Chapter 164 Demanding Justice
Madam Chen smiled slightly, then looked at her son beside her. Her smile froze. The concubine's daughters all had their marriages settled, but her own sons were still unmarried. Now, the eldest son's family was almost ready to have a grandson or granddaughter. Whenever Madam Zhang saw her, she would gloat at her, and that smug look of a petty person infuriated Madam Chen.
She sighed helplessly, "What a pity. Last time, I had my eye on a nice girl, but Xiu Ming ruined it all. He caused such a mess that the girl's mother was unwilling to marry her daughter into our family. She subtly implied that our family had bad values and that we would favor concubines over wives. Now the girl is already engaged."
When Gu Xiuhong heard the topic turn to him, he quickly said, "Mother, you should prepare for my second sister's wedding first. I'm not in a hurry. I want to wait until I pass the imperial examination."
Chen glared at him: "Your older brother is a year older than you, and he's about to become a father. Aren't you worried?"
Gu Xiuhong asked in a low voice, "Mother, I heard that Madam Liu from next door is the same age as you and is pregnant again. Why don't you have another one?"
Chen: "?"
Gu Xuanling couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Mrs. Chen suddenly turned her head and glared at her. Seeing that she immediately pursed her lips and dared not smile, she was satisfied and continued to scold her son: "What do you mean by that? I'm talking about you, why are you dragging me into this?"
Gu Xiuhong looked completely innocent: "Didn't Mother bring up the topic with me first?"
"you……"
Chen was furious. She glared at him fiercely for a long time and said irritably, "Are you trying to anger your mother to death? When you were little, you were obedient and listened to your mother in everything. Now that you're grown up, you've become arrogant and talk back to me. I think you'll be a mother-forgetting thing once you get a wife. I might as well not marry you, so it won't be like raising you for nothing."
Gu Xiuhong smiled and replied, "Your son obeys. If you say you won't marry, then you won't marry. I'll study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and bring honor to our ancestors."
Chen: "..."
Gu Jingsong couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Madam, I also think there's no need to rush Xiu Hong's marriage. Once he passes the imperial examinations, he'll have better options."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was slightly taken aback. Their second branch was a concubine's branch, not the direct line. Xiu Hong's status was ultimately a little lower, but if he passed the imperial examination, his status would improve considerably, and he would have the confidence to marry a better girl.
Ms. Chen snorted lightly: "If the parties involved aren't in a hurry, it's not like I'm getting married, so I'm even less in a hurry."
-
Three days later.
Lady Wu'an, the wife of the Earl of Wu'an, sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, and the formalities were all observed.
Gu Jingsheng was very satisfied with the marriage. Unlike Zhang Shi, he was not worried that his daughter would be mistreated after marriage. He only saw that his daughter had found a good husband and was about to become the wife of the heir apparent, so he immediately agreed to the marriage.
Zhang forced a smile and tried her best to appear happy as she saw the guests off. Then, she became sad again and secretly wiped away her tears.
As a mother, she naturally hoped that her daughter would marry well, marry in a grand and glorious way, and be the envy of others. However, she also worried that her daughter would be wronged and that she would not be able to cope after marriage. In addition, the daughter-in-law that Lady Wu'an preferred was not her daughter. She was even more worried, fearing that her daughter would not do well and would be criticized by Lady Wu'an.
Gu Xuanyi laughed without a care in the world; she couldn't be happier to be engaged to the man of her dreams.
Meng Jinyao encountered Gu Xuanyi in the back garden. Seeing Gu Xuanyi's radiant appearance, which contrasted sharply with Zhang's gloomy mood, she frowned slightly. After this girl got married, she would probably find it hard to smile when faced with a bunch of troubles.
Upon seeing her, Gu Xuanyi quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Xuanyi greets Third Aunt."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "Xuanyi."
At this moment, Gu Xiuming and Li Wan'er walked over, and upon seeing them, they strolled forward.
Gu Xiuming bowed respectfully to Meng Jinyao, saying, "Your son greets Mother." Then, he nodded slightly to Gu Xuanyi, "Elder sister."
Li Wan'er also quickly curtsied and said, "This concubine greets Madam and Miss."
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "Aunt Li, there's no need for such formalities. Please get up."
Li Wan'er stood up and obediently stood beside Gu Xiuming, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes lowered in meekness.
Gu Xiuming's gaze fell on Gu Xuanyi, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved up as he said gently, "Little sister, you're engaged. Your third brother hasn't congratulated you yet, so I'd like to offer my congratulations."
Meng Jinyao noticed that Gu Xiuming had a smile on his lips and spoke gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, indicating that he wasn't genuinely congratulating her. If one wasn't paying close attention, they wouldn't have noticed. She frowned almost imperceptibly, thinking to herself: She knew Gu Xiuming wouldn't really change for the better; even his congratulations to her sister were insincere.
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi's face lit up with joy, and she said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Third Brother."
Gu Xiuming's smile remained unchanged as he said gently, "Little sister, you're engaged and about to get married. You really need to work on your temper. You can't just slap people like that."
Gu Xuanyi's smile froze: "What do you mean by that, Third Brother?"
Gu Xiuming stated the matter in a calm tone: "Last time, Wan'er came back with a slap mark on her face. I heard that it was my younger sister who hit her. If Wan'er has done anything wrong, my mother and I will educate her properly. There is no need for my younger sister to take action."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao glanced at Li Wan'er, then her gaze fell on Gu Xiuming. Gu Xiuming maintained his smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. While he was questioning her, there was also a deep meaning in his expression. This time, under house arrest, Gu Xiuming had truly grown a lot. Even when questioning her, he didn't just yell and shout like before.
Gu Xuanyi's smile faltered. She hadn't thought much about it that time because she was angry, and her third brother had been punished with confinement and had completely fallen out of favor. That's why she hit Aunt Li. Who knew that her third brother had learned his lesson and regained favor, and that her grandmother had started to love him again. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Third brother, that was a misunderstanding. I mistakenly thought that Aunt Li had deliberately bumped into me, and that's why I did it in a fit of anger."
Meng Jinyao knew about this matter and even witnessed what happened. However, when she went up to ask, Gu Xuanyi and Li Wan'er both insisted that it was a misunderstanding. Gu Xuanyi hit someone first, and Li Wan'er spoke ill of her afterward, so they insisted that it was a misunderstanding. Meng Jinyao was too lazy to meddle in other people's business and pretended not to know the truth.
Gu Xuanyi was unlikable, and Gu Xiuming was even less so, so this time she chose to help Gu Xuanyi, saying calmly, "My child, Xuanyi has a rather impulsive temper. I don't think she did it on purpose. Why don't we let this matter drop?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuming paused for a moment, then replied gently, "Since Mother has said so, it would be petty of me to keep pressing the matter, and it would also damage the relationship between brother and sister."
Meng Jinyao was somewhat surprised that he could remain calm, and said gently, "Well, you two siblings continue chatting, I have something to attend to and will be going back first."
Gu Xiuming said, "Alright, Mother, take care."
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