Chapter 810: The Person You Like Got Married, and the Bride Isn't You

After the woman finished calling into the room, she set down the basin in her hands and said to the two of them, shy and a bit embarrassed, "Please come in, come on in. We only just got back last night and haven't had time to tidy up yet. The house is a mess; I hope you don't mind."

Since she had already invited them in, it wouldn't be very good to leave now.

But going in was even worse; what would they even say?

Shi Yucheng felt very awkward and rubbed his hands together, preparing to take his leave.

But Shi Yuke didn't feel awkward at all; she only knew it was great that Uncle was home, and she could finally be with Uncle again.

Before he could think of a suitable excuse to leave, his daughter had already darted inside like a butterfly.

"Uncle, Yuke missed you so much."

When Shi Yuke entered the room, Gu Zhihao was just pulling on his clothes—a bright red vest of the same color scheme, and the bright red quilt was an eyesore.

"Why did you come?" He froze, not expecting the "guest" to be Shi Yuke.

Before he could recover from his shock, he saw Shi Yucheng follow him in.

Now, mixed in with the shock was terror. Gu Zhihao hurriedly explained, "Uncle, I didn't seduce your daughter. I only got back from my hometown last night. Heaven and earth are my witness, I really didn't go looking for her; she came looking for me on her own."

Shi Yucheng:...

He said in a muffled voice, "I know. I'm the one who brought Yuke here. She's the one who's hopeless; she wronged you in the past. In the future, I will keep an eye on my daughter and won't let her come here to disturb your life again."

In fact, over this past month, Shi Yucheng had long since seen it clearly.

It wasn't that Gu Zhihao was pestering Shi Yuke, but that his daughter wouldn't let go of him.

Whenever Shi Yuke was idle, she liked to talk about the little things she shared with Uncle. From her accounts, it wasn't hard to tell that this man wasn't a bad person; it was their own vigilance that had been too high.

"Mm."

Gu Zhihao gave a grunt of acknowledgment, feeling very unsettled inside.

Logically, having his name cleared should have made him very happy, or perhaps he should have felt triumphant, standing on the moral high ground to lecture Shi Yucheng and wash away his past shame!

Yet, he couldn't feel happy at all.

"It's fine, you guys should go back."

The woman happened to walk in at that moment. Not knowing the truth, she enthusiastically tried to keep them: "A-Hao, why are you talking like that? Let the guests stay for a meal. We're making dumplings today, mutton and green onion filling."

"I don't want to eat dumplings, I want to eat steamed buns." Shi Yuke's eyes were filled with tears, looking aggrieved.

Gu Zhihao didn't dare look into her eyes.

He threw out a blunt sentence: "No steamed buns, only dumplings. If you don't want them, go home and eat; your family has plenty of money anyway, you can have whatever you want." He was a poor man, but he wasn't a man without principles or a bottom line.

In the past, Gu Zhihao had indeed had thoughts about Shi Yuke, and he hadn't minded that she was a fool.

But now he was married and had a woman and a child—the child was brought by the woman, and a stepson is still a son!

Now, and in the future, he would never have any other thoughts about Shi Yuke again. A man must have a sense of responsibility; once married, he shouldn't spare another glance for other women.

Shi Yuke was a fool, but the woman was not.

She noticed the unusual air between the two, glanced at her husband suspiciously, withdrew her smile, and didn't try to keep the guests any longer.

Her gaze carried a sense of wariness.

Shi Yucheng tugged his daughter to leave: "Let's go home, Yuke, don't make a fool of yourself here."

She wouldn't go; she only wanted to ask more.

"Uncle, do you not like Yuke anymore? You were actually mean to me. Where have you been for so long? Why weren't you at home? And who is this auntie? I don't like her..."

After becoming a fool, Shi Yuke's temperament was very simple; she said whatever was on her mind and wouldn't beat around the bush.

"She is my wife. We just got married. In the future, don't come looking for me again. Even if you see me on the street, don't follow me. I'm already married, and from now on I can only play with my wife; I can't play with you anymore."

"Waa—"

Shi Yuke burst into loud sobs.

While crying, she said, "You broke your word. You promised Yuke that when I grew up, you would marry me. Now Yuke has grown up, but you married another woman, boo-hoo-hoo..."

Gu Zhihao's heart was breaking.

He had originally thought that after getting married, he wouldn't feel so sad.

But that thought was merely wishful thinking; it was still so hard, his heart still ached so much, it felt like he was about to die.

But he firmly remembered his status. Now he wasn't just a poor man, he was a poor man with a wife, and he could even less afford to provoke this young lady from a wealthy family.

Shi Yucheng was so ashamed he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Let's go, don't make a fool of yourself here."

He forcibly pulled his daughter toward the exit; if she wouldn't walk, he would carry her.

This time, the woman didn't continue to keep them for dumplings, and didn't even have a smile left. She silently followed them to the door and "Bang!" the large iron gate shut.

"Grandpa, I'm not leaving, I want to be with Uncle."

Shi Yucheng threatened her: "If you don't leave, I won't want you anymore. When the time comes and Uncle doesn't want you either, you won't have a home. How miserable would that be?"

Shi Yuke thought for a moment, and although she was still sobbing and reluctant, she followed "Grandpa" back.

All the way, she kept sobbing in a low voice, aggrievedly complaining: "Uncle is a bad person, I hate Auntie. That auntie looks really ugly, not as pretty as Yuke. Why did Uncle have to marry her? I hate her..."

It was as if Shi Yucheng saw his daughter's childhood before his eyes.

When his daughters were five or six years old, Yuke was just like this; whenever she felt wronged, her little mouth would chatter on and on.

Her big eyes would be filled with tears, looking so aggrieved that any adult watching would have their heart melt into water.

His wife would dote on their daughter and couldn't bear to see her own child suffer any grievance.

So she would stand up for her daughter, trying her best to satisfy her, not hesitating to offend others and make others suffer the losses!

Slowly, Yuke was raised to have a selfish and self-serving personality.

She felt that everyone in the world should yield to her and be good to her; that was only natural.

Now that his daughter had "returned" to the age of five, he didn't know if there was still a chance for her to "grow up."

But no matter what, Shi Yucheng wanted to try and re-educate his daughter; he could not let the past repeat itself.

So he hardened his heart, and did not comfort his daughter just because he felt sorry for her.

Instead, he said to her, "Gu Zhihao is not a bad person; he didn't marry you because your families were not well-matched. The woman he married is well-matched with him, and they can live a proper life together. Living a life isn't about a pretty face; being good-looking is useless."

Such words were indeed somewhat cruel to his daughter at this moment.

But if one cannot bear to be firm at the very beginning, and indulges a child until they are lawless, they will have to bear even greater consequences later on.

He had suffered deeply from this, and did not want it to continue.

"Grandpa, what does 'living a life' mean?" Yuke stopped crying, lifted her small face, and looked at her father in confusion.

Shi Yucheng:...

He began to feel that the title "Grandpa" was too awkward.

If he wanted to let her grow up again and become better, there was much to be done, and it truly could not be accomplished in a single day.

"I will tell you after we get home."

"Mm."

"Yuke also wants to live a life, to live a life together with Uncle..."