Chapter 5

Facing Master Fu's eager eyes, Zhen Bao chose to remain silent.

Master Fu could see that Zhen Bao was not consenting, but was silently refusing. Since the child was unwilling, Master Fu could not stubbornly cling on either. He patted his thighs and shook his head, "Forget it, let's not talk about this for now. Bao Bao, come with grandpa to your grandfather's grave to burn some incense sticks. It's far away and we don't get to see him often. It's not easy to visit him once." After speaking, he turned his head to look at his grandson, "Go get the Lao Bai spirit from the car. Zhen Commander used to love drinking that the most."

Fu Ming Shi strode past Zhen Bao without even glancing at her.

Zhen Bao was still looking at the ground, also not casting a single glance at him.

Master Fu walked over with a smile, and whispered as if sharing a secret, "Bao Bao, tell grandpa the truth, do you think Ming Shi looks decent?"

Zhen Bao glanced at him and slowly nodded her head. Even if Fu Ming Shi was ugly, out of courtesy, she could not denigrate his grandson in front of Master Fu.

Master Fu stroked his beard and laughed, "Then I'll also tell you the truth. This child Ming Shi has had a cold temper since young. He is only passionate about his work. He's already 28 this year but has never been in love before. I tried arranging blind dates for him but he avoids them like the plague. This time, he came by himself after seeing your photo, without me having to put in much effort. In my opinion, he must have taken a liking to you already."

But Zhen Bao thought about the prenuptial agreement. Fu Ming Shi did not like her, he was just too filial to the elderly.

"You're also at the age to fall in love. Do you have someone you like?" Master Fu started probing into Zhen Bao's life.

Speaking of this topic, Zhen Bao felt a little embarrassed and shook her head. She was a good student who studied hard and did not date early. After dropping out of school, some people pursued her but Zhen Bao felt they did not meet her expectations and firmly rejected them. These two years, Granny Guo kindly tried matchmaking for her a few times but for various reasons, Zhen Bao did not fancy any of them. She was not in a hurry either, many of her peers were still studying.

"You've never dated before, the two of you are even more well-suited." Stealing a glance at his grandson who was carrying two bottles of wine back, Master Fu teased Zhen Bao meaningfully.

Zhen Bao smiled awkwardly.

"Let's go, we can chat while walking." Master Fu beckoned for Fu Ming Shi, who was waiting over there, to go ahead of him as he took the lead in striding out the door. Zhen Bao noticed the paper ingots for burning in Fu Ming Shi's hands and grabbed a lighter to put in her pocket.

On the way, Master Fu told Zhen Bao many old stories between him and Commander Zhen. Zhen Bao listened with great interest, finding him increasingly amiable.

Fu Ming Shi walked behind the two, carrying things. Seeing Zhen Bao smile at the old master once again, he pondered and spoke to Zhen Bao for the first time since being bitten by the goose, "This morning, why didn't you let me in the door?" Other than the somewhat ridiculous marital requirements, he didn't think he had offended her. Seeing her well-behaved manner before the old master, it meant she acknowledged the relationship between their families. There was no reason to respect the old master yet be rude to him.

Zhen Bao looked back at him, embarrassedly lowering her head, "I thought you were a scammer..."

Fu Ming Shi's already cold face turned colder.

Master Fu guffawed loudly, praising Zhen Bao, "One can never be too careful. Bao Bao did the right thing."

Fu Ming Shi was speechless, turning his head to look at the rolling hills.

Master Fu still recalled where the Zhen ancestral graves were located so they made their way there without Zhen Bao's guidance. Arriving before the graves of Zhen Bao's ancestors, Master Fu let the two young ones walk further away while he knelt alone before Commander Zhen's grave to reminisce about the past. Zhen Bao vaguely heard a few sentences and curious, wanted to turn her head to take a look. When she turned, she accidentally collided into Fu Ming Shi's gaze.

It seemed to be just an accident, Fu Ming Shi's gaze drifted away calmly as he stood on the brown hilltop in his black suit, tall and upright, gazing into the distance. He looked like a black eagle surveying its territory. Zhen Bao glanced at his new trousers, biting her lip, lowering her voice, "I'm sorry, do you want me to stick a bandaid on you when we get back? I have some at home."

"No need." Fu Ming Shi said while looking up at the horizon. Indeed there was no need, because he had already put one on.

Since the other party did not appreciate the gesture, Zhen Bao dispiritedly shut her mouth.

A sudden sound of grievous weeping suddenly drifted from the graveside. The two turned around at the same time, only to see Master Fu kneeling at the tombstone, seeming drunk as he cried intermittently, "Commander, I've let you down, I've also let those two children down. If not for me breaking my word, Tong Tong would not have died in a car accident, and Da Yong would also not have been deceived by a woman... They should have been together...It's all my fault. This is retribution. Don't cure me, let me go down to see you all earlier...Commander, even if you beat or scold me I won't fight back..."

