Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 56 Marriage
Even though Gao Yuntian was tall and mighty, Dong Yuanyuan didn't feel the slightest bit of fear. She welcomed the men into the courtyard and asked worriedly, "What are these bad guys doing here?"

"I think she's better than her father."

As soon as Gao Yuntian finished speaking, there was a rapid banging on the door. Not only Gao Yuntian, but also Jia Chuan was startled. On the contrary, Dong Yuanyuan turned around without hesitation, pulled out the bolt, and opened the courtyard door. Just as she was about to shout, she found that it was her father and Shunzi. Her expression immediately changed and she said with a smile, "You're back."

"Why are you two back?" Gao Yuntian asked.

Dong Shu originally wanted to push his daughter aside to keep a distance from Shunzi, but he couldn't push her aside. He could only go into the yard first, signal Shunzi to close the door, and then said unhappily:
"He nearly lost his life today, so how could we have the heart to work? When we returned to the yamen, he was surrounded by the county magistrate, the county magistrate, and the chief clerk. We couldn't get close to him, so we thought we'd go see him later, but you went back to the house without saying a word."

Shunzi added, "We didn't know what had happened, so we were naturally anxious. Who would be so bold as to kill someone in broad daylight? And Jia Chuan had never offended anyone before, so how could he have been subjected to such a disaster? So, we took some time off and came back to find out."

Dong Yuanyuan's eyes widened as she looked at Jia Chuan and asked, "Someone wants to kill you? Is it the person who came to the house this morning who wants to kill you?"

Jia Chuan looked up at the setting sun and said, "Come inside and talk. Yuanyuan, ask the kitchen to make four bowls of noodles. Have you eaten them yet? Just pretend I didn't ask. Make five bowls and send over two pots of tea."

Dong Yuanyuan jumped high and left.

Several people entered the house and sat at the round table. Dong Shuben was the first to lose his temper and asked, "If that person fails, will he find the house?"

Gao Yuntian said hurriedly: "They have been here. Your daughter said that they came to ask if Jia Chuan was home this morning."

"What should I do?" Dong Shuben stood up as soon as he sat down, paced back and forth for a few steps, and suddenly walked to the door and said, "I have to ask Yuanyuan to pack her things and go home immediately."

Upon hearing this, Shunzi rushed over and grabbed Dong Shuben's arm, saying anxiously, "If we ask Yuanyuan to leave at this hour, she might still be on the road at midnight. Are you really confident?"

Dong Shuben thought that this was the reason. When he came here, he was accompanied by people from the Dongguang County government office, so there would be no problem. But if he went back alone, the donkey would be easy to deal with. He could ask Jia Chuan to borrow it from the county government office. As for whether to return it or not, he would deal with it later. He couldn't let his daughter go back alone. If something went wrong on the way...

"Jia Chuan, please inform the county magistrate and ask him to grant me a few days' leave so I can go back home."

"You're just a burden!" Jia Chuan said with a cold face.

Shunzi nudged Dong Shuben and said softly, "Don't be anxious yet. Listen to what he has to say."

Dong Shuben groaned, sat down on the stool, and said anxiously, "If I were the only one to accompany you, I would be defeated if I frowned, but my daughter can't do that. How many people want to kill you? There is only one person imprisoned in the county government office. If they come here without caring about anything, I, you, you are not a father, you don't understand..."

Jia Chuan waved his hand and said:
"Whether you understand or not, you shouldn't be so confused as you are! There could have been a safer way, but you got so confused that you chose the worst one. I can't say for sure if anyone will come to kill me tonight, but if you start your journey home with Yuanyuan now, you'll still be outside the city when it gets dark, and you can't say for sure what you might encounter. Besides, how could I have the nerve to lend you two donkeys? They're public property."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Dong Shuben leaned forward and asked.

"If you feel unsafe here, I'll pay for Yuanyuan to stay at the inn for the night. You and Shunzi will take her home tomorrow morning."

"Will you have the nerve to borrow three donkeys tomorrow?" Dong Shuben still had the problem of not hearing the main point.

Jia Chuan felt choked by something, shook his head and said:
"The focus isn't on the donkey. It's just as dangerous for you to leave now as it is to stay. Do you understand? You take Yuanyuan to the inn tonight, and Shunzi and I will move back to the official residence. No matter how brave those people are, they wouldn't dare to enter the government office and kill anyone..."

Jia Chuan said, slapping his forehead in frustration:

"I just thought of staying at the official residence. If you and your daughter don't stay at the inn, I'm afraid the county magistrate won't send more people here while I'm not here, and those people won't be able to tell right from wrong anymore... So it's settled. You stay at the inn, and I'll go to the county magistrate and ask for leave for you and Shunzi, and to borrow the donkey."

Jia Chuan stood up and suddenly thought of something. He sat down again and looked at Dong Shuben and said, "Think about it carefully. After Yuanyuan goes back, you can't interfere with her marriage. Whoever she marries will be determined by her mother."

Dong Shuben was stunned, and the horror on his face was no less than when he learned that Jia Chuan had been assassinated.

Jia Chuan glanced at Shunzi and said:

"I told you before that my future was uncertain, but you didn't believe me. Now you know? When have my analysis and deductions ever been wrong? You have a suitable son-in-law by your side, and there's no need to be secretive. I've paid the betrothal gifts, and you can go back and just say that your daughter's marriage has been settled. The betrothal gifts, the betrothal gifts, the betrothal gifts, and the date of marriage have all been agreed upon, and we're just waiting for the wedding. The matchmaker is the magistrate of Dongzhao County. Plus, the betrothal gifts are decent enough, so there's no reason for your wife not to accept them. Now it all depends on whether you agree. Shunzi will definitely treat Yuanyuan well in the future. Isn't that what you want to see? You don't have to marry into someone's family and be treated like a slave..."

