The Whole Family is Reborn, But I Transmigrated into a Book - Chapter 22

The night passed peacefully, and nothing happened.

Liu Qingyue had slept her fill. When she woke up, she found that Gu Qingjia was actually resting for once. She curled her lips into a slight smile and didn’t wake him. However, she didn’t dare wander off; in this wilderness, if something went wrong, the regret would be eternal.

Gu Qingjia seemed to sense her gaze, for he opened his eyes shortly after.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” His voice was still slightly raspy from sleep.

“You’ve been working too hard lately. I wanted you to rest a bit longer.” Liu Qingyue spoke sincerely; she knew Gu Qingjia had been under immense stress throughout the journey.

“Pack up. We need to keep moving. The sooner we reach Jiangzhou, the sooner we can settle down.”

Because Jiang Fu was still nearby, there were many things Gu Qingjia couldn’t say out loud. However, the two of them had developed a tacit understanding; with just a simple sentence, Liu Qingyue understood his meaning. They packed their meager belongings and set off in the carriage once more.

Jiang Fu remained silent the entire way, dutifully playing the role of a coachman. Liu Qingyue, feeling more relaxed, sat inside the carriage with Gu Qingjia, occasionally cracking a joke or two. But her thoughts frequently drifted toward that First Prince she had yet to meet.

By now, the First Prince was likely struggling to adapt to rural life.

However, things weren’t going quite as Liu Qingyue imagined. The current Gu Qingzhan was the Gu Qingzhan who had already been an Emperor, not the young prince who had painstakingly struggled against his brothers and humbled himself to recruit talents. Having sat on the throne for decades, he had long since developed the overbearing habits of a monarch. While he loved Li Qingge and held old feelings for her, he was still the most noble man in the world. Being forced to suddenly live such a destitute life in the countryside was an adjustment he found difficult to make.

Li Qingge was no fool. From Gu Qingzhan’s mannerisms and speech, she knew that even if he wasn’t a high-ranking official, he was at least a young master from a wealthy family—certainly not a commoner. How could such a pampered young man stay in this poor village forever?

He would leave sooner or later; it was only a matter of time.

“Brother Jian, you have been in our home for over half a month. Do you need to send word home to let them know you are safe?”

Li Qingge looked at the handsome man before her. She was reluctant to see him leave, yet she knew that a man like him was likely already married. Since their relationship was destined to have no result, it was better to part ways early. Gossip was already spreading through the village; what would people think of a young maiden harboring an outsider? Even if she didn’t care for her own reputation, she had to consider her parents’ honor.

“My family met with disaster. I have no relatives left in this world. If you hadn’t reached out to save me and brought me home, I wouldn’t even know where to go next.”

Gu Qingzhan—or Jian Fan, as Li Qingge knew him—lowered his eyes and sighed. “Qingge, I truly don’t know how to thank you.”

A man as shrewd as he knew exactly what she meant: she was trying to send him away. But he had traveled day and night to get here specifically to be with her; no matter what, he could not leave.

“Brother Jian, please don’t say that. I didn’t do much. Anyone else would have helped if they saw you collapsed at their door.”

Li Qingge waved her hands dismissively, not thinking she had done anything grand. Hearing that he had no living relatives, she realized he wasn’t married and instinctively felt a wave of relief. Jian Fan was handsome; in the short half-month he’d been in the village, many families had already been asking about him. If he were willing, he could have married a beautiful bride long ago.

“But I just happened to collapse at your door. That proves we have a predestined affinity.” Jian Fan looked at her earnestly, his eyes—filled with feigned passion—reflecting only her silhouette. “Qingge, I know I am useless and can’t help your family with chores, and I’ve even caused the villagers to gossip about you.”

His tone was so full of guilt that Li Qingge couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh.

