78 Assistant Minister

◎Daddy wants me to go and talk to Pei Yue◎

Mr. Chu also said a few words of blessing and told her to do her duty, and the ceremony was completed.

The maid lifted the gilded veil and gently placed it over Chu Jinhe's head. Carefully, she guided her along the red carpet, gradually moving out of the hall. The scarlet figure stepped over the threshold and gradually walked away.

Everyone stood up and followed the bride to escort her out of the house.

Grandma Wei watched the figures in the crowd walk away, then slowly stood up from her chair. She looked around the hall, which had suddenly become much emptier, and sighed with a hint of loneliness, "Grandma is getting old. Seeing you all leave the house one by one, this house is becoming increasingly empty."

Chu Yufu hurried forward, firmly held her grandmother's arm, and spoke softly.

"Grandma, what are you talking about? Don't we have a third brother and a fourth sister at home? What's more, Aunt Bai is pregnant. By this time next year, the little one will probably be able to turn over. By then, there will be a little baby in the house, and it will be noisy. I'm afraid you will find it too noisy."

Seeing her talking so animatedly, Grandma Wei laughed so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out.

While everyone was rushing out of the hall, making a lot of noise, she pulled Chu Yufu closer, glanced quickly at her flat belly, and asked in a low voice.

"Fu girl, you've been married for a few months now. Is there any movement in your belly?"

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums rose to the sky outside. Chu Yufu didn't hear clearly for a moment, and tilted her ear to the side and said "Huh?" Grandma Wei had no choice but to move closer and repeat it.

Chu Yufu understood now. Her cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears. She shook her head repeatedly: "Grandma! I'm not in a hurry yet!"

Bixu Pavilion had just opened, and things were complicated and hadn't been fully sorted out yet. She had to go there almost every other day. Madam Jiang's back had just gotten better, but she still needed treatment. Young Master Yan still needed acupuncture, and Madam Shen also needed treatment, so she had to be distracted.

That wasn't all; all the affairs of the Pei Mansion's inner chambers also fell on her shoulders. Fortunately, Pei Yue was considerate and took over all the outside business, but she still had to find time to check the accounts of the dowry shops under her name!

Now that she has no worries about money, she wishes she could split the twelve hours of the day into twenty-four! With this situation, how could she have the time to get pregnant and have a child?

…Besides, she wasn't ready to be a mother yet.

So, except for their wedding night, they used cat contraceptives whenever they had sex...

Grandma Wei's brows furrowed immediately, and she patted her arm gently, "You're not anxious? Silly girl, do you know whether your husband is anxious or not?"

Pei Yue's handsome, angular face flashed through Chu Yufu's mind. He seemed to have never mentioned wanting a child, so perhaps he didn't want one? Thinking of this, she muttered softly, "Husband, there's probably no rush..."

Grandmother Wei didn't hear what she was mumbling. She only remembered that she had been ill several times last year, and asked with concern, "Have you carefully checked your pulse? Is there anything wrong with your health?"

Chu Yufu knew what her grandmother was worried about, so she answered simply, "Don't worry, grandma. I'm in good health."

She had been a bit weak when she first came here, but she had since taken good care of her diet and daily routine, and she had made up for it. Besides, aside from the initial cold, all the subsequent illnesses were just feigned; there was no real underlying cause.

Hearing her confident answer, Grandma Wei finally felt relieved. As long as she was healthy, having a child was only a matter of time.

The grandparents and grandchildren followed at the end of the wedding procession and slowly walked towards the gate.

Grandmother Wei rambled on about the recent trivialities in the mansion. When the topic turned to Chu Junze's studies, she couldn't help but sigh heavily, her brows furrowed. "Come to think of it, your father was also a brilliant scholar back then. He won the third place in the imperial examination at a young age, bringing honor to the family. How come your brother is so far behind? Not to mention the Imperial College, even the ordinary..."

She shook her head and sighed again, her words full of disappointment.

Chu Yufu's gaze passed through the gaps in the crowd and fell on Wu's back in a conspicuous purple dress. Thinking of the deceased Aunt Wan, a chill passed through her heart.

She acted like a venomous little green tea girl for once, holding onto her grandmother's arm tightly. Her voice was soft and gentle, and she said nonchalantly, "Grandmother, I vaguely remember that my uncle also failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. He must have relied on Dad's connections to get a position as county magistrate in a small county, right?"

