Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

When both Aya and Fran seemed speechless, Mayboken said, "Come on, daughter," and turned to his men, as if convinced that Aya would go with him. "I believe you're mistaken," Jemin said, taking Aya's arm. "She's not your daughter." Mayboken looked back at Jemin as if seeing him only now.Although Mayboken was a short man, his piercing gaze was chilling. "Are you saying I don't even know my own daughter?" Jemin hugged Aya even tighter. "This woman is my wife." That sentence made Mayboken throw back his head and laugh, a gruff laugh that showed how little he laughed. "What do you think you did? Married to the heir of the Mei family? By you? A pauper?"

Jemin's hand instinctively moved to the sword beside him, but at the same time, the men who had already surrounded the camp - there seemed to be three hundred people - all drew their swords and pointed at him. "Please," Aya said, breaking Jemin's grip. "I have to talk to my father." "Your—" Jemin said in amazement, and then his face changed. "I understand, so this is your secret. Do you think that if I know your real identity, I will covet your money? Do you think I am that kind of person?" Mayboken answered before Aya: "Isn't it? First you pursued the penniless Fran, but then your attention shifted to my daughter." He looked at Aya. "Did you never ask yourself why? Why did he stop pursuing a beautiful woman like Fulan and turn his attention to you, the ugly duckling?"

As if he could read Aya's mind, his words spoke to the doubts in her heart. "I don't know what you're implying—" "I mean," Mayboken interrupted Jemin. "You discovered the game these two stupid girls were playing long ago, and immediately turned your attention to the real heir." "I'm not..." Jemin's voice trailed off, as he could see that Aya believed her father's words - or at least became suspicious of him.He let go of Aya's hand, feeling wounded in his pride. Aya spoke for the first time. "I'm going to talk to my father alone."

"Okay," Jemin said angrily. "Since you are the great Mayboken's daughter, of course you must talk to him," "Jermin..." She grabbed his arm, but he turned his face away, so she had to walk into the woods with her father. "What do you want?" Aya asked coldly.She had always dreamed of meeting her father, and had always tried her best to please him, but now that he was standing here, she couldn't see any affection in his eyes.Nothing but money.What Fu Lan used to laugh at her was right: her father never wanted to see her, because before he sold her to the Bao family, he had never been able to get money from her.

Hearing her daughter's cold tone, Mayboken smiled slightly. "I've heard that you look like me a long time ago, and it's true." "Don't insult me," she said quickly. "Talk to me about money. How much money is involved in this marriage?" Mayboken replied without hesitation: "I signed a contract with the Bao family, and you must fulfill it." "I am a blemish now; I am no longer a virgin, and therefore of no bride's worth." "That's all right, because Bouguer is impotent. If you're pregnant, I can charge more for sending him off."

Hearing such ruthless words, Aya's face turned pale. "What's the matter, daughter? Don't you believe me? Do you think I'm the kind of kind old man who loves puppies and children?" Aya had hoped her father would love her, she was his only child after all, but now she could see that the man in front of her had never loved anyone. She stood upright; if she wanted to keep her marriage, she had to be as tough as her father. "I'm already married." Mayboken scoffed. "You married without my permission. It is easy for me to annul this marriage." His eyes shimmered. "In fact, I'm sure you'll find that the recorder who registered your marriage has mysteriously disappeared, and that the priest who officiated your wedding has moved to France. You'll have a hard time proving you're married."

It took Aya a long time to recover. "If I don't go with you, what will you do with him?" Mayboken smiled again. "Is that love, daughter? I thought I taught you something better than love. I sent away everyone you could love except a deformed man and a girl with nothing but beauty." He took a step back and looked at Aya's whole body. "I have to admit I'm disappointed in you that you believed you were in love with the first handsome man you met who was just—" "Say it, say what you have to say, but don't criticize his personality casually. I don't want to hear what you have no right to say."

Mayboken smiled smugly, letting her know he knew her weakness. "I'll destroy him, and he'll find his barn burned and his livestock mysteriously dead. He and his worthless family thought they were poor now, but when I destroyed them, they You have to compete with pigs for food." Aya clenched her fists. "It will cost you a lot of money. What will you do to him if I go with you?" She saw some emotion in her father's eyes for the first time, and she believed she must be dazzled, but he seemed quite satisfied with her reaction. "I will return his lost property."

"He has a strong self-esteem and will not accept your charity." "Then I'll make it look like he's had the best of luck. Someone dies and bequeaths the land to the Meng family; and his sheep will multiply and multiply with astonishing speed." "I see," she said softly, looking over to where the others were standing.Pei Ling, if there is no dowry, how can she get married?And Xiao Qiu, she seemed to regret that she was not a man, and it would cost a lot of money to marry her off.What about Todd and Fran?Todd is talking to Jemin at the moment, while Fran is alone, her expression shows her fear, because Aya's decision will determine her future.

