She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but when she woke up again, she found herself lying in bed.
Taking a look at the simple furnishings in the room, she could hear a faintly noisy sound from outside.
"Gu Erlang, Auntie said that this girl she's introducing to you is a really good girl, the kind that can't be found in several villages. If you miss this opportunity, you won't find another one like it!"
Listening to the words of Old Lady Wang from the village, Gu Jinchen remained unmoved.
"I already have a wife," he said in a calm voice, reaching out to touch the two little ones next to him, who seemed somewhat startled.
Da Bao and Er Bao sensed his movement and immediately moved closer, tightly holding onto his clothes.
They were afraid, afraid that their uncle would really do as Old Lady Wang said and abandon them.
Upon hearing Gu Jinchen's words, Old Lady Wang couldn't help but interject, "Gu Er Lang, you and that girl haven't even gone through the marriage ceremony yet! How can you be considered husband and wife?"
"And that girl fell ill as soon as she entered the house, it's been two days already, I'm afraid she won't wake up..."
As Old Lady Wang spoke, she seemed to realize that something was not right and stopped herself, but anyone with discerning eyes could already hear the meaning behind her words.
She was basically saying that Luo Ge had probably fallen into a permanent sleep.
Gu Jinchen's face darkened, and the two little ones' faces turned pale.
Unfortunately, Old Lady Wang, who only had eyes for the half tael of silver as a marriage proposal, continued on, oblivious to the situation.
"In my opinion, you should send these two little ones away, one thing after another has happened!
You're still young and healthy, you can raise them for a year or two, but what about later?"
"The Qian family girl said that as long as you send these two little ones away, she's willing to live well with you and even bring her own five taels of dowry money!"
"These are such good conditions, you won't find another like it within ten miles!"
The Qian family girl that Old Lady Wang mentioned was naturally not as good as she described. She was already twenty-eight years old, an old maid.
She was strong as an ox, weighing over two hundred catties, and not good-looking, so she hadn't been married off for these reasons.
Now it had dragged on for so long that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law also had opinions.
But her parents were reluctant to marry her off hastily and marry her off to just anyone, which was why the talk of bringing a dowry had come up.
However, because she had been spoiled by her parents since she was young, her standards were naturally higher, and she looked down on ordinary families.
This Gu Jinchen, who looked good and was tall, had even served in the military, naturally caught her eye.
Normally, Gu Jinchen's conditions were not something she could be picky about, but it was because he had brought along two ominous jinxes, these two little oil bottles, right?
With these two little ones, Gu Jinchen had been hesitant to go through with the marriage, making their situation evenly matched.
So, she came up with the idea of asking Old Lady Wang, who lived in the same village as Gu Jinchen, to help with the proposal.
To ensure success, she even promised Old Lady Wang half a tael of silver.
Half a liang! It had been almost half a year since Gu Jinchen, a peasant, had used it, and no one could resist it!
So Old Lady Wang came, determined to persuade Gu Jinchen with her exaggerations, making him believe he hadn't seen anyone like her before.
As for Luo Ge, when Gu Jinchen brought her into the village, he had introduced her to some people, and Old Lady Wang naturally knew about her.
But that girl looked frail and sickly, and she collapsed as soon as she entered the house. It seemed unlikely that she would survive, so Old Lady Wang didn't pay much attention to her.
However, Old Lady Wang forgot that excessive embellishment can backfire!
If the girl was really that good, why would she need to bring a dowry?
Gu Jinchen didn't consider himself a catch, and in the past year, there had been others who proposed marriage to him, but he had never encountered someone who offered a dowry like this.
He had certainly sent away a fair number of children for adoption.
Five liang of silver was indeed a considerable sum, and anyone with such financial resources could easily find a son-in-law.
But Gu Jinchen was not interested in that at all, and he couldn't bear the thought of sending away his two children.
So, he didn't need to hesitate any longer about this matter.
"Whether or not my wife wakes up is my own business. Since I have brought her into my home, she is already a member of my family. Da Bao and Er Bao are my elder brother's blood. As their only relative, I will never abandon them."
