Chapter 18
The Jiang family courtyard was shrouded in darkness. Only in the corner of the bedroom could one faintly make out a corner of black clothing, beside which lay a dagger gleaming with silver light. Blood trickled down the blade, winding its way to the door.
Jiang Shunde was filled with panic. That afternoon, in a fit of anger, he saw Jiang Yun’s bastard son rush over and curse a few words. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yun had then run headfirst into a pillar, followed closely by Gu Chengwu, which terrified him deeply.
Meeting Gu Chengwu’s cold, piercing gaze, Jiang Shunde said nothing and locked himself in his room, cowering all afternoon.
By evening, thinking nothing more would happen, he assumed Gu Chengwu was all show and no real threat. But just after undressing to bathe, a hemp rope suddenly tightened around his neck from behind.
Jiang Shunde’s face flushed purple with suffocation. He tried to grasp something but found nothing, flailing limbs in the water. Clutching the rope around his neck, he felt death’s approach for the first time and, overwhelmed by fear, wet himself, shouting curses at his ancestors.
Dragged backward by the rope, Jiang Shunde was pulled from the tub to the floor. Gu Chengwu frowned in disdain and, with a twist of his wrist, bound Jiang Shunde and hung him upside down from a beam.
Panting heavily, Jiang Shunde struggled helplessly and then shouted for help to draw attention, “Help! They’re killing me! Someone, please!”
He had completely forgotten that the Jiang family had been shunned by the village over Liu Guihua’s affairs, and no one would risk stepping into this mess at night.
Gu Chengwu approached, placing the dagger’s tip at Jiang Shunde’s lips. “Try calling out again,” he warned softly.
The threat was enough to silence Jiang Shunde, who shut his mouth, trembling and staring at the shadowed figure, aching and chilled.
Gu Chengwu settled on a stool, one foot resting on his knee, watching the terrified man who had wet himself. “Speak.”
Jiang Shunde, a grown man reduced to tears and disgrace, wailed and invoked his ancestors. “I really don’t know about Jiang Yun’s matter. That bastard… that little hussy was sold by my wife; I had no knowledge of it.”
The dagger plunged three inches into the tabletop as Jiang Shunde screamed in pain, a punch swelling his face, blood from his nose flowing backward, a tooth knocked out.
“If your mouth can’t explain, then it’s useless,” Gu Chengwu said, pulling the knife from the table and prying open Jiang Shunde’s mouth, twisting the blade inside.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! You want Jiang Yun, here he is, take him if you want…” Jiang Shunde stammered.
Before he finished, the sharp point broke his front tooth; the metallic sting filled his mouth.
Jiang Shunde howled in agony but dared not cry out, choking on blood as he pleaded weakly, “I truly don’t know… please spare me.”
Gu Chengwu wiped the blood off the blade on Jiang Shunde’s clothes. “If I ever hear another word of gossip about Jiang Yun or my family, I’ll cut out the tongues of the Jiang family and feed them to the dogs.”
He was not a man to strike women, so he left Liu Guihua alone, but Jiang Shunde would not be so easily spared.
Gu Chengwu’s warning was clear; Jiang Shunde was no fool. Living in the same village, if Liu Guihua’s tongue was not kept in check, there would be plenty of time for Gu Chengwu to deal with him later.
The cries from the Jiang family went unnoticed by the village. Across the way, Madame Xu lay in bed, talking to her husband with disdain, “Serves him right. Not a decent man—he even sold his own blood brother.”
Zhou Daniu, half-awake, was roused by her scolding and replied, “I heard people say Jiang Yun had long been tangled in an improper relationship with that Gu fellow, so he was sold off?”
Madame Xu slapped her husband. “You listen to that wicked woman’s lies? We all know what kind of man Brother Yun is after all these years.”
The two were on the verge of arguing, but Zhou Daniu gave up, yawning and pretending to fall asleep.
It was only late at night when the Jiang family’s gate opened. Liu Guihua, unable to endure the insults, had fled to her maternal home for a few days. Yet her sister-in-law chased her away with a broom, forcing her to sneak back only after the village fell silent.
No lights were lit inside. Liu Guihua placed some fruits and vegetables she had taken from her mother’s home on the table, didn’t wash her face, and collapsed to sleep. In the dark, she touched something sticky and reeking of blood.
Jiang Shunde, missing his front tooth and mouth full of blood, could only whimper in pain.
Startled, Liu Guihua screamed, thinking she had touched a ghost, and flung objects at Jiang Shunde.
Enduring the pain, Jiang Shunde cursed, “You damn woman, put me down!”
Not only had Gu Chengwu beaten him, but now his own wife was attacking him. Thinking of the calamities brought by Liu Guihua, he seethed with fury.
As soon as he was set down, he swung a fist at Liu Guihua, warning her not to provoke Gu Chengwu any further.
Dazed, Liu Guihua sprawled on the floor, throwing a tantrum. “This is unjust! I’ve eaten nothing but scraps with you all these years, and now, because of some outsider, you beat me? Has your conscience gone to the dogs?”
Village women lived by their husbands’ moods, and Liu Guihua’s outburst only humiliated Jiang Shunde further at a time when Gu Chengwu’s warnings still echoed in his mind.
