Chapter 598 Agreeing to the Marriage
When Chen came out of Gu Xiuhong's study, she was filled with mixed feelings, but she still disagreed with her son marrying a widow.
When Chen returned to her courtyard, she saw her husband leisurely sipping tea and immediately became furious: "Your son is hopeless, he insists on marrying that widow, and you still have the mind to drink tea?"
Gu Jingsong glanced at her and said helplessly, "You know how stubborn he is. It's impossible to change his mind in a short time."
Chen stepped forward, snatched the teacup from her husband's hand, and slammed it on the table. She said angrily, "Do you know what he told me? He said he would be happy to marry that widow and become a live-in son-in-law."
Gu Jingsong was slightly taken aback, then said nonchalantly, "Then let him marry into the family. I won't give him a single penny of dowry. Let him marry into the family penniless, eat and live off them, be their slave, and have to please his parents-in-law. I'll see how long their unbreakable bond lasts then."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was dumbfounded and stammered, "That's your only son! If he becomes a live-in son-in-law, won't you be left without an heir?"
Gu Jingsong said, "Didn't Xuanling give birth to a daughter? Her son-in-law is the only son in the family, so Xuanling will definitely have to have a son. Let's discuss it with our in-laws and bring Xuanling's daughter back to raise, change her surname to Gu, and find her a son-in-law to live with her in the future, so that the second branch of the family line will not be broken."
Madam Chen asked incredulously, "Husband, are you serious?"
“If he dares to become a live-in son-in-law, I’m serious.” Gu Jingsong glanced at her.
After examining him for a moment, Chen shook her head slightly and said, "Something's wrong with you."
Gu Jingsong replied, "We're not young anymore, we're already grandparents. As long as you don't insist on having another child, nothing else matters."
"..."
Chen was speechless for a moment. Last time she made a fuss about having another child, her husband couldn't hold on for more than a few days and would avoid her whenever he saw her. He was clearly not even forty years old, so how could he be so weak? It only happened two or three times a month. If her husband didn't sleep with her every night, she would have suspected that he was having sex with other women.
Gu Jingsong glanced at her, then said, "Xiu Hong is a very stubborn kid. If he can change his mind easily, then we should worry that he might have been possessed by some evil spirit."
Madam Chen pursed her lips and asked, "What is your opinion on this matter, husband?"
Gu Jingsong sighed helplessly: "I tried to reason with him and analyze the pros and cons, but he ignored me. He doesn't even glance at Lingyi, such a good girl, and he's only focused on that widow. He can marry whoever he wants; I don't want to care anymore."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen looked astonished: "Didn't you say before that if he were to marry that widow, you would disown him as your son?"
Gu Jingsong was silent for a while, then said, "I met that young widow's brother today. He's a nice young man. With such a brother, the younger sister must be quite good. The only problem is that they're not a good match, and she's been married before. But my son really likes that girl. We only have one son. Are we really going to have a falling out with him over a woman?"
Upon hearing this, Chen turned to look at her husband. Seeing a hint of appreciation on his face, she knew he had no objection. She frowned and said, "Husband, don't forget, their parents are no good. For their own benefit, they married their daughter off to a womanizer who beats women, pushing her straight into a fire pit. Even if her brother is a good person and she is kind, with parents like that, if we become in-laws with such people, we might get dragged down by them one day."
Gu Jingsong said gently, "Madam, Xiu Hong has grown up. We should trust that he has the ability to handle problems. If his wife has any troubles in the future, he will solve them himself."
Chen said with displeasure, "I really don't know what kind of bewitching potion that widow gave him."
Gu Jingsong reached out and held her hand, comforting her, "The girl he married is going to spend her life with him, not with us. If you really don't like her, just ignore her and let her take good care of Xiu Hong and give us a big, healthy grandson. And don't let her hang around in front of you unless it's important."
Mr. Chen remained silent.
Gu Jingsong glanced at her, then changed the subject, saying, "Didn't you say you wanted to go burn incense a couple of days ago? I'll go with you in a couple of days when I'm on leave."
Ms. Chen was troubled by her son's marriage and had little interest in going to the temple to burn incense, but her husband was considerate, so she naturally wouldn't go against his wishes and nodded in agreement.
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Two days later.
Accompanied by her husband, Ms. Chen went to a temple to offer incense. The scenery in the temple was pleasant, and she felt relaxed. However, she did not expect that as soon as she returned home, a remark from her niece would make her depressed.
Her niece was the daughter-in-law she was looking for, but she was told that when she went out with Xuan Yi, she fell in love at first sight with a young man.
Now that's settled. My son has someone he likes, and my niece has someone she likes too. These two are completely out of luck.
That night, Chen tossed and turned in bed, finally muttering, "I'm never going to the temple to burn incense again. It's not effective at all."
Gu Jingsong was still awake when he suddenly heard her say this. He asked curiously, "When you offered incense, did you make a wish to Buddha that Xiu Hong and Ling Yi would become a couple?"
Chen remained silent, but the answer was obvious.
Gu Jingsong chuckled helplessly: "You usually have a clearer understanding of things than I do, so why are you getting so hung up on this now?"
Chen remained silent.
Gu Jingsong continued, “Xiuhong has been outstanding since childhood. He was praised by his teachers when he was studying, and now that he has entered the government as an official, his superiors also admire him greatly. As parents, we are proud to have such a son. Since Xiuhong reached marriageable age, the girls you have found for him are all outstanding ladies from noble families, but the girl Xiuhong likes is completely different from the daughter-in-law you envision. So you can't get past that hurdle?”
Chen countered, "You were so adamant about opposing it before, but you changed your mind just because you met that young widow's brother once?"
Gu Jingsong replied, "No, it's just that the young widow's parents aren't the kind of people who love their daughter. After she goes home, her parents will definitely arrange a marriage for her and force her to remarry. If she's forced to marry someone else again, do you think Xiu Hong can withstand that blow? Before, Xiu Hong didn't want to get married because he was waiting for her. If she remarries, do you think Xiu Hong, with his stubborn temper, will never marry again?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's face froze. She had already missed the opportunity once, and she dared not think of the consequences of missing it again. After a long silence, she sighed, "Fine, I will ask a matchmaker to propose marriage to Xiu Hong tomorrow. He insisted on marrying this girl against his parents' wishes, so even if things don't go well for him, he will have to bear the consequences himself."
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