Chapter 595 Xiu Hong's Wedding

The day was clear and bright.

Meng Jinyao took the child to pay her respects to Old Madam Gu. As soon as she entered the room, before she could even speak, she heard her second sister-in-law, Chen, say, "Mother, this time you must help your daughter-in-law persuade Xiu Hong. He won't listen to what the Second Master and I say, but he will always listen to you."

Holding the child, she was somewhat puzzled. Xiu Hong, the son of the second wife, was both promising and sensible, a role model for the younger generation. Her sister-in-law and brother-in-law had always been very satisfied with their son. What was wrong with him today?

When Madam Gu saw her youngest daughter-in-law and grandson, she smiled kindly at them and asked them to sit down. Then she continued to speak with Madam Chen: "Second daughter-in-law, although marriage is usually arranged by parents and matchmakers, we should also listen to the children's wishes. If Xiu Hong likes someone, wouldn't it be like breaking up a loving couple if we, as elders, interfere?"

Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "Xiu Hong has a girl he likes? I wonder which family she comes from?"

Madam Zhang sighed softly, seemingly feeling a headache for Madam Chen, and continued, "He does have a girl he likes, and he's liked her for a long time. I just heard from my second sister-in-law that she only found out when Xiu Hong asked her to propose marriage for him. Xiu Hong is so stubborn that she had no choice but to ask Mother to help persuade him."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was quite puzzled: "Since he has had a girl he likes for a long time, why did he refuse to get married when his second sister-in-law urged him to?"

Zhang said slowly, "That girl not only came from an ordinary background, but was also a widow. She was two years older than Xiu Hong. Her husband's family wanted her to observe three years of mourning before letting her return home. Xiu Hong was waiting for her to return home before discussing marriage, so he was unwilling to get married. Now that the widow has returned home, Xiu Hong wants to get married."

Meng Jinyao frowned as she listened and said, "It's fine for a widow to remarry, but isn't it a bit inappropriate for her to find a new husband during the mourning period and just wait for the mourning period to end before getting married?"

Although Chen disagreed with the marriage, she did not want to smear the girl. She glared at Zhang reproachfully, blaming her for not speaking clearly, and said, "It's not that she seduced Xiu Hong during her mourning period. She knew Xiu Hong before she got married. Four years ago, her parents forced her to marry her deceased husband. Her husband was no good either. He often beat her. Fortunately, that scoundrel died early. He was accidentally killed in a fight in a brothel over a courtesan."

As she spoke, she sighed sadly again, and continued, "If she had never seen Xiu Hong again after getting married, Xiu Hong probably wouldn't have kept thinking about her. Her brother was Xiu Hong's classmate. When Xiu Hong went to discuss academic matters with his classmate, she was beaten by her husband and ran back to her parents' home. Xiu Hong encountered her there and felt pity for her, making it even harder for him to let her go. He kept a close eye on her. When her husband passed away, her father-in-law and mother-in-law were unwilling to let her return home. It was Xiu Hong who secretly helped her, allowing her to observe three years of mourning for her husband before returning home to remarry."

She glanced at her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law, and said, "I don't mean to break up the couple. Since Xiu Hong likes her, he can bring her home. But the wife must be a well-bred lady from a respectable family, not a widow who has been married before. At worst, we can find him a tolerant wife so that the girl won't suffer."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused slightly. Thinking of the absurd Gu Xiuming, and comparing him to Xiu Hong, she felt a genuine sense of admiration for Xiu Hong. Xiu Hong was a responsible man; he had waited for his beloved for years, secretly protecting her, and even pleaded with his parents to marry her. However, the girl truly didn't meet the requirements of a wealthy family for a wife; even her usually open-minded second sister-in-law couldn't accept her, so Meng Jinyao couldn't offer any comment.

Although Zhang and Chen didn't get along very well, they were both mothers and worried about their children's marriages. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her, and she gave Chen a suggestion: "Second sister-in-law, Xiu Hong used to only study the classics and knew very few girls, let alone interacted with them. How would he know what kind of girl he truly likes? I've met your niece; she's a nice girl. Didn't you think about matchmaking her with Xiu Hong before? Why don't you let her come and stay for a while under the pretext of keeping you company? That way, Xiu Hong can see her often, and over time, he'll naturally understand that he should marry a noblewoman from a respectable family, not a widow from a humble background."

These words were like a wake-up call. Chen's eyes lit up. It was the first time she had ever found Zhang's words, which often offended people, to be pleasant to hear. She nodded repeatedly in agreement: "What you said makes sense, sister-in-law. He doesn't know any girls, so he certainly doesn't know what kind of girl he really wants. Once he has spent time with noble ladies, he will naturally know that the girl is not what he wants."

Zhang said, "That's right. Besides, young people are rebellious. The more we elders oppose it, the more he wants to marry her. At that time, three points of liking will become ten. It's better if you don't oppose it at first, but don't agree either. Let it drag on for a while, and he'll probably give up on the idea. Hey, you've heard about the Liao family, right?"

Mrs. Chen nodded. She was aware that this matter had caused quite a stir.

The young master of the Liao family fell in love with a girl who sold tofu. Madam Liao and Lord Liao strongly opposed the marriage. The young master went on a hunger strike and even attempted suicide by hanging, forcing Lord Liao and his wife to agree to the marriage.

The woman was married, but the tofu seller was from a commoner background and had no idea how to behave in a family of officials.

Not only was she petty, but she also frequently made a fool of herself, bringing shame to the Liao family. As a result, Madam Liao forbade her from going out to receive guests, and she was not allowed to receive guests when they came to the house.

Once Liao's initial infatuation with her wore off, he even despised her for being shameful, and the two often quarreled. Liao also took several beautiful concubines. One day, while Liao was fast asleep, the girl killed him with a knife and then committed suicide out of guilt, leaving people deeply saddened.

Thinking about the Liao family's affair, Chen subconsciously put her own son and the widow into the picture, and couldn't help but feel fear, afraid that her son would also be killed like Young Master Liao. She made a decisive decision: "Let's do it this way. I will go to my sister's house tomorrow and talk to her about bringing the two children together. My sister and brother-in-law both like Xiu Hong very much, so I think they would be willing."

Madam Gu glanced at Madam Zhang and Madam Chen, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

She didn't have strong social prejudices. If the girl was indeed very good, with good manners and etiquette, and Xiu Hong really liked her, she wouldn't object. But Xiu Hong's mother didn't like her. Apart from offering a few words of advice and asking Chen to respect the child's wishes, she wouldn't do anything else to avoid creating a rift between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and causing resentment.

As for Xiu Hong, if this boy is determined to only like that girl, let alone one cousin coming to stay at our house, even if ten cousins ​​came, it wouldn't make a difference. But if Xiu Hong is so easily moved on, then he shouldn't ruin that girl's life. That girl has already suffered enough. She was forced to marry a scumbag in her first marriage, and if she marries a fickle man in her second marriage, she won't have a good life in the future.