Ah Jiu had also thought for a long time.
She resorted to this plan so her family could enter the city smoothly, and she didn't think she was wrong.
But if it angered her mother to this extent, then it was Jiu'er's fault.
"Mother, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have angered you." Jiu'er lowered her head and apologized obediently.
Over there, Cai Lihua had already broken off a twig, ready to lecture her daughter.
"Lihua, what are you doing? Let's talk about it..." Meng Shaode understood women's tempers and was about to try to mediate when he saw the situation.
"You shut up, or I'll lecture you too."
Cai Lihua's gaze returned to Ah Jiu's face.
Ah Jiu could only tell them everything.
As she spoke, the couple's eyes widened. By the end, the twig in Cai Lihua's hand dropped to the ground with a clatter:
"How could you be so foolish? To trade your own lifelong happiness for us to enter the city? Silly girl, tell me honestly, did that Tuoba kid touch you?"
"He didn't touch me." Although Ah Jiu didn't understand matters of the heart, she knew what the word "touch" implied.
Ah Jiu shook her head, "I don't want our family to be separated again. If I didn't do this, Jiu'er couldn't think of any other way to prevent Father from going to war."
"But you can't push yourself into a fiery pit! Have you even looked at who Tuoba Yan really is? He might truly be that murderous demon!"
Cai Lihua felt both heartbroken and indignant.
"Mother, I know."
"You know he... he kills people?" Cai Lihua and Meng Shaode said in unison.
This news was more terrifying than suddenly finding out their daughter had sacrificed her lifelong happiness to help the family.
"You know?" Cai Lihua repeated in disbelief.
"Yes, I saw him kill people with inhuman methods with my own eyes, so I knew it long ago."
Ah Jiu's gaze was firm and unwavering as she looked at her mother:
"But he has always been very good to our family, hasn't he? And the situation was so urgent at the time, I don't think anyone would have been willing to be used by me."
"Ah? Used? My silly girl, you still think you were the one using him? Don't you know that Tuoba Yan, that scoundrel, dreams of marrying you?"
Cai Lihua felt her precious daughter was too naive.
All this time, that boy Tuoba Yan had ulterior motives. Did her daughter not notice at all?
"Ah?" Ah Jiu was stunned. How did her mother know? Ah Jiu wasn't even sure if what Tuoba Yan said later was a joke.
"What 'ah' for..." Cai Lihua's heart was as anxious as if a thousand ants were gnawing at it.
"Lihua, don't get ahead of yourself. In my opinion, this has already happened. We need to find a way to solve this for our daughter. Otherwise, how will she get married in the future?"
Meng Shaode finally dared to interject.
Back then, the couple thought their daughter was as beautiful as a flower. Fatting her up meant she would be even more beautiful and plump. They even thought only royalty was worthy of their daughter.
Now, they had been taken advantage of by a rogue.
"How do we solve it? You tell me how to solve it!" Cai Lihua felt she couldn't calm down at all after this incident.
"Daughter, there's no one else around now. Just tell your parents honestly, where did that Tuoba Yan go?" Meng Shaode looked at his daughter with concern.
With that opening, Cai Lihua found her direction, "Yes, tell us where he ran off to. We'll drag him out from the ends of the earth to end this engagement."
"He went home. He said he's never coming back." Ah Jiu told the truth.
The couple exchanged a glance, "Home?"
"Yes, he disappeared the day he said that."
Cai Lihua sank to the ground, rubbing her face and looking blankly ahead, "It's over."
"If he dares to come back, I'll kill him." Meng Shaode also realized something was seriously wrong. But if he never came back, it might be a good thing. However, he couldn't swallow his anger now.