My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 34 Part 1

Chapter 34  

"You... what did you say?"  

Ji Taoyu was stunned by Huo Shu's words, unsure if he had heard correctly. Subconsciously, he asked again.  

"I said I want to marry you."  

Huo Shu looked into Ji Taoyu's eyes and repeated patiently.  

Now certain he had heard right, Ji Taoyu's mind went blank. He never expected Huo Shu to bring this up so abruptly.  

Flustered, Ji Taoyu stood up, his face burning from his neck to the tips of his ears. "You've already helped me so much... You don’t have to sacrifice your whole life out of pity for me."  

"I want to marry you, not out of pity or sympathy."  

Huo Shu spoke plainly: "Ever since I pulled you from the water, I’ve wanted to know you better. But when I learned you were betrothed, I never mentioned anything to avoid troubling you."  

"You can refuse, but don’t think I’m saying this out of pity."  

Huo Shu stared at Ji Taoyu. "After ten years on the battlefield, I don’t pity anyone."  

Ji Taoyu clenched his hands. He knew Huo Shu’s character, he wouldn’t joke about something so serious.  

But precisely because he knew Huo Shu was sincere, he didn’t know how to respond. The situation was too sudden, and his heart was in turmoil.  

This man... this man was really something! Instead of discussing it with his parents first, he went straight to him.  

What use was his agreement alone? His parents had doted on him since childhood, indulging his every whim. If they disagreed, even if he were willing, he couldn’t defy them and break their hearts.  

He couldn’t be like Sister Wu. He was the only ger in the family. If he made his parents worry again, he’d truly be unfilial.  

But... he wasn’t opposed to Huo Shu either...  

"Wh-who asks the person they’re proposing to whether they’re willing or not? Nowadays, it’s all about parental arrangements and matchmakers."  

Huo Shu said, "Even if your parents agree, it’s meaningless if you don’t. I’m marrying you, not them."  

"I’m only asking you, are you willing?"  

"Me!"  

Faced with such a direct question, Ji Taoyu flushed crimson, too embarrassed to answer.  

"I... I need to think about it."  

With that, he ran off without even saying goodbye.  

Huo Shu stood up and chased a few steps before stopping, watching the ger flee.  

His brows furrowed, and he exhaled in frustration.  

He had known to take things slowly, so he wondered why had he blurted it out in a rush today. Now he’d probably scared him.  

Angry at himself, Huo Shu stood rooted in place for a long time.  

____

"You’re back? How did it go—"  

Ji Yangzong and Huang Manjing hurried out from the kitchen at the sound of movement, but before they could finish, they saw Ji Taoyu’s flushed face as he dashed into his room.  

The couple exchanged glances. "What happened?"  

"Clearly upset."  

Huang Manjing smacked Ji Yangzong. "This is all your doing."  

Worried, Ji Yangzong went to his ger's room and found the door shut tight. He glanced at his wife.  

Huang Manjing shoved him aside and called gently, "Xiao Taozi, what’s wrong?"  

Inside, Ji Taoyu leaned against the door, his heart still racing.  

"Nothing, I... I just tripped."  

"Are you hurt? Let me see."  

"No, I’m fine. I’ll change clothes. I feel a bit dizzy, I’ll sleep it off."  

Ji Taoyu hastily dismissed them. "Don’t call me for lunch. I’ll eat when I wake up."  

Huang Manjing shot Ji Yangzong a glare.  

"Then I’ll keep the food warm for you."  

She dragged Ji Yangzong away. "Look at Xiao Taozi! What kind of father are you?"  

Ji Yangzong couldn’t figure it out. His ger had left in high spirits, how had things gone so wrong?  

He had arranged everything so carefully, how could it have turned out like this?  

"No, I’m going to ask that boy what he said to upset Xiao Taozi so much."  

Seeing her husband storm off, Huang Manjing chased after him. "It’s noon, where are you going now?"  

"Stay out of it!"  

Too angry to argue, Huang Manjing let the stubborn old man go.  

____

After calming down in his room, Ji Taoyu’s breathing steadied, but the moment he recalled Huo Shu’s words, his face burned again. A few cups of cold tea did nothing to cool it.  

Rubbing his cheeks, his elbow accidentally bumped the jade hairpin in his hair.  

Ji Taoyu froze, then removed the hairpin.  

Remembering his father’s odd behavior earlier and Huo Shu waiting for him, he suddenly understood.  

His chest heaved as he slammed the hairpin onto the table.  

So his father had known all along! His mother must have too, only he had been kept in the dark!  

Ji Taoyu couldn’t describe how he felt. On one hand, Huo Shu wasn’t as clueless as he seemed, he had already won over his parents. On the other, it made him angry.  

His parents were bending their elbows outward, actually conspiring together with an outsider to deceive him!  

[胳膊肘往外拐 (gēbo zhǒu wǎng wài guǎi): lit. Elbow bending outward; fig. Favoring outsiders over one's own family/group]

His thoughts in chaos, Ji Taoyu flung himself onto the bed and buried his head under the blankets.  

____

"What the hell happened?!"  

Ji Yangzong rushed to the Zhao family’s home, not caring that it was mealtime. He dragged Huo Shu outside, his panic evident.  

He couldn’t understand it, he had practically spoon-fed the boy, even chewed the words for him. How could he still have scared his little ger off?  

Huo Shu coughed awkwardly under Ji Yangzong’s interrogation.  

"Speak up!"  

"I just told him I wanted to marry him."  

Ji Yangzong groaned.  

This kid could be infuriatingly patient when he wasn’t in a hurry, but when he rushed, he really rushed.  

If it had been playful flirting, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But with Huo Shu’s serious demeanor, he could only imagine how sternly he must have said it, no wonder he scared his little ger off.