GHLCS Chapter62

Even though some people were heartbroken, others were still living well.

 

Yuan Sen finally rested without any worries, and the heavily guarded Military Control Commissioner’s mansion could now breathe a sigh of relief, even finding the time to begin arranging Yuan Ye’s marriage.

 

Everyone was saying that there hasn’t been a big family wedding in Hezhou for a long time, so this time it’s going to be a big one.

 

Some are happy, some are sad.

 

In Xiaotong Guan, Qiao Song came out of Duan Zhanzhou’s room and went straight to Duan Yelin’s room. Before he opened his mouth, he shook his head and said, “Commander, the Military Commander doesn’t eat or drink and even became an alcoholic. If he continues like this, it will be bad.”

 

Since Duan Zhanzhou returned, he had spent a lot of money each day to bring ice, keeping Cong Lin’s body preserved in the room. He didn’t leave, nor did he allow anyone to enter. The food brought to the door was steadily consumed less and less, and in the past few days, it hadn’t been touched at all.

 

He was not throwing a tantrum, nor was he young and naive. Duan Yelin couldn’t put on a parent’s attitude and scold him like before.

 

The stalemate lasted just a few days until the servants came to report that Duan Zhanzhou had vomited alcohol and blood last night, so they had to intervene.

 

Duan Zhanzhou woke up from his coma, his head feeling heavy. He realized he was lying on the bed in the bedroom, several golden needles inserted into his body. Looking up, he saw Xu Hang’s face. Xu Hang pulled out the golden needles and said flatly, “Don’t pretend to be dead when you wake up. You’re not old enough to go to hell.”

 

“It’s none of your business…” But after a few days, Duan Zhanzhou’s voice became hoarse due to alcohol.

 

Xu Hang didn’t care about his bad temper and just said, “Of course I have to take care of it, and I am doing it under orders too. Cong Lin hopes that you live long, so of course I have to do my best to protect your life. Only when you are alive can you feel pain all the time and remember the lesson.”

 

Duan Zhanzhou wanted to laugh when he heard this, but he couldn’t. The name “Cong Lin” felt like a shackle, leaving him no room to argue. Xu Hang then brought a bowl of medicine, and he took it, tilting his head back to drink it.

 

“Are you going to keep watching over him day and night? He’s already dead, who can you show your affectionate side to?”

 

“…His seventh days hasen’t passed yet, someone has to keep watch over him.”

 

Hearing this, knowing that he had no intention of dying, Xu Hang nodded: “The rest is up to you, I just want to make sure you don’t die.”

 

“I won’t commit s*icide,” Duan Zhanzhou got off the bed. He had lost a lot of weight, his cheekbones were slightly protruding, and the dark circles under his eyes were particularly dark, as if he had been drained of his vitality by some monster. “I will never forget the great kindness of the Military Control Commissioner, and I will definitely repay it.”

 

Whether it is love or hate, as long as there are unfulfilled wishes in this world, people are driven to live.

 

However, the rest of Duan Zhanzhou’s life was filled with emptiness. No matter how luxurious he looked on the outside, he was just struggling to survive.

 

When he returned to Jinyan Tang, Chan Yi came up to him and said that Gu Fangfei had been waiting for a long time. Xu Hang counted on his fingers and realized that he hadn’t seen her for a long time, and he felt a little happy.

 

When he walked into the main hall and saw the scene, he found that Gu Fangfei had brought many gifts, all tied with red silk. She smiled shyly and held a bright red invitation in her hand. When she saw Xu Hang, she shyly hid it behind her back.

 

“Mr. Xu, long time no see.”

 

Xu Hang hurriedly offered tea: “I have too many things to do recently, so I really can’t spare the time to visit you, but are there any happy events today?”

 

The shy girl could no longer hide her feelings. She smiled and handed over the invitation: “Originally… Yuan Ye should have delivered it, but I wanted to meet you, so I came here in person without any shame. Mr. Xu must do me the honor.”

 

When he opened the invitation, he discovered it was for the wedding banquet of Gu Fangfei and Yuan Ye.

 

The daughter of the Pengyun Chamber of Commerce and the son of the Military Control Commissioner—this must be a perfect match, a good story that spread all over Hezhou City. The wedding day was also lively, it was the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May.

 

Xu Hang took a look and lowered his eyes: “These days… seem to be a little urgent.”

 

“I said the same thing, but the Yuan family’s great-grandmother is getting old, so she was eager to finalize it. She also said that this year has been full of ups and downs, and having a happy occasion might bring some luck. Although Yuan Ye and I don’t really believe in that, we couldn’t resist the elder’s constant persuasion, so we figured—sooner or later, it’s all the same anyway.”

 

If the elderly in the family passed away, the wedding would probably have to be put on hold for a long time, so it was reasonable to rush to do it.