Aya knew she had no choice.If she came back to Jamin, his father would destroy him. "I want to say goodbye to him," she whispered. "And tell him about your noble sacrifice?" Mayboken smiled triumphantly. "Then he will draw his sword to protect you, so that my men will kill him to death?" "I see," Aya said, knowing she couldn't tell the truth; she would have to lie to him again.She looked at her father. "Did he already know that I am the heir of the Mei family?" "He found it at the Declan's, where there was a man who used to work on your estate; you didn't recognize that man." He raised his eyebrows. "Didn't Meng Jieming start pursuing you there?"

"You seem to know a lot." Aya pursed her lips tightly. She needed time to digest this matter: Did Jaymin find out that she was the heir of the Mei family, so he started to pay attention to her? "Information is good for making money. Do you know that those two so-called sister-in-laws of yours planned all of this? They organized the whole village to get a few sets of fancy clothes for your lover in order to pursue the Mei family's gold." He narrowed his eyes when he saw that Aya already knew about it. "They're the ones who paid O'Henry to kidnap you." "Me?" Aya laughed. "It seems that you have received wrong information. It is O'Henry himself who wants to arrest the heir." "No, they instigated O. Henry to take you away so that their brother and Fulan could be alone. Meng Jieming mentioned you when he wrote home, and they were worried that you would seduce him." When she still looked disbelieving, he said, "They don't welcome you very warmly, do they?" Aya didn't answer, just looked at Jemin.With his back to her, he stepped on a fallen log.She didn't have to look at his hands to know he was playing with his dagger again.Even if Jieming really lied to her by pretending not to know that she was the heir of the Mei family, she wouldn't blame him.He loves his family and they need him. Aya didn't say anything to her father, she straightened her body and walked towards Jemin, she knew all eyes were on her.Did his two sisters really hire O'Henry to kidnap her?Were they ignorant enough to think the kidnapping was just a harmless prank?Fulan may have been injured, or even killed, while Jamin's back had been battered to pieces. It's all about money, Aya thought to herself, and pride.Rather than groveling and turning to rich relatives, they chose to endanger a woman's life so they could get the Mei family's gold. And Jemin agreed to everything. She knew Jemin heard her footsteps, but he didn't turn his head.When she stood in front of him, he didn't look at her directly, "Did you laugh at me hard?" He looked into the distance and asked. "Poor ignorant Jemin. You and Fulan must have laughed at me for a long time! From the first day when I thought she was the heir, and later when I said you can't go with us. Now I understand, seize this day, yes , that's what you need before you marry your fiancé who is as rich as you." When he turned to look at her, his eyes were more ruthless than Mayboken's. "Todd says your fiancé is impotent, are you using me to get the kids he can't give you?" Although his words hurt people, Aya wanted to run over, grab his neck, tell him how much she loved him, and could understand what he did.But what if Jaymin believed her and forgave her?Her mind went to the scene of Jamin drawing his sword and attacking her father's men.Would Jemin raise his head and say to her with a smile when he was seriously injured and dying, "It's just three hundred people." "Yes," she said. "I said our marriage would not last long. My father has destroyed all evidence that we were married. I must go with him now." For a moment, Jemin's eyes seemed to beg her to stay, but then his eyes changed. "Hope you didn't do it out of undue sacrifice." He didn't say that he would die for her too, but she knew that if she said a word, he would fight for her—until death. She threw back her head and laughed loudly. "Oh, Jemin, you're so funny. Do you really think I'd give up the May estate to marry the poor Earl? Look at yourself! What do you have that I'd want? Just to take care of you That dysfunctional family is a lifetime responsibility. A crazy mother, a blind sister, and a sister who can't decide if she's a man or a woman. How could a woman want to marry you? I just It's just looking for something to pass the time before my father comes to pick me up!" "Yes," he said coldly. "I can see that you must have taken what I told you in private as a joke." "It can be treated as a joke after dinner for several years. Excuse me, I have to go, my father is waiting for me." After speaking, she turned around and prepared to leave. "Come on, Todd." But Todd held Pei Ling's hand tightly and said, "I won't go." Aya knew she would break if she stopped to think about his answer.She turned her head to look at Fu Lan, raising her eyebrows in question. Fran held out her hand immediately, and the two of them—without looking back—went to Mayboken and the saddled horse. Tomorrow is Aya's wedding day. She didn't pretend to be happy that this day was coming, because she knew it would be the happiest day of her life.No, she corrected herself, the last time she saw Jamin three months ago had been the happiest day of her life. Since then, there have been many times when she wanted to write to Jemin to explain why she did it, but fear stopped her.What if Jaymin believed her?Aya kept asking herself, what if he believed she loved him? She pressed her stomach with one hand, and rushed to the toilet to vomit again—that was probably the thousandth time today!Perhaps a small part of her had known she was pregnant when she left Jermyn that day, perhaps she had learned that she had to protect her child and her husband. Her father did delay her marriage to Boquegee to see if she was pregnant.As soon as it was confirmed that she was pregnant, he immediately raised the price of the bride. "Even sell my own grandson." Aya murmured, but to her, since leaving Jemin, nothing was important