Shen Jiao’s words nearly made Gu Xinguo drop the bowl in his hands.
Women in this era were generally shy when it came to matters of love. Faced without warning with a female comrade who openly confessed her feelings, Gu Xinguo—completely unprepared—was genuinely startled.
“Comrade Gu Xinguo, you already know more or less what my circumstances are. I may not have studied much, but I would certainly live a steady and sincere life with you.”
Before he could even sort out his thoughts, Shen Jiao had already begun listing her good qualities.
It was the first time Gu Xinguo had ever encountered such a bold female comrade.
And yet, somewhere inside his heart, a crack quietly appeared.
“Comrade Shen, if you’re only doing this to repay me, there’s truly no need to wager your entire future on it.”
“What if I’m not only trying to repay you? What if I’ve also taken a liking to you?”
Gu Xinguo was struck speechless.
Even his wheat-coloured skin began turning red.
He truly had no idea how to respond to a woman’s confession.
He had only just experienced his wife’s betrayal and had not prepared himself for remarriage at all.
He looked around.
It was still too early for the main mealtime, so there were not many people near the canteen. The occasional passer-by hurried along without paying attention to them.
Only then did he argue back, his face flushed.
“You… you really are…”
“Shameless, right?”
Shen Jiao calmly finished the sentence for him.
“But happiness has to be fought for. Female comrades have just as much right to pursue happiness.”
“I like you, and I want to date you. What’s wrong with that?”
Afraid that Shen Jiao would continue saying increasingly outrageous things, Gu Xinguo hurriedly pulled her towards a quiet corner by the wall.
Otherwise, if passers-by heard them, the two of them would undoubtedly attract a crowd.
“Comrade Shen Jiao, thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
He spoke seriously.
“But I currently have no plans to remarry.”
“That’s only because you haven’t met the right person.”
She looked straight at him.
“When you do, you’ll realise that no amount of planning can withstand one glance that feels like a lifetime.”
Gu Xinguo was truly about to be defeated by her.
How could she so casually say such sickeningly sentimental things to a male comrade?
Yet, damn it, his heart had begun beating faster.
For one fleeting moment, he almost nodded.
“Are you rejecting me because I’ve been divorced?”
Seeing that he remained silent, Shen Jiao thought of the obsession some men had with marrying virgins and directly asked him.
Some men truly cared greatly about whether a woman had been married before.
“No. I’ve also been divorced.”
Shen Jiao carefully observed his expression.
Once she confirmed that he genuinely did not despise her for being divorced, she immediately relaxed.
That meant she still had an opportunity.
In any case, she had already decided that she wanted this man.
“Brother Gu, why don’t we enter a marriage of convenience?”
“Grandma is seriously ill, and your recent divorce must have upset her greatly.”
“If we pretend to marry, it could bring her some good fortune. Once she becomes happier, perhaps even her illness will improve considerably.”
“But don’t worry. If you meet someone you truly love, I won’t cling to you and refuse to divorce.”
The moment Shen Jiao realised what shocking words had just left her mouth, she nearly bit off her tongue.
Actively confessing to a man had already been reckless enough.
After saying this, who knew what Gu Xinguo would think of her?
It would be terrible if he decided she was a loose and shameless woman.
The young woman lowered her head in frustration, nervously kicking at the small stones beneath her feet.
Although her head was practically lowered to the ground, Gu Xinguo could still see the bright redness of her ears.
He could imagine that her face was probably even redder than the scarlet couplets pasted up during the New Year.
She had clearly realised how shocking her words were and had finally become embarrassed.
At that moment, she resembled a frightened, flustered rabbit.
She was indescribably adorable.
A smile filled Gu Xinguo’s eyes.
The crack inside his heart quietly widened.
“My brother and sister-in-law took all the money from my divorce settlement.”
Shen Jiao continued after gathering her courage.
“I have nowhere to go and not a cent to my name. You happen to need a wife to make Grandma happy.”
“My suggestion benefits both of us, so you don’t need to feel burdened or believe that you’re taking advantage of me.”
“Just consider the marriage of convenience my payment for you giving me somewhere to stay.”
Since her image had already completely collapsed, she might as well press forward and win him over in one go.
He might not have feelings for her now, but they could marry first and fall in love later.
Affection could grow over time.
Happiness had to be pursued personally.
Even if an opportunity did not exist, she would create one.
Since childhood, she had understood that she had to fight for anything she wanted.
Her intelligence and emotional awareness might not have been particularly impressive, but she did possess certain advantages.
She knew exactly what she wanted.
She was also thick-skinned—assuming that could be counted as an advantage.
“All right.”
Gu Xinguo finally answered.