 

Normally, one should congratulate a friend on their weddings, but Xu Hang’s expression was somewhat unspeakable. Gu Fangfei noticed that something was wrong with him, so she asked, “Mr. Xu, what’s wrong?”

 

“Oh… nothing. You and Yuan Ye, since you love each other, this is naturally the best… I…” Xu Hang hesitated for a while before continuing, “Don’t blame me for trying to get closer to you. You treat me with the respect of both a brother and a friend, and I see you like a sister too, so I can’t help but speak my mind. Yuan Ye is a good kid—genuine and sincere, a rare kind of son-in-law. But in a family like his, unexpected things can happen at any moment. Are you mentally prepared?”

 

If it were anyone else, Xu Hang would have been kicked out for saying such a disappointing thing in front of the excited bride-to-be. However, Gu Fangfei knew that if he was not truly worried, he would not have thought so far ahead.

 

Besides, what Xu Hang said was reasonable. The military control commissioner’s family is a big tree that attracts the wind. There are few warlords these days who are not in a precarious situation. He is rich today, but there is no guarantee that he will not be in dire straits tomorrow.

 

Nodding, Gu Fangfei smiled and said, “My family has been doing business for generations, so it’s no different. Today, we have a lot of money, but tomorrow, we may lose everything. His family background has nothing to do with me. I just want this person.”

 

“Perhaps you blame me for talking too much. The current situation is turbulent. I am afraid that if something happens to the Military Control Commissioner, it will implicate you.”

 

Gu Fangfei clasped her hands together and rubbed them for a while. Her voice became lower: “I understand what Mr. Xu said. Every family has its own worries. Since I chose him, I am not afraid to share the burden with him.”

 

She is neither a fragile woman nor a short-sighted young girl. Once she sets her mind on something, no amount of words can sway her.

 

Xu Hang always felt that the invitation weighed a lot in his hand. He wanted to say something like “May your love last forever, and may you have a son soon”, but he felt that it was meaningless. He raised his head and smiled: “Then… I hope that you and him can hold hands until old age, no matter what happens in the afterlife.”

 

Although Gu Fangfei felt that Xu Hang looked strange, she couldn’t tell what was wrong, so she just smiled and let it go.

 

Coincidentally, Xu Hang wasn’t the only one who was weird.

 

After nightfall, the military control commissioner’s family had dinner. As soon as they put down their chopsticks, Yuan Sen said to Yuan Ye, “Go pay your respects to your grandmother and tell her about your happy event. After so many years, it’s her grandson’s wedding, after all. She will probably be willing to come out.”

 

After hearing this, Yuan Ye and Madam Yuan looked at each other but did not dare to say much, so they had to agree.

 

Old Madam Yuan had been residing in a Buddhist temple next to the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion. For over a decade, she had lived like a semi-monk, chanting the Buddha’s name daily. During this time, no matter how many people Yuan Sen sent to visit or persuade her, she refused to see anyone. She believed she no longer had any ties to the Yuan family and chose to live a simple, frugal life.

 

Yuan Ye also found it strange. When he was young, the three generations lived together in harmony. But for some reason, one year, Old Madam Yuan seemed to have fallen out with Yuan Sen. From then on, she never meet any of the Yuan family members again, no matter whether they were alive, old, sick, or dead.

 

Only Yuan Ye visited her from time to time, and she was willing to open the door for him.

 

Songquan Hall stood beside the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion, nestled in the shade and particularly damp. Yuan Ye frowned the moment he arrived, knowing that the humidity was the worst thing for Old Madam Yuan’s rheumatism.

 

Old Madam Yuan knelt before the Buddha, her expression as compassionate as the Buddha’s. After listening to Yuan Ye’s words, she did not stop playing with the wooden fish in her hand. She only said to the servant beside her, “Yu Gui, give Xiao Ye the golden hairpin in my box as a gift from me to my grandson’s wife. When the gift arrives, it means I have arrived.”

 

The implication is that she doesn’t want to attend.

 

Yuan Ye was still thinking about acting like a spoiled child: “Grandma… I don’t know what Dad did to make you unhappy in the past. Can you please come once for my sake?”

 

Old Madam Yuan remained motionless. The maid beside her placed a wooden box in Yuan Ye’s hands and said with a smile, “Young Master, you know the Old Madam’s temper. Even if she doesn’t attend, she still cares about you deeply. This golden hairpin was crafted before you were even born. It’s never been shown to anyone—she’s been saving it to gift it to your future wife on your wedding day!”

 

After opening the wooden box, the golden hairpin appeared before his eyes. As expected, after so many years, the color of the hairpin was not as good as before, but the workmanship was still high-quality and the material was of good quality. If it was made more than ten years ago, it would have been very expensive.

 

But Yuan Ye frowned the first time he saw it, looked left and right, and finally said something.

 

“This golden hairpin… I seem to have seen it before.”