Fearful and trembling at the thought of Gu Chengwu, Jiang Shunde had no patience for sweet words and bluntly declared: “If I hear another word—then I’ll divorce you.”
“Divorce me?!” Liu Guihua shot up in anger. “Old man, if you’ve got the guts, then do it! At worst, I’ll go to town with Mo Ge’er! My Mo Ge’er has the means to give me a good life. Even if you divorce me, I won’t care. Look at you—old and ugly. Without me, who else would want you? You spineless coward!”
Her confidence in the Jiang household had always rested on Jiang Mo, who studied in town and knew the county magistrate’s daughter—an enviable advantage few could dream of.
It was because of this that Jiang Shunde had tolerated her all these years, hoping for a share of those benefits.
Hearing this, Jiang Shunde’s face darkened. Trying to save face, he said through clenched teeth, “If you’re not afraid of death, say whatever you want.” He then kicked Liu Guihua. “Go find a doctor.”
Offered a way out, Liu Guihua dared not continue her tantrum. Though she boasted of relying on Jiang Mo, she feared divorce and begrudgingly went to find Doctor Xu in the neighboring village, muttering curses against Jiang Shunde behind his back.
The village’s gossip was suppressed; no one openly dared to speak of Gu Chengwu’s nighttime lesson to the Jiang family.
Yet Jiang Yun’s reputation was ruined the moment Liu Guihua opened her mouth. Even if he and Gu Chengwu were innocent, no respectable family would dare seek his hand in marriage.
Jiang Yun did not know how he would survive. Twice he had tried to end his life but was saved. Now, even if he wished to die again, he had to consider whether he had any right to do so with the Jiang family’s name at stake.
With no hope for the future, Jiang Yun lay trembling under the covers, choking back sobs. Zhang Cuilan came by several times, always sighing and shaking her head before leaving.
In the past, young women with ruined reputations in the neighboring villages were either sold off or married to elderly widowers, living miserable lives. Some families even killed their own children to salvage the family name.
When Zhang Cuilan’s gaze met Gu Chengwu’s as she left, he was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ll go talk to him.”
At this point, concerns about a single man and woman sharing a room no longer mattered. The village had already twisted the truth so much that white had turned to black.
Gu Chengwu entered to find a small figure curled faintly under the blanket.
The one inside was quietly sobbing, even their tears cautious, afraid to stain Gu family belongings.
Gu Chengwu sat stiffly on a stool, unsure how to begin. Skilled in battle, killing enemies was no trouble—but coaxing a frightened young man was beyond him.
He spoke stiffly, “I’ve dealt with them. There won’t be any more gossip.”
The one beneath the covers paused, quieting their sobs but not stopping them.
Gu Chengwu did not blame Jiang Yun for ignoring him. He understood the harshness of the world for a young woman or young man without a reputation—losing one’s name was like burying one’s life. Crying it out was at least a release.
As for what he truly wanted to say, he hadn’t yet found the words.
After a long moment, he sat up straight and carefully organized his thoughts: “Last night, Jiang Shunde tried to send you to me. If you’re willing, from now on you can stay with me… If not, decide on your own future and leave when you’re ready.”
He was never one for idle talk. After much thought, he expressed the situation in the fewest words.
Despite the village’s gossip, he did not intend to force Jiang Yun. Marriage was never part of his plan. Jiang Yun’s only impression on him was that shy, timid child he first met.
He bore no extra feelings for Jiang Yun, but Jiang Yun’s ruined reputation was partly his responsibility as a man.
After speaking for some time, there was no response from beneath the quilt.
Gu Chengwu understood. He assumed Jiang Yun did not wish to stay with him and would not force the matter. Rising from the stool, he turned to leave.
At the door, a faint sobbing voice stopped him:
“I—I’m willing. Please don’t—don’t send me away.”
Jiang Yun did not know how much courage it took to utter those words. Though afraid of Gu Chengwu, he knew Gu Chengwu was different from the other men in the village.
More afraid that Gu Chengwu would reject him, Jiang Yun, who had stuttered since age six and was always met with disdain, risked his pride as a young unmarried man to say this.
No young woman or boy would ever willingly say they wanted to marry a man. Years ago, Jiang Yun could never have imagined doing so.
But now, driven to desperation, with nowhere else to turn but the Gu family, he feared that leaving would leave him homeless in this vast world.
Gu Chengwu paused, not answering immediately.
Jiang Yun’s face turned pale as he curled back into the bed’s corner. His physical deformities made him all the more insecure and cautious, unwilling to say another word.
Gu Chengwu turned back, expression unchanged except for a slight finger movement. “If you’re willing, we’ll pick an auspicious day.”
In the bed’s corner, Jiang Yun’s eyes widened, unable to believe Gu Chengwu had truly agreed and would choose a lucky day.
His heart pounded wildly. Only after Gu Chengwu left did he realize that with these brazen words, he had truly become someone’s husband.
The word “husband” was foreign to Jiang Yun. For over ten years, he had drifted through life as if in a nightmare, never imagining he would one day become a husband.
Whether life could go on, Jiang Yun did not know.