As soon as Grayson Forrest finished speaking, Matilda paused and looked at him: "What did you say?"
"Was I unclear? I said it’s okay; I’ll marry you."
Matilda’s tear-filled eyes overwheld her, "I... I’m no longer qualified."
"To , such things have never mattered.
What matters to is how I feel about you.
If you feel the sa way about , then I’ll marry you.
Instead of marrying soone you don’t love and spending a lifeti in misery,
why not choose soone who can truly understand and cherish you for a lifeti?"
Grayson pulled her into an embrace: "This isn’t your fault; it’s mine.
I didn’t see the note you left in ti.
It’s my fault—I liked you but was too uncertain about your feelings to confess mine.
Things have already reached this point now.
I don’t want my indecisiveness to make miss out on you again. I’ll marry you."
Matilda nodded hard, "I’m willing, I’m willing."
Grayson released her: "Yellow Mount seems to be planning to marry you, and the villagers are urging Mr. Sullivan.
Let’s go; I’ll take you ho to explain it to Mr. Sullivan clearly."
"No," Matilda grabbed his arm: "I’ll go back and talk to my father myself.
You’re an educated youth; I’m afraid my father won’t agree."
"I’ll work hard to make Mr. Sullivan accept ."
Matilda shook her head: "No, I understand my father’s temperant. Even though this isn’t your fault,
here in the countryside, people’s thinking is conservative. I can’t just think from my own perspective.
Give so ti; I’ll talk to my father myself."
Grayson frowned: "Are you sure you’ll be able to?"
"Yes," Matilda nodded firmly.
Grayson held her shoulders: "Rember, I’ll always be behind you, supporting you."
The two of them returned to the village, stopping at the health clinic’s entrance. Matilda waved her hand, signaling him to leave first.
Grayson turned and walked away, but unease lingered in his heart.
Matilda was right; this was the countryside, and the community wasn’t as open-minded. It was likely Matilda’s father would reject their union.
After returning ho, the situation in the yard hadn’t improved.
Seeing her return, Matilda’s mother and sister ca forward to greet her.
The villagers who had been persuading Mr. Sullivan also fell silent.
Matilda didn’t even glance at Yellow Mount, who was being forced to kneel on the ground.
She walked up to Mr. Sullivan: "Dad, can I talk to you?"
"Co inside," Mr. Sullivan turned and entered the main room, Matilda followed and sat down on a small stool across from him.
"Dad, I’m sorry. Have I disappointed you terribly?"
Mr. Sullivan took two drags on his hand-rolled cigarette and asked, "Matilda, I understand you.
The handwriting on that note is indeed yours. Tell the truth, did you proactively seduce that boy?"
Matilda shook her head: "No, absolutely not.
Dad, I wrote that note, but it wasn’t ant for Yellow Mount."
"So you’ve set your sights on one of the educated youths then? Who is it?"
Matilda bit her lip and lowered her eyes, tears welling up: "It’s... Grayson."
"Grayson, huh?" Mr. Sullivan sighed helplessly: "That boy does seem to be a solid candidate, but alas."
"Dad, Grayson just said he’s willing to marry ."
Mr. Sullivan frowned: "What do you think?"
"I like him, and he likes , so... I want to be with him."
Mr. Sullivan let out a faint sigh: "My girl, this matter isn’t as simple as you think.
The whole village knows you’ve been ruined by Yellow Mount.
If you were to be with Grayson now, have you thought about how he’d be talked about?
What man doesn’t care about his woman’s purity?
Even if he says now he doesn’t mind,
over ti, being talked about constantly, he’d eventually reach his breaking point.
It’s not going to work—I think you should consider it carefully.
Yellow Mount just suggested marrying you, and I think..."
"I will never marry him; he’s a scumbag."
Matilda stood up, agitated: "Dad, I don’t like him.
If I end up with him, my life will be ruined."
"Since ancient tis, marriages have been decided by parents and matchmakers. Many won have lived their lives like this.
Do you think those won who stayed with their husbands until old age did so because they had the privilege to choose?
My girl, even though it’s no longer ancient tis, the bias against won will always exist.
While Grayson still has feelings for you, I hope you can make things clear with him.
The two of you aren’t suited for each other.