Jia Chuan glanced at Shunzi as he spoke. Shunzi blinked. He was still dizzy in the whirlpool of happiness. Seeing the deep meaning in Jia Chuan's eyes, he blinked and immediately understood. He knelt on the ground with a plop and shouted loudly: "Dad!"

Dong Shuben was stunned. Gao Yuntian looked at Jia Chuan in surprise and asked, "You're facing a life-or-death crisis right now, and you still have the mood to worry about other people's relationships?"

Jia Chuan chuckled and said, "While I'm still alive, I'll definitely help if I can."

Gao Yuntian snorted and asked sarcastically, "Whose girl is there? Are you going to arrange for me too?"

Jia Chuan coughed lightly and said, "At this stage, I only know Yuanyuan and...your sister."

After saying this, Jia Chuan's heart sank.

At this time, Dong Shuben sighed deeply and said quite sadly: "Well, as long as you can be good to Yuanyuan, I don't ask for anything else! Hey, how much betrothal gift can you give?" Dong Shuben looked at Jia Chuan and asked.

"Let him get up first." Jia Chuan said unhappily.

Dong Shuben stood up and helped Shunzi up. He patted Shunzi on the shoulder and said affectionately, "Good brother! Yuanyuan will rely on you from now on. Do more of the dirty and tiring work. Don't let her suffer. Make sure she has enough to eat!"

Gao Yuntian asked speechlessly:
"Isn't it a generation gap? Besides, marriage is such a big deal, shouldn't I write to Shunzi's parents to discuss it? We also need to match our horoscopes. Where should we choose the wedding house? We can't just live here, right? Since we've already asked for the date, we need to set a date. Which date? Should we rent or buy a house? How much money will it take to buy all the necessary items? We can't buy ready-made wedding clothes, right? Which shop should we choose? How come you guys can solve all these problems just by becoming sworn brothers?"

Jia Chuan turned his head to look at Gao Yuntian and said, "Okay, my brain is at home now."

"Don't worry! You must have concluded that these people are not worth worrying about, so you are in the mood to worry about their marriage."

Jia Chuan chuckled and said, "You are much more stable than Old Dong. If I had a daughter, I would definitely choose you as my son-in-law."

"roll!"

Dong Shuben also understood by now. He looked at Jia Chuan with his mouth open. Shunzi reacted faster and asked anxiously, "Do you think everything will be alright?"

"This matter, how should I put it, is a farce from the very beginning. Someone felt that I had ruined his good fortune, so he told the people around him to find someone to deal with me. This person saw that the project was good, and said how much silver to pay, so he asked the owner for a figure, kept 60% to 70% for himself, and handed the matter over to his subordinates. When they heard that I was a good-for-nothing, they thought it was useless to use a butcher knife to kill a chicken. They were not with us, so they could only find people in the underworld closer to us. By the time it really came into the hands of the person who killed me in the street today, there was only five taels left. Don't worry, he won't get the remaining five taels."

Dong Shuben calculated silently, but couldn't come up with an accurate number. He could only sigh, "Your life is quite valuable."

Gao Yuntian asked, "Are you sure you're not trying to flatter yourself?"

At this time, the door was kicked open, and Dong Yuanyuan was holding a tray with two pots of tea, stacked teacups, and two bowls of noodles on it.

Everyone in the room was startled. Under everyone's collective gaze, Dong Yuanyuan placed the teapot and cups on the table. She then placed two bowls of noodles, one in front of Shunzi and one in front of herself, and said, "You three will be served in a moment."

Jia Chuan took down a cup, poured himself some tea, and asked Dong Shuben, "Are you sure she's your biological daughter? Yuanyuan is impeccable in other aspects, but when it comes to filial piety, is there something wrong with your upbringing?"

Shunzi quickly explained, "She thinks I'm too thin and wants me to eat more..."

"I'm not thinner than you?" Jia Chuan regretted it after saying it: "I can't compare with you. What I mean is that his father is still alive. Although you are a little thinner, you are not starving to death..."

"My father taught me..." Dong Yuanyuan took a sip of soup.

"Have you finished eating?!" Gao Yuntian exclaimed.

"My father said that life is short, so don't be too hard on yourself. If you don't like someone, you should learn to say no. If you like someone, don't fantasize about it if it's not yours, and learn to protect it if it is yours." Dong Yuanyuan wiped her mouth and said, "Mom protected my brother and made me do all the work. She often said that sooner or later I would get married and work in my husband's family. My parents raised me, so I have to repay them, so I did it in advance. I didn't understand at that time, so whatever Mom said was my fate."

Dong Shuben's eyes instantly turned red.

"Dad doesn't come home often, but whenever he does, he takes me out for some delicious food. When Mom finds out, she'll argue with Dad, saying he's partial. Dad says he feels sorry for me, saying I can't enjoy the good life of being born into the Dong family, but have to work like a slave. He thinks it'll be the same even when I get married. He feels bad just thinking about it. Mom says it's my fate. Later, when I got older, I started to think, if I do those jobs, it's my fate, but if I don't, is it also my fate?"

Dong Yuanyuan looked up and smiled innocently at them.

(End of this chapter)