Chapter 196: The Divorce Letter, Gone with the Wind

After Yu Fu and his mother finished their whispered conversation and returned to their seats, it wasn’t long before Jiao Qingqing approached.

In her hands was a freshly written divorce letter, the ink still not yet dry, along with a brush dipped in ink.

Handing the paper and brush to Yu Fu, she offered a faint smile, the dimples at the corners of her lips gently deepening.

“Husband, sign it.”

“Qingqing…”

Yu Fu hesitated, unwilling to put his brush on the paper. His mother, on the other hand, was stomping her foot in frustration.

“Sign it, Yu Fu! Are you trying to drive me to my grave?!”

Jiao Qingqing gently placed a hand on Yu Fu’s shoulder and whispered, “Sign it…”

In the end, Yu Fu signed the divorce letter.

Jiao Qingqing took the letter, folded it carefully, and tucked it into the front of her robes. Then, she leaned in slightly, her lips nearing Yu Fu’s ear as she murmured softly.

“Take care of yourself, husband. Stop worrying so much about appearances—just live a good life.”

At that moment, Yu Fu didn’t even dare lift his head to look at her face. He could only lower his gaze, mumbling two barely audible responses.

Straightening up, Jiao Qingqing turned toward Gu Ning’an, silently mouthed a “Thank you, sir,” and then gracefully left, without the slightest hesitation.

Boom!

A sudden clap of thunder rolled across the clear sky!

Outside, Zheng De, who had been greeting guests at the entrance, saw Jiao Qingqing coming out. He called out, “Cousin-in-law, you’re already done eating? Stay a while longer—I haven’t even toasted you yet!”

Jiao Qingqing smiled and shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Zheng De was about to say something, guessing that his second aunt must have caused trouble again, when suddenly—

Boom!

A muffled thunderclap rumbled through the sky!

Zheng De looked up, frowning. “Cousin-in-law, do you think it’s going to rain?”

Receiving no reply, he turned to look around—but Jiao Qingqing was already gone.

Puzzled, he glanced up at the sky again, wondering if it really might rain.

Boom!

Another sudden dry thunderclap echoed overhead!

At that moment, Zheng De saw a lone blade of grass twirling in the wind, drifting far away…

…

Inside the main hall, Yu Fu suddenly stood up, as if sensing something, and made to walk outside.

“Stop right there!”

His mother’s sharp rebuke froze him in place.

She strode over, pushed him back down into his seat, then turned to Liao Cui with a smile.

“Daughter-in-law, Yu Fu is now a free man. If he marries you, you’ll be the official wife.”

“So, about the betrothal gift—shall we stick to the twenty taels we agreed on yesterday?”

Hearing this, Liao Cui’s expression became complicated. Though she wanted the fifty taels more than anything, she had no choice but to nod reluctantly.

“Alright… twenty taels it is.”

“Wonderful! Wonderful!”

Yu Fu’s mother beamed with joy, giving her son a knowing look before continuing.

“Then we’ll go to your house today to finalize the betrothal. We’ll pick an auspicious date as soon as possible so we can arrange the wedding banquet!”

Liao Cui nodded. “Alright, I’ll go home and talk to my father first.”

“Good, good, good!”

Yu Fu’s mother patted her son on the shoulder. “Why are you just sitting there? See Ms. Liao out!”

Liao Cui stood up with a smile. “No need. Young Master Yu is a man of deep feelings—let him take his time to process everything.”

“Ah!” Yu Fu’s mother grinned in satisfaction. “Look at that! Miss Liao is so understanding!”

Not long after, under Yu Fu’s mother’s enthusiastic send-off, Liao Cui left the Zheng household…

Nightfall

As the guests departed, Zheng De and his wife finally learned of Jiao Qingqing’s ordeal. Both of them were furious.

“This is outrageous!”

“How do I even have such a second aunt?!”

“If it weren’t for the fact that she’s my late mother’s sister, I’d have cut ties with that family long ago!”

“What kind of people are they?!”

After venting his anger, Zheng De took a sip of tea, then turned to Gu Ning’an.

“Sir, can you help me figure out where my cousin-in-law went?”

“I only looked away for a moment today, and then she was gone. I’m afraid she might do something drastic or run into some scoundrels…”

Gu Ning’an picked up his teacup, his tone calm.

“Don’t worry. Nothing worse than what she went through today will happen to her.”

“So, sir, you mean… my cousin-in-law is safe?” Tan Bing asked doubtfully.

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Yes, she’s safe.”

…

The Fifth Day of the Lunar New Year – Welcoming the God of Wealth¹

From midnight onward, firecrackers had been exploding non-stop. The endless noise made it impossible for Gu Ning’an to sleep, so he set up a sound-blocking spell in his room before he could finally rest.

He slept until noon. Upon waking, he cooked a simple meal—a plate of stir-fried greens, a bowl of soup with meat, and freshly steamed rice—just enough to fill his stomach.

With nothing else to do, he decided to take a stroll through town. But the moment he stepped outside, he saw Butcher Liu carrying a small folding stool as he walked out.

“Butcher Liu, heading out for a chat?”

“Oh, no, no… A news teller just arrived at the market, saying he has some earth-shattering news to share.”

“Everyone’s going, so I figured I’d go join the crowd. Want to come along, Mr. Gu?”

“Sure, give me a moment to grab a stool.”

Gu Ning’an stepped back into his courtyard and returned holding a wooden stool. It was made by Carpenter Zhao—top-quality craftsmanship, both sturdy and comfortable.

Unfortunately, he had never had much occasion to use it—until today. With the news teller in town, it was finally coming in handy.

With a stool in each hand, Gu Ning’an and Butcher Liu walked side by side toward the market. The streets were already bustling with people, and nearly everyone was carrying a seat of some kind.

Some had folding stools, others carried long wooden benches, and a few even brought backrest chairs.

There was no need to ask—they were all heading to the same place.

But why was everyone bringing their own chairs?

The reason was simple:

News tellers like this one wandered the land, never staying in one place. Because of the cost, they never rented a venue for their performances.

So, if you wanted to listen, you had to bring your own seat. Otherwise, you’d either be blocking people behind you or standing for too long and getting exhausted.

Now, don’t confuse a “storyteller” with a “news teller”—the difference was more than just the word.

Storytellers typically performed in teahouses, bookstores, or inns. Sometimes, if a wealthy patron paid them, they would perform at private residences.

Their stories often came from various sources—books, hearsay, folk tales, or even their own imagination. Some of their tales were true, but many were fictional.

News tellers, however, were entirely different.

First, they had no fixed residence, constantly roaming from place to place—even crossing borders into other nations. Their main task was to gather and bring back important news from foreign lands.

In this sense, they were very similar to modern-day reporters, except they didn’t have a fixed publishing platform—instead, they would share news wherever they traveled.

Second, their stories were about 80 to 90 percent factual.

The remaining inaccuracies came from either incorrect information they had received while gathering news, or events they were unable to fully investigate.