Right now he’s an educated youth working in the countryside; who knows what he might beco in the future?
You certainly don’t want him to hate you or for others to talk behind his back and say he’s picking up soone’s leftovers.
I’m not trying to hurt you, just make sure your later years don’t beco a subject of gossip.
Marry Yellow Mount, and at least today’s unfortunate event wouldn’t have been in vain."
"How could it not be in vain," Matilda began sobbing, "I could’ve had such happiness.
The man I like also likes , but now everything has been destroyed by this damned Yellow Mount.
Why should I marry him? I won’t, I won’t!"
Mr. Sullivan threw his cigarette to the ground with a loud thud: "Then tell , what should we do?
Do you think I want you to end up with that Yellow Mount?
I’m doing this for you, for your own good, don’t you see that?
If you marry Grayson, not only will Grayson face constant criticism because of you,
but your mother and I will be left with no place to show our faces once we step outside.
Do you not understand how important a girl’s purity is?
How could you et with a man alone without permission?
Tell , tell what I’m supposed to think of you! Huh?
Why, do you want to push your mom and to our deathbeds before you’ll be satisfied?
Matilda, you’re not a child anymore; you’re seventeen. You should understand so things by now.
Your father isn’t trying to hurt you; the path I’m pointing out to you is the one that’s best for you.
You can’t be blind to reason."
Matilda collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her father’s reasoning was irrefutable, leaving her unable to respond.
She didn’t have the ans to elope with Grayson—not to ntion the devastating consequences it could bring to his life.
As an educated youth, everyone knew how serious the consequences of fleeing would be.
But if she stayed here to endure years and years of being whispered about, who could bear it?
Even the most beautiful love would eventually wither.
Mr. Sullivan stood up: "Cry if you must, but no matter how much you cry, this isn’t sothing you can decide for yourself.
You’ll marry Yellow Mount—I’ve made the decision for you."
After her father left, Matilda stayed in the house, crying her heart out, the walls seeming to crumble around her.
Mr. Sullivan acted on his own initiative, going outside and making Yellow Mount write a letter to the family in front of the gathered villagers.
Though many of them were illiterate, Mr. Sullivan, being educated, had them witness it as he prepared the letter.
Once written, he arranged for soone to send the letter out.
In this way, Yellow Mount managed to hold onto his life.
At least no one was calling for him to be handed over to the police anymore.
Yellow Mount returned to the village committee, where Grayson grabbed him by the collar and shouted: "How dare you co back?"
Yellow Mount pushed his hand away: "Why shouldn’t I co back?
Grayson Forrest, you really think you’re sothing, huh? After everything that happened, you didn’t help , fine, but hitting ?
Not even the villagers dared lay a finger on —what gives you the right?"
Grayson struck him again with a punch: "You ask what gives the right? You ruined a woman’s purity—don’t you deserve to be hit?"
"It’s none of your business. Let warn you—if you touch again, I’ll call the police.
The Sullivan family has agreed to my proposal, which ans Matilda Sullivan is now my woman.
I decide when I sleep with her—you should stay out of it."
"What did you say?" Grayson roared.
"Oh, what’s got you so worked up now? I can see it—you’ve got sothing for Matilda Sullivan, don’t you?
She’s quite the flavor, I’ll admit. But now she has nothing to do with you, got it?"
"What did you say?" Grayson, seething with rage, shoved him to the ground, and the two began fighting fiercely.
Eventually, two other male educated youths who didn’t know what was going on stepped in to separate them.
Grayson slamd his fist into the ground before standing up and heading straight to the Sullivan house.
Of course, Matilda couldn’t convince her father—it seed he would have to step in himself.
When he arrived at the village health clinic, the backyard door was tightly closed. He knocked on the door but got no response.
He shouted: "Mr. Sullivan, open the door, it’s Grayson Forrest, I need to speak with you."
Inside the house, Matilda was a sobbing ss, kneeling in front of Mr. Sullivan: "Dad, I beg you, please open the door and let Grayson co in."
Mr. Sullivan’s eyes glistened with mist, but his tone was firm: "This door won’t open.
Matilda, I know you’re hurting, but this is for your own good. Listen to . Hold on, endure—it’ll pass."
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