Mr. Gu sighed.

As the head of the family, how could he not know the reason for the business failure?

He had long known it was Ruinian’s idea, but he pretended not to know.

Mr. Gu said, "You can’t write ’Gu’ twice with one stroke. The business failure isn’t entirely Ruinian’s fault; the escort agency staff were also intentionally deceitful. In the family, it’s just Fengnian and Ruinian, two brothers. We have to support the one who excels in his studies. Once he stands out, he can help the others. I know you feel it’s unfair that Ruinian is focusing on studying, but don’t worry, you won’t be treated unfairly in the future."

It’s always, in the future, always in the future.

Mr. Gu clenched his teeth and said, "Don’t mention making Ruinian work in the fields or find a job outside to make money. His main task is to study, to stand out, to change our family’s status. So after a while, Ruinian will go to a private school in town to study. I’ve decided; it would be best if you have no objections. If you do, keep them to yourself."

Mrs. Wei felt angry enough to flip the table.

Even now, Mr. and Mrs. Gu were still defending him.

Fine, since Gu Ruinian studies, her son should study too.

Who is the family’s hope isn’t certain yet.

Mrs. Wei then said, "Fine, I agree with Ruinian studying, but Yaojia must study too. If we rely solely on Ruinian and he doesn’t do well in his studies, it’ll be like pouring water into a bamboo basket, all for nothing. Letting Yaojia study at least gives us another hope."

Mr. Gu didn’t expect Mrs. Wei to propose such a condition.

But the granddaughter-in-law’s condition wasn’t unreasonable. If the family had money, he would gladly let Yaojia study.

It’s just that the family doesn’t have money, so they can only prioritize one.

Mr. Gu said, "Yaojia will definitely study, but he’s still young. We’ll plan when he’s a bit older."

After speaking, he looked at Gu Fengnian, hoping the eldest grandson would agree with him.

Gu Fengnian remained silent.

Mrs. Wei insisted, "Yaojia must attend school. I’ll send him to the village’s private school tomorrow."

She still had the hairpins and bracelets given by her own family, which would eventually be pawned off to support Gu Ruinian. Since they would eventually be pawned off, she might as well spend them on her own son sooner.

Furthermore, she had borrowed money from her eldest sister’s family that needed to be repaid.

Mrs. Gu said, "The family doesn’t have money, so we can only afford one child’s education at the moment."

Mr. Gu asked Gu Fengnian, "Fengnian, what do you say?"

Gu Fengnian was unsure of how to respond when Mrs. Jia woke up, and the sound of coughing and a request for water came from inside the house.

Gu Fengnian and Gu Xiaoxue stood up and went inside.

Mrs. Wei also followed.

She didn’t want to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Gu any further; arguing wasn’t going to change her mind.

Mrs. Jia tearfully stared blankly as Gu Xiaoxue fed her the medicine.

"Where did the money for the medicine come from?"

Mrs. Jia drank a couple of sips, thinking about the family’s situation, looking despondent.

Gu Xiaoxue said, "It was the silver borrowed from the eldest sister-in-law by the eldest aunt."

Hearing about Tong Huaqiong, Mrs. Jia thought of Gu Jingzhe’s achievement as the top scholar. Her own son failed the examination, which hit her hard, causing her to burst into tears.

"Poor Ruinian... He must be feeling terrible today."

Mrs. Wei felt irritated.

Her mother-in-law only ever thought about her youngest son. From the time she was hurt till now, the youngest son hadn’t shown any concern for her.

The old Gu family home was tense and gloomy, while over at Tong Huaqiong’s side, there was an air of joy from top to bottom.

Especially Gu Jingzhe, who could be described as feeling like a breeze in spring.

Not even Gu Ruinian’s earlier words could dampen his joyful mood.

He was the top scholar of the entire Ning City, the first scholar from Qinghe Bay. More importantly, his mother had agreed to send a proposal to his beloved girl.

Gu Jingzhe couldn’t contain his excitement after returning from the old residence.