anymore. The woman her father had hired to look after her told her that she was about to live like a queen, with countless servants at her beck and call.They would dress and undress her and cut her plate into small pieces. "Chew it for me again?" she asked, but no one could understand her mood.To her, selling dragon cloth on the carriage was the happiest memory in her life. But Aya managed not to have memories, managed not to think or feel anything.The maid told her that the child would be sent to be raised elsewhere once it was born. "Because London is not suitable for children." "Then why do I have to live in London?" Aya muttered, but no one bothered to understand her sarcasm and anger. And what grew inside her every day was anger.Why didn't Jaymin believe her?Why think so badly of her?Did he really already know who she was? "It's time to sleep." A beautiful woman said to her.The women my father hired were all pretty, maybe not as pretty as Fran, but more likable than her, Meiya. Aya sighed, and raised her hand to let the maid untie the heavy satin dress for her. Hanging on the wall was her wedding dress. The whole dress was studded with pure gold lace, weighing more than her I don't know how to walk in it. Tomorrow she will meet her fiancé.In the past three months, neither he nor his father had indicated that they wanted to see her, because they wanted his father's money, not her. When Aya finally put on her linen pajamas and the sheets were drawn, she lay down on the bed.Only at night did she have privacy, and only then did tears flow. But tonight she didn't cry, tonight when she was alone in the room with the candles out, her eyes were hot and dry, and there was only one word on her mind: Jemin.jamin, where are you?Have you ever thought about me?Did you ever love me? She fell asleep and woke up, tossing and turning on the bed, thinking that she heard a strange sound, but then fell asleep again, dreaming that someone was chasing her. She woke up with a start when someone was on top of her and put a hand over her mouth. When she found that it was Jemin who was on top of her, she could not help being frightened that his life might be in danger.If Father finds out he's here, he'll kill Jaymin. "Shut up." He said softly, and Aya saw blood on his face and multiple rips on his vest.How did he break in? "I went to France to find the priest who officiated our wedding, and I also found the recorder, if you like, I can prove that we were indeed married," he hesitated. "But if you want to marry Bougquig—" He was cut short as Aya grabbed his neck and sealed his mouth with a kiss. "We don't have time to make out," murmured Jemin, but he didn't intend to pull her away. Finally Aya turned her face away. "I can't go with you, my father will—" "Fuck your father!" said Jemin excitedly.Aya quickly covered his mouth and looked anxiously at the door, but Jemin pulled her hand away and kissed it. "My father will disinherit me and do terrible things to you. You don't know what he is." "I know he is only rich, not a king who can decide the life and death of others. Aya, I want you, not your money." Aya looked at Jemin in surprise. "What about your family?" "We've moved in with relatives." "Oh, Jemin, you don't want to do that! You don't like to live on handouts." He kissed Aya tenderly. "As long as I can be with you, I am willing to do anything. I love you more than my self-esteem." It took Aya a moment to understand what he was saying.She knew it was romantic, but it wasn't practical. "Your sisters hate me, they—" Jemin shut her mouth with a kiss. "If there's anyone they're mad at, it's me. Everyone misses you." That sentence made Aya look at Jemin suspiciously, because she remembered that Pei Ling and Xiao Qiu had asked someone to kidnap her. Seeing Aya's expression, Jemin smiled slightly. "A lot has happened in the months since you left. Todd and Pei Ling fell in love and wanted to get married. You are right, Aya, Pei Ling said Todd was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. She Trying to make perfume now, but she says she needs you," Jemin looked at Aya and knew he was making progress because he saw a gleam in Aya's eyes when he said "need". "Xiao Qiu doesn't want me." Aiya said. "Xiaoqiu is in a worse mood than anyone else—of course, except for me, she said that you love me so much that you are even willing to give up the Mei family property for me, and she said that she may never be able to love a man so deeply. Really Do you really love me that much?" Aya took a deep breath. "I love you so much—" She shook her head violently and started pushing Jemin. "No, my father will destroy you, he will—" "I know, but his strength is definitely not comparable to the entire Meng family. If necessary, we can go to Scotland. The Meng family owns a place in Scotland that even God can't find. But it depends on what you mean, Aya, if you are willing to follow me..." Her fingers caressed his cheek. "I would like to follow you to the ends of the earth." "Even if I don't have gold?" Jemin asked softly. "You've given me the gold I want," she replied, referring to the child in her belly, but she wasn't about to tell him just yet. After a while, she broke free from Jemin's arms and said, "How do we get out of here? My father's guards." "Come with me." He pulled Aya out of bed, and when she almost fell, Jemin picked her up and walked to the window.Four floors down, the spectacle of thousands of people on horseback, with the sun slowly rising behind them, could be described as an army. "Who are these people?" "Come from England, Scotland, Ireland and France to catch the Meng family. I originally wanted to bring more people, but the Meng family in the United States couldn't make it in time." "Jammin," she whispered. "You're doing this for me?" "There's more I'd love to do. I love you with all my heart, Aya, more than I love myself," he paused, kissing her lightly. "Now, would you like to come with me...my wife?" "Yes," she said. "My husband, I am willing to go anywhere with you."