering disdainfully, “Aren’t you just a waste?”

“Even if Lu Mingchao is not the best, she was raised in luxury, exposed to the dazzling wealth of the capital, mingling with the sons of noble families and the daughters of prestigious households, appreciating the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and poetry. She has lived such a life for over a decade. Are you willing to watch her marry a rough hunter, doomed to a life of silent suffering, her delicate hands worn from washing, farming, and weaving in poverty?”

“Or do you secretly wish for Lu Mingchao to live a life of hardship?”

Under Gu Huai’s relentless pressure, Gu Zhen suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Hadn’t she initially opposed Lu Mingchao marrying the hunter as well?

Her thoughts were not so different from her brother’s, but Lu Mingchao had insisted on her own choice.

Though she felt guilty, she couldn’t let her pretentious brother see her weakness.

“A nobleman is open and upright, while a petty person is always conniving!”

“What kind of person are you to be so self-righteous?”

“Suffering? The greatest suffering Lu Mingchao endured was the years she spent trailing after you without any self-respect.”

“You stood aloof, coldly watching as she endured the ridicule of noble ladies.”

“What right do you have to feel sorry for Lu Mingchao?”

“Lu Mingchao’s husband may not be as noble or as arrogant as you, the heir of the Duke, but he is graceful and handsome, far from crude, and he cares for and respects Lu Mingchao.”

“The hunter prepared a wedding gown embroidered with gold thread and adorned with pearls for Lu Mingchao, and the wedding procession scattered red paper money along the way.”

“This is how Lu Mingchao is being treated, following the capital’s customs.”

“Gu Zhen, wake up, he’s just a hunter.” Gu Huai felt a sharp pain in his head, especially as his own sister continued to argue and provoke him.

Gu Zhen glanced at Gu Huai and said, “You’re the one who needs to wake up.”

“Brother, your only claim to superiority is your status and position.”

“Yes, yes, he’s just a hunter, but Lu Mingchao is willing.”

Gu Huai slightly closed his eyes, then quickly opened them, his face cold as he looked down at Gu Zhen, his expression now only showing dominance.

“Gu Zhen, if one day Lu Mingchao suffers greatly because of your inaction, will you regret it?”

Gu Zhen shook her head, “That is Lu Mingchao’s choice.”

She may not be clever, but she won’t be subjected to psychological pressure or moral blackmail.

“The one who should regret is you.”

“Brother, you’ve always been meticulous in your calculations, but did you not foresee that Lu Minghui might have a betrothal in the countryside?”

“She’s of marriageable age too. Changxi Village may be remote and backward, but it’s not forbidden to marry or hold funerals.”

“Oh, I see, this must be what they mean by ‘even the wise can make mistakes.’”

"Brother, don’t forget to take Ah Qiu to Qishan Courtyard."

"You hypocrite, always putting on airs!"

"No wonder Lu Mingchao walked away from you."

How dare you call her useless?

Even if she was useless, she’d trekked long distances to bring Lu Mingchao all sorts of daily necessities.

Even if she was useless, she’d stayed up late talking heart-to-heart with Lu Mingchao, sharing the same quilt and sleeping side by side.

Hah.

Her brother wasn’t useless, always acting so high and mighty.

Gu Zhen didn’t even glance back at her brother. She flicked her crumpled sleeve and marched off, head held high like a triumphant rooster.

Once she’d bathed and changed, she’d go whine to her mother.

It wouldn’t hurt to have more people keeping her brother in check.

At the corner, only Gu Huai remained.

Even the wisest man can make a mistake, no matter how many plans he has?

No, he was just certain that Lu Mingchao's feelings for him were as unshakable as a rock.

Gu Huai raised his eyes, looking at the sky above.

Today in the capital, the sky was clear, without snow.

But the pale sunlight was cold and sharp, nothing like the warmth of the sun. It felt more like the icy glare off a blade, chilling and piercing, sending shivers down your spine.

What had Lu Mingchao been up to last winter?

Gu Huai rubbed his temples, his expression dazed. He couldn't remember.

Not that he forgot.

It was just that Lu Mingchao had been revolving around him for so long, doing so many things, that he had never truly paid attention.

Gu Huai reached out and broke off a dry branch, placing it in his palm, slowly rubbing it. As if the sting from the dry branch could make him certain that marrying the wrong person was like the dry branch scraping across his palm, both dull and unbearable.

Lu Mingchao was a delicate flower. How could a delicate flower bloom in the wilderness?

Hah, the Yongning Marquis family had kept it all under wraps.

Gu Huai began to scrutinize and question every word the Yongning Marquis Madam had said that day.

As soon as Lu Minghui returned to the family, she snatched Lu Mingchao's parents, status, and engagement, and even demanded that Lu Mingchao fulfill the engagement with the hunter.

What a clever scheme.

The cold wind blew, rustling the branches.

This wind swept through the capital, blowing in all directions.

The sky gradually darkened.

Changxi Village.

The wind blows the cooking smoke askew, and dogs bark from a few homes.

While the faint light still lingers on the horizon and the wind hasn’t turned fierce yet, Xie Yan and Lu Mingchao take the children home.

Xie Jingyi snuggles in Lu Mingchao's arms, peeking out and pointing at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, says sweetly and softly, "Mommy, it looks like a big chicken leg, and Sanbao would gobble it up in one bite."

Lu Mingchao follows Xie Jingyi's chubby little finger to look.

A chicken leg?

Her imagination isn’t quite abstract enough.

"Mommy, mommy, I like grandma, and I also like great-grandma," Xie Jingyi’s fluffy little head nuzzles against Lu Mingchao’s chest. "I like them all."

"But I like Second Uncle more."

Second Uncle is so good-looking.

Lu Mingchao chuckles, deliberately teasing, "What do you like about Second Uncle?"

"He's handsome."

Such a straightforward answer.

"Your daddy is also handsome," Lu Mingchao glances over at Xie Yan, who’s pushing the wooden cart.

Xie Yan happens to look up at the same time.

When their eyes meet, Lu Mingchao feels like the wind around her has turned gentle and soothing.

Xie Yan is indeed handsome, though his style differs from Lu Yao's.

But the ethereal aura of a celestial being always attracts the most attention, albeit subtly.

Xie Jingyi wiggles her fingers, speaking in a childish voice, "I've been looking at daddy for too long."

Lu Mingchao: Well, well, already tired of looking.

Little Xie Jingyi seems like the type to fall for one handsome face after another.

Xie Huaiqian, mature beyond his years, pulls Xie Ru'an along and earnestly advises, "Sanbao, this is fickleness, it's not good."

Xie Ru'an also nods like a chick pecking at rice.

Xie Jingyi pouts, her chubby little face protesting, "No, no, I haven’t gotten tired of uncle."

"It's just that I like Second Uncle more."

"Second Uncle."

Xie Jingyi tries hard to correct.

Lu Mingchao laughs so hard she feels weak. "Alright, alright, you like your uncle and are tired of your daddy."

Xie Jingyi shakes her head again, smiling sweetly, "I'm not tired of daddy."

"Daddy, Sanbao likes you too."

Xie Yan says seriously, "If Sanbao only has one piece of candy, but both daddy and Second Uncle want it, who will Sanbao give it to?"

Xie Jingyi instinctively clutches her little pocket.

What a little rascal.