Chapter 109
Chapter 109
After hearing Ji Hanyi’s words, Madam Gu stared at her in a daze as tears spilled down her cheeks. Through tear-blurred eyes, she gazed at Ji Hanyi’s face. Choking on her sobs, she reached out to cup her daughter’s cheeks, and for an instant, she seemed to see the daughter she had once raised with such tender care.
She had been innocent and unworldly, obedient and sensible, if a little timid. She had always loved nestling in her parents’ arms and acting spoiled.
Now, after everything she had been through, she could make her own decisions.
She was no longer the child who always hid in her mother’s arms, too frightened to sleep whenever the rain grew loud at night.
A wave of sorrow suddenly swept through Madam Gu.
Back then, they had agreed to the marriage for one reason alone: the Xie Family had promised there would be no concubines. Ji Hanyi had been gentle and yielding ever since she was a child.
Naturally, Madam Gu had worried about that temperament. Ji Hanyi took after her in that regard. How could someone so softhearted possibly emerge unscathed from the schemes and struggles of the inner household? Only a family with a peaceful inner household would suit her.
She could have lived a safe and tranquil life without ever needing to compete for her husband’s favor.
Unfortunately, even the Xie Family, renowned for its honorable reputation, had broken its word. Her husband had misjudged them after all.
Madam Gu bent down and gathered Ji Hanyi into her arms, her voice thick with tears. “Mother will do as you say.”
“We’ll leave and go to your Second Uncle…”
Ji Hanyi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she and her mother could not remain at her mother’s family home much longer. Now that her mother had agreed, one of the worries weighing on her mind was finally settled.
She believed that she and her mother would be able to build a good life together in the future.
A faint damp warmth spread across her shoulder as Ji Hanyi silently let her mother hold her. Despite the apprehension and trace of unease in her heart, she refused to reveal any of it in front of her mother.
She could no longer hide in her mother’s arms whenever trouble arose as she had when she was a child.
—
Night was nearly upon them by the time Ji Hanyi finally managed to soothe her mother. She stayed to have dinner and talk with her for a while before returning to her own room.
She remembered the painting Shen Si had given her, the one her father had loved most while he was alive. Wanting to see it, she asked Rongchun to fetch it at once. Rongchun promptly answered and hurried away to retrieve it.
Rongchun had only just returned with the painting, and Ji Hanyi had not even had a chance to take it from her, when one of her grandmother’s senior maids arrived to summon her to Ning’an Hall.
Fortunately, Ji Hanyi had only washed up. She had not yet let down her long hair or undressed. She told Rongchun to put the painting away for now, tidied herself up, and then went to see her grandmother.
The night wind was bitterly cold, and darkness lay thick around her. The glass lantern in her hand illuminated only a small patch of the path.
The old clothes Ji Hanyi wore were neither as thick nor as tightly woven as those she had worn before. Perhaps they had also been stored away for too long, because they did not seem nearly as warm.
When she reached her grandmother’s room, no servants were in attendance. Old Madam Gu sat alone on a daybed, waiting for her. As soon as she saw Ji Hanyi, she smiled and beckoned her over to sit beside her.
Ji Hanyi hurried over. Old Madam Gu turned to look at her. Beneath the dim glow of the gauze-shaded lamp, Ji Hanyi’s small face appeared delicate and lovely. A smile touched Old Madam Gu’s aged features as she said softly, “Hanyi, now that you’re here, stay. Don’t leave.”
“Wanyun has won Old Madam Shen’s favor. Once she marries into the Shen Residence, no one will be able to criticize you, and the Xie Residence won’t dare spread any more nonsense either.”
Ji Hanyi paused, then shook her head. “Grandmother, I’ve already made all the preparations, and Mother and I have discussed it.”
“I was planning to bid you and Aunt farewell tomorrow. Mother and I intend to leave the day after tomorrow.”
Old Madam Gu sighed and looked at Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, have you ever considered marrying Cousin Yan?”
“That way, you and your mother could remain here, and Grandmother could protect you for a while longer.”
Ji Hanyi was startled by her grandmother’s suggestion and hurriedly shook her head.
For one thing, her Eldest Maternal Aunt would never agree to it. The matter would likely throw the entire household into turmoil. Moreover, if her grandmother took it upon herself to arrange the marriage, Cousin Yan would surely be miserable at having it forced upon him.
Ji Hanyi had divorced to gain her own freedom, not to make the people around her unhappy.
Seeing Ji Hanyi shake her head, Old Madam Gu cut her off before she could speak. “You still have no idea how difficult your life will be from now on.”
“Do you think you’ll live well simply because you’re going to your Second Uncle? You’ve never even met your Second Uncle. How do you know he’s a good man? Even if he truly is, he’s only a merchant of modest means. With beauty like yours, once you go to such a small place, your Second Uncle may not be capable of protecting you.”
“Grandmother truly has your best interests at heart and wants to keep you safe. You’re still so young. You shouldn’t let the best years of your life simply slip away.”
Ji Hanyi had already considered everything her grandmother had said. She knew that life in Wei County might not be safe or smooth, but her destiny was in her own hands. She did not want to live under someone else’s roof, constantly gauging their moods. She could open an art studio or start a shop. She had dreams of her own, and she knew how to protect herself.
Ji Hanyi refused without hesitation. “I understand that you only want what’s best for me, Grandmother, but I can’t agree. I can’t drag Aunt and Cousin Yan into this either.”
