Chu Dongyang did not answer, but pondered for a moment before telling everything that had just happened.
Chu Dongyang didn't want to hide anything about his daughter. He couldn't hide this matter either. He would know sooner or later.
After Chu Yao heard this, she was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was saying and said dissatisfied: "Father, how could you do this?"
Because Chu Yao's mother died early, Chu Dongyang doted on Chu Yao very much, and Chu Yao's temperament became a bit unruly.
Sometimes Chu Yao would listen to Chu Dongyang's words, but sometimes they wouldn't reach her heart. Even her father would ignore him for a few days.
Chu Dongyang knew his daughter's temper, so he persuaded her, "Chu Yao, if their family hadn't used rhinoceros jade as a betrothal gift this time, I wouldn't have agreed to the marriage."
Chu Yao frowned, her big eyes flickering, "Father, since you like rhinoceros so much, then you should marry him." As she said that, she giggled as if she thought of something.
"Nonsense!" Chu Dongyang was a little angry at this time, his face darkened, and he said, "How can this be a child's play?"
Chu Yao saw her father getting angry and stopped talking. She lowered her head and played with the corners of her clothes.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, and neither father nor daughter spoke.
After a moment, Chu Dongyang broke the awkward atmosphere first and said: "Chu Yao, do you know the reason why your mother died?"
Chu Yao's body trembled slightly. Her mother passed away after giving birth to her. Every time I mentioned my mother, I would see my father's sad eyes. I didn't expect that my father would take the initiative to mention my mother today. Whenever I see other people's children having mothers, I feel a little resentful of their father, thinking that it was my father who killed their mother.
After all, Chu Yao was still a child. She initially believed that her father failed to take good care of her mother, which was why her mother died after giving birth to her.
The reason why Chu Yao thinks this way is because she believes that other aunts have given birth to children safely, and the mother's accident must be related to her father.
Chu Dongyang sighed and said slowly: "I didn't want you to know this, but according to your temperament, if you don't know the detailed reasons, you will definitely not get married with peace of mind. Our father and daughter have not spoken together for a long time. Now, let me take this opportunity to tell you everything that has happened over the past few years!"
"After your mother gave birth to you, it was not because of difficult labor or physical problems, but because she had the Three-Hua Juemai." When Chu Dongyang said this, he also had a blank look on his face, obviously he was very interested in the Three-Hua Juemai. Not much is known.
Chu Yao is also a smart person. She can think of many things in just a few words, "Father, you asked your eldest brother to join the Tianlong Gang just to investigate the cause of your mother's death?"
Chu Dongyang nodded and continued: "Yes, after your eldest brother joined the Tianlong Gang, he met a cultivator, and that cultivator happened to know the Three Flowers Jueming Vein. According to him, the Three Flowers Jueming Vein, every ten years in the body, The flower poison will explode once, and after three outbreaks, the Yin Qi in the body will accumulate too much, the muscles and veins will wither, and finally..."
"This Tianhua Juemai confirms the old saying, beauty is destined to die! Every ten years when the outbreak occurs, the appearance will change slightly and become more beautiful than before. After the three times of the outbreak, the appearance can even be said to be She is so beautiful that no one in the world can match her." Chu Dongyang sighed and said helplessly, "It doesn't matter how beautiful she is, what my father loves is not her appearance, but her person."
Chu Dongyang is also a sentimental person. After just a few words, he burst into tears and couldn't help himself.
From this we can also see how high his love for Chu Yao's mother has reached.
"Father, have you thought of a solution?" Chu Yao looked at her father and expressed her guess.
Chu Dongyang nodded and said: "Yes, there are only two ways to relieve the smallpox meridians. One is for the ascetics to injure their own vitality and use great magical powers to forcibly resolve it. The other is to find jade that warms and nourishes the meridians. The former method is simply impossible. Okay, let alone knowing the cultivator, even if there is a cultivator with this ability, we can't invite him. The life and death of mortals, that cultivator doesn't care at all."
"What about the second method?" Chu Yao blinked curiously and asked softly.
Chu Dongyang smiled slightly and said: "I inquired in the west and found out that the Ling family has a pair of spiritual jade that warms the meridians, so I secretly observed Ling Zhongyu's daily whereabouts, deliberately set up a trap, let Ling Zhongyu save my life, and then reminded Ling Zhongyu, I have a daughter, and if you have a son in your family, we can get married in the future."
Chu Yao nodded gently. It turned out that this was all arranged by her father, but what does this have to do with herself.
Suddenly, Chu Yao thought of something, her face changed, and she stared at her father, "Could it be that I..."
Chu Dongyang knew what his daughter was going to ask, so he sighed and said: "Yes, I knew it when you were born. Like your mother, you both have smallpox. It is even more certain that your appearance changed on your birthday a few days ago. This fact. You must have discovered that you are much more beautiful after you are ten years old than before!"
