Chapter Seventy-Three: Jingxi's Promise
Seeing that Gu Xiuming insisted, Gu Jingxi said no more and sent his ignorant son away with a few words, out of sight, out of mind.
Meng Jinyao watched Gu Xiuming's light and quick steps as he walked away, and fell into deep thought. Recalling a guess from a few days ago, and combined with Gu Xiuming's behavior today, she couldn't help but think that perhaps Gu Jingxi really wanted to adopt Gu Xiuwen into the third branch of the family.
Seeing her staring intently in the direction her son had left, lost in thought, Gu Jingxi waved his hand, signaling the maid to leave, and said softly, "Madam, he is not a good match."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao slowly came back to her senses. She stared blankly at Gu Jingxi for a long while before realizing what Gu Jingxi meant. Did he think that she still had feelings for Gu Xiuming, so he was reminding her to turn back before it was too late?
She chuckled, thinking that Gu Jingxi was overthinking things, and said with a smile, "What my husband says is true. He is indeed not a good match, but for Miss Li, he is a rare and affectionate man."
Gu Jingxi stared at her for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's good that Madam understands."
Meng Jinyao asked, "And what about your husband?"
Gu Jingxi was confused: "What?"
Meng Jinyao turned her head to look at him. The man had distinct features and handsome face, pleasing to the eye. She smiled and asked again with interest, "And your husband? Is he a good match for you?"
Gu Jingxi was stunned, then gently shook his head: "I don't know."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao frowned, her tone somewhat displeased: "My husband has lived for twenty-nine years, and he still doesn't understand who he is?"
Gu Jingxi looked at her and replied, "Whether I am a good match or not is up to you to decide."
"What about Gu Xiuming?" Meng Jinyao glanced at him and said with amusement, "You're not me, so why did you say Gu Xiuming wasn't a good match just now?"
Gu Jingxi said with certainty, "Since he was able to run away from the wedding, it's obvious that he's not a good match for you."
Meng Jinyao was speechless.
After a moment, Gu Jingxi spoke again: "I will not take a concubine. As for whether she is a good match, that depends on what you think, Madam."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was stunned and looked at him in surprise. He looked serious and didn't seem to be lying. But then she remembered that he had a hidden illness, so taking more concubines would be useless. It was normal for him not to take any concubines.
As the saying goes, you can't have everything. She got a marriage with one person for life, but her husband had a hidden illness. However, she was still satisfied. She had always been unlucky. Even if she could marry a husband who was healthy, he probably wouldn't be able to give her a marriage with one person for life.
She has another question, and if she doesn't figure it out, she'll feel uneasy, wondering if she's been taken advantage of. She needs to find out the answer.
She stared intently at the man, not wanting to miss any subtle changes in his expression, and asked earnestly, "Have you had other women before, my husband?"
Gu Jingxi chuckled upon hearing this: "I just got married last month, doesn't Madam know that?"
Meng Jinyao glared at him: "I was talking about maids who served in the inner chambers or the like."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi immediately understood what she meant. A blush quickly crossed her face as she looked at her with surprise before replying, "No."
Meng Jinyao stared in astonishment, then her heart leaped with joy, and she said with a smile, "Then my husband will probably be a good match for me."
It doesn't matter if the other party has a hidden illness. She believes that couples don't necessarily need to have sexual relations, as long as he doesn't take a concubine and cause her distress.
Gu Jingxi had a hidden illness, and she would remain a virgin until her death. But if Gu Jingxi had tried such sexual pleasure when she was healthy, she would feel it was a great loss, since she had never tried it, but he had.
Now that she knew the other person hadn't tried it either, she instantly felt at peace and didn't feel like she'd lost out. She was a virgin until her death, and Gu Jingxi was a virgin until his death, so it was fair.
Gu Jingxi was somewhat bewildered by her words. After pondering for a while, he finally understood. It turned out that this was how the young girl defined whether he was a good match for her: whether in the past or in the future, as long as he hadn't touched another woman.
After a moment, Gu Jingxi asked, "Anything else?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and asked in return, "Besides that, my husband only needs to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband. Everyone says that Marquis Changxing is a man of noble character. I don't think my husband will mistreat his wife, will he?"
"No." Gu Jingxi replied without hesitation, his tone firm, as he promised her, "Don't worry, Madam. You will be given the dignity befitting a lady of the Marquis's household, and you will not be shortchanged in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities."
It was the first heart-to-heart talk between the couple, and Meng Jinyao was very satisfied. The corners of her mouth deepened, and she said with a smile, "That's what my husband said. A gentleman's word is his bond."
Gu Jingxi continued, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Seeing the little girl's bright smile, like a child who had just gotten candy, Gu Jingxi's lips also curled up. A little girl is a little girl; her thoughts are simple and pure, easily satisfied. It wouldn't be bad to raise such a little girl as a daughter.
Seeing that he looked relaxed, Meng Jinyao figured that asking him a question now wouldn't upset him, so she spoke again: "Husband, I have another question to ask you."
Gu Jingxi nodded: "Please speak freely, Madam."
Meng Jinyao carefully considered her words and tentatively asked him, "Husband, do you think we might have another son in the near future?"
After these words, the atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Gu Jingxi tapped the coffee table lightly with his fingers, the sound of his fingers striking the table amplifying in the silence, as if it were not tapping on the coffee table, but on people's hearts, making them involuntarily tense.
After a long pause, Gu Jingxi looked at her with an ambiguous expression and asked, "Does Madam want another son?"
The man's tone was soft, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or unhappy, but his eyes held a certain profound meaning.
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback. She nodded first, then shook her head: "Well, we only have one child, Xiuming. Isn't that a bit too few? Has my husband ever thought about adopting another child from the clan?"
Gu Jingxi replied calmly, "No."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"
Gu Jingxi detected a hint of disappointment in her voice and then asked, "Does Madam want another son?"
Undoubtedly, Meng Jinyao wanted another son. After all, when Gu Jingxi grew old, she would have to face Gu Xiuming's family, who were full of children and grandchildren. Gu Xiuming and she didn't get along. If the whole family turned against her, what would she, an old lady, do against them?
However, at this moment, Meng Jinyao did not dare to tell Gu Jingxi the truth. If she did, wouldn't that be sowing discord between the father and son? So she said, "Xiuwen went to Lingshan Academy. I saw how much my husband cared for Xiuwen, so I misunderstood."
Gu Jingxi was taken aback when he heard this, and then he succinctly explained the reason to her.
Meng Jinyao then realized that she had misunderstood. Because Zhang Shi doted on the children too much, she had raised Gu Xuanyi in a bad way. Her mother-in-law was afraid that Gu Xiuwen would also be raised in a bad way, so she asked Gu Jingxi to help her send Gu Xiuwen to Lingshan Academy to study. She hoped that he would study peacefully in the academy and stay away from Zhang Shi.
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