“We’ll get married first and make a sincere effort to develop feelings after marriage.”
“If we truly cannot live together, we can discuss it then.”
Gu Xinguo had never expected the young woman to experience so much within a single day.
A place deep inside him felt as though it had been pricked by a needle.
He agreed to her proposed marriage of convenience partly because, as she had said, he wanted to make his Grandma happy.
More importantly, however, he was not entirely without affection for her.
The reason he did not immediately suggest making the marriage real was that he feared she was only treating him as her sole lifeline after being forced into a desperate situation.
Perhaps she had mistaken dependence for love.
His previous marriage had been a complete failure.
He did not want to enter another marriage carelessly.
However, his Grandma was gravely ill and nearing the end of her life.
If the worst happened, he did not want her to leave this world with regrets.
If he and Shen Jiao truly could not remain together after marriage, he would arrange her future properly.
He would work hard to secure her a stable job and provide enough money for her to live comfortably.
But that was only the worst-case scenario.
Naturally, he hoped that this would be the final marriage of his life.
He hoped that he and Shen Jiao could create a happy little family, have children, and grow old together.
“You agreed?”
“Mhm.”
He looked at her steadily.
“As you said, your proposal benefits both of us. Besides, if a female comrade like you isn’t afraid, what does a grown man like me have to fear?”
“Then when are we going to register the marriage?”
Gu Xinguo chuckled.
“No matter how urgent the marriage is, shouldn’t you meet my family first?”
“Come on. I’ll take you to see Grandma. She’ll certainly be very happy when she meets you.”
Seeing how eager Shen Jiao was to obtain the marriage certificate, the corners of Gu Xinguo’s mouth curved upwards.
He did not know where this marriage would eventually lead, but its beginning seemed promising.
Perhaps he and Shen Jiao truly would spend the rest of their lives together.
“Grrr…”
Her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
A sharp pain followed as her empty stomach protested its lack of food.
Over the past several days, she had not eaten a single proper meal.
Today, she had consumed only a bowl of watery porridge, which had long since been digested.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Gu Xinguo immediately became concerned.
“I’ll take you to see a doctor.”
“It’s nothing. My stomach only hurts because I’m hungry. I’ll be fine once I eat something.”
“I was already going to the canteen for food. We can eat first and visit Grandma afterwards.”
Shen Jiao was hungry enough to swallow an entire cow.
Besides, her newly appointed prospective partner was treating her to a meal.
What was there to feel embarrassed about?
However, when they reached the canteen, Gu Xinguo bought her only a bowl of plain rice porridge.
“You went hungry for too long, so you can’t suddenly eat anything too solid.”
“Drink some porridge first and let your stomach recover. Tomorrow, I’ll treat you to something better.”
“All right. I’ll listen to you.”
Shen Jiao nodded obediently.
“I’m very easy to feed. I eat practically anything and I’m not picky.”
They had not even obtained their marriage certificate yet, but Shen Jiao seized every opportunity to advertise her good qualities.
She had completely abandoned any feminine reserve.
Still, she had not expected Gu Xinguo to be so thoughtful.
As expected of the man she had chosen.
“A good appetite is a blessing.”
“Hehe. I think so too.”
The young woman’s face was extraordinarily expressive as she spoke.
Listening to her clear, lively voice, Gu Xinguo suddenly found himself looking forward to his future life.
With such a lively treasure by his side, his days would probably never become boring.
“Brother Gu, um… this is my first time meeting Grandma, but I didn’t bring a gift. What should I do?”
She had come in such a hurry.
Originally, she had planned to visit the county transport team to search for Gu Xinguo.
Then she remembered that his Grandma was seriously ill and staying in hospital.
He was very likely caring for her there, so Shen Jiao had come directly to the hospital instead.
The only reason she had been near the canteen was that her empty stomach had begun hurting, and she wanted to purchase something small to eat.
Who could have expected her to encounter Gu Xinguo right outside the canteen?
Could this be considered a connection of hearts, where they understood each other without needing words?
Shen Jiao allowed her imagination to wander.
However, she genuinely worried about meeting her future Grandma-in-law empty-handed.
What if the elderly woman thought she lacked manners and opposed her marriage to Gu Xinguo?
“You are the best gift.”
“I think so too.”
Shen Jiao immediately brightened.
“We truly understand each other without words. Clearly, we’re destined to become husband and wife.”
She truly had no shame.
He had merely made a polite remark, yet she had immediately taken it as encouragement.
Unfortunately, despite her self-proclaimed thick skin, her steps still became hesitant when they reached the door of the hospital ward.
Even the boldest new bride would feel nervous when meeting her future in-laws.
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