Chu Yao's face was very ugly. It was hard for her to accept the sudden fact, but despite this, she still refused to agree to the marriage and said resolutely: "Father, I will not marry that boy."
Speaking of this, Chu Yao saw her father's face change and said quickly: "It's not like you don't know that the children in several nearby villages call that kid a loser. Although I haven't met him, I don't know why. Everyone calls him a waste. But the name of a waste means the same goes for others. If I marry him, the people in the nearby villages will laugh me to death."
"I won't marry, and I won't marry even if I die." Chu Yao said the last sentence resolutely.
Chu Dongyang knew his daughter's temper, and there was absolutely no room for negotiation on anything she said "no" to. But this matter has been promised to Ling Zhongyu, and it is obviously impossible for him to go back on it, so he persuaded him: "Chu Yao, my father has been busy with Sanhua Juemian for these years, all for you. Considering the hard work of my father these years, Come on, agree to this marriage!"
Chu Yao pouted, showing an absolutely non-negotiable attitude, "I can consider other things, but I won't agree to this." Chu Yao thought clearly, since she only has thirty years to live, why bother? Then drag others down and make your children suffer.
Chu Dongyang did not expect this. He first thought that his daughter did not agree because of face, "Is this matter really non-negotiable?"
This time, Chu Yao did not refuse, but raised her chin and thought.
Over a cup of tea, Chu Yao made a decision, "Father, I will definitely not marry that loser, and I will not let you refuse the marriage. Didn't you just say that we should cultivate our relationship for a while?" She said After a pause, he showed a sly smile, "Okay, I'll meet him, hehe. If his family takes the initiative to break off the engagement in the future, I can't be blamed."
"This..." Chu Dongyang felt a cold sweat on his forehead. His daughter actually came up with such an idea. If the engagement was really broken off, his daughter would never want to get married in the future.
Chu Dongyang didn't know what his daughter was thinking, but if her daughter really didn't want it, there was nothing he could do. He could only sigh in his heart, thinking that he still doted on his daughter too much before, otherwise how could this happen? She calls the shots.
……
Time flies so fast, and in the blink of an eye, the new year has arrived with the expectation of countless people.
New Spring Festival couplets were posted in front of every house, and the richer ones even hung red lanterns.
The Lingjiabao annual meeting, like other villages, is held in the ancestral hall.
Only men can go to the annual meeting, and women must stay at home. But there are certain age restrictions, and only men over twenty years old can go.
However, there is an exception. The descendants of Lingjiabao, regardless of gender, have an opportunity to participate in the annual meeting when they turn sixteen.
When Ling Tianqi attended the annual meeting, he was not as excited as other teenagers. For him, it was just a walk and a meal.
There are not many men in Lingjiabao, only a few hundred, and some of them go out to make a living, so there are less than 500 people who come to attend the annual meeting.
The clan ancestral hall is tall and magnificent, exuding a simple atmosphere.
The ancestral hall is a brick and wood building, consisting of a main door and a hall door.
The gatehouse is composed of dozens of tall columns and moon beams to form the theme structure. The eaves are raised up to more than one meter by jumping or lifting in front and back, forming large and high wing angles, just like a phoenix spreading its wings.
After passing the gatehouse, there is a patio paved with stone slabs.
The corridor is closed to people on weekdays. Only when large-scale activities or meetings are held, the respected elders of the clan can enter through the Yimen.
Walking up to the main hall, there is an osmanthus tree planted in the open space on both sides of the corridor, which symbolizes prosperity and wealth from generation to generation.
In the ancestral hall, there were already many descendants of the Ling family sitting there. Some of them were late and rushed in one after another.
In the middle of the front of the ancestral hall, there is a platform one foot long and three feet wide.
On the large black wooden chairs on the platform, an old man named Nishi Ming and a middle-aged man were sitting.
The middle-aged man sitting in the middle is named Ling Zhongyue. He is the newly appointed village chief of Lingjiabao and of course the new clan leader.
The old man Xi Ming is the elder of Lingjiabao. They discuss important matters in the village with the clan leader.
There are no big things in the village. If there is really a big thing, it would be the distribution of land and the collection of food and wages.
As soon as Ling Tianqi and his father entered the ancestral hall, there was a cold snort. Although the sound was not loud, it was clearly audible.
Ling Zhongyu seemed to have been used to it for a long time, so he didn't say much and took his son to the outermost seat to sit down.
In the ancestral hall, descendants of the Ling family gathered together in groups, talking and laughing.
No one came to talk to Ling Tianqi and his son. It looked like they were outsiders.
In this way, another half an hour later, a crisp bell echoed over the ancestral hall, and the annual meeting began.
Ling Zhongyue coughed lightly and said loudly: "Today, on behalf of all the clan members, I welcome you all..."
Below, there was a burst of applause. Ling Tianqi and his son were sitting there, as motionless as statues.