The elderly should not be too emotionally agitated. Fu Ming Shi immediately went over to advise him.

"Ming Shi, don't mind me, go away, let me be with the Commander." Master Fu hugged the tombstone with one hand while pushing away his grandson with the other. While the outside world had underwent tremendous change over the decades, gazing around, this mountain region did not seem to have changed much. The mountains looked the same as when they crossed them during the war, the graves seemed just like the mounds the soldiers dug after death. Master Fu was moved by the scene before him. Having drank a bottle of strong alcohol, his suppressed regret over many years now gushed out all at once, putting the blame for the misfortune of the betrothed children entirely on himself.

No matter how Fu Ming Shi tried to persuade him, Master Fu would not listen.

Seeing the elderly cry so sorrowfully, and over her grandfather and father no less, Zhen Bao had never met her paternal grandfather but she remembered her father. She soon started crying as well, kneeling next to Master Fu, crying while persuading him, "Master Fu please stop saying that, my grandfather does not blame you, my father does not blame you either. It was their fate, it had nothing to do with you..."

"How is it unrelated?" Master Fu's face was covered in old tears as he pointed at Commander Zhen's grave and wept, "Back then the Commander shook my hand and entered the engagement with me. I agreed in one breath. The Commander was so happy. But I didn't fulfill it. I failed his trust. I don't deserve for the Commander to save my life with his...It's all my fault. I don't deserve to have the Commander call me brother..." The old man wept so heartwrenchingly. It was as if Zhen Bao saw the scene from back then. She also understood for the first time why Master Fu was so adamant about the seemingly ridiculous childhood betrothal. Zhen Bao did not know if her grandfather blamed this comrade in arms but she truly could not bear to continue listening.

"Master Fu, I agree, I agree to marry into your family. Please don't be like this anymore..."

Her grandfather had saved Master Fu's life but her grandmother told her that at the time, their family was so poor they could not even afford to cook. If not for Master Fu giving them a sum of money, her grandmother would not have been able to raise her father, and without her father there would be no her. Hence this was all cause and effect, there was no owing or being owed. Master Fu really need not feel guilty toward the Zhen family, and even less should think that heaven was punishing him. What wrong had he committed?

"Master Fu, please don't be like this. I'll go with you." Zhen Bao's eyes were red from crying.

"Really?" Among the persuasion by the two young ones, only Zhen Bao's words entered the old master's ears.

Zhen Bao wiped her eyes and nodded.

Master Fu was overjoyed, not the joy of making money or even winning the lottery, but the joy of fulfilling a long-held wish - no longer needing to feel ashamed before his comrade, no longer needing to feel guilty in conscience. It was as if dying now, in this lifetime he no longer had any regrets.

"Ming Shi, quickly kneel down, you two kowtow to the Commander together." Swaying as he stood, Master Fu shakily pulled at his grandson.

Fu Ming Shi looked at the hot tears in the old man's eyes, then at Zhen Bao kneeling there with lowered head. He took a deep breath, and let go of all his previous aversion toward this feudal and backwards custom, along with his doubts about Zhen Bao's qualifications and dissatisfaction with her personality.

Since the old master was so adamant, and since Zhen Bao had softened her stance and agreed for the old master's sake, against her true wishes, as a man, what more could he not let go of?

The old master was insistent. If the netherworld truly existed, if Commander Zhen below could really see all this, having proposed the childhood betrothal in the first place, he would surely be willing to entrust his granddaughter to Fu Ming Shi's care now, right?

Glancing at Zhen Bao, Fu Ming Shi suddenly grabbed her left hand and pulled her along to kowtow to the gravestone, solemnly vowing, "Elder Zhen, Commander Zhen, please rest assured, I will take good care of Bao Bao. As long as Bao Bao does not despise me, I will spend my whole life devoted to her alone in this lifetime."

The old master had broken his word before, but he would keep his word.

After getting engaged, Zhen Bao would slowly grow to like him. Even if he still did not have feelings for her, he would work hard to be a good husband, and would never use the excuse of finding true love to look for someone else outside. If Zhen Bao looked down on him, then after the old master recovered, he would respect Zhen Bao's wishes and cancel the engagement, setting her free to find her other half.

After kowtowing, Fu Ming Shi slowly straightened up, still holding onto Zhen Bao's hand.

Zhen Bao stared blankly at him.

Why was he being so serious? Didn't they agree to get engaged first and let the feelings develop naturally? But Fu Ming Shi's tone just now, unexpectedly made her feel like he intended to spend his whole life with her as husband and wife. When they had just met two days ago...

Zhen Bao gently pulled her hand free, thinking to herself that later she would also have to write up an agreement, lest Fu Ming Shi mistake the play for reality.

She did not want his money. As long as he did not get handsy with her, things would be fine.