Ger, So Proud

Chapter 61

Before dawn, when the thin mist was still hazy, He Ze stepped out of his room with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept all night, unsure if it was due to nervousness or anticipation, or perhaps both.

The last time he felt this way was during the college entrance exams ten years ago.

“Brother, you’re up so early! Dad even asked me to keep an eye on the time to wake you!” He An smiled as soon as he saw He Ze come out.

At that moment, He An was sitting by the table in the courtyard, wearing a thick, elegantly patterned long-necked grey cotton jacket. His face was rosy, and he held a steaming cup in his hands. Anyone who didn’t know better might mistake him for a young master of some wealthy family.

Today, everyone in the He family had risen early, and surprisingly, He Ze was the last to wake.

“Is Dad in the kitchen?”

He Ze ignored him and, after a quick glance around, walked over to sit next to him.

“Yes, he’s making breakfast and said we must eat well this morning! Father is still in his room,” He An said, glancing towards their parents’ bedroom. He then leaned closer to He Ze and whispered, “Dad said Father got up at around 3 AM, trying on all his nicer clothes from previous years, including the ones you bought, over and over again. Dad got impatient with him!”

When they were last in town, He Ze, knowing they couldn’t be careless about the engagement, had bought some clothes for everyone in the family. Not knowing their exact sizes, he had chosen based on his best guess. Fortunately, since they were winter clothes, they could be worn even if they were a bit large or small, and everyone seemed to like them.

He An was wearing one of them today, and so was He Ze himself. He glanced at his own black padded robe, feeling a bit embarrassed for some reason.

But He An’s words quickly diverted his attention. “3 AM?”

That’s the middle of the night, He Ze thought, feeling a twinge in his jaw.

“Exactly! If I could go too, I’d definitely get up in the middle of the night to find the best clothes. This is your big day, Brother, your engagement day!”

He An’s voice was full of excitement.

“Alright, when it’s your turn to get engaged, I promise to go with Father and give your future husband a good beating first.”

“Brother!”

He An huffed in exasperation. He Ze raised an eyebrow at him, then poured himself a cup of tea to warm his hands.

Dad Li quickly finished preparing breakfast. Despite the early hour, there were chicken and fish dishes, all looking and smelling delicious, making everyone eager to eat. It wasn’t until halfway through the meal that Father He finally came out of his room.

He was wearing the same style of dark brown padded robe as He Ze, but he also had a matching hat on his head. His usually messy beard had been tidied up, giving him a semblance of a “distinguished” local landlord.

“Father, you’re dressed like this…” It was the first time He An had seen his father like this, and he paused with his chopsticks mid-air.

“What’s wrong?” He Youcai’s beard twitched as he glanced cautiously at Dad Li before sitting down next to He An. “Eat! Once we’re done, I’ll be taking your brother out!”

“…”

The meal ended in an unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere. Dad Li repeatedly counted the six prepared gifts and gave He Youcai detailed instructions, which He Ze was forced to overhear.

Around the hour of Si (9-11 AM), Matchmaker Wang finally arrived. Without any delay, father and son followed him out the door, heading towards the rising sun.

“If you ask me, Youcai, you’re really in a hurry. Your wife only told me about this a few days ago, and here we are, already going to arrange the engagement. Many things were prepared in such a rush!” Matchmaker Wang, dressed in a bright red festive outfit, smiled despite his words.

“Well, how could parents not be anxious about such matters? Please understand!” Father He responded warmly.

“It’s understandable, but the date is quite rushed. I checked and found that waiting a couple more days until the eleventh would have been the best date!”

“No, no, my wife and I also checked this date with others. They all said it’s a good day. Why?”

“No problem, no problem,” Matchmaker Wang quickly waved his hand when he saw He Youcai’s anxiety. “Today is indeed a good day for the engagement ceremony, just some minor concerns about…”

As they talked, they unknowingly reached a crossroads, the path from the west of the village to the Lin family’s home. He Ze, carrying the six gifts, had been following behind his father and Matchmaker Wang. When he saw them stop, he looked up.

Standing under the tree ahead was none other than He Bao’er.

Persistent as a shadow.

“Just some minor concerns about travel, there might be small issues.” Matchmaker Wang’s face turned a bit grim as he spoke. He recognized He Bao’er and knew his purpose for being there.

“He Ze…”

Sure enough, as soon as He Bao’er saw He Ze, he rushed over, lifting his robe, his eyes red, face pale, and shoulders slightly damp, indicating he had been waiting for a long time.

He Ze’s expression didn’t change. He glanced at He Bao’er, then handed all the gifts to He Youcai. “Father, Matchmaker Wang, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to wait for me a moment, just a quarter of an hour.”

With that, he ignored He Bao’er standing beside him and walked straight past him.

“He Ze, don’t you forget, Yu-ge is still waiting for you!” Matchmaker Wang shouted after him as He Ze walked away.

“What a bad omen to start the day, on such an important day, sigh!” He Youcai sighed and said, “Don’t worry, Matchmaker Wang, I know my son. He’s truly given up on He Bao’er this time. Since he asked us to wait, let’s just wait!”

He carefully placed the gifts on his lap and, after glancing at He Ze who had stopped some distance away, squatted down on the ground.

Matchmaker Wang seemed like he wanted to say something more, but after moving his lips, no sound came out. He just stood there waiting.

Meanwhile, once he felt they were far enough, He Ze turned around, stopped, and frowned, “Speak, what do you want to talk to me about?”

“He Ze, you haven’t wanted to see me for days, I…”

“Get to the point. If you don’t, then don’t say anything at all.” He Ze was already irritated by the sound of crying.

He Bao’er looked up, seeing the somber expression on his face, couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment. He finally blurted out, “You’re going to the Lin family today to get engaged to Lin Yu?”