The uncle she was referring to was naturally Wu's younger brother.

As expected, upon hearing this, Grandmother Wei's face darkened and she fell silent. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was the Wu family's stupidity that had tainted the Chu family's legacy of poetry and literature! Thinking of her grandson's mischievous and unmotivated behavior, she felt even more upset.

Chu Yufu smiled secretly, cleared her throat, and said softly, "Grandmother, don't worry too much. My third brother's mind isn't on his books, and he's a little erratic, but at least he's in good health! As the saying goes, as long as the mountains are green, there's life. As long as he's safe and happy, that's better than anything else."

She lowered her voice, tinged with anticipation, "Besides, what if Aunt Bai's baby is a boy? Then you can bring him to your side early and raise him yourself. Under your guidance, he will be influenced by you from a young age. You will definitely raise him to be a great seedling who will bring honor to our family, and will definitely not be like my third brother."

Grandma Wei's originally gloomy face gradually softened as she spoke, and even a little light shone in her eyes. Yes, isn't this baby in Aunt Bai's belly a new hope?

If the third child is truly hopeless, there's still the fifth child! With him personally raised and carefully nurtured since childhood, he'll surely become something great! The third child is so unruly right now, not only can't study, but he's also incredibly unstable. He'll need help to inherit the family business. The three girls in the mansion will eventually have to marry off, so a male heir is needed to establish a family...

She stopped and looked sideways at her granddaughter with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. She asked, "Fu'er, Grandma has heard that some doctors with great medical skills can diagnose the gender of a woman's unborn baby. Do you have this ability?"

Why is this question again? Chu Yufu shook her head helplessly: "Grandma, this granddaughter is really hard to tell."

At the last moment of the morning hour, Chu Jinhe's sedan chair was lifted steadily. The eight-man sedan chair swayed amid the deafening sound of gongs, drums and suonas as it headed towards the direction of the Marquis of Changping's mansion.

Mr. Chu watched his eldest daughter's long procession of red-dressed women disappear around the corner before slowly turning around.

His eyes swept across the end of the crowd and he saw Chu Yufu, who was supporting her grandmother. A smile spread across his face and he waved at her, "Fu'er, come! Accompany Dad to walk in the garden."

Chu Yufu blinked, whispered something to her grandmother, then quickly walked to her father's side and called out, "Dad."

Master Chu responded, and the father and daughter walked side by side towards the small garden in the mansion.

Mr. Chu was only in his early forties, with an upright figure, elegant features, and a handsome demeanor. He was in the prime of his life. Chu Yufu walked beside him, the sunlight falling on his temples, barely a trace of gray hair could be found.

After passing through the moon-shaped gate of the garden, completely isolating the hustle and bustle of the front yard behind them, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds in the garden, Master Chu slowly spoke: "Have you been happy these days in the Pei family? Is Pei Yue treating you well?"

"Dad, everything is fine with me." Chu Yufu thought for a moment and answered seriously.

"That's good, that's good." Master Chu nodded repeatedly, his tone relieved, but he did not stop.

Seeing that he seemed to be still considering his words, Chu Yufu simply took the initiative to clarify, her voice clear: "My daughter heard from Fourth Sister that Daddy wants to tell me something? I wonder what it is?"

Hearing this, Master Chu paused slightly, a trace of discomfort flashing across his face. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them together: "Well, Dad does have something I want to tell you."

He paused before continuing, "Half a month ago, Minister Hu of the Ministry of Works retired due to illness, and the handover is now underway. The vacancy of the Minister of Works will soon be vacant, but there has been no response from Minister Pei regarding the recommendation for the replacement..."

Chu Yufu's face was expressionless as she continued calmly, "So, Daddy wants me to go and talk to Pei Yue?" She asked bluntly.

“Hey!”

Master Chu's face flushed, and he said awkwardly, "You kid! How can you speak so bluntly? We're all family, so it's only natural for us to help each other. It's okay, it's okay."

Chu Yufu's eyes fell on a small, round stone at her feet. She stepped on it and crushed it hard, sinking it into the soft soil.

Then she looked up at Master Chu and replied with clear eyes, "I understand. I'll mention it to Pei Yue when I get home today. But I can't guarantee whether it will work or not."

Upon hearing this, Master Chu smiled and said repeatedly, "Of course, of course, just mention it."

【Author’s words】

Second update on the 28th! Three minutes late!