Chapter 655: Chapter 655: He Wants to Marry Her
He went house to house with the village’s able-bodied men to search, but they still couldn’t find that madman.
Village Chief He frowned and said, "Keep searching, we must find him. We can’t allow a madman to stay in the village; it could lead to disaster."
Gu Jinli already knew that the madman who entered the village was Zhan Er, so he wasn’t in a hurry and planned to ask Brother Cheng when he got home if Zhan Er had returned to the Xia Family.
After all, you can run off, but you can’t hide; if Zhan Er can’t be found, they could still go to the Xia Family to look for him.
While they were discussing this, He Tianwa came running, shouting from afar, "Village chief, Uncle Dayuan, that madman ran away."
Upon hearing this, He Dayuan asked anxiously, "What do you mean? Did the madman already run out of the village?"
Village Chief He also quickly stood up and said to He Tianwa, "Hurry up and tell us, don’t keep an old man in suspense!"
He Tianwa nodded and said, "Yes, the madman has escaped the village. My wife and a few other women saw the madman’s two servants carrying him and taking a detour out of the village; they have already gotten on a mule cart heading toward the town."
The madman had gotten wise; this time he came by mule cart instead of an ox cart.
Village Chief He was very angry and said to He Dayuan, "You shouldn’t have saved him; you should have let him die. It’s just meddling for no reason."
He Dayuan had his own unspoken difficulties; this madman was a guest of Master Xia. If he hadn’t saved him and let a noble young master die at their village entrance, their village would have also been held responsible.
Village Chief He was also someone who didn’t want trouble. Seeing the madman dressed so finely and with servants following him, he knew the man was a noble young master and not someone to be trifled with. He sighed and instructed He Dayuan, "Make sure the village entrance is secure, don’t let him run in again!"
Speaking of this, He Dayuan felt even more aggrieved.
A village in the countryside is not like a county town; it’s not surrounded by walls, and even if all the villagers were mobilized, they couldn’t enclose the whole village. They could only watch the village entrance and stop as many as they could.
He Dayuan: "Yes, don’t worry, Elder. I will do my best."
After saying this, he took ten strong men and went back to keep watch at the village entrance.
...
At the Xia Family, Brother Cheng was about to go home when he heard that Zhan Er had been beaten up and carried back by two servants.
Xiao Tuan took delight in others’ misfortune and said, "Brother Cheng didn’t see Zhan Er’s sorry state; half of his head was covered in blood, his face was swollen, and it’s unclear who kicked him. There even seems to be a shoe print on his face. The large cloak on his body was filthy and dragged so much that a lot of fur was lost. Those expensive clothes are ruined."
Brother Cheng raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. Zhan Er had been beaten up; no wonder the master had hurried away earlier. He felt secretly pleased and muttered: Serves him right. Why didn’t they beat you to death!
But he reproached Xiao Tuan sorrowfully, "Brother Tuan, you shouldn’t talk like that. Since Brother Zhan San from the Zhan Family got beaten, we should feel sorry."
Ha ha ha, what a joke.
"Let’s go and see Brother Zhan Er," decided Brother Cheng, thinking that as a student of Master Xia, he should go see Zhan Er, especially since his uncle and Master Xia were very close friends.
"Eh!" Xiao Tuan agreed excitedly, quickly helping Brother Cheng pack his book bag, and they both went to the guesthouse where Zhan Family’s uncle and nephew were staying.
The guesthouse was in disarray; Old Master Zhan San scolded Zhan Er’s two servants: "What are you two good for? How could you let Xiao Er be beaten up so badly?"
Brother Cheng: "..."
With the way your nephew behaves, getting beaten up is inevitable—it’s only a matter of time before he gets beaten to death.
The two servants felt wronged: "There were too many villagers; we could only let the young master leave first. Who would have thought that the people in that village were so fierce, they actually hurt the young master."
Master Xia said, "Brother Zhan, let’s not punish them yet. Have a doctor look at Xiao’er first; a head injury is a serious matter."
Brother Cheng: "..."
