Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 498: Chapter 260: A Man’s Responsibility (Part 2)

’So, I’m just an irresponsible coward who refuses to face reality.’ The realization made him miserable, and he instinctively blamed his father for the whole mess, even starting to resent the Miss Gao he had never even met.

Li Mingrui said firmly, ”No one is forcing you! Our family doesn’t rely on marriage to climb the social ladder. If Changfeng can’t become an official, he can just come back and farm. Heh, speaking of which, Mr. Gao is pretty unlucky. He thought that with his money and power, and with such an outstanding daughter, picking you was like a ’wise eye spotting a hero.’ Who knew you had these other feelings! It’s a good thing our family is just a bunch of farmers with no money or power. Otherwise, people would start questioning his motives.”

Li Changyu’s expression changed again. ’That’s right, I’m just a farm boy, not some brilliant young talent.’ His grandpa was right. If he didn’t want to marry her, he should just call off the engagement instead of acting like she was forcing him into it. As he thought this, he could almost see a beautiful, flower-like woman staring at him resentfully, as if to say, ’Who’s forcing you to marry me? Why so reluctant?’

He let out a long breath and said, ”I understand what you mean, Grandpa. I won’t be foolish anymore. I’ll accept this marriage.”

Li Mingrui smiled and asked, ”Are you sure? Don’t just say it and regret it later. And remember, Miss Gao has done nothing to you. If you don’t plan on treating her well, it would be better to call it off. To be honest, I don’t agree with your father comparing her to Juhua—you can’t compare people like that. But if you really must compare them, she holds her own. It’s just that you knew Juhua first, and that’s why you fell for her.”

Li Changyu looked helplessly at his wily old grandfather and said in a wheedling tone, ”Grandpa, is your grandson really that irresponsible? Aren’t you just worried I’m still hung up on Juhua? Don’t worry. Since I’ve agreed to this marriage, I’ll naturally treat her well in the future.”

Li Mingrui’s expression turned serious. ”Not just ’treat her well,’ but treat her with your whole heart! Changyu, back in the day, I was just like you. I wanted to marry a girl I liked but couldn’t, and I ended up marrying your grandma later.”

Li Changyu asked hastily, ”Why? Did Great-Grandpa also arrange a marriage for you first?” If that were true, their Li Family was certainly an interesting one.

Li Mingrui shot him a look. ”What nonsense are you thinking? It was just that before I’d saved up enough money, the girl got engaged to someone else. It’s as simple as that. Later, when I had the money, I married your grandma. She knew about it, too. Whenever she got angry, she would nag me, ’Why don’t you go find your Yingzi?’ But I never once went to look for her. Your grandma got so used to asking that even on her deathbed, she smiled and asked me, ’Are you going to go find Yingzi now?’ I told her I would never look for Yingzi in this lifetime. ’Maybe the next life,’ I said, ’or no, how about the one after that? I’ll still marry you in my next life.’”

The old man spoke softly, his unfocused gaze fixed on the ceiling as if peering through the dark tiles to meet the eyes of a loved one far away. He smiled gently, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out, and his voice grew soft and tender. But it was also firm, as if he feared that without enough force, his words couldn’t bear the weight of his promise. His clear, quiet voice rang with the clarity of metal striking stone.

Li Changyu listened as if to an ancient legend, drawn by his grandfather into a hazy, dreamlike state. For some reason—perhaps because he had been so emotional lately—the old man’s clear voice sent a tremor through his soul, and tears suddenly streamed down his face. ’So, aside from a story like my parents’, life can have another kind of ending!’

Li Mingrui gently wiped the tears from his grandson’s face and chuckled. ”Grandpa’s going to tell you a secret: after I married your grandma, I realized she was every bit as good as Yingzi. I’d long since stopped thinking about that Yingzi girl. But your grandma loved to bring it up, and the more she said it, the happier she seemed. Why? Because I acted like I didn’t even hear her.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, ”But you have to treat her with a true heart to discover her good qualities. If you’re resentful, then no matter how you look at her, she’ll never seem right. I can guarantee you, that Miss Gao is definitely no worse than Juhua. It’s not that Juhua isn’t good. It’s just that women... each has her own strengths, her own charms. If you’re stubborn and insist on weighing them like pork to see if they come out the same, aren’t you just asking for trouble?”

Hearing his grandfather compare women to pork, Li Changyu couldn’t help but laugh through his tears. ”So what was the difference between Grandma and Yingzi?” he asked. Prying into his grandfather’s youthful romantic escapades might help his own heartbroken soul forget its pain for a while.

Li Mingrui fell back into his memories, a gentle smile gracing his face. ”Yingzi was very sweet, and her voice was so pleasant, crisp like biting into a summer Huang Gua. Your grandma, though... my goodness! She was like a Little Pepper—bright red, and with the most kick when you stir-fry her with young Huangdou. Mmm, she only got spicier with age. Perfect for grinding into a fragrant chili paste!”

Hearing his grandfather compare his two sweethearts to vegetables made Li Changyu laugh out loud again. Yet, he also found the descriptions wonderfully apt. Savoring them, two distinct images of village girls appeared in his mind: one gentle, the other feisty!

After laughing for a bit, Li Changyu sniffled and asked casually, ”So, who was that Yingzi?” He wanted to know who his grandfather’s old flame was.

Li Mingrui glanced at his grandson and said slowly, ”Yingzi? Why, she’s Huang Dagunzi’s old mother!”

”PFFT!” Li Changyu nearly choked on his own spit.

He pictured Huang Dagunzi’s mother, with her waddling walk and her withered, wrinkle-faced smile. There was no way to reconcile that image with the gentle village beauty he had just imagined. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes and yell at Li Mingrui, ”Grandpa—!”

Seeing his grandson’s horrified expression, Li Mingrui burst out laughing. ”Doesn’t matter who it is, everyone ends up like that when they get old! HAHAHA...”