Chapter Seventy-One: Have Another Child
Seeing his silence, Meng Jinyao asked in confusion, "Husband, what's wrong?"
Gu Jingxi glanced at the young girl with an unfathomable look in his eyes and said indifferently, "He is fifty-three years old this year, and his grandson is the same age as you."
For a moment, Meng Jinyao felt the atmosphere freeze, and an overwhelming sense of awkwardness washed over her, threatening to engulf her.
Indeed, friendships across generations are possible. Friends much younger than Gu Jingxi can be friends across generations, but friends much older than Gu Jingxi can also be friends across generations. She was not thinking things through.
Meng Jinyao's face stiffened, extremely embarrassed, and she forced a smile: "Well, my husband has a wide circle of friends, unlike me, who only has friends of similar age."
Gu Jingxi asked in a low voice, "Is that so?"
"yes!"
Meng Jinyao nodded vigorously, giving an affirmative answer.
Gu Jingxi said modestly, "Fortunately, I don't have enough friends who are older than me. I only have friends older than me, and I don't have any younger friends yet." After saying that, he sighed regretfully, as if he regretted not having any friends who were teenagers older than him.
Meng Jinyao choked up: "..."
She felt that the man was being sarcastic or mocking, but she had no proof.
Gu Jingxi added, "Madam should know many friends of similar age. Please introduce me to a few friends who are much older than you another day."
Meng Jinyao was speechless again: "..."
So, this matter can't be resolved, right?
She wouldn't admit her mistake, and of course, she wouldn't tolerate Gu Jingxi's endless nagging. So she smiled and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll introduce you to my husband then."
The little girl's words were a bit irritating, but at this moment she was all smiles, her eyes crinkling as she stared straight at people with a hint of provocation. She was both obedient and rebellious, two extremes combined together, and her lively and playful appearance made it impossible for anyone to be angry with her.
Gu Jingxi clicked his tongue softly and said, "Xiu Ming will be released from confinement in a few days. Seeing how quick-witted my wife is, I'm relieved that she won't lose any arguments in the future."
Meng Jinyao's smile froze. If it weren't for this, she wouldn't have remembered that her adopted son's confinement period was almost over. After regaining his freedom, he would be able to cause her trouble. She put on a gentle smile like a loving mother: "What are you saying, husband? Why is a mother arguing with her son? If the son is wrong, just educate him patiently."
Gu Jingxi said with a half-smile, "What Madam says is true. Madam is always reasonable, and I believe she would never quarrel with a junior."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
She wouldn't argue with other younger relatives, but not with Gu Xiuming's adopted son. Even if she didn't want to argue, Gu Xiuming would still argue with her.
-
By evening, Ningdong had learned the news.
Meng Jinyao then understood why Zhang was so enthusiastic towards her. It turned out that in the morning, Gu Jingxi took Gu Xiuwen to visit Headmaster Xu of Lingshan Academy. Headmaster Xu tested Gu Xiuwen's knowledge and was quite satisfied with him, so he gave Gu Xiuwen an extra spot to study at Lingshan Academy.
Ning Dong sighed, “Madam, the eldest branch of the family has received the Marquis’s favor, so it’s only natural that they are so enthusiastic towards you. That’s Lingshan Academy, an academy that students from all over the country flock to. Everyone says that once you enter Lingshan Academy, you’re one step closer to becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).
Meng Jinyao said, "The fact that the headmaster agreed to give an extra spot proves that the fourth young master is academically inclined."
Ningdong nodded in agreement: "That's true."
The next day.
The whole mansion knew that Gu Xiuwen was going to study at Lingshan Academy, and everyone praised the fourth young master for having the talent of a top scholar. The eldest branch of the family was in the limelight, and Zhang Shi's smile never faded. She became much gentler to the servants, and she was even more enthusiastic when she saw Meng Jinyao.
Moreover, this enthusiasm did not seem to be a fleeting impulse. Zhang Shi genuinely cared more for Meng Jinyao, and when she spoke privately with her sister-in-law, she subtly mentioned how sensible and filial Gu Xiuwen was.
Meng Jinyao was initially confused, but gradually she figured it out. Of the four sons of the Marquis's mansion, only Gu Xiuwen received this treatment. Gu Xiuming disappointed Gu Jingxi. Could it be that she was going to have another son by taking advantage of her?
However, this might be a good thing for her. Adopting Gu Xiuwen and making him the heir apparent would be more advantageous for her than having Gu Xiuming as the heir apparent to inherit the title.
These are just speculations; nothing is conclusive, so who knows?
Perhaps Gu Jingxi didn't mean it that way; he simply appreciated talent and felt that his nephew was a promising individual who was of marriageable age, so he wanted to help him out.
-
On the other side of the second wife's side, Madam Chen was so envious that she was practically drooling with jealousy, as if she had drunk a bottle of aged vinegar.
Chen glanced at her outstanding son and couldn't help but complain to her husband, "Our Xiuhong is much better at studying than Xiuwen. It's just a pity that he's seventeen this year and too old. If he weren't too old, how would Xiuwen have gotten his chance?"
Gu Jingsong also felt regretful. Hearing his wife's complaint, he said helplessly, "What can we do? Xiu Hong was born two years earlier."
"Xiuwen is really lucky. You know, even Xiuming, the heir apparent, doesn't get this kind of treatment."
Madam Chen sighed, and in a flash, she suddenly thought of something. She opened her mouth in surprise and astonishment, dismissed the maids serving her, and then said to her husband and son in a low voice, "Do you think that Third Brother wants to adopt Xiuwen, which is why he is so good to Xiuwen?"
Gu Jingsong scoffed, "What nonsense are you talking about? Doesn't Third Brother's family have Xiuming?"
Chen smiled meaningfully: "If this were in the past, I certainly wouldn't have had such a thought, but now, things might be different."
Gu Xiuming used to be his mother-in-law's darling, and he was the most beloved among her grandchildren. This time, Gu Xiuming was punished so severely, yet his mother-in-law did not plead for him, and his third brother also showed no mercy to him.
Now, with this latest move, it's hard not to mistakenly believe that the mother and son have given up on Gu Xiuming.
Gu Jingsong understood what his wife meant. What she said was not impossible, but he was not surprised and said indifferently, "So what? We only have one son, while my older brother has two sons. Such good things were destined to be out of our reach long ago."
Chen gritted her teeth, unwilling to accept it: "If that's really the case, wouldn't Zhang's tail be wagging in the sky?"
Gu Xiuhong, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help but chuckle when he heard his mother's words. He teased, "Mother, if you're not satisfied, why don't you and Father work together to give me another little brother, and then compete with my fourth brother?"
As if he was enjoying the drama, he continued, "I believe that newborn children will be more popular than teenagers. After all, the bond between children raised from a young age is different. They can be treated as if they were the biological children of their third uncle and aunt, and they will be more filial to them when they grow up."
Upon hearing this, Chen was stunned and didn't react at all, letting out a blank "Huh?"
After a long while, she realized what she had said and immediately became angry. She glared at her son and scolded, "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? How old is your mother? Do you want people to laugh at your mother for being pregnant with a pearl in her old age?"
Gu Xiuhong quickly smiled apologetically, "Mother is not old. She is only thirty-three this year and is still young."
Chen snorted softly, not wanting to argue with him, but she still felt a pang of sadness. If her son were two years younger, he would have had a chance to enter Lingshan Academy.
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