Cao Guigen and two others chased out from the hall, only to see their two simple-minded twin sons chasing Ning Ge around the yard, both giggling foolishly with long trails of drool hanging from their mouths.
Cao Xiaojuanâs face turned pale.
Upon seeing her, Ning Ge ran towards this direction with a panicked look, pointing at the two fools and said, "Juan, who are these people?!"
Both Cao Guigen and Aunti Caoâs faces darkened, but at least they relaxed a bit.
"Werenât you resting in the room? Why did you come out again?" Cao Xiaojuan avoided the topic somewhat, as she was rather reluctant to expose her simple brothers in front of Ning Ge, but now that they were exposed, she said, "These, are my two brothers. They are twins, um, their minds are not very clear."
"Are they... What happened?" Ning Ge pretended to be surprised, his face full of pity.
"Theyâve been like this since they were in the womb," Cao Xiaojuan said nonchalantly.
She glanced at her two brothers, feeling a bit aggrieved and sad. If it werenât for them, she would have been married and had children of her own by now. Wouldnât she? And not have to do such abominable deeds, constantly living in fear.
"No wonder, I was sleeping soundly in the room when I was woken up by the noise, and as soon as I came out, they started chasing me," Ning Ge said.
"Da Bao, Xiao Bao, come here," Cao Guigen called his two sons over, asking, "Why are you chasing brother?"
"Brother, play, fun!" Da Bao said with drool dribbling down.
Xiao Bao echoed, "Play, with us."
Cao Guigen finally let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, realizing the recent commotion must have been caused by these two precious sons. He looked over at the young man, who now seemed more appealing with a look of regret and sympathy, certainly more so than before.
After resettling Ning Ge, Cao Guigen and the others resumed speaking.
"Itâs not like if you donât want to follow the protocol, itâs not followed. Master Wei also needs an explanation," Cao Guigen said as he lit his water pipe.
"Right, even if you quit, the money that is divided wonât include your share. It needs to be saved for picking brides for your two brothers!" Aunti Cao also gave her daughter a sideways glance.
Biting her lip, Cao Xiaojuan scoffed internally. Her simple brothers were treasures, but they had to shoulder the burden of all the bad things they had done over the years, without her seeing any benefits. How was that fair?
"Dad, Mom, Iâm going to get married. Do I have no dowry at all?" Cao Xiaojuan couldnât hold back in the end.
"Donât you know the state of your two brothers? Speaking of a dowry, at most youâd get two hundred yuan. If you ask me, why marry at all? You havenât had less to eat or a place to sleep. In the future, when youâre old, your brothers will be there for your funeral," Aunti Cao snorted.
Cao Xiaojuan sneered internally, thinking of how useless the two simpletons were.
Cao Guigen said, "Let it go, daughters tend to be more outward. Let her do as she wishes. Iâm telling you, if that young man shows one bit of wrongdoing, donât blame me."
Cao Xiaojuan was jolted and said anxiously, "Dad, heâs really not Gui Touzai. You saw it yourself!"
Cao Guigen remained noncommittal.
Cao Xiaojuan returned to her room and threw herself into Ning Geâs arms, wrapping her arms around him and said, "From now on, itâs just you and me!"
Ning Ge suppressed the urge to push her away, feeling frustrated, and said, "Is it that your parents donât agree?"
"Whether they agree or not, I will follow you. Itâs just..." Cao Xiaojuan looked up, "I donât have much for a dowry."
Ning Ge pursed his lips, saying, "Then you donât. If only I had some real ability. When I followed my former boss, I didnât make it as his right-hand man, couldnât pull off anything big. Otherwise, I would surely have been able to marry you in style."
Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaojuanâs eyes fluttered with emotion. She knew Ning Ge was a small-time gangster, and if she brought him to Master Wei, then...
No, that couldnât happen. She herself was considering getting out of those dealings; she couldnât get deeper into them.
Ning Ge noticed her pondering expression and allowed a cold smile to flicker across his lips where she couldnât see it. Acting, after all, was something he had practiced.