Right, right, he might become foolish.
Zhan Er is the legitimate second son of the Zhan Family’s eldest branch. Noble families all value the legitimate sons of their eldest branches very highly, and seeing Zhan Er seriously wounded, the guesthouse bustled with activity: those fetching the doctor did so, those boiling water to change Zhan Er’s clothes did that.
Brother Cheng saw they were really too busy and didn’t stay long. After witnessing Zhan Er’s miserable state, he went home.
In his past life, Zhan Er must have done some good deeds; his life is really too tough. His head was smashed and bleeding profusely, yet he woke up the same night.
Upon waking, his first words were, "Fairy, where is the fairy? Uncle, have you seen my little fairy?"
Old Master Zhan San was startled and anxiously shook him, asking, "Xiao’er, Xiao’er, what’s wrong with you? Were you struck silly?"
But Zhan Er wasn’t foolish, and he simply said, "Uncle, I saw a maiden in the village, truly worth... Uncle, please go propose marriage on my behalf. I want to marry her!"
Old Master Zhan San frowned, "Xiao’er, what are you saying? A village maiden? You’ve taken a fancy to a village girl? Impossible, impossible. Our Zhan Family is a noble family; as a legitimate son, how can you marry a village girl?"
Zhan Er refused to concede, crying out, "In this life, I will only marry her. If I can’t join with her in marriage, there’s no point in living. I might as well die right now!"
Old Master Zhan San knew his nephew’s temperament well: he was capricious and had the disposition of a Madman. If he couldn’t get his way, he really might do something foolish.
Nevertheless, to marry a wife, how could a village girl be a match for Xiao’er.
"Alright, alright, don’t get agitated. Tell your uncle which village’s maiden you’ve taken a liking to. If the girl is good, your uncle will make it happen, bringing her back to be a concubine, to add color to your life like red sleeves in the night."
But Master Xia frowned upon hearing this; he and his wife had invited the Zhan uncle and nephew with the intention of having one of Zhan Xiao’er or Xiao San marry Gu Jinxiu, and yet Xiao’er had his eyes on a village girl.
However...
"Did you go to see the Mingya Grass today?" Master Xia asked, his heart pounding. Could it be that Xiao’er had bumped into Miss Gu?
Yet, seeing the tragic state in which Xiao’er was beaten, he feared that he’d encountered Gu Jinli.
After all, Gu Jinli was also very beautiful but ferocious. If she came across a rogue, beating him severely would be considered light treatment.
"Indeed, I went to see the Mingya Grass, the fairy is from Da Feng Village." Zhan Er’s face was filled with yearning, clinging to Old Master Zhan San’s hand: "Uncle, I must marry her; in this life, I am determined to marry her."
Although the maiden was fierce and beat him harshly, only such a maiden could be worthy of being called a fairy. Otherwise, being simply beautiful would fall into cliché.
Hearing that it was a maiden from Da Feng Village, Master Xia eagerly asked, "How old is the girl? Fourteen or fifteen, or is she already eighteen?"
Zhan Er frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can’t tell exactly, but she’s beautiful, and definitely of age, with her hair arranged in the style of a maiden who has come of age."
Upon hearing this, Master Xia burst out laughing, "Haha, what a coincidence, that maiden is Brother Cheng’s elder sister, who is eighteen this year and not yet betrothed."
Xiao Yu was wearing a bun hairstyle; if she was wearing the hairdo of a maiden who has come of age, it has to be Gu Jinxiu.
"A fate indeed, truly a match granted by the heavens." Master Xia, holding Old Master Zhan San’s hand, said, "Brother Zhan, do you remember what I told you that I was going to match-make for Xiao’er and Xiao San? The girl in question is none other than that maiden."
However...
"Eldest Miss Gu must be taken as a wife, it is utterly impossible for her to be a concubine."
If it were not for the fall of the Lu Family, with Gu Jinxiu’s beauty and demeanor, she would certainly have been able to enter the palace and become the Empress, let alone condescend to be a wife in the Zhan Family.