Ger, So Proud

Chapter 6: Dissolution

“The jade pendant? Xiao Ze, what do you want that for?” Dad Li looked hesitant, her gaze at He Ze somewhat worried.

This child had finally been behaving for a few days because of his injury. Was he thinking of doing something again?

“Dad, you’ve misunderstood,” seeing Dad Li’s expression, He Ze knew what she was thinking, so he explained, “I mean, let’s return the pendant. I am An-ge’s older brother, and I don’t agree with this marriage.”

“He Ze, you…”

“Dad, both you and father know, Li Dali is nearly twenty years older than He An. Twenty years later, it’s hard to say whether Li Dali will still be alive. Even if he is, he’ll be in his sixties. But He An will only be thirty-five then, the perfect age. Are you willing to accept that?”

Although remarriage was allowed in this world, the gossip and rumors were unbearable for ordinary people, which was unfair to He An.

“What can we do if we’re unwilling!” He Ze’s words touched a sore spot for Dad Li. His lips trembled as tears welled up uncontrollably. He looked up at He Ze’s forehead, then turned away, his voice choked with sobs, “He Ze, about this… your father, He An, and I have discussed it. You…”

“Dad, listen to me. He An is still young,” He Ze interrupted Dad Li, “He did it for me, and you agreed for my sake. I understand.”

Now that everyone understood the situation, he couldn’t let He An jump into the fire.

“He Ze…”

“Dad, as He An’s brother, I still have a say in his marriage, right?”

“But He Ze, with our current situation, and both you and your father’s injuries haven’t healed…” Dad Li frowned deeply, his forehead creasing like a trench.

But if there was any way, how could he bear to see He An suffer!

“Dad, I don’t need to take medicine for my injury anymore, it’s fine now. As for father,” He Ze hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I’ll find a way to deal with father’s injury. Don’t worry.”

The solution to stop this marriage was to earn money quickly and change the family’s situation. He had figured this out last night.

“He Ze, what nonsense are you talking about? The doctor said your injury is serious, you need to take good care of yourself in case you leave behind any hidden diseases in the future!”

“Dad! I know my own body better than anyone else!” He Ze suddenly stood up, took a few steady steps in front of Dad Li, and said, “Look, isn’t it fine now? My body has always been good. How many times have I been sick since I was a child? Every time, I recovered the next day. Dad, trust me!”

“Phew! It’s a good thing not to get sick. You’re afraid of not having enough illnesses to worry about!” Dad Li spat out several times in a row, then suspiciously approached He Ze, “He Ze, are you… are you really okay now?”

“Yes.”

He Ze nodded.

Dad Li held his arm with both hands, looked at it, then looked again, and then cautiously touched the cotton cloth wrapped around He An’s forehead, “Does it hurt? How does it feel?”

“A little bit, but it’s okay. It’s much better than yesterday, and it’s a bit itchy.”

“Itching is good, itching is good! It’s a good sign that the wound is healing quickly. Our He Ze is really lucky!” Dad Li’s face was full of joy, his smile couldn’t be contained, and there was a lightness in his voice. “I’ll go to town right away and invite that doctor over. You stay at home and wait.”

Before he finished speaking, Dad Li hurriedly walked towards the courtyard gate. He Ze quickly grabbed him, “Dad, it’s not urgent. I promise you, my injury is really fine now. Let’s go return that jade pendant today.”

“And didn’t Wang-ama say Li Dali was in a hurry? What if he comes over in the next few days to propose? It won’t be easy to handle then.”

Now, while this marriage proposal was still not finalized, they needed to make things clear quickly. Otherwise, after the proposal, not only would it be difficult to retract, but He An would also gain the reputation of being rejected, which wouldn’t sound good.

“Well, that’s true,” He Ze’s words circled in Dad Li’s mind, and he stopped in his tracks. “But Xiao Ze, I can’t rest assured about your injury! What if something happens to you…”

“Dad, there won’t be any ‘what ifs.’” He Ze raised his voice, “Even if there are, I’ll find other ways.”

“He Ze—”

As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster brings great fortune. His He Ze had escaped this disaster and had truly grown up.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of He Ze’s mouth, then quickly disappeared. “So, Dad, marriage is a lifelong matter. Let’s wait until our family’s situation improves, and then you and father can pick a good match for He An. Give me that jade pendant. I’ll handle this matter.”

Both He Youshi and Dad Li were soft-hearted. He Ze was afraid that when Wang-ama said a few words, they would compromise again.

He Ze reached out to Dad Li, who glanced at him and slowly took out the small jade pendant from his waistband, placing it in He Ze’s hand.

Bless them, both of their children were so sensible. Please give them more blessings, even if it means exchanging their lives with mine and their father’s!

God bless!

“Dad, Brother, what are you doing?”

As they were talking, He An stepped out of the house and walked towards them.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Dad Li immediately wiped his eyes when he heard He An’s voice, and when he looked up again, his face was already smiling. He ruffled He An’s hair, “After breakfast, you’ll accompany your brother out for a while.”

“Where are we going?”

He An stared with his cat-like eyes, faintly showing signs of swelling around his eyes, probably because he hadn’t slept well last night.

“You’ll know when we get there. Hurry, help Dad in the kitchen to prepare breakfast.” Dad Li gently pinched He An’s ear with a smile in his eyes, pulling him away.

“Dad, it hurts—” He An pouted, following Dad Li’s footsteps while turning his head to He Ze and crying, “Brother, please save me!”

