Chapter 453 Being Kicked Out
When Gu Jingxi arrived at his mother's place, his mother and wife were already halfway through their meal. He immediately sat down and asked the maid to add another set of chopsticks and a bowl.
Seeing that he had only arrived at this hour, Madam Gu asked with some confusion, "Yao Ling, why are you only arriving at this hour? Why are you back so late today?"
Gu Jingxi replied truthfully, "I initially thought A Yao had gone to my eldest or second sister-in-law's place, but later I learned that A Yao had come to your place and wasn't going home for dinner, so I came over."
Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "I told the maids I was coming to Mother's place, didn't they tell you?"
Gu Jingxi said, "I told you, the first maid remembered it wrong, and the other maid's account was accurate when it was time to eat."
After hearing this, Meng Jinyao didn't ask any more questions. She was almost full herself, so she picked up the serving chopsticks and put some food on his plate.
Suddenly, Madam Gu brought up her family: "Yaoling, your uncle will be returning to the capital at the end of the year to report on his duties. Do you think it would be possible to let him stay in the capital? He is nearly sixty years old and it is not advisable for him to leave his hometown again. Yesterday I received a letter from him saying that he does not care about the rank of official position or even a sinecure, he just wants to be closer to his family."
After listening, Gu Jingxi pondered for a moment and then nodded: "I will put in a good word for my uncle."
Madam Gu sighed softly, "It's been several years since I last saw you. I wonder how your uncle is doing now. He always writes back saying that everything is fine."
When the topic of her family came up, Madam Gu became somewhat sad. In fact, she not only had an elder brother, but also a younger brother, who had already passed away. Due to a sudden change in the earth's fortunes, her brother, sister-in-law, and two children died on the same day. Her parents, who had lost their son, were devastated and their health deteriorated rapidly. In addition to his grief, her elder brother also experienced a sudden increase in pressure.
Her sister-in-law was her cousin, her brother's cousin. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts and had a deep bond. They were very loving after marriage, and gave birth to a daughter the following year. The daughter was extremely beautiful, but she was mentally challenged.
After giving birth to her daughter, the sister-in-law did not conceive again for many years, leaving only her brother to carry on the family line. The elders urged her to take a concubine, and the sister-in-law, thinking of the continuation of the family line, also advised her brother to take a concubine. However, the brother only had eyes for his sister-in-law and did not agree to take a concubine. The couple took good care of their mentally challenged daughter.
My sister-in-law consulted many doctors and took a lot of medicine in an effort to continue her brother's lineage, but she just couldn't get pregnant again. The medicine she took ruined her stomach, and my brother was heartbroken. He wouldn't allow her to take any more medicine and told her to let nature take its course.
By the grace of God, when my brother was forty-three, my forty-one-year-old sister-in-law became pregnant. The following year, she gave birth to a son. The boy was clever and quick-witted, but his health was somewhat weak. He would fall ill if not careful, but with careful care, there were no major problems. Now he is fourteen years old.
The father, who was bedridden, saw his newborn grandson and passed away a month later. He passed away peacefully because he knew that the family line had a successor.
After dinner, Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi chatted with Old Madam Gu for a while before heading back.
Meng Jinyao asked softly, "Husband, why do I feel that Mother's mood has changed after she mentioned Uncle?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Perhaps he was thinking of his uncle."
Meng Jinyao didn't know much about her mother-in-law's family, since they didn't live in the capital and she had never met them. She pressed for details, asking, "What happened to my uncle?"
Gu Jingxi briefly told her about her maternal grandparents' family, and then added, "Although my cousin is forty years old this year, she is like a child. When you meet her, just treat her like a child."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently: "Husband, I understand." After a moment, she added, "Uncle is a rare and affectionate man. If it were someone else, he would have already taken a concubine. After all, having offspring is a top priority for many men."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi thought of his father. His mother had been married to his father for three years without conceiving, which displeased his grandmother. His mother said that his grandmother had asked his father to divorce his wife and remarry several times, but his father did not divorce her. He only stopped giving his concubines contraceptive soup, and then both concubines became pregnant and gave birth to his eldest brother and second brother one after another.
The father was naturally pleased, but he didn't blame the mother for not being able to conceive. However, the grandmother's dissatisfaction with the mother increased after she had two grandsons born out of wedlock. She belittled the mother, and the two aunts' open and covert mockery added to the mother's stress. She often couldn't sleep at night, and even after seeing a doctor, she was still unable to conceive.
Father told Mother to stop seeing doctors and taking all sorts of random medicines that were ruining her health. He said he wanted to register the eldest brother under Mother's name, but the eldest brother's aunt often teased her about her infertility. How could Mother possibly agree to register the eldest brother under her name?
Later, his mother gave up the idea of having children, but one day she was diagnosed with pregnancy and gave birth to him in the tenth year after marrying his father.
He replied, "The more anxious you are about having children, the slower they will come. Sometimes it's better to let things take their natural course."
Before long, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao returned to the courtyard.
When Xia Zhu saw them return, her heart tightened. She subconsciously observed the expressions of her two masters. Seeing that they were chatting and laughing and did not show the slightest displeasure, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Chunliu whispered a reminder: "Xiazhu, we servants shouldn't stare at our masters."
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu lowered her eyes.
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In the following days, Xia Zhu behaved herself and did not create opportunities to appear in front of Gu Jingxi when Meng Jinyao could not see her.
Chunliu had been observing her carefully these past few days. Seeing that she had stopped causing trouble, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she had come to her senses soon. Given their years of friendship, she really didn't want Xia Zhu to go down a dark path.
Chunliu was quite pleased and said to her, "Xiazhu, it's good that you can think positively. Madam is kind and gentle. If you meet a man you like in the future, you can ask Madam for his help, and she will definitely agree."
Xia Zhu gave a soft "hmm".
Chunliu then said, "It's getting late, let's rest first."
However, Chunliu overestimated her awareness; she only kept quiet for the time being and would act again when she found an opportunity.
That evening, the sound of a teacup falling and shattering came from Wei Ruixuan's study, followed by Gu Jingxi's furious voice. Then, Xia Zhu, disheveled, was driven out of the study by Gu Jingxi.
The maids and servants who lived nearby heard the commotion and rushed over, only to see Xia Zhu coming out of the study, covering her clothes.
Xia Zhu was about to leave when she saw that others had witnessed this shameful act. She panicked even more, her mind went blank for a moment, tears welled up in her eyes, and she stood there, her body trembling with fear.
Seeing this, everyone could guess the reason: Xia Zhu must have failed to get into the Marquis's bed and was kicked out.
Actually, it's not just summer bamboo.
Now that the Marquis has recovered from his illness and his wife is pregnant, many of the maids have their own ideas. However, seeing how much the Marquis dotes on his wife and how clingy she is, and how he follows her whenever she goes to visit the Old Madam, no one dares to act rashly.
Who would have thought that Xia Zhu, who seemed so docile, would be the first to take action?
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