GTB Chapter 41

Chapter 41: I Disagree, What About You?

Chapter 41: I Disagree, What About You?

Song Fuge’s words stunned everyone present. They stared at him in disbelief, as if his words had been spoken without thinking.

They didn’t know if Song Fuge’s wealth came from his successful business ventures in recent years or from the inherent wealth of the Shadow Gate, but regardless, the Shadow Gate was undoubtedly an indispensable part of it.

And he was just giving it up like that? The most important things for a man were power and wealth, and he was abandoning them for Jiuchu?

They had to admit, they were shocked by this.

But the *jianghu* was chaotic. As the leader of the Shadow Gate, could he really just leave whenever he wanted?

Jiang Jiuche paused, then spoke after a long while, “Brother Fu, please don’t be impulsive. To sever your own fangs isn’t a wise move. It’s like removing your only shield and will only put yourself in danger.”

Song Fuge understood Jiang Jiuche’s concerns, but he hadn’t made any enemies over the years, and besides, very few people knew his true identity.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t been the leader of the Shadow Gate for long, and outsiders don’t know my face or identity.”

Jiang Jiuche smiled faintly and shook his head upon hearing this. “Causality is hard to find, and thoughts create ripples. Many things exist, but we just don’t know them. It’s not just in the *jianghu*; it’s the same for ordinary people like us.”

“Today, if it were anyone else, there would be no discussion. But you’re different. You’ve saved my younger sister’s life twice, and you’re sincere towards Jiuchu. Ultimately, we also hope she marries someone she desires. So, please allow us to discuss this?”

He couldn’t directly refuse; this was the biggest concession he could make.

This was too sudden for them, both his proposal and his identity as a member of the Shadow Gate.

They needed to carefully consider all the pros and cons, and they also needed to communicate with their sister.

Of course, if they could find a win-win solution, they would grant their wish. After all, without him, Jiuchu would have already been in danger.

“Alright.” Song Fuge didn’t show any dissatisfaction with this outcome. Instead, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as everything was open for discussion, there was a chance for him to make things happen. He wasn’t afraid of failure.

“Thank you for your understanding, Brother Fu. However, please take this box of things back. After all, if things don’t work out, we can’t accept it. If they do, then please pack the things into different boxes and come to propose marriage in a lively manner.”

In fact, this was also a detail in Jiang Jiuche’s decision not to directly reject Song Fuge. He hadn’t made a big show of it, letting everyone know, but was giving them space to think.

“Alright.” Song Fuge agreed readily, then stood up and said to the group, “Then I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Jiang Yuan saw this and hurriedly and politely tried to persuade him to stay. “It’s almost noon. Young Master Fu, please stay for lunch before you leave!”

“I won’t stay today. I’ll come to disturb you at the manor another day if there’s a chance.” Song Fuge cupped his fist in a salute, then turned and walked out.

Leng Da, who was standing beside him, quickly stepped forward, nodded to the crowd, and quickly picked up the box and followed him out.

“Go, call the young lady over.” Jiang Yuan instructed the maidservant who was serving tea.

Before the maidservant could respond, Jiang Jiuche said, “Father, there’s no need to send anyone. Jiuchu will be here soon.”

Jiang Yuan nodded upon hearing this. Yes, Jiuchu definitely knew that the young man had come and would come to inquire about the situation as soon as possible.

“Sigh!” Jiang Yuan sighed, picked up the almost cold tea from the side, took a light sip, then looked at Madam Ye, who was silent beside him.

“What do you think of this marriage, Madam?”

Madam Ye had a worried look on her face. What could she think? She had never expected her daughter to marry into a wealthy family. She only wanted her to be safe and happy. But now… if she agreed to this marriage, it would completely overturn her expectations.

But she could also roughly guess that Jiuchu and Song Fuge were mostly in love with each other. Otherwise, Song Fuge wouldn’t have brought things up to this point.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, “I disagree.” She finished speaking, looking at Jiang Yuan, “What about you?”

Jiang Yuan put down the teacup in his hand, a hint of concern on his face. “I have the same worries as Jiuche, but the man’s sincerity is full, and he has saved Jiuchu twice. And Jiuchu might also…,”

Jiang Yuan said, a look of worry on his face, “It’s difficult.”

Jiang Jiuche interjected, “It’s true that he saved her life, but we can’t agree to the marriage just because of that. We can try to persuade Jiuchu first.”

“If we really can’t persuade her, then we’ll see if we can agree to this marriage. If we can, then we’ll fulfill their wishes. If we can’t, then we absolutely can’t agree.”

“Alright, we’ll just have to do that.”

Jiang Yuan felt that this was the only thing they could do. They were court officials. If they married into such a *jianghu* organization, and someone with ulterior motives made a recommendation, it would be a disaster for the whole family.

As the head of the family, he had to consider this. Even if Song Fuge made the best promises, he wouldn’t dare to take the risk easily.

“Father, Mother, Brother.” Jiang Jiuchu entered the hall, pretending to be ignorant, “Did Brother Fu just come by? Where is he? Did he leave?”

The Jiang couple and Jiang Jiuchu didn’t answer, just quietly watched Jiang Jiuchu’s clumsy acting.

“What…what’s wrong?” A wave of worry rose in Jiang Jiuchu’s heart. Could it be that they had rejected him?

“He’s gone. Come sit down!” Jiang Jiuche had no time to play along with her acting and was ready to get straight to the point.

“I…I’ll just sit here with Mother.” Seeing her brother’s expression as if he was about to put her on trial, Jiang Jiuchu hurriedly went to sit next to Madam Ye.

Jiang Jiuche looked at his younger sister opposite him and thought, Mother was the first to disagree with this matter. Did she think she could find support by sitting with Mother?

Madam Ye saw her daughter sitting next to her, and her heart softened. She said in a gentle tone, “Young Master Fu came to propose marriage just now. Tell Mother the truth, do you have feelings for him….”

She looked at her daughter, waiting for an answer, believing that her daughter would understand even if she didn’t say the following words.

Jiang Jiuchu didn’t expect her mother to ask so directly. She raised her eyes and glanced at her father and brother, then nodded somewhat shyly to Madam Ye.

The others weren’t surprised by her reaction. Madam Ye continued to ask, “Then to what extent do you feel for him?”

Jiang Jiuchu was stunned, not quite understanding Madam Ye’s meaning. If you have feelings, you have feelings. Was there such a thing as “to what extent?” She just liked Brother Fu.

She didn’t know to what extent her liking was? If she had to say, then it was to the extent of wanting to get married. After all, she had agreed to Brother Fu coming to propose marriage.

Madam Ye saw that her daughter was a little dazed and realized that she had asked too directly. She explained,

“You’re young, and Mother is worried that you may not know what love is, what admiration is, and worried that you can’t recognize your own heart. Mistaking a life-saving grace for love, or mistaking liking for love, they are two different things.”

“Mother, I’m not mistaking a life-saving grace for love. I know.”

Jiang Jiuchu understood what her mother meant. Liking was like how she liked her parents, brother, and even Shuting, while love was like how she felt about Brother Fu. She felt that she could tell the difference, because her heart would beat faster when she was with Brother Fu.

Jiang Jiuche listened to his younger sister’s words and began to strike at the heart of the matter, “Jiuchu, do you understand your Brother Fu?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiuchu subconsciously wanted to say that she did understand. After all, she felt that she really did understand. But looking at her brother’s expression, she swallowed her words back for safety.

“What does Brother want to say?”