Chapter Sixty-One: The Mother-in-Law's Anger
Wei Rui Xuan.
When Meng Jinyao returned to Weirui Pavilion, it was almost lunchtime, but she didn't feel like eating. She decided to give the food to the maids later and asked the kitchen to make chicken porridge. So she would have to wait a while before she could eat, and she ate a couple of snacks to tide her over.
When Qingqiu entered the room, she saw her sitting on a chaise lounge by the window, one hand resting on the windowsill, her chin propped up on the back of her hand, staring blankly at the vast blue sky, her eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.
Qingqiu walked over to her and asked with concern, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao came back to her senses, her eyes gradually regaining their clarity, and she smiled slightly: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."
Qingqiu was skeptical, but since her mistress didn't want to talk about it, she didn't dwell on the question. Instead, she asked curiously, "Madam, you usually don't like to meddle in these kinds of things, so why did you do it today?"
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "I guess he's been caught in the rain before and can empathize with it."
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu immediately understood.
The lady had been caught in the rain before, so she wanted to hold an umbrella for others.
Gu Xuanyi and Gu Xuanling, aren't they just replicas of their master and Meng Jinyu?
Gu Xuanyi has the same temperament as Meng Jinyu. Fortunately, their mistress is not as weak and easily bullied as Gu Xuanling, otherwise her fate would be many times worse than Gu Xuanling's. Gu Xuanling is luckier than their mistress because she has a stepmother who can protect her.
And what about their masters?
From the moment her master was born, Madam Meng disliked him, believing him to be a jinx. She targeted him in every way, and it is said that she once wanted to send away this jinx to ensure the safety of the family. Fortunately, the old Marquis stopped her.
Therefore, whenever Meng Jinyu bullied their master, Old Madam Meng would not ask any questions, but would only listen to Meng Jinyu's words and immediately conclude that it was the master's fault and that this unruly granddaughter should be punished. Otherwise, if she continued to behave like this after marrying into the Gu family, the Gu family would say that the Meng family had failed to educate their daughter properly.
Madam Sun always knew how to seemingly plead for her master while actually pushing him into a pit of fire, getting the old lady to punish him severely, killing him with a borrowed knife, and still gaining a good reputation as a loving mother.
Over the years, the master has been beaten, scolded, punished by copying the family rules, confined to his quarters, and even forced to kneel at the entrance of Rongfu Hall's courtyard in the freezing winter.
Originally, she was only supposed to kneel for an hour, but because of a remark by Madam Sun, she was angered by Old Madam Meng and ended up kneeling for a whole day until her mistress fainted. Only then did the maid realize something was wrong and go to report to Old Madam Meng.
Therefore, Madam Meng then remembered that her mistress was still kneeling outside. Fearing the reputation of abusing her granddaughter to death, and since her mistress was still engaged to the Gu family, the engagement would be void if she died. So she hurriedly sent a doctor to treat her mistress.
The master developed a high fever that lasted for three days and three nights before it subsided. He was saved and it took several months to recover. However, the cold had invaded his body, leaving him with a permanent illness. Every winter, his old ailment would flare up again, and only those who experienced it know how unbearable it was.
If only the old Marquis could live another ten years, he could have protected his mistress until she got married and was no longer mistreated in her husband's family.
The troubles they've had over the years are countless, whether it's their mistress or the second young master. But because the second young master wasn't disliked by the old lady like his mistress, he's had a much better life than his mistress.
When Meng Jinyao saw that her eyes were red and two lines of tears were flowing down her cheeks, she was startled. Her maid was usually composed and did not easily show her emotions, so she quickly asked, "Qingqiu, why are you crying?"
Qingqiu hurriedly wiped away the tears on her cheeks, sniffed, and forced the tears back: "This servant is fine. Madam is a blessed person and will be well in the future."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "I will definitely be fine. In the future, I will find suitable husbands for you and Ningdong and send you off to your weddings."
Qingqiu hurriedly shook her head: "This servant does not want to get married. I want to stay by Madam's side for the rest of my life."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao shook her head in disapproval and said gently, "Silly girl, you must not think like that. No one can let you waste your life. Once you meet a good husband who suits you, you can consider marriage. I am the wife of a marquis, and this status can certainly support you and prevent your husband's family from bullying you in the slightest."
Qingqiu replied, "Madam, I don't feel that staying by your side is a waste of my life. To be honest, I made up my mind two years ago that I didn't want to get married."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback and quite puzzled: "Why?"
"I have no interest in getting married. I just want to stay by your side and serve you," Qingqiu said with a slight smile. "Getting married isn't so great either. You have to serve your parents-in-law and take care of the whole family. How can that compare to the comfort of staying by your side?"
Meng Jinyao was stunned for a moment, then replied, "It's actually quite good to get married as long as you meet the right person. But there's no rush. If you meet the right person in the future, you can get married. If you don't, you can stay with me."
Qingqiu nodded: "This servant will obey Madam's will."
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly and said earnestly, "Don't listen to me about important matters in life. It's your life, and you have to feel it for yourself. Even if I think a certain man is very good and suitable for you, I am not you. It's the same principle as only you know if a shoe fits."
Qingqiu nodded again: "This servant understands."
-
Shou'an Hall.
After today's commotion, Old Madam Gu also received the news. She was so angry that she lost her appetite for lunch, ate a little bit, and then had the maid take it away.
Seeing this, Granny Feng gently comforted her, "Madam, please don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health. Let them do whatever they want."
"How could I not be angry? They're all such a handful."
Madam Gu frowned deeply, her face grim. She said in a deep voice, "Zhang has raised her daughter to be so arrogant and domineering, ruining a perfectly good child. It's truly a case of marrying the wrong wife and bringing disaster to future generations. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have gone along with my eldest son's wishes and agreed to let him marry Zhang. After she came back, she kept causing trouble, and I turned a blind eye to all those things."
Granny Feng remained silent. In fact, the old lady had found a good girl for the young master back then. Although she was the legitimate daughter of a sixth-rank official and her family was not of high status, she was gentle, kind, dignified, and proper. She was a virtuous wife and loving mother. Facts have proved that the old lady had good judgment. Now that girl is married, she is a good wife and mother, and she is filial to her elders. She is loved by her husband and parents-in-law. The children she raised are also very outstanding. Last year, she passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen.
Granny Feng sighed inwardly and advised, "Madam, the matter is settled now, and no matter how angry you are, it won't change anything. You should put your mind at ease."
Madam Gu took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and said, "Have someone go and invite Zhang Shi over here."
Upon hearing this, Granny Feng hurriedly stopped her: "Madam, you mustn't! The First Madam has already punished the eldest daughter. If you interfere again and blame the First Madam for failing to raise her daughter properly, she might hold a grudge against you."
"Who said I was going to blame her?" Old Madam Gu gave her a strange look and shook her head helplessly. "Why would I blame her? Even if I did, she wouldn't change. The child is already like this, so scolding her won't help."
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