Chapter 475 The Time Is Not Yet Ripe
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao knew something was wrong and asked, "Your second brother has always been sensible, so why would he talk back to his elders?"
"If he were truly sensible, would he talk back to his elders?"
Old Madam Meng had a sullen face, seemingly angry at her grandson's lack of manners. When she looked at Meng Jinyao, her expression softened, and she continued, "Ayao, it's rare for you to come back. Let's not talk about the unpleasant things. Let's have a good talk, grandmother and granddaughter."
Meng Jinyao did not do as she wished, and replied gently, "Grandmother, even if my second brother really did something wrong, he is sick now. As the eldest sister, since I have returned, I should go and visit him. We will have plenty of time to talk later."
Madam Meng frowned and said disapprovingly, "He's sick, and you're pregnant. What if the illness affects you?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "It's alright, I just won't get that close." After saying that, she stood up and prepared to leave, without waiting for whether Old Madam Meng agreed or not.
Gu Jingxi also stood up and considerately supported her, clearly intending to go with her to visit the ailing Meng Chengzhang.
Seeing this, Meng Dongyuan was frustrated. He originally wanted to have a good talk with his son-in-law, but he didn't expect his son-in-law to go visit his son. Everyone envied him for having Gu Jingxi as his son-in-law, but only he knew the frustration he felt. Gu Jingxi didn't treat him as an elder at all, and he couldn't put on airs as an elder in front of Gu Jingxi. He was suppressed by an invisible pressure.
When Old Madam Meng saw the couple leave like that, she was furious. Ignoring the fact that her grandson was still there, she immediately scolded Dong: "Do you even have a brain? You're over twenty years old. Don't you know what you should and shouldn't say?"
Madam Dong looked completely innocent: "Mother, Ayao is family. What's wrong with me telling the truth about Chengzhang's matter?"
Madam Meng said, "The siblings have a good relationship, but they have always misunderstood the elders in the family. Now that you've said that, she might misunderstand and think that we, as elders, have mistreated Chengzhang."
Madam Dong disagreed: "Mother, Ayao is a reasonable person, how could she do such a thing? Don't overthink it, I'll go and see how the lunch preparations are going."
As they left one by one, Old Madam Meng was incredibly frustrated. Ever since that wretched girl married into the Gu family, the Meng family had never had a moment of peace. She had long said that the girl was a jinx who brought misfortune to her family, but the old man treated her like a treasure.
Meng Dongyuan comforted her, "Mother, don't be angry. Huiyun and Ayao are not familiar with each other. They've only met a few times. How would she know Ayao's temperament? She didn't think too much when she said that."
Hearing her son defend his daughter-in-law so fiercely, Madam Meng was also annoyed. She said in a deep voice, "What if Chengzhang adds fuel to the fire and complains later, and that girl comes over to interrogate us? And the eldest son-in-law will be there too. What will the eldest son-in-law think of our Meng family then?"
Meng Dongyuan didn't think it was a big problem and replied, "You just want your son-in-law to help Chengxing get into Lingshan Academy. If he's willing to help, he can; if he's not, that's fine too. It's not a big deal."
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng glanced at him and couldn't help but reminisce about her youngest son who had died young. Her eldest son was often not as clever as her youngest son.
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Meanwhile, Meng Chengzhang lay sickly in bed. Because the ancestral hall was cold and damp, he developed a high fever after staying there all night. The fever only subsided this morning, and he was now feeling weak all over.
Upon learning that his elder sister and brother-in-law had arrived, fearing that his elder sister would worry, he immediately asked the servant beside him, "Do I look alright now?"
The servant glanced at his face and, not wanting to lie, replied truthfully, "Second Young Master, you look pale."
Just as Meng Chengzhang was about to say something, he saw his elder sister and brother-in-law being invited in by another servant. He quickly sat up from the bed and smiled, "Elder sister, elder brother-in-law."
Meng Jinyao saw that although her younger brother had a smile on his face, he was not in good spirits. His face was pale and his lips were a little dry, which was due to a high fever. She felt very sorry for him and asked, "Second brother, how are you feeling now?"
Meng Chengzhang shook his head slightly: "I'm fine, elder sister, you don't need to worry."
Meng Jinyao waved her hand, signaling the two servants to leave. After they left, she asked, "Second brother, what exactly happened on New Year's Eve?"
Meng Chengzhang didn't want her to be bothered by this, so he said, "Actually, it's nothing. We just had a little argument, and my grandmother got angry and made me kneel in the ancestral hall."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao seemed to understand something, and then asked, "Second brother, is it related to me? What exactly happened? If you don't tell me, I can find out by asking Mother."
Meng Chengzhang was slightly taken aback, and then told her about what happened that night: "Grandmother asked me to tell you to go and whisper in your brother-in-law's ear to help my third brother get into Lingshan Academy. I didn't agree. Grandmother said that I couldn't stand to see my third brother doing well. She said that my brother-in-law helped me get into Lingshan Academy, but I didn't want my third brother to go in."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao frowned deeply: "So, apart from her grandson, everyone else who gets into Lingshan Academy does so through connections."
“In Grandmother’s heart, my third brother is the most outstanding among us siblings, so it’s not surprising that she thinks that way.” Meng Chengzhang then changed the subject, “By the way, eldest sister, Mother is more than a month pregnant. It was diagnosed by the Ling family doctor on New Year’s Eve.”
Meng Jinyao was somewhat surprised, but then nodded: "Having a child is good. Her father is unreliable, and her grandmother is that kind of person. If she can have a child of her own, she will have something to look forward to in life."
She looked at Meng Chengzhang, who looked sickly, and said meaningfully, "Second brother, be patient a little longer. The time is not right yet."
Meng Chengzhang looked at her blankly, not understanding what was going on.
Meng Jinyao didn't explain much. Her mother's revenge was only half complete. Sun was dead, but her father, one of the murderers, was still living a carefree life. Next year was the triennial autumn examination, and there couldn't be any mourning period that would delay her second brother's exam. Moreover, her stepmother was pregnant again. Pregnant women need to take good care of themselves and shouldn't overwork. If someone in the family fell ill or anything happened, it would definitely be her stepmother who would suffer.
If my second brother passes the imperial examinations smoothly, he will become a Juren in the autumn of next year and a Jinshi in the spring of the year after. He will be of marriageable age by then. Regardless of whether he becomes a Jinshi or not, we should start arranging his marriage. Perhaps we should wait a little longer, as the next few years are not a good time.
She replied, "Second brother, your eldest brother-in-law said that if you study hard and don't slack off, your chances of passing the imperial examination next autumn are extremely high."
Meng Chengzhang was surprised and suddenly looked at Gu Jingxi. He did not expect his brother-in-law to think so highly of him. He intended to participate in the autumn examination next year, with the mentality of giving it a try. If he passed, he would participate in the spring examination the year after next. If he failed, he would study harder.
Gu Jingxi gently patted his shoulder encouragingly: "Work hard, stay humble and not get arrogant, and you should have a good result next year."
Upon hearing this, Meng Chengzhang's confidence increased, and he nodded repeatedly: "Big sister, big brother-in-law, I will study hard."
Meng Jinyao nodded. Seeing that he didn't look well, she said, "Second brother, you should rest well. We'll be going now."
Meng Chengzhang didn't try to stop him, since he was really not in the mood and was feeling a bit sleepy.
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