His voice dispersed the mist in the sky, the morning light rising, and the distant red sun revealed half of its body. He Ze watched their figures, and warmth gradually filled his dark eyes.

Plain and warm, only those who had experienced the end of the world knew how precious it was.

…

Most of the villagers were from poor families, so they usually didn’t dare to see a doctor for minor injuries and pains, just enduring until they passed on their own. Therefore, He Ze’s sudden recovery wasn’t thought about much by the He family, they were just happy. During breakfast, He Youcai even took out half a bottle of homemade white wine because of this, happily drinking a cup.

He Ze was actually eager to try some, but unfortunately, he was strictly forbidden by Dad Li, so he had to give up.

After finishing their meal, the sun was shining outside. He An followed He Ze out of the courtyard, his eyes full of curiosity. Unable to contain himself, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, where are we going?”

“Just wait, we’ll be there soon.”

He Ze didn’t stop walking. The two passed by a small pond and crossed a field ridge. Along the way, they met several groups of villagers and exchanged a few words of greetings before arriving at Wang Gui’s residence.

Although the He family’s village was not large, He Ze had grown up there despite spending several years studying in town. Naturally, he remembered where Wang Gui lived.

“Brother, why are we here…?” He An tugged at He Ze’s sleeve and stopped him.

“What do you think?” He Ze raised an eyebrow, and without waiting for He An’s response, he walked a few steps and entered the courtyard. Wang Gui’s house had a much larger courtyard than the He family’s. In the center was a grape arbor, with Wang Gui sitting at a table under it, accompanied by a burly man.

The two men were almost the same size, but while Wang Gui was plump, the other man was muscular all over.

“Hey, who do we have here! Xiao Ze, Xiao An, what brings you here?” Wang Gui stood up immediately upon seeing them and greeted them warmly. “You’ve come at the right time. Xiao An, come here, let me introduce you.”

Wang Gui’s gaze swept over He An and the man, who also stood up. With a large head, he looked much older than Wang Gui.

He Ze had a vague guess in his heart. Indeed, they had arrived at just the right time.

“We’re all villagers here, there’s no need for formalities. Since you two have met, just have a chat. Xiao An, this is Li Dali, your future husband!”

“Dali, Xiao An, there’s no need for me to introduce you two, right? You fell for each other at first sight! This is his brother, He Ze, you can call him Xiao Ze.”

Standing between the two, Wang Gui introduced them with a smile.

“Xiao An, Xiao Ze, nice to meet you.”

Although he greeted both of them respectfully, Li Dali’s gaze was always fixed on He An, examining him up and down several times before finally smiling.

It seemed like he already considered He An his future wife.

He Ze’s face darkened, and he pulled He An to his side, then turned to Wang Gui and said, “Wang-ama, I came with An-ge today to return this to you.”

He Ze handed the jade pendant to Wang Gui. He An’s pupils contracted, and he looked up at him suddenly, “Brother, what are you…”

“Xiao Ze, your dad and I had already discussed this yesterday. What do you mean by this?” Wang Gui was also shocked by He Ze’s sudden action and immediately wiped the smile off his face.

“There’s nothing special. Since Brother Li is here too, I might as well be frank. I don’t agree to this marriage. Take back the jade pendant.”

“Xiao Ze, your dad and I…”

“Wang-ama, I remember they didn’t agree yesterday. It was Xiao An who agreed, but he’s still young and can’t make decisions about his marriage.” He Ze shook his head, glanced at Wang Gui, then at Li Dali. Seeing that none of them showed any intention of reaching out, he simply bent over.

Beside him, He An anxiously reached out and grabbed his arm. “Brother, I…”

“Xiao An, you’re still young. You were confused yesterday, but you can’t afford to be confused today. Father and Dad sent me here, not to let you act foolishly.” He Ze calmly placed the jade pendant in his hand on the table.

He An’s lips parted, wanting to speak, but all the words got stuck in his throat.

“Your father and I discussed it seriously. This marriage is still not suitable. Brother Li, we were wrong in this matter. You can make any request you want.”

“Brother Wang? What’s going on here! You have to explain this to me!” Li Dali paused for a moment, then turned his head and stared angrily at Wang Gui.

“I… Yesterday, although the couple didn’t express their opinion, they did say they would consider Xiao An’s opinion. Xiao Ze, you, you can’t do this!” Wang Gui became anxious and raised his voice.

“Brother…”

“Wang-ama, we didn’t think it through in our He family, but you also know about marriage. It’s a lifetime affair for the gers. You’ve been worried about this matter lately. I apologize on behalf of my father to you. Please forgive us.” He Ze said sincerely.

Although Li Dali was clearly taking advantage of the situation, they were indeed in the wrong, so apologizing was reasonable.

“This…”

What a mess! Although he knew Li Dali was not worthy of He An, but the situation in the He family… Wang Gui glanced at He Ze, but didn’t say anything more.

“You He family, once you agree, you can’t go back on your word. Are you trying to make a fool out of me?! Let me tell you, you’ve accepted this pendant, and you’ve agreed to this marriage. Whether you like it or not, you have to agree!” Seeing Wang Gui silent, Li Dali stared with wide eyes and yelled at He Ze. But unexpectedly, even when he raised his head, he was still shorter than He Ze standing in front of him. He had to tiptoe, adding a bit of humor to the situation.

He An looked at him in some unease, then turned to He Ze. Seeing that his expression hadn’t changed, he calmed down slightly.