NOVPUB
Chapter 603: Chapter 603 Returning to the City
Deng Qiuxia quickly fetched the household registration book from the house. Guo Xinpei took it from his wife and passed it to Guo Jinnian, acting official as he told her, "You’re now part of the Tong family. You must take good care of your husband and show respect to your in-laws. Call us once the marriage certificate is signed."
Guo Jinnian was excited inside as she took the household registration book, though she pretended to be nonchalant on the surface. With the book in her hands now, she was even less inclined to speak with Guo Xinpei.
Seeing that Guo Jinnian stayed silent, Tong Yao chuckled and addressed her father-in-law: "Uncle Guo, once we’re back in Kyoto and have fixed the wedding date, we’ll come to pick up Uncle Deng."
Guo Xinpei nodded and cast an unsatisfied glare at Guo Jinnian before replying cheerfully: "Tong Yao, you’re much more sensible. My daughter can’t be more disobedient. Her elder sisters are very sensible, and I just can’t figure out why she’s so rebellious. She must have been spoilt by her mother."
Tong Yao smiled and said, "It’s okay. In our family, we only have me and my younger brother. My parents treat Jinnian as their own."
Guo Xinpei nodded appeasingly, while Deng Qiuxia replied with reddened eyes, "Jinnian is truly a fool for her fortune. I was always worried that she couldn’t get married, and I didn’t expect her to find such a good in-law family. It was fortunate that she didn’t marry Chen Lao Wu."
Upon hearing Chen Lao Wu’s name, Guo Jinnian felt a surge of disgust. "Please stop mentioning Chen Lao Wu. It nauseates me. We need to leave now since it’s getting late; we must head to the city."
Deng Qiuxia urged them to stay, "It’s noon, why not have lunch before you leave?"
"No, the New Year is approaching, and we need to finish our business in the city as soon as possible before heading back to Kyoto to decide on the wedding date." This time Gu Hongwei made the reply.
Seeing the serious look on his face, Tong Yao hid a smirk. This trip was an education for Gu Hongwei.
Gu Hongwei became quite an expert at lying without batting an eye.
Upon hearing him, Guo Xinpei urged them hastily, "Then don’t delay any longer. Start your journey as soon as possible!"
As long as the marriage certificate wasn’t signed, Guo Xinpei couldn’t settle down. Such a good son-in-law was undoubtedly a catch for many people.
Gu Hongwei nodded, and the couple bid farewell to the trio. Guo Miaomiao watched anxiously, but she dared not reveal her feelings and only followed them in silence.
When they reached the entrance of the village, Guo Jinnian said, "You two go ahead! Miaomiao and I will chat for a while."
Deng Qiuxia wanted to say something but was interrupted by Guo Xinpei, "Let’s go home. Let the sisters have a chat."
He was pleased with the bond between the sisters. He thought that Jinnian’s desire to find a good in-law family for Miaomiao stemmed from their strong sisterly bond. Guo Xinpei was calculating his moves joyfully as he walked home, telling his wife, "Cook a few more dishes for lunch. I feel like having some wine."
He had been feeling lucky in the morning and had played a couple of rounds of gambling. His luck had indeed proven good when he won ten yuan.
Unfortunately, the stakes in the village were too small to spark his excitement. Now he had some money, and there would be more dowry money coming from Tong family, Guo Xinpei didn’t see the point in small-time gambling anymore. He was eager to play big.
Apparently, he needed to go to the city for that.
Seeing that her father was far away, Guo Miaomiao anxiously said, "Third Sister, I haven’t taken my clothes yet."
Her parents were always at home, and she didn’t have the opportunity to pack. If she touched the clothes, her parents would definitely notice something amiss.
Guo Jinnian informed her, "We’ll stay in the city for two more days and can’t take you with us now. You stay here for two more days. I’ll arrange for Uncle Niu Che to pick you up early the day after tomorrow. At that time, don’t take anything with you, just come alone."
If they took Guo Miaomiao now, Guo Xinpei would surely start searching for her in the city. By then, if they hadn’t properly set everything up, they would definitely run into a series of troubles.
Guo Miaomiao obediently nodded, "Third Sister, you must not forget."
Guo Jinnian tousled her hair, "Don’t worry! I will definitely not forget. Uncle Niu Che will pick you up at five in the morning. Don’t oversleep."
Guo Miaomiao shook her head firmly, eyes sparkling, "Third Sister, rest assured! I will definitely not oversleep."
After giving it some thought last night, she concluded she didn’t want to end up like her eldest and second sisters - marrying someone they didn’t love and getting abused on a daily basis. She wanted to be independent like her third sister, marrying the one she loved.
Guo Jinnian noticed Uncle Niu Che driving the ox cart towards them. Thus, she waved to Guo Miaomiao and said, "You’d better go home! Behave yourself in these two days and don’t make your parents suspicious."
"Goodbye, Third Sister."
Guo Miaomiao waved goodbye, frequently looking back as she walked home. A few steps later, she ran into Brother Youzhi, who was about to leave the village on his bicycle.
Guo Miaomiao greeted him politely, "Brother Youzhi, are you going to town to buy things?"
Brother Youzhi nodded and casually asked, "When is your third sister leaving?"
Guo Miaomiao replied crisply, "My third sister just left. She’s probably not even on the main road yet."
"That fast?"
Brother Youzhi blinked, then hopped on his bicycle and chased after them.
Tong Yao and the others had just started their journey on the ox cart when she turned around and saw Brother Youzhi cycling after them. She gently nudged Guo Jinnian and whispered, "Jinnian, I think Brother Youzhi is coming for you."
Hearing the comment, Guo Jinnian turned around and saw Brother Youzhi had already cycled up to them, shouting, "Jinnian."
She quickly asked Uncle Niu Che to stop, "Uncle, could you please stop for a moment?"
After the cart came to a halt, she jumped down and looked at Brother Youzhi in surprise, "Brother Youzhi, why are you here?"
Brother Youzhi, supporting his bicycle, scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "My wife went back to her family’s place last night, and I was just about to fetch her. I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off."
Guo Jinnian blurted out, "You guys didn’t have a fight because of me, did you?"
Can’t blame Guo Jinnian for overthinking. The couple was fine until Brother Youzhi said hello to her yesterday. After that, Brother Youzhi’s wife seemed unhappy. Guo Jinnian was worried that the village gossips had said something and she’d overreacted, resulting in a quarrel.
An awkward look spread across Brother Youzhi’s face, "No, it wasn’t."
Though he wanted to hide it, he wasn’t a good liar. The more he tried to conceal, the more he aroused suspicion.
Attempting to change the subject, he asked, "Why are you all leaving so soon? I heard your fiancé is from Kyoto and you plan to get married before the New Year."
His mother had shared news of Guo Jinnian last night during dinner. His wife, already upset, became even angrier upon hearing about Guo Jinnian and repacked her bags to return to her mother’s house with their child.
Out of concern, he followed her. However, his wife didn’t want to come back with him, so he had to return alone. Today, his mother urged him to bring his wife back, and he bumped into Guo Jinnian who was about to leave.
Recalling what Tong Yao had said yesterday, Guo Jinnian nodded, "Yes."
Then, turning to Gu Hongwei and Brother Youzhi, she made introductions, "The person in the car is my fiancé."