This prompted Gu Taohua to say, "Third Brother, you should be happy for outperforming Gu Ruinian. I can’t wait to see Second Uncle and Second Aunt’s faces when the whole village hears them claiming that Gu Ruinian would become a scholar and you wouldn’t. Hahaha."

The entire family shared the same thoughts, but just didn’t express them.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Your third brother’s happiness isn’t just because Gu Ruinian failed the examination. Your third brother is getting engaged."

Gu Jingzhe’s face turned red under the light; he wanted to escape.

The whole family gathered around, asking, "Whom is he getting engaged to?"

Gu Jingzhe usually put most of his time into studying. Many girls in the town and village had shown interest in him, but Gu Jingzhe always walked past them without a second glance.

This Gu Jingzhe getting engaged made them curious about which family’s girl she was and why it had been kept such a secret all along.

Gu Taohua was a bit upset. She knew Lu Zhaozhao liked Gu Jingzhe, and if Gu Jingzhe got engaged to another girl, Lu Zhaozhao would be heartbroken. It also raised questions about the future of her friendship with Lu Zhaozhao.

Even though her third brother never mentioned any feelings for Lu Zhaozhao in front of her, Gu Taohua felt like Gu Jingzhe was betraying Lu Zhaozhao.

"Third Brother, who are you getting engaged to?" Gu Dahuan asked, "Is it a girl you like?"

Liu Yueer said, "Is it a girl from the Liu family? Since Third Brother is the top scholar, he’s quite the catch. Any family in Pingchuan County with a daughter would want him as a son-in-law. When County Magistrate Liu announced the results today, I guessed it. County Magistrate Liu doesn’t have a daughter, so it’s a girl from his clan."

Liu Yueer felt confident about her guess.

If her family had a suitable girl, she would want to get Gu Jingzhe married to a girl from the Liu family.

Unfortunately, Gu Jingzhe, such a golden phoenix, would certainly not marry a village girl.

"Third brother, is it a girl from the Liu family?" Gu Taohua asked eagerly.

Gu Jingzhe gave a helpless smile. They were way off track.

But he was too shy to say it was Lu Zhaozhao.

Seeing her youngest son being cornered, Tong Huaqiong said to everyone, "It’s not a girl from the Liu family, it’s a girl from the Lu family."

A girl from the Lu family?

The Gu family was familiar with a few Lu family girls, but it only could be from the Imperial Merchant Lu Family in Ning City.

Gu Taohua, both surprised and delighted, blurted out, "Is it Lu Zhaozhao? Is Lu Zhaozhao going to be my sister-in-law? That scared me. I don’t want a girl from the Liu family to be my sister-in-law."

Tong Huaqiong said, "It’s not confirmed yet. We’re going to propose, but we need to wait for the Lu family’s response. You mustn’t spread any rumors."

Then she shooed everyone out, wanting to have a serious talk with Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Jingzhe said, "Mother, Lu Zhaozhao will agree."

Tong Huaqiong said, "I know."

Gu Jingzhe looked surprised.

He had thought he and Lu Zhaozhao had kept it a secret from Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong wanted to smile; she could hardly express how during the Lantern Festival, the two couldn’t take their eyes off each other.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Since you both like each other, I’ll propose. With Lord Liu as a matchmaker and my gratitude to Lu Zhaoyang, I’m sure the Lu family won’t oppose."

Gu Jingzhe smiled.

Tong Huaqiong said sternly, "Jingzhe, marrying someone you love is a blessing. But I want to tell you, marriage doesn’t promise lifelong affection. Whether you and Lu Zhaozhao will remain in love, I don’t know. But listen carefully, if one day you don’t love Lu Zhaozhao anymore, let her go. Divorce her, but never deceive or betray her."

Gu Jingzhe thought he would certainly love Lu Zhaozhao for a lifetime, so why was his mother saying those things?

Seeing Tong Huaqiong’s serious face, he nodded and said, "I understand."

Tong Huaqiong continued, "Also, you mustn’t take a concubine, or divorce and marry someone else for ambition. If you do, I’ll turn you into one of the pigs in our pigsty."

Gu Jingzhe’s skin crawled; it was clear that if he betrayed Lu Zhaozhao, his mother would castrate him.