Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 196 Will You Still Marry Me?

Chu You was speechless with astonishment.

Zhou Zhao looked at it, his eyes flickered, and he leaned over the chrysanthemum pot to ask, "You asked Sister Chu if your mother agreed to your marriage proposal?"

Zhou Zhao listened with a sense of melancholy. She regarded Chu You as her own elder sister, and she would be happy for her if she could find a good match.

But in the end, she never expected that she would be so complicated.

If it weren't for the Shanming Changyang case, my elder brother Zhou Yan and Chu You would be a perfect couple now, and there would be no need for Min Cangzhi.

Unfortunately……

Min Zangzhi had said so much earlier, but he hadn't mentioned his mother. Chu You was engrossed in arithmetic and knew nothing of practical matters, so naturally she wouldn't have thought of these things.

As the younger sister, she naturally had to ask on Chu You's behalf.

When Min Zangzhi heard Zhou Zhao's question, she was not angry this time. "My mother is the chieftain of a tribe in Sichuan. After marrying my father, she never left the tribe. She has now chosen another husband in the tribe and has a son and a daughter. When I left Sichuan, she told me that I would be in charge of my own affairs from now on."

“Miss Chu, Zangzhi sincerely requests your marriage. I wonder if you would be willing?” Min Zangzhi said, her heart pounding.

He reached out and grabbed a feather fan, nearly breaking the handle off.

Chu You blinked, glanced at Min Cangzhi's nervous face, and then looked away at Zhou Zhao behind the flowerpot.

Her gaze was exceptionally distant, as if it pierced through Zhou Zhao and looked towards an even more distant place.

She did not directly answer Min Zangzhi's request, but instead talked about something else. "After Zhou Yan's accident, I originally did not plan to get married. I would live with my father and mother, do some arithmetic on weekdays, then go out to teach a few female students, and then follow my uncle to draw plans and build houses."

After the incident at Zhaixing Tower, I returned home and saw that my parents' hair had turned white overnight. They had always been worried about me, afraid that I would grow old alone and have no one to rely on.

That's why things have come to this.

As Chu You spoke, she turned her gaze back to Min Cangzhi in front of her, "I originally thought that I would choose whoever would agree to let me build a house for Zhou Zhao. Now it seems that Min Wenshu is my best choice."

Upon hearing this, Min Zangzhi's eyes lit up instantly. He felt his heart pounding like thunder, as if it were about to shatter his ears.

"I'm not good at lying, and I don't like guessing what others are thinking. I think others probably don't want to waste their time guessing what I'm thinking either. If I look at people and they don't like me, then it's perfectly normal for me not to like them either."

But now that Min Wenshu says he loves me, I have to tell you the truth: I don't love you yet.

As Zhou Zhao listened, her previous melancholy vanished instantly, and she glanced sympathetically at the back of Min Zangzhi's head.

Here it comes! Miss Chu You's ultimate weapon: telling the truth.

"So, you're going to ask me to marry you too? I don't know if I'll ever fall for you."

The deceased, Min Zangzhi, had been stabbed twice in the chest.

Min Zangzhi nodded emphatically, "I want to marry you."

Heaven knows, the moment he saw Chu You, a sky full of stars fell into his mind, turning into a string that held him like a kite in the wind.

……

As Zhou Zhao listened, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.

She took out some silver coins from her sleeve, placed them on the table, made a shushing gesture to Su Changying, and quietly pulled him away from the restaurant.

The streets were bustling with activity, and steaming hot food was everywhere. Zhou Zhao, pulling Su Changying along, walked forward with a hint of excitement, "I treated you to drunken crab earlier, now it's General Su's turn to treat me to soup noodles!"

Before Su Changying could answer, she pulled him to the nearest stall and called out loudly, "Two bowls of soup noodles, two eggs, and a plate of braised meat."

"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir!"

Although the stalls weren't as fancy as teahouses and taverns, they had a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere, and everyone was eating with gusto, as if they were enjoying some rare delicacy.

The stall owner worked quickly, arranging the soup dumplings in a few swift movements. "Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen."

Zhou Zhao didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the bowl to eat heartily.

The rain has stopped, but the sky is still overcast, and the weather seems to have suddenly turned cold, giving it a late autumn feel.

Seeing that Zhou Zhao was eating with relish, Su Changying picked up her bowl and took a big gulp herself. The hot soup seemed to warm her insides.

“In the past, my father and mother did not agree to my brother marrying Sister Chuyou. It was not because they disliked her because her family had fallen on hard times, but because they felt that she was not suitable to be the eldest daughter-in-law and would not be able to handle the affairs of the household in the future. Sometimes she would do arithmetic and lock herself in her room, oblivious to the world around her.”

My brother seems gentle, but he's actually very principled. Once he's made up his mind, he won't change it, no matter what. Father and Mother couldn't persuade him otherwise, so they had to agree. Now it seems that Min Wenshu is actually more suitable.”

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he reached out and caught the water droplets dripping from the edge of the thatched shed.

"It's autumn now, but why are there wolves and fox spirits all over the streets, snatching up other people's good girls?"

Seeing this, Su Changying opened her lips slightly, but ultimately did not say anything.

If he could, he would like to take Zhou Zhao home directly, but the time is not right yet.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, seeing that he received no response, he turned to look at Su Changying, "Why aren't you saying anything? Why are you staring at me? Are you still thinking about your father?"

Su Changying shook her head. "I'm wondering what kind of person Zhou Yan is."

Zhou Zhao was taken aback, then smiled. "He's your best friend, my brother, and a kind and gentle person. If my brother were alive today, he would be happy for Chu You if he knew she had found someone new. That's just the kind of person he is."

As she spoke, she picked up the large bowl and gulped down the entire bowl of noodle soup.

Su Changying didn't ask any more questions. After the two finished their meal, Su Changying took Zhou Zhao directly home. "You got caught in the rain earlier, so take a bath, change your clothes, and get some sleep. Don't catch a cold. Don't you have to go to the Court of Justice tomorrow?"

Zhou Zhao nodded. "If you feel the same way, then I'll go in first."

Su Changying watched Zhou Zhao enter the room, his gentle gaze gradually turning cold and stern, regaining his aloof demeanor.

The boots sank into the muddy road, splashing water every now and then.

Su Changying didn't stop. She walked through the crowd, through the long alley, and through many twists and turns before finally stopping in front of a house.

He didn't knock and walked straight in.

I spotted the child sitting on the swing in front of the porch at a glance. His eyes were wide open, but they were devoid of any spirit.

Hearing footsteps, the child's face lit up with joy. "Brother, it's you!"

Su Changying gave a soft "hmm" and walked over to gently pat the child's head.

That's Young Master Yu.

(End of this chapter)