"Stop!" Without guessing, Gu Youyou knew exactly what the Huang Family was up to, "Jisheng Hall belongs to Qin Changlin, don’t you go getting any wild ideas."
"Hey, that can’t be right, we are all apprentices of Doctor Zhou, and naturally Jisheng Hall should be split between you and that Qin Changlin. How can you say it’s all his? You own half of it too, silly girl!" The old woman from the Huang Family said with a face full of frustration and heartfelt instruction, "You can’t be foolish, dear. Doctor Zhou had no children, and Jisheng Hall earns a hefty sum of silver each year. Surely it’s for both his disciples. You must not—"
Gu Youyou rolled her eyes and interrupted the old woman from the Huang Family yet again, "Even the common folks know the saying ’property goes to the son, not the daughter.’ The master certainly meant the same. Jisheng Hall belongs to Qin Changlin; these were master’s last words before he passed. What more do you want?"
Her voice was loud and the tone was not too pleasant, which caught the attention of the guests.
"Madam Gu, are you chatting with your eldest granddaughter?"
The old woman from the Huang Family’s face flushed with embarrassment as she awkwardly smiled at the speaker, "Yes, well, it’s rare for Youyou to come back home!"
"Ah, then you two take your time to chat. I’m heading inside!"
Youyou sidestepped the old woman from the Huang Family and walked into the crowd.
This dreadful grandmother, with the temptation of Jisheng Hall being so substantial, who knows what she might say.
Today, with so many people around, she was determined not to let her start gossiping.
"Hey, wait, I haven’t finished talking..."
Gu Youyou had already slipped into the yard where many people were seated. She felt too embarrassed to raise the matter again and could only curse to herself, calling the old lady a damned girl.
When the auspicious time arrived, Gu Dabao led a girl covered with a red bridal veil, ready to perform the wedding ceremony. Gu Youyou stood watching from a distance. It was her first time witnessing an ancient wedding ceremony. She reminisced about her own marriage to Jin Zijin last year, and because of her health, they hadn’t had a ceremony? The ancients said that a marriage isn’t complete without this ceremony. She wondered if their marriage even counted.
She looked up at Jin Zijin. He was still the same, tall and broad, with a face full of stubble and marked by the signs of a rugged life, looking every bit the robust hunter.
And yet, in his bones, he was not like that at all.
"What are you thinking about?" Jin Zijin suddenly asked, surprising Gu Youyou.
She smiled faintly and said, "I was wondering... if we haven’t had a ceremony, are we still husband and wife?"
Jin Zijin replied calmly, "Of course we are."
"Because your registration is with me. Without me, you’re a vagabond. Do you know the fate of vagabonds once they’re caught?"
Gu Youyou was stunned, and after a long pause, three words popped into her head... Your own grandpa!
Jin Zijin had a smile on his lips, appearing nonchalant as he lowered his voice, "Men are conscripted into the military, the kind without military registry. As for women, they are also conscripted... as military prostitutes!"
Gu Youyou finally couldn’t hold back and blurted out those few words, "Jin Zijin, your own grandpa!"
The evil feudal society, the evil household registration system, the evil Three Obediences and Four Virtues.
In those days, a woman was the private property of her father before marriage, and of her husband after. Thus, her registration was in Jin Zijin’s hands.
She had never thought about this issue before. Now that she did, it truly was a major problem.
Perhaps her voice was too loud, for Gu Feng heard her. He asked in confusion, "Youyou, Zijin’s grandpa?"
Gu Youyou, with a forced smile, said, "Yeah, next time Zijin takes me home, I’ll meet his grandpa."
Gu Feng nodded, and seeing that the auspicious moment had arrived, he hurriedly called Gu Dabao to proceed, "Let’s start!"
The trumpet sounds stopped, and the matchmaker, Zhang, drew out her voice for the official commencement of the wedding ceremony.