Cai Wei was shocked. In ancient times, men usually married at eighteen or nineteen. At Huo Yuan’s age, his children should be running all over the place. Unbelievably, he was still unmarried?
Huo Yuan, noticing her surprised expressions, explained, "A few years ago, my family had arranged my marriage. However, the young lady fell ill from falling into water during a feast and after deteriorating for a few years, she couldn’t hold on any longer. She passed away around this time last year so, I am still unmarried."
Cai Wei suddenly realized, "No wonder you’re still unmarried at this age. However, don’t be too upset. People can’t be brought back to life; the living should always look forward!"
Huo Yuan honesty replied, "Although I regretted for that lady, I was not saddened. I did not even know what she looked like, what she enjoyed, or what her personality was like. How could I be upset over a stranger who was only related to me in name?"
Cai Wei couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Huo Yuan, "Like yours, children raised in large families must adhere to their parents’ commands when it comes to marital affairs."
Huo Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, "That was true in the past when I did not have a preference. Marrying anyone would have been the same, whoever my family chose would have been my spouse. But now, I have the final say in my marriage."
He seemed to be suggesting something. Cai Wei’s curiosity was piqued, her large eyes glittering with excitement.
"Why is it different now? Maybe... hehe, have you found the girl that you admire?"
Huo Yuan looked deeply at Cai Wei, swallowing hard. After some time, he replied, "You’re right!"
Hearing this, Cai Wei became increasingly intrigued. Resting her chin on her clasped hands and elbows on the table, she urged him with curiosity, "Tell me quickly, which family’s daughter is she? What kind of person is she? Is she pretty? Does she also have feelings for you? Will your family accept her?"
A series of questions left Huo Yuan confounded as to which one he should answer first. He looked at her indulgently and chuckled, "You’re really..."
Before he could finish, the door burst open, and Zhang Bo barged in with a panicked expression. Forgetting about decorum, he bellowed as soon as he entered the room, "Miss, disaster! Someone just brought news that Old Master has been beaten up at Apricot Blossom Village Tavern!"
The moment Cai Wei heard the news, her heart froze. She swiftly stood up and prepared to leave.
As she reached the entrance, Huo Yuan suddenly called out.
"Wei’er, don’t panic. I need to ask you: did anyone know you were coming to see me?"
"No one knows!" Cai Wei shook her head blankly, suddenly realizing the implication.
Indeed, she hadn’t informed anyone that she was visiting Baohe Hall. So how could the messenger know where to find her? Moreover, even if the messenger truly saw her father being beaten at the tavern, how would they know she was the victim’s daughter, and how were they able to accurately locate her?
Considering all this, it was apparent that someone had malicious intent and was spreading false information. But what were they plotting?
Huo Yuan then turned to Zhang Bo and asked, "What did the messenger look like?"
Zhang Bo answered, "It was a teenage boy, he ran in and said ’Go quickly and tell your Miss, her father is being beaten up at Apricot Blossom Village Tavern’ and then he ran away. I didn’t dare to delay and came to report it immediately."
"The fact that he didn’t dare to show his true identity confirms that something is wrong with the messenger!" Huo Yuan concluded.