Chapter 187 It's truly a ghost story.
Meng Dongyuan braced himself and stepped forward, saying in a friendly tone, "Ayao, son-in-law, you've arrived."
Meng Jinyao stepped forward, curtsied to him, and said gently, "Father, why did you come out to greet me personally? This is too much for your daughter."
Seeing that she was willing to give him face, Meng Dongyuan felt a little relieved and smiled kindly: "My daughter and I haven't seen each other for a long time. I've been very worried about you. When I heard that you and your son-in-law had come, I came out to see you first."
After he finished speaking, he saw the man next to his daughter open his mouth to speak, and his heart jumped into his throat, fearing that Gu Jingxi would say something unpleasant that would embarrass him.
However, he was overthinking it.
Gu Jingxi isn't stupid. Why would he embarrass Meng Dongyuan in front of the other guests without even asking what happened when Meng Dongyuan was smiling at him? If the other guests spread the word, wouldn't that give them an opportunity to impeach him for being unfilial? Not only that, it would also ruin his own reputation.
Gu Jingxi called out softly, "Father-in-law."
His voice was indifferent and detached, yet it resonated deeply with Meng Dongyuan.
Meng Dongyuan's ears were ringing from the shock, and he was deeply shaken. Gu Jingxi had never called him "father-in-law" before, only "Uncle Meng." Now, hearing this "father-in-law" from him, he felt not the joy he had expected, but rather a sense of seeing a ghost.
He raised his head slightly and met those overly calm and indifferent eyes. An invisible sense of pressure came over him, making him uneasy. For a moment, he didn't dare to respond. It took him a long time to find his voice: "Hey, son-in-law."
At this moment, Gu Xiuming stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Xiuming greets his maternal grandfather."
Maternal grandfather?
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's expression froze slightly, and his heart surged with turmoil once again. He glanced at the gentle and polite Gu Xiuming in surprise, and then belatedly realized that thanks to his daughter, he had a grandson who was even a little older than his daughter.
Ugh!
The person who was supposed to become his in-law is now his son-in-law, and the prospective son-in-law has become his grandson. It's disgusting to think about, but luckily his status as a son-in-law can save him some face.
However, this eldest grandson of his came to celebrate his birthday and was so respectful that he was completely confused. Logically speaking, since Gu Jingxi married his daughter, Gu Xiuming, as his daughter's ex-fiancé, should have felt uncomfortable. But now he was willing to call him maternal grandfather. It seems that his eldest daughter's methods are really extraordinary. She has even won over her ex-fiancé.
Meng Dongyuan took a deep breath and said in a kind and calm tone, "Xiu Ming, there's no need for such formalities."
Afterwards, Meng Dongyuan exchanged a few pleasantries with them cautiously, and his relatives and friends also greeted Meng Jinyao and the other two.
Meng Jinyao suddenly said, "Father, we'll go pay our respects to Mother first, so please excuse us."
Meng Dongyuan nodded with a smile: "Go ahead, your mother misses you very much, she was talking about you yesterday."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Really? I miss Mother very much too." Seeing her father's expression tighten, her smile deepened, and she softened her tone, "We'll go and pay our respects to Mother right away."
Meng Dongyuan watched them leave before finally catching his breath. If there were no guests present, he could have tried to build a relationship with Gu Jingxi. But now that there were guests, he had to maintain the airs of an elder, yet he was also worried that the family of three might cause some trouble, making it very difficult to deal with.
Nevertheless, Meng Dongyuan still garnered envious glances from everyone.
A guest said, "Brother Meng, your eldest daughter is filial, and even your son-in-law and grandson are filial."
"Yes, brother-in-law, your son-in-law is quite good, and your grandson is also very nice."
This time, it was Sun's elder brother, Meng Dongyuan's brother-in-law, Sun Zhiyong, who spoke. His parents probably named him that in the hope that he would be both wise and brave. However, he was mediocre and did not do well in his studies. He only passed the county-level imperial examination and then stagnated. Now he has not even been able to find a sinecure. If it weren't for his family's wealth, he would be living a miserable life now.
Meng Dongyuan replied without changing his expression, "My son-in-law is quite good, but he's a bit aloof. But that doesn't matter. As long as he treats Ayao well, I'm at ease. You all know what happened on Ayao's wedding day."
He finished speaking and sighed softly.
Upon hearing this, the guests considered the age difference between the father-in-law and son-in-law, which was five or six years. It would be awkward for them to get along as father-in-law and son-in-law, but it wouldn't be good for them to get along as brothers. How could the Marquis of Changxing, who held a high position and great power, be as kind and respectful as other sons-in-law? Mutual respect was the best approach.
Another guest said, "Recently, there have been rumors about the various outrageous things that happened to the young master Gu. But today, it seems that he and your eldest daughter are a loving and filial couple."
Meng Dongyuan smiled with relief, quickly changed the subject, and invited them to sit down in the hall to continue talking about the topics that had been discussed before his daughter and her family of three arrived. Only then did his anxious heart gradually calm down.
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Meanwhile, Madam Sun was also worried that Meng Jinyao might cause trouble, so she was on tenterhooks. She was dealing with the guests while waiting for them to arrive, and she was also thinking of a strategy to deal with them, so that she wouldn't cause any trouble that would tarnish the family's reputation.
A maid came in to report: "Madam, the eldest young lady and the others have arrived."
Madam Sun hurriedly said, "Go and invite them quickly."
A short while later, Meng Jinyao and her family of three entered the flower hall, and everyone's eyes fell on them, their gazes filled with inquiry.
"Ayao, you've arrived! Mother thought you were too busy to come."
Like Meng Dongyuan, Sun was afraid that they would say something unpleasant, so she spoke first to take the initiative. She even smiled and looked at them with a friendly expression. If they didn't give her face, then it would be their fault.
Meng Jinyao naturally wouldn't make a scene with her in public. If she wanted to make things difficult for her, she would have to wait until later. So she replied gently, "It's Father's birthday. How could we, as juniors, not come to celebrate for him? My husband even took a day off today, and even Xiuming took a day off from the academy to celebrate his maternal grandfather's birthday."
Sun was slightly taken aback, then belatedly realized that today was not a day off. Her gaze fell on Gu Xiuming, and for a moment she didn't know how to address him. He should have been her son-in-law, but because he ran away from the marriage, he had become her grandson.
Gu Xiuming seemed to notice her embarrassment and bowed, saying, "Xiuming greets Grandmother."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun was stunned again, feeling as if thunder had struck her. The heir of the Marquis of Changxing actually called her "maternal grandmother"?
Soon, Madam Sun realized what was happening, calmed herself down, and replied amiably, "Oh, Xiuming, you're so thoughtful. Your studies are the most important thing. Today is just your maternal grandfather's birthday, so there's really no need to ask for leave."
Gu Xiuming disagreed, saying, "A junior's birthday is still a birthday. As a junior, it is only right to celebrate the birthday of an elder."
Mrs. Sun smiled and said, "You are such a filial child."
Gu Xiuming looked at Meng Jinyao beside him and directly attributed the credit to her: "It's all thanks to Mother's excellent teaching."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun's expression froze slightly, and she was surprised. Her gaze shifted between Meng Jinyao and Gu Xiuming, noticing that the two of them had faint smiles on their faces, suggesting that their relationship was fairly good.
She frowned almost imperceptibly. Recently, she had been so troubled by the ghost story in her house that she didn't have the energy to pay attention to anything else. She didn't know what had happened during this time, but Meng Jinyao and Gu Xiuming actually had a day when they got along well and were a loving mother and son.
This is truly bizarre!
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