“Brother Jian, it’s not your fault. It’s just that their tongues are too waggy. We’ll just live our own lives; there’s no need to care about them,” she said quickly. In her heart, she truly liked him. Although her elders warned her not to get involved with such “young masters,” Brother Jian was so kind, gentle, and knowledgeable. He wasn’t like the village men who knew nothing but marrying a wife and having children.

Li Qingge was famous for her beauty in the surrounding villages. she felt that a common man wasn’t worthy of her; she wanted to marry a husband of refined looks and character. Jian Fan felt like an answer to her prayers—he suited her every whim.

She wished he would never leave, but she also knew her parents were right: his poise didn’t suggest a poor background. If he left one day, what would happen to her? A woman’s reputation was everything. Even though people didn’t believe it, her family insisted on telling everyone that Jian Fan was her distant cousin.

“Qingge, you are so kind.” Jian Fan gazed at her with deep affection. He knew she loved it when he looked at her this way.

“Brother Jian…” Li Qingge met his gaze, her heart fluttering. She didn’t know how to speak her mind. As a woman, it would be unseemly to ask him directly, yet she couldn’t gauge his true intentions.

“Qingge, I know I’ve stayed in your home for a long time. I have some silver here; please take it to buy some rice and flour. Consider it a token of my gratitude.” Jian Fan took a silver ingot from his robe, grasped her hand, and placed it in her palm.

That single ingot was enough to feed her family for an entire year. Li Qingge stared at the heavy silver for a second before quickly pushing it back.

“Brother Jian, no. We cannot accept this silver.”

Li Qingge was smart. She knew that providing him shelter for a few days wasn’t worth even a fraction of this silver. If she took it, and Jian Fan wanted to cut ties with her later, she would have no ground to stand on. “I know this silver might not seem like much to you, but I didn’t save you for money. Don’t you understand that at all?”

She looked at him, the words caught in her throat. She wanted to pour her heart out to him so he would understand her feelings. But she couldn’t; she couldn’t be the first to confess. She knew all too well that the gap between her status and his was like cloud and mud. Even if she knew he might not stay forever, she just wanted a definitive answer.

“Of course I understand, Qingge.” Jian Fan held her hand, staring into her eyes with lingering tenderness.

“Qingge, I am alone and drifting now. Aside from this physical body, I have nothing. It was you who gave me warmth; it was you who saved my life. From the moment I opened my eyes and saw you, I knew I would love you. But we have only known each other for a short time, and I didn’t want you to think I was frivolous.”

Jian Fan poured out his “feelings.” He knew she wouldn’t reject him; he had been waiting for her to give him this signal. He hated failure, and even in matters of the heart, he refused to be rejected. Li Qingge was still too green; with just a few small tricks, she was already on the verge of confessing to him.

“Brother Jian, I won’t let you talk about yourself like that. I know you aren’t that kind of person!” Li Qingge interrupted him, unable to bear hearing him disparage himself.

“As long as you understand my heart, Qingge.” Jian Fan gripped her hand, his restless soul finally settling. “Take this silver. It is my heart’s intent.”

He had brought plenty of money when he left the palace, specifically because he didn’t want her to be burdened by the hardships of life. “Qingge, now that we have shared our hearts, if you are willing, I will formally ask your parents for your hand in marriage.”

He didn’t want to wait another second. Only when she was truly his wife could he be completely at ease.

“Brother Jian… of course I am willing.” Li Qingge lowered her head, a rosy flush creeping up her cheeks. She had chosen him long ago and dreamed of marrying him; as a girl, how could she have brought it up? Now that he had mentioned it, she forgot all her reservations and nodded immediately, terrified that something might change.

The two were in perfect agreement. However, Li Qingge’s parents weren’t so keen on the match. They could see Jian Fan wasn’t a country person. Although he said he had no living relatives, who could guarantee that? If his family came looking for him, would he really give up wealth and glory to stay in the countryside and suffer?

Parents always had to consider more. Nevertheless, with one determined to marry and the other determined to wed, the wedding date was set for the eighth day of the ninth month.