Started as a thatched house and ended up as a female figure

Chapter 459 Do you love me? Yes, I do.

In the Ji family courtyard, the moon is at its zenith.

Ji Dahai paced in the main room with his hands behind his back, his brows knitted into knots, and the soles of his coarse cloth shoes rubbed against the blue brick floor, making a dull sound.

There was only one oil lamp lit in the main room, and the dim light made his face look even more solemn, with a hint of anger as if he was offended.

"You...how can you say such a thing!?"

Ji Dahai suddenly stopped and turned to Madam Ji, who was sitting at the table with her eyes downcast. He spoke in a low voice, but every word was filled with anger:

"Mingzhu is our daughter after all! What do you mean by 'marry her off early'? What do you mean by 'out of sight, out of mind'?

The Cheng family is a good family, and it is Mingzhu's blessing to marry into the family. But what you said...it sounds like you can't wait to kick her out of the house!

"You, what are you thinking? Have you really not loved her at all in these years?"

When Ji Dahai thought of his daughter's clear yet sometimes ignorant eyes, his heart felt like being pricked by needles.

The attitude that the Cheng family showed towards the Ru family today, that respect and regard, cannot be faked.

The second branch of the Cheng family treated their daughter-in-law in such a way, and Marquis Zhaoping treated Deng Xiong like his own brother, so how bad could the Cheng family's treatment of Mingzhu be?

This was indeed what he wanted as a father, but his wife's words were like a bucket of cold water, making him feel cold in his heart.

Mrs. Ji sat in the shadow of the lamp, looking a little thin.

She did not immediately refute her husband's question, but her hands on her knees unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes, and her knuckles turned slightly white.

The dim light cast deep shadows on her face. It was impossible to see her specific expression, but one could feel a depressing silence.

After a long while, she raised her head, her voice a little hoarse, but unusually calm: "Master, do you think I hate Mingzhu and want to drive her away?"

"Isn't it?" Ji Dahai asked angrily, "Why else would you..."

"Because the Cheng family is leaving." Mrs. Ji interrupted him. Her voice was not loud, but it fell clearly into Ji Dahai's ears:

"Marquis Zhaoping will soon be bringing the eldest wife of the Cheng family back to the capital, and you and I both know this.

Young Master Deng Xiong followed Marquis Zhaoping, so he must leave as well.

The marriage has been arranged, but if Mingzhu cannot be married off before they set off, does she have to stay at home and wait indefinitely?

Wait until the Cheng family is settled in the capital, and wait until Master Deng Xiong is free to come back and marry her? One year? Two years? Or even longer?"

Mrs. Ji paused, her eyes seemed to penetrate the wall and fall on some distant place.

“For a family like the Cheng family, there will be many changes over time.

Mingzhu...she has a simple mind and has set her sights on Young Master Deng Xiong, and she is stubborn.

If it drags on, what if…what if something happens over there, or Master Deng Xiong has someone else by his side, what will Mingzhu do? Can she bear it?"

There was a barely perceptible tremor in Mrs. Ji's voice:

"While the relationship between the two families is good, and the Cheng family has a good impression of Mingzhu, let's get the job done.

Mingzhu legitimately became the daughter-in-law of the Cheng family and followed Young Master Deng Xiong to the capital.

With Marquis Zhaoping taking care of her, her life will be truly peaceful, and I can finally put my worries to rest."

What Mrs. Ji didn't say was that looking at the Cheng family's attitude towards Ru Yu Niang today, that solemnity and joy, she felt both envious and bitter.

She also hopes that her daughter can be married off as cherished, rather than being delayed and looked down upon because of her "difference".

She was even more afraid of the long night and the many troubles, and that this hard-won and almost perfect marriage for Mingzhu would have twists and turns due to time and distance.

Pearls cannot withstand twists and turns.

Ji Dahai's rage was extinguished by his wife's words, leaving only bitter embers.

He opened his mouth and wanted to say "The Cheng family is not that kind of family" and "Marquis Zhaoping values ​​friendship and loyalty", but when he looked at his wife's profile, which looked particularly tired and worried under the light, the words got stuck in his throat again.

Although my wife's words were harsh, they were a cruel reflection of reality.

Mingzhu's future cannot withstand gambling.

"But...but we can't be so impatient! It makes us seem so..." Ji Dahai sat down on the chair dejectedly and scratched his hair irritably: "It makes us seem so impatient!"

"I do!" A clear and somewhat stubborn voice suddenly sounded at the door.

Ji Dahai and Mrs. Ji were both startled and looked up suddenly.

I saw Ji Mingzhu standing at the door of the main room without knowing when.

She seemed to have just taken a shower, her hair was still wet and draped over her shoulders. She had changed into a clean cotton pajamas, and her little face looked particularly white in the dim light.

She held the door frame with one hand, her clear big eyes looking at her parents. There was no confusion in them, but instead a kind of almost stubborn seriousness that Mrs. Ji rarely saw on her face.

Obviously, she heard the conversation between her parents just now.

"Mingzhu?" Ji Dahai's heart tightened and he stood up hurriedly: "When did you..."

"Dad, Mom, I do." Ji Mingzhu did not answer his father's question, but stated it seriously, as if to emphasize something.

She turned her eyes to Madam Ji and said in a clear voice, “Mom, I know you don’t like me at home.”

These words were like a blunt knife, stabbing into Mrs. Ji's heart.

Mrs. Ji's face turned pale, her lips trembled, and she wanted to explain: "Mingzhu, mother is not..."

"I'll go talk to Brother Sanxiong myself." Ji Mingzhu interrupted her, her tone unusually calm, even a little too calm: "I'll go talk to him and ask him to marry me as soon as possible, marry me away as soon as possible."

She paused, looked at Mrs. Ji, and said word by word, as if she was fulfilling a promise: "In this way, I won't bother you at home."

After saying this, she didn't even look at her parents' expressions which changed drastically in an instant, nor did she wait for any response from them. She turned around and walked towards her own cabin.

The steps were not fast, but the straight back revealed an unquestionable determination.

"Mingzhu!" Ji Dahai felt so distressed that he wanted to chase after her.

"Master!" Mrs. Ji called out to him suddenly, her voice containing a hint of sharpness and fragmentation.

She bit her lower lip tightly to prevent the things in her eyes from falling, and just waved her hand weakly: "Let her...let her go."

There was only suffocating silence in the main room.

Ji Dahai watched his daughter disappear into the dark door, then looked at his wife under the light, who seemed to have been drained of all her strength in an instant, her chest so blocked that she could hardly breathe.

He slumped back into his chair and sighed heavily.

Blame it?

Blame him for not being capable back then?

Blame your wife for momentary negligence?

Or is it because God played such a joke on Mingzhu?

Mrs. Ji was still sitting there, maintaining the same posture as before, without moving.

The wick of the oil lamp crackled and burst into small sparks. The dim light swayed and reflected on her face. The sadness and great loss that she had tried hard to suppress could no longer be hidden and turned into two lines of hot tears that slid silently across her pale cheeks.

It’s not that she doesn’t love him.

She just... didn't know how to love this daughter who was wronged by fate and became "different" because of her own negligence.

She was just... afraid that she couldn't give Mingzhu the stability she wanted, and even more afraid that she would become a stumbling block that hindered Mingzhu's happiness.

The words "I don't bother you" hurt her more than any accusation.

night, deeper.

In the small courtyard, only suppressed sobs and heavy sighs echoed.