Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 37 Breaking the Contract
In the carriage.

The young master looked at the illustrated book for a while, then lost interest and turned to look at his mother in the car, looking somewhat unhappy.

"Hasn't Father already agreed to my elder brother's marriage into the family?"

"He's given up on himself, and even Father doesn't care about him anymore. Why are you going to interfere, Mother?"

As he spoke, the young man turned his head to look out the window, looking somewhat guilty.

Because when the Gu family's marriage proposal was sent to the Chen family that day, according to the agreement made that year, it should have been him who went to the Gu family for the marriage.

However, his mother busied herself with this matter, and in the end, his somewhat timid elder brother went to Deqing in his place.

His mother's surname is Li. Over the years, she has managed the family affairs in Huzhou and has gained some fame. However, most people still do not call her Madam Chen, but Madam Li.

Mrs. Li is around forty years old this year. She is very well-maintained, with fair skin and thick makeup on her face. At first glance, she looks like she is around thirty years old.

Hearing her son's words, Madam Li frowned slightly and said, "Last month, I wrote to the Gu family to inquire about the progress of Dalang's marriage. A couple of days ago, a couple of days ago..."

She looked out of the carriage and muttered, "A couple of days ago, Gu Chenglong replied to my letter, saying..."

"They even said that the eldest son is of excellent character and intends to get married."

Master Gu's surname is Gu, his given name is Shao, and his courtesy name is Chenglong.

Madam Li frowned and fell silent at this point.

The third son of the Chen family turned to look at his mother and said, "Isn't that a good thing? Although my eldest brother is useless, I would feel sorry for him if he really married into a merchant family. If it's a proper marriage, marrying a merchant's daughter would be a good deal."

"What do you know?"

Madam Li was annoyed and said, "Your father's position is secure. After the New Year, the three of us, mother and sons, will go to his post. Then you will be the son of the prefect, and you may even go to the capital in the future!"

At this point, Madam Li took a breath and continued, "If he marries the official wife, and the three of us leave Huzhou next year, won't the Chen family of Huzhou be handed over to him to manage?"

"That won't do."

Although Madam Li's voice was not loud, her tone was firm: "The agreement must be kept as it was agreed upon, otherwise this marriage contract is simply null and void."

The third son of the Chen family scratched his head, somewhat puzzled: "If we all go to Dad's place and don't let the eldest brother take care of the things at home, then who will?"

Madam Li said calmly, "Have your uncle come and keep an eye on things for you two brothers."

Chen Sanlang was taken aback, then immediately shook his head: "There are elders of the Chen family in Huzhou, they probably won't agree."

What does it matter whether they agree or not?

Madam Li didn't care at all: "When your father had his accident three years ago, why didn't they stand up for him? Now they want to speak up? It's not that easy for them."

At this point, Madam Li glanced at her son and said quietly, "Once we get to Deqing, we'll finalize your elder brother's marriage. If Gu Chenglong is still blinded by greed..."

She glanced at her son, her gaze shifting, but she didn't say anything.

"Let's talk about it after we get to Deqing."

…………

Nearly two more days passed before the Chen family's carriage finally arrived in Deqing. Madam Li had no patience to tour Deqing. After entering the county town, she inquired about the location of the Gu family and went directly to pay them a visit.

In the morning, the carriage stopped in front of the Gu family's house. The mother and son did not get out of the carriage. Several servants from the Chen family who were accompanying them came to the gate of the Gu family compound to announce their arrival. After a short while, Master Gu, who was still recuperating at home, came out to greet them personally.

Upon seeing Madam Li, Master Gu smiled from afar. Before even getting close, he cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Madam, you have come from afar. You must be tired."

His deliberate avoidance of mentioning his surname demonstrates his shrewdness as a businessman.

Madam Li didn't say much, just smiled and said, "After all, it's my eldest son's wedding. Although I'm not his biological mother, since I'm in charge of the household, I have to come and help out. Otherwise, my husband won't blame me, but my sister in the afterlife will also complain about me."

As she spoke, she turned to look at her son and introduced him, "This is my third son, Chen Che. Why don't you come and greet your uncle, Third Son?"

