Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Grace of Saving Lives
Madam Gu was a Buddhist and believed in fate. She felt more and more that this was a preordained destiny. Thinking that her son, who was nearly thirty, had finally gotten married, she couldn't even be angry with her grandson. She sighed and said, "You and Ayao are destined to be together. The age difference of twenty-nine and sixteen, thirteen years, cannot stop the fate."
Gu Jingxi opened his mouth slightly, but in the end he swallowed his words back. He didn't know if it was fate or not, but he knew that he and that girl were both victims.
After a moment, he chuckled helplessly: "This marriage is too hasty. It's clear that getting engaged too early isn't a good thing; it can easily lead to unexpected problems."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu's smile faltered, and she replied, "Your father hadn't even chosen which grandson to marry A-Yao before he suddenly fell ill and passed away. He valued this marriage so much, and since Xiu-Ming was the heir apparent and had the highest status among the grandchildren in the household, everyone assumed that he would marry A-Yao, including myself. If he had objected even slightly, I would have made it clear to the Meng family that someone else would marry A-Yao."
Gu Jingxi gently comforted her: "Mother, what's done is done. There are no 'what ifs,' we can only look forward."
"Of course, you and Ayao must take good care of each other." After saying that, Madam Gu suddenly remembered something important and asked, "By the way, I heard that your people brought back the girl who eloped with Xiuming? What kind of girl is she?"
"Lacks manners and behaves frivolously." Gu Jingxi replied without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu was astonished and couldn't believe it: "What...what did Xiu Ming see in a girl like her? A Yao is outstanding in appearance, dignified, elegant and intelligent. He's looking for fish eyes but not pearls. Is he blind?"
Gu Jingxi agreed with this statement. That unfilial son was truly blind. He pondered for a moment and then said, "It's probably because that Miss Li saved his life."
Grandma Gu was bewildered. In her memory, her grandson had never encountered any danger. She asked in confusion, "What happened?"
Gu Jingxi said, "According to the information I found, Xiu Ming was bitten by a snake and fainted on the ground in a temple. Miss Li happened to pass by, found Xiu Ming, and went to inform the monks of the temple to save him. The abbot cured Xiu Ming of the snake venom."
After hearing this, Madam Gu frowned and said in confusion, "There is a life-saving grace, but a life-saving grace can be repaid in other ways. She is an orphan, and our family can adopt her as our goddaughter. We can find her a good marriage in the future. Why should Xiuming offer himself in return?"
Gu Jingxi frowned, her tone carrying a hint of anger, annoyed by her adopted son's lack of responsibility. "We met because of the life-saving grace, and that's how we started to interact. Miss Li's parents died early, and she lived with her grandfather. Now that her grandfather has passed away, she is all alone and helpless. Xiu Ming felt pity for her and slowly developed feelings for her."
"What a despicable scoundrel!" The more Madam Gu listened, the angrier she became. The anger that she had suppressed after reciting scriptures for a long time surged up again. She cursed and her face turned ashen with rage. "Everyone thought he was going to marry Ayao. If he didn't want to, he should have made it clear before he went to fool around with his savior. Isn't that poor, lonely Miss Li, who was abandoned by him on her wedding day and became a laughingstock as his fiancée, pitiful too?"
"Mother, please calm down." Gu Jingxi quickly stood up, picked up the teacup on the small tea table, refilled it with hot tea, and then served it to Old Madam Gu.
Old Madam Gu took the teacup, took two sips, and then put it down, exclaiming with disappointment, "You abandoned a respectable young lady from a respectable family to elope with an ill-mannered and frivolous girl! What a disgraceful wretch!" She took a deep breath and then asked, "What do you plan to do with that Miss Li? Even if she is ill-mannered and frivolous, because Xiu Ming is so clueless, she has lost her innocence. Xiu Ming has to take responsibility for her."
Gu Jingxi said, "I have already sent her home. I will choose an auspicious day to take her as a concubine."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu thought it was feasible and nodded slightly, then asked again, "Is this your idea, or Xiu Ming's idea?"
Gu Jingxi smiled gently: "It's your daughter-in-law's idea, and I think it's a good idea too."
"Is this Ayao's idea?" Old Madam Gu was slightly surprised, but then her brows relaxed and her tone became much gentler. "What a magnanimous child. She didn't make things difficult for her. If it were someone else, they would probably have found a reason to stop Miss Li from entering the house."
After a moment, Madam Gu said again, "Since the decision has been made, let's find a good girl for Xiuming to be his wife. She must be a capable young lady from a respectable family who can control Xiuming and Miss Li. Once the wife is in the household, we can choose a day to bring Miss Li into the mansion."
Gu Jingxi paused for a moment, then said, "Mother, you don't need to bother finding him any girls."
Madam Gu glanced at him and said, "Are you going to find him a girl yourself? You're a man, how would you know which family has good girls? Let me choose one for him."
Gu Jingxi replied, "After his confinement period ends, he will choose an auspicious day to take Miss Li as his concubine."
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Madam Gu's face darkened instantly, and she scolded him sternly: "Your son is ignorant, but are you, as his father, also ignorant? What wealthy family's son would take a concubine before his wife has even entered the household? What well-bred young lady would dare to marry him?"
Gu Jingxi lowered his eyes slightly and stated in a calm voice: "Xiu Ming said that he can't live without Miss Li. He doesn't want anyone else but Miss Li. Although Miss Li is a concubine, he will not marry."
"Only taking concubines and not marrying a wife?"
Madam Gu's face grew increasingly grim, turning ashen as she sternly rebuked, "He is the heir of the Marquis's mansion, destined to inherit the title. How can the household function without a mistress in charge? Who will handle his social interactions? Are we to send a lowly concubine to do it? It's a disgrace! He's utterly disgraced our matriarch!"
"Mother, please calm down. Don't upset yourself." Gu Jingxi soothed her gently, then said slowly, "He is so devoted. Even if he were to marry a lady from a respectable family, he wouldn't treat her sincerely. So why should we ruin a good girl's life? As for what you just mentioned, isn't there Ayao? She is a marquis's wife. She is the most suitable person for the job."
This makes sense, but it can't cover up the grandson's absurdity. Old Madam Gu frowned deeply, glared at her son, and scolded, "It's one thing for Xiu Ming to be ignorant, but how can you let him run wild? He doesn't have a legal wife, so he doesn't have a legitimate son. Are you going to let a son born out of wedlock inherit the title?"
Gu Jingxi remained silent, watching the wisps of white smoke rising from the incense burner. After a long while, he casually said, "Mother, as the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Let it be."
Madam Gu was taken aback and stared at him intently for a long time. He remained calm and indifferent, seemingly unconcerned. It was unclear whether he cared whether Xiu Ming would have a legitimate heir to the title or whether he simply didn't care about Xiu Ming as his son.
After a moment, Madam Gu sighed and said, "Fine, then so be it. I won't interfere anymore. I just hope he won't regret it in the future."
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