Old Madam Gu had known all along that Ji Hanyi would respond this way. She smiled. “Do you think Grandmother would make a match at random merely to protect you?”
Ji Hanyi froze.
Old Madam Gu smiled at her. “I had originally planned to marry you to my nephew in the south. He may be a widower, but he is upright and presentable, and he is also a Fifth-Rank Subprefect. It would be a good match for you.”
“I intended to bring it up with you today and ask what you thought, but Young Master Yan came to me of his own accord and said he was willing to marry you.”
“As for his mother, he said he would speak to her himself and that there wouldn’t be any problems.”
Old Madam Gu’s eyes brimmed with delight as she spoke. “I thought it sounded like a fine idea. It seems Young Master Yan is fond of you as well, and that’s a good thing.”
“Your mother is frail and cannot withstand the strain of travel. If you remain at the Gu Residence, Young Master Yan can help you care for her in the future. The Gu Residence has had one joyful event after another of late. It would be a happy outcome for everyone.”
Ji Hanyi was momentarily dazed.
She had never expected Gu Yan to ask their grandmother for permission to marry her.
She was already a divorced woman, while her cousin had never been married. Besides, now that Third Younger Sister had caught the Shen Family’s eye, how could Eldest Maternal Aunt possibly agree?
If Third Younger Sister’s marriage truly went through, her cousin would have the Shen Family’s backing in the future and could marry a far better woman.
She was lost in thought for only an instant before she said softly, “I cannot marry my cousin.”
Old Madam Gu stared at her in surprise. She had not expected Ji Hanyi to remain so adamant. “Why?”
“Your cousin has always cared about you and looked after you more than anyone else. Even when he bullied you as a child, he would bring you nice things afterward to coax you out of your anger. He also went to a great deal of trouble for you during your divorce.”
Ji Hanyi looked earnestly at Old Madam Gu. “My cousin is a wonderful man, but I do not wish to marry him. He deserves a better woman.”
Old Madam Gu frowned. “Hanyi, tell me the truth. Why?”
“Do you not wish to stay here? Or do you not like your cousin?”
“You know better than anyone how well he treats you.”
Ji Hanyi fell silent for a moment. Then she looked into her grandmother’s aged eyes, which were filled with concern for her future. She understood it all, but she did not want anyone else to bear the consequences of the path she had chosen or worry on her behalf.
She spoke in a low voice. “Ever since I decided to divorce Xie Yuheng, I have had no intention of staying here for long.”
Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes, her voice softening. “Besides, it is not that he is lacking in any way. I am fond of Cousin Yan, but only as a cousin. There is nothing more to it.”
The moment those words left her lips, a faint but jarring noise suddenly came from beyond the screen in the otherwise spacious, silent room. It sounded as if someone had knocked against a chair.
Ji Hanyi paused and looked behind the screen, but she could not see anything. Then Old Madam Gu reached over and clasped the hand resting properly in her lap.
Her grandmother’s aged voice sounded beside her ear. “Hanyi, do not say that. Think it over carefully. You and your cousin grew up together and know each other through and through. He would never treat you poorly.”
Ji Hanyi turned back. Paying no further attention to the sound, she said earnestly once more, “I have long since lost all desire to marry. From now on, I only wish to remain by my mother’s side.”
It was rare for Old Madam Gu to see Ji Hanyi take such a firm stance. She let out a long sigh.
Her gaze flicked toward the other side of the screen before returning to Ji Hanyi’s face with both regret and pity. Only after a long while did she ask quietly, “Have you truly made up your mind?”
“Cousin Yan is sincere in his feelings for you.”
Ji Hanyi nodded, her voice very soft. “I have made up my mind. Mother and I are also planning to leave the day after tomorrow.”
Old Madam Gu was silent for a moment before asking, “Why leave in such a hurry?”
Ji Hanyi lowered her gaze. “I know we have imposed on you long enough.”
Old Madam Gu knew that her eldest daughter-in-law’s attitude had hurt them, leaving her with no way to argue.
She could only sigh helplessly, her heart heavy with distress.
She said to Ji Hanyi, “Go back and think the marriage over. Do not refuse so quickly. You can give your grandmother an answer later.”
“And even if you must leave, the day after tomorrow is too soon, and it is not an auspicious day for travel. Stay one more day. Take your time packing, and let the entire family share one last meal together.”
Old Madam Gu looked at Ji Hanyi, a trace of sorrow in her voice. “Hanyi, stay one more day and let your grandmother look at you a little longer.”
Ji Hanyi paused, then nodded gently in agreement.
She knew that once they parted this time, there was no telling when or under what circumstances they might meet again.
After leaving her grandmother’s quarters, Ji Hanyi spotted Gu Yan waiting at an intersection along the path.
His dark silhouette looked tall and slender beneath the night sky. Catching sight of him so suddenly was somewhat startling.
When Gu Yan saw Ji Hanyi approaching, he pressed his lips together and silently walked up to her with his head lowered. “Have you already decided to leave?”
Perhaps because she had just heard from their grandmother that Cousin Yan wanted to marry her, Ji Hanyi could no longer face Gu Yan with the same ease as before.
She lowered her gaze to the branches and leaves shrouded in darkness off to one side, then nodded gently. “I have.”
The hand Gu Yan held behind his back tightened. He asked in a low voice, “Is it because of my mother?”