"There is a sick person in the house who needs care. We won't send them away." With that, Gu Jinchen opened the courtyard gate and stared coldly at Old Lady Wang.
Apart from anything else, the way she spoke in front of the children was already unpleasant.
There was no need to give her any more courtesy.
Old Lady Wang never expected him to react this way. In their eyes, those two little troublemakers were just a nuisance.
By speaking like that, she was actually reminding him! She didn't expect the other party to be so ungrateful.
"Gu Erlang, think carefully before you regret it..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by his chilling gaze. She nervously swallowed and quickly ran out of the courtyard.
She breathed a sigh of relief only when she had run far away, patting her chest in fear.
"This Gu Erlang, he really is intimidating, having served in the army. His eyes are as if he wants to kill someone! He scared this old lady." As she ran home, she muttered to herself in fear.
Once Old Lady Wang's figure had completely disappeared, Gu Jinchen turned around and closed the courtyard gate.
Seeing the two little ones looking scared and uneasy, he crouched down and gently patted their heads.
"Don't be afraid. Uncle will take care of you. Those things have nothing to do with you."
Given his reserved nature, it was already good enough that he could say these comforting words.
"Yeah." Although the two little ones still felt uneasy, they obediently nodded in response.
Seeing their lingering anxiety, Gu Jinchen realized he didn't know what else to say. He could only pat their heads once again.
Before he enlisted in the army, his sister-in-law had become pregnant.
Giving birth had always been a perilous journey for women, let alone twins.
Throughout history, there have been millions of unfortunate childbirths. How could the blame fall on innocent newborns?
He had also investigated his elder brother's affair, which turned out to be a genuine accident.
His parents had also suffered one blow after another, losing their eldest son and daughter-in-law, causing their health to deteriorate. This eventually led to their illness and subsequent passing away.
Gu Jinchen was well aware that these tragedies had nothing to do with the two innocent children, and he would not believe the gossip spread by outsiders.
Moreover, one of the final wishes of the elderly couple was for him to take care of them, and he would not betray their wishes.
With these thoughts in mind, Gu Jinchen sighed lightly and gently touched the two little ones.
"Let's go and have a meal."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
After having their meal and settling the two children, he prepared a bowl of porridge and brought it into the room.
When Luo Ge suddenly saw someone entering, she instinctively moved back but relaxed when she recognized him.
Gu Jinchen noticed her reaction and calmly placed the porridge on the nearby table.
"You're awake. Have something to eat first, fill your stomach, and then take your medicine."
"Can I do it myself?" She hesitated for a moment and added, "Thank you." Then, she naturally leaned over as if she wanted to be helped up.
It was evident that during the past two days when she was unconscious, he had been the one feeding her.
In her hazy memories, the image of being held in his arms should be real.
"I can manage on my own, thanks."
For some reason, she felt her cheeks flushing as she realized this, and before he could reach out, she propped herself up and obediently moved to the table, taking the bowl and drinking from it with small sips.
Although she was already 22 years old, she had a youthful face that made her look like she was seventeen or eighteen.
Without the deliberate concealment she had in the refugee camp, her lively and charming nature was fully revealed to others.
She was petite, and the way she ate with small bites genuinely resembled a kitten.
Because her head was lowered while eating, her slender and delicate neck was exposed, as fragile as if it could be easily broken with a gentle touch.
Gu Jinchen glanced at her and instinctively pursed his lips, averting his gaze.
The room fell silent, with only the faint sound of her swallowing.
"What's your name?" After a moment of silence, the man spoke again.
Upon hearing the question, Luo Ge suddenly realized that they hadn't asked each other's names yet.
"Luo Ge." She carefully placed the empty bowl on the table and answered softly.
"And you?" Her eyes met his face, and she leaned slightly forward.
Seeing his attitude towards her and the two children, Luo Ge knew that he wasn't difficult to get along with. On the contrary, he was exceptionally protective. Therefore, she became a little bolder.
"Gu Jinchen."
"Gu, Jin, Chen." She repeated his name softly, nodding her head to indicate that she remembered.