“Yes.” He didn’t hide the fact that he was getting engaged to Lin Yu. In a village this small, it was no surprise He Bao’er knew.

“And what about me? What am I to you?”

This question hit like a thunderbolt, causing He Bao’er’s emotions to overflow like a breached dam.

He slapped his chest hard twice, screaming sharply, “What about our years of engagement? How can you do this to me, He Ze?”

If it had been a man in front of him, He Ze would have been tempted to punch him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. He took a deep breath, “You marry first, I marry later. I don’t think I’ve wronged you in any way.”

“But… but it’s only been three or four months, I regret it, I regret it, He Ze…” He Bao’er was already in tears, making a move to grab He Ze’s arm, but he dodged.

Seeing his hands grasping at thin air, his eyes dimmed instantly, “Just three or four months, I’ve been engaged to you since I was three, for fourteen years. Fourteen years and they can’t compare to just a few months!”

“He Ze, did you forget? You said you’d marry me in the best red bridal sedan chair, invite everyone in the village; you said we’d have a chubby baby, no, many of them, with both our surnames; you said you’d never force them, let them do whatever they wanted.”

He Bao’er stared at He Ze intently, his arm still trembling in mid-air. “He Ze, how could you change so quickly? In the past, when I cried, you would be anxious and cry with me. When I wanted something to eat, with the allowance Uncle He and Uncle Li gave you for a month, you would buy everything for me without hesitation. And, the clothes on me, you saved up silver coins for three whole months last year to buy them for me. Have you forgotten all of these?”

Those memories from the past flashed through He Bao’er’s mind, making his heart wrench painfully, unable to breathe, just like when he found out about He Ze’s betrothal to Lin Yu.

He couldn’t believe that He Ze, who had spoiled him since childhood, could be so heartless!

“I haven’t forgotten, I remember very clearly,” He Ze’s voice was flat. “It’s precisely because I remember clearly that—He Bao’er, it’s just a verbal engagement. Why do you think He Ze should always be unconditionally nice to you? Should forgive you no matter what you do? Between the two of you, he’s always been the one giving, for over ten years, what have you been doing? Or rather, what do you consider him to be…?”

“I, I…”

Each question felt like a heavy blow to He Bao’er’s chest. He stared blankly at He Ze, unable to utter a word.

The voice continued, “I believe you like him. You like how good he is to you, how he’s completely under your control, how you enjoy that feeling, yet you’re reluctant to reciprocate with equal emotion. So, He Ze doesn’t really matter to you, you just like being liked by someone, that’s all. So you can easily give him up, just for… ten taels of silver?”

At the end, He Ze couldn’t help but sneer.

That laughter was so piercing, draining the blood from He Bao’er’s face. He sat down on the ground, his face pale, staring blankly at the person in front of him.

So unfamiliar.

He was even crueler than Lin Yu, tearing apart his flesh and blood, then pulling out that bloody heart, exposing all the ugliness he harbored, which he himself refused to believe, to the sunlight, leaving nothing hidden, and then… accusing him in the name of the victim, making him suffer guilt, torment, unrest.

“That’s it, I’ve already said it, your He Ze is dead—killed by you.” He Ze shook himself out of his original memories.

“No, no! That’s not true! It can’t be…”

Seeing He Ze taking a step forward, He Bao’er suddenly shouted twice, leaping up from the ground and blocking his way, his eyes vacant. Ah Ze, don’t go… what you said is not true, even if it was like that before, it’s not now! I really like you, these few months, I’ve missed you so much, day and night, I promise I’ll be a good wife in the future, I promise!”

“Oh, right… I have money, a lot of money, I heard your family borrowed a lot of money, I can help you repay it, will you forgive me? He Ze, I’ll give you all the money, please forgive me, don’t go…”

As he spoke, He Bao’er had already pulled out a money pouch from his waist and handed it to He Ze. Seeing the latter not accepting it, he rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a gold bracelet.

Perhaps due to the good weather today, several groups of villagers had passed by the intersection in this short moment, and each one casted strange looks at the two of them.

He Ze’s dark eyes were like a deep pool, chilling to the bone. He glanced at He Bao’er, “Enough, this is the last time. If you try to entangle me again…”

As He Ze walked a few steps away, cutting off He Bao’er before he could finish speaking.

He Bao’er looked dazed, clutching the money pouch and gold bracelet, his fingertips reddened. He suddenly turned around, “Then why would you seek death for me? Since you’re willing to sacrifice your life for me, why can’t you…”

His voice was full of excitement, like a drowning swimmer grasping at the last straw.

Hope and despair hung in the balance in an instant.

“Fake. It was just an accident, you weren’t important enough for He Ze to seek death for you.”

Something seemed to collapse in He Bao’er’s heart, his expression turning ferocious, “Fake? Fake… Then what about Lin Yu? Where is Lin Yu! You went up the mountain alone to find him too…”

“That’s different. He Ze’s unwillingness to die for you doesn’t mean he can’t do it for Lin Yu.” He Ze paused, then continued walking.

The sound of someone falling to the ground behind him and the stifled crying followed, but it didn’t slow his pace.

“Fake, it’s all fake… Haha, it’s all fake!” He Bao’er’s expression turned somewhat manic.

His fingernails dug into the ground, the black mud filling the gaps between his fingers, reminding him of the man who came to propose to him yesterday.

Finally, he glanced at the backs of He Ze and the others as they left, the bright red paper wrapping around the gift burning his eyes. He Bao’er suddenly laughed and got up from the ground.

Author’s Note: He Bao’er finally got his boxed meal, yay~ There will be another chapter later, but… it’ll probably be late at night, so my darlings, read it tomorrow. The author has been having toothaches these days, not sure if it’s karma for making you all so sweet 233333