Chapter 485 Parting on Unhappily

That afternoon.

Meng Jinyao and her two sisters-in-law strolled and chatted, passing the time in this way.

Chen noticed that Meng Jinyao seemed tired, so she stopped and asked, "Third sister-in-law, are you tired after walking for only a short while?"

Meng Jinyao nodded: "I am a little tired."

Zhang looked at the pavilion in front of her and said, "Then let's sit down in the pavilion and chat."

The three sisters-in-law sat down in the pavilion and continued their previous conversation.

Seeing Meng Jinyao yawn again, Madam Chen asked with concern, "Third sister-in-law, did you not sleep well last night?"

Meng Jinyao replied, "I haven't been sleeping well lately. I finally fall asleep, but then I wake up hungry."

After hearing this, Chen suggested, "Then eat some peanuts and walnuts, and sleep on your left side when you sleep. This will improve your sleep. When I was pregnant with Xiuhong, someone told me this, and I tried it and it did help."

Zhang agreed, "Yes, it does have some effect. However, even if my third sister-in-law is awakened by hunger, she should not eat too much. She should control herself and be careful not to overeat, otherwise the baby will be too big and difficult to give birth to."

Meng Jinyao nodded in agreement. Zhang had mentioned this matter several times before. After spending a long time together, she understood that Zhang didn't have any bad intentions, just a few petty thoughts. But who doesn't have their own petty thoughts?

Zhang glanced at Meng Jinyao's prominently protruding belly and reminded her, "Third sister-in-law, when you give birth, please invite Physician Baili over, just in case."

Meng Jinyao asked in confusion, "Physician Wen is highly skilled, why didn't you invite him?"

Madam Zhang replied, "Third sister-in-law, you don't know this. Physician Wen can treat difficult and complicated diseases, but Physician Baili is more experienced in dealing with emergencies during childbirth. When the empresses in the palace give birth, they will ask Physician Baili to wait outside the delivery room. When the empress gave birth to the sixth prince, she suffered a severe hemorrhage, but Physician Baili's skillful treatment brought her back to health, and the empress was out of danger."

Madam Chen chimed in, “Sister-in-law is right. If you want beauty and skincare remedies, go to Physician Yang or Physician Wen. For difficult and complicated diseases, go to Physician Wen. For women’s infertility, go to Physician Su. But for women giving birth, you still have to go to Physician Baili. Even if there’s nothing wrong, with Physician Baili around, the mother will feel much more at ease.”

Meng Jinyao understood: "I see."

Before Chen could say anything more, she suddenly saw a familiar figure and smiled, "Look, Third Brother is back."

As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Jinyao followed her gaze and saw Gu Jingxi wearing a scarlet official robe embroidered with peacocks. Her smile deepened.

Noticing her change in mood, Chen teased, "Third sister-in-law, you smile like a flower as soon as your third brother appears."

Meng Jinyao's cheeks flushed slightly, her gaze never leaving Gu Jingxi.

At this moment, Gu Jingxi also saw Meng Jinyao. Seeing her smiling at him, he felt the fatigue of a busy day disappear instantly. He walked quickly towards the pavilion and greeted his two sisters-in-law: "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law."

Chen said tactfully, "Now that my third brother is back, let him keep his wife company. We're also getting ready to head back."

And so, Meng Jinyao was taken away by Gu Jingxi.

Chen and Zhang looked at the couple's backs with envy. The third son and his two older brothers were truly extraordinary.

Madam Chen sighed softly, “My third brother holds a high position and is very busy with official duties, yet he can still come home to be with his wife at this time. My husband is only a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, and he hasn’t been seen at all yet. He seems to be even busier than my third brother, who is a third-rank official.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang thought of her husband. Compared to her two younger brothers, her husband was a good-for-nothing. He only got his sinecure because of his family connections. He often came home later than his brothers, and when he did come home early, it was because he was indulging in the pleasures of his concubine. Last year, she had a fight with her husband and held a grudge for a long time, but he ignored her. She slowly came to terms with it and could no longer hope that her husband would change his mind.

She said calmly, "Second sister-in-law should be content. At least second brother isn't out fooling around, he's just out socializing. Third brother comes home early because he doesn't like socializing."

Chen paused for a moment, then asked, "Is your sister-in-law still angry with your brother?"

Zhang said indifferently, "Why should I be angry with him? Let him do whatever he wants. I have a son and a daughter, and my son is doing well. It makes no difference whether I have him or not."

Madam Chen didn't kick him while he was down. She simply said, "It's good that you can take it easy, sister-in-law. Some things are better left to their own devices. You might get something different from what you expect. When it comes to men, the more you show that you care, the more emboldened they become. If you show that you don't care, they'll start to care."

The reason why the eldest sister-in-law is like this is probably because she and the eldest brother had a very close relationship when they were young. Later, the eldest brother started spending time with a concubine, and the psychological gap was too great, which is why she was angry.

Like her back then, her second master was in love with Xuanling's birth mother, Aunt Fang. Aunt Fang was the head maidservant by her mother-in-law's side, so her second master took her away to be his concubine. After she married into the family, her second master immediately made Aunt Fang his concubine and doted on her. Fortunately, her second master also gave her the dignity that a wife should have, and Aunt Fang was also well-behaved and did not cause any trouble.

Therefore, she did not hate Aunt Fang, and at the same time, she understood that it was impossible to be a loving couple with her husband. It was enough to treat each other with respect. So she never asked for love and just did her duty as a wife. After all, her marriage was arranged by her father and stepmother from the beginning. She accepted it calmly and never had any beautiful expectations, so she was not disappointed.

After Aunt Fang passed away, she never mistreated Xuanling. Xuanling was filial to her, and over time they developed a mother-daughter relationship. Her husband probably saw how good she was to him, and he became more considerate of her. Sometimes he would put thought into things for her. They had been married for many years, and their life was peaceful and uneventful, but there were also warm moments.

Her married life with her sister-in-law was the opposite of what she had imagined, so her sister-in-law would feel hurt. But the more she cared and the more she argued with her brother, the more she would end up hurting herself, since her brother had a beautiful concubine to soothe his emotions.

Madam Zhang was slightly taken aback and asked, "Second sister-in-law, is this based on your experience over the past twenty years? In the past, my second brother's heart was with Aunt Fang, but now he treats you quite well and hasn't taken any more concubines."

Chen: "?"

She tried to comfort her, but why bring up such a sore spot? Why are your words so unpleasant to hear? There's a reason she's been able to fight with Zhang for so many years.

Chen's tone softened slightly: "Sister-in-law, I suddenly remembered that Second Master said yesterday he wanted to eat the dishes I made. I have to rush back and cook them. Please make yourself at home." Without waiting for Zhang's reply, she stood up and left, and the two sisters-in-law parted on bad terms once again.

Zhang was stunned. She didn't seem to have said anything, so why was she being given the cold shoulder?

This is utterly baffling!

Madam Zhang glanced at her personal maid and asked, "Why is she giving me such a hard time?"

The maid, being an observer, understood the situation clearly, but she dared not tell the truth. She only said, "Madam, the Second Madam probably suddenly remembered that she had something to do, which is why she rushed back."

Zhang was furious: "What kind of temper is this? She gives me a nice look when she's happy, but throws a tantrum when she's not. Does she think I'm easy to bully and is used to bullying me? Why don't I ever see her throwing a tantrum at my third sister-in-law?"

The maid remained silent, not daring to reply, only thinking to herself: "Next time you should think carefully before you speak, otherwise you'll offend people as soon as you open your mouth."