Chapter 23.3 - Sincerity (3/3)

Tang Huan took the basket home with her.

The road into the village was the main street of Baishui Village, and the largest house in the village, the Dong family’s house, was situated on the left. Tang Huan didn’t want to go near there, so she planned to walk through the woods beside East Pond, just as she had done when she went to the field.

Contrary to what she had pretended, Tang Huan had killed people before with her own hands, so how could she be afraid of a forest where someone had recently died?

She was strolling leisurely when she heard hushed quarrels from afar, with faint mentions of Jinzhi’s name.

Since she had nothing else to do, Tang Huan approached them with curiosity.

Behind the bushes, Jiang Yuzhu was kneeling in front of Dong Minghua, hugging his thigh and weeping, “ Biaoge , how could you treat me like this? Uncle Song had clearly said that they would break off the engagement. I listened to you when you asked me not to tell your parents about this. But, now my stepmother had arranged such a marriage for me. If you still don’t tell your parents about the two of us and propose marriage to my parents, I will have to marry that Lord Zhang, who is in his early fifties, as his remarried wife! Biaoge , could you bear to see me marry someone like that?”

Dong Minghua couldn’t.

But he hadn’t given up on Jinzhi yet.

“ Biaomei , it’s not that I’m unwilling to help you, but as a filial son, I have to follow my parents’ wishes regarding my marriage. The marriage between Jinzhi and I had been decided by our parents when we were still children. Uncle Song has no right to make decisions. Besides, Jinzhi is only angry with me now. After I meet her and ask her why she is upset with me, I will explain properly to her, and she will definitely forgive me. Dong Minghua’s wife can only be Jinzhi. Unless she really doesn’t want to be with me anymore, I will not marry someone else. Biaomei , despite his age, Lord Zhang’s family is well-off, and he has no children. After you marry him and bear his children, you will be able to enjoy a good and prosperous life in the future.”

Jiang Yuzhu looked at him incredulously. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her fingertips had turned pale. “But, but I had already given you my body!”

Dong Minghua averted his gaze. “I was drunk that day, and I couldn’t remember anything when I woke up. I don’t know if we had done it-”

“ Biaoge !” Jiang Yuzhu burst into tears. “ Biaoge , am I such a despicable and shameless person in your eyes?”

Dong Minghua wavered, but then he remembered the woman’s almost terrifying calmness and rationality that day in this forest. He clenched his fist and said, “I thought you were very kind, but that day when Father-in-Law died by accident after he bumped into us, the first thing you thought of was not feeling sorry for Jinzhi, but our reputation. I listened to you because I panicked at the time, but now that I think about it, you were quite a frightening person. Also, why didn’t you explain it to Uncle that day when he misunderstood me? Were you trying to deliberately deepen Uncle’s misunderstanding so that I can only marry you? Biaomei , if I can’t win back Jinzhi’s heart, I can marry you, but for now, I’m not giving up on her.”

Tang Huan cocked her brow in surprise. So that was how Father Song died?

The memory of Father Song pampering Jinzhi flashed through her mind. Tang Huan wasn’t too enraged, but her hatred for Dong Minghua and Jiang Yuzhu grew. Jiang Yuzhu aside, Father Song was Dong Minghua’s father-in-law-to-be! He had caused the death of Jinzhi’s father, and now he still had the audacity to keep mentioning how much he liked Jinzhi?

She had seen shameless people before, but she had never seen such a shameless person!

Tang Huan truly felt bad for Jinzhi!

Jiang Yuzhu was still pleading with him, “ Biaoge , biaoge , don’t say that. I admit that I am selfish, but I really like you! I had advised you to hide your involvement in the death of Jinzhi’s father for your own sake. Otherwise, if she discovers the truth, will she still like you? If I am really a cruel person, I should tell her about it so she’ll hate you and you’ll completely give up! I didn’t do that because I placed you in my heart! Biaoge , I know you like her, and I have already prepared to be your concubine, but Uncle Song suddenly wanted to call off your engagement, and with such a firm attitude at that. I was so surprised that I forgot to explain. Is that wrong of me? Is it wrong for me to wish to be your wife?”

She was crying so hard that she almost couldn’t breathe. Dong Minghua couldn’t bear to see her like this. “Don’t cry, I-I didn’t mean it. I-it’s just that I don’t know why Jinzhi doesn’t want me, and I’m unwilling to accept this!”

Jiang Yuzhu threw herself into his arms and thumped his shoulder bitterly. “You are unwilling to accept that, then what should I do? My heartless father has already decided on my marriage. They’d sent my brother here to bring me back just to let the Zhang family’s matchmaker meet with me. Today, I managed to stall my brother, but I would have to leave with him tomorrow morning. If you don’t make up your mind now, by the time you’re certain that Jinzhi no longer wants you, it will be too late for us to be together! Biaoge , biaoge , don’t be so cruel to me…”

Dong Minghua was holding her in his arms, but his eyes were looking at the embankment in the distance. When he was a child, he used to take Jinzhi there to play.

“ Biaomei , don’t worry. I will find a chance to meet with Jinzhi in the afternoon. If, if I truly have no chance with her anymore, I will return with you and propose marriage to your father. But if Jinzhi is willing to forgive me, I-I will have to let you down. I have already betrayed Jinzhi once. I can’t betray her a second time.”

In his arms, Jiang Yuzhu’s tears were like a river flowing down her cheeks, but her eyes were filled with hatred.

Biaoge, if you dare to let me down, I will make you suffer!

After about fifteen minutes, probably because their discussion had come to an end, the two of them left the woods together.

Tang Huan leaned lazily against a tree, deep in thought.

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