This Chen Sanlang didn't think much of merchants, but in front of his mother, he still bowed and addressed her as "Uncle."

Master Gu glanced at Chen Sanlang and smiled, "The Third Young Master has also arrived. You must have had a long journey."

He stepped aside and gestured for them to come in. "Please come in quickly. I've already had preparations made. We'll have a welcome dinner for the lady and the young master later."

Before Madam Li could speak, Chen Sanlang asked Master Gu, "Uncle, where is my eldest brother? I want to go see him."

Madam Li's two sons did not have a very good relationship with Chen Qing, but it wasn't bad either. After all, they were brothers who grew up together. Especially after Chen Qing came to Deqing to marry into the family, Chen Che felt some sympathy for his brother.

Now, after more than a month apart, he still wants to visit his brother.

Master Gu looked up at the sky and said, "At this hour, my son-in-law should not be at home. He should be at the teahouse listening to storytelling. Young Master, please come inside and wait for a while. I will send someone to call him back."

Chen Che paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It seems that you are doing quite well with your uncle. Which teahouse are you at? I'll go find him."

Master Gu looked around, then called over a servant and instructed, "Go and take the Third Young Master to find the son-in-law."

The man responded and led Chen Che away.

Mr. Gu looked at Madam Li calmly and asked, "Madam, would it be convenient for us to speak in the main hall?"

Since Master Gu has lost his wife and Madam Li is single, it is indeed inconvenient for them to meet alone. Madam Li looked around and said, "I came to Deqing to discuss matters with Brother Gu, so naturally we need to talk."

After saying that, she led the servants of the Chen family and entered the Gu family compound with Master Gu. To avoid suspicion, Master Gu also brought Gu Chang to the main hall.

The two quickly took their seats in the main hall.

After the tea was served, Madam Li lowered her head, took a sip, and praised the tea as excellent. Then she looked at Master Gu and said with a smile, "Brother Gu, I know about the agreement made three years ago. Now that the Chen family has sent their eldest son to fulfill the agreement, why does Brother Gu want to go back on his word?"

The fact that this "young lady" arrived in such a hurry made Master Gu somewhat guess her purpose. Hearing this, he was not surprised at all. He simply lowered his head to drink his tea and said with a smile, "Back then, I became friends with Brother Zhaoming, which led to this agreement. It was for the purpose of continuing the Gu family line and inheriting the Gu family business."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "My son-in-law has been in Deqing for over a month now. He's helped me with some things during this time, and I'm very satisfied with him."

"In the future, if he has a son, he will take the surname Gu and continue the Gu family line."

"He can also inherit the Gu family business."

As he spoke, Master Gu looked at Madam Li and said with a smile, "In that case, the Gu family's matter will be settled, and a prominent family like the Chen family won't lose face. Isn't that good?"

"As for the agreement."

Master Gu said calmly, "If all else fails, I will send another letter to Brother Zhaoming. I believe he will accept it gladly."

Madam Li frowned, looking at Master Gu with some confusion: "Eldest son is willing to marry into the family, and Brother Gu originally also wanted to take a son-in-law as well, so why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Master Gu continued drinking his tea.

"Is it not even acceptable for the Gu family to willingly suffer a loss?"

After saying this, Master Gu looked at Madam Li and sighed, "When you become the matriarch of the Chen family, my son-in-law can be considered your son. Why be so harsh?"

Madam Li put down her teacup, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Brother Gu, did my master say something else to you?"

Master Gu shook his head: "No."

"That's good."

Madam Li stood up, looked at Master Gu, and slowly said, "If it weren't for the marriage arrangement involving a son-in-law, this marriage..."

"Let's forget about it."

Master Gu asked in surprise, "Can Madam make such a decision?"

Madam Li said calmly, "I will take Dalang back to Huzhou first. When Master returns in a few months, he will naturally be able to make the decision."

"Well."

Mr. Gu also stood up, extended his right palm, and looked at Madam Li with a smile on his face.

"In a little while, when the children come back, let's sit down together and talk about this."

(End of this chapter)