Chapter 215 A Wise Husband and Loving Father
Seeing the little girl staring at him with wide, almond-shaped eyes, looking somewhat dazed, Gu Jingxi smiled and asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Meng Jinyao snapped out of her daze and shook her head repeatedly: "No, it's nothing, it's just a little hot."
Looking at the little face flushed red from the sun, Gu Jingxi said gently, "In the future, when it's so hot, Madam doesn't need to bring me meals. The Dali Temple also provides meals. Although they can't compare to the food at home, they're still edible."
Meng Jinyao knew he was worried that she would suffer from heatstroke, and her heart warmed with a secret joy.
A moment later, Meng Jinyao glanced at the gentle and warm man, and for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't help but want to take advantage of the situation and stay with him a little longer. Without thinking, she said, "Husband, I'm hungry."
Qingqiu: "?"
Ningdong: "?"
The two maids silently grumbled to themselves: "Madam, you ate lunch before coming here so that you wouldn't miss your own lunch when you brought food to the Marquis. Are you already hungry? Even the biggest pig can't get hungry as fast as you."
Gu Jingxi was taken aback, but without suspecting anything, she said gently, "Then let's go in first and eat together."
Meng Jinyao wasn't afraid of eating too much, but after she cleared her head, she hesitated: "But it's not appropriate for a woman like me to go to the Dali Temple, is it? What if my presence hinders official duties? I'd better go back and eat."
Gu Jingxi replied, "Everyone is getting ready to go to the Dali Temple's canteen for lunch now. There's nothing else to do right now, it's just a matter of time before we have a meal."
Hearing him say that, Meng Jinyao's worries disappeared. She followed him inside, and after taking only two steps, she glanced at the handsome man beside her out of the corner of her eye. Silently, she reached out her small hand, tentatively and cautiously, to tug at his sleeve. The moment her hand touched his sleeve, she felt a little uneasy.
Gu Jingxi paused, looked down at the small hand clutching her sleeve, and assumed it was her first time there and she was timid. So she reached out and took her wrist, saying gently, "Don't be afraid."
Meng Jinyao's anxious heart calmed down. She glanced at his large hand, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Gu Jingxi really had feelings for her, and she hadn't misunderstood.
Qingqiu and Ningdong exchanged a glance. They had originally hoped that their wife would take the initiative to respond a little, but they didn't expect her to be even more proactive than they had imagined. This was good, as it would promote the relationship between the couple. As the relationship between the Marquis and his wife deepened, their wife's life would get better and better.
Meanwhile, the two constables guarding the door were dumbfounded as they looked at the couple. The Minister of Justice was usually stern and impartial, but he was a completely different person when he was with his wife. He had just wiped her sweat, and now he was holding her hand. It was as if the word "favoritism" was written all over his face.
Gu Jingxi glanced at them indifferently, and they immediately looked away, pretending not to have seen anything.
Upon entering the Dali Temple, they soon arrived at Gu Jingxi's office. As the Minister of the Dali Temple, he had his own office. Meng Jinyao glanced at it briefly and saw that his desk was piled high with official documents. She could easily guess how busy he was with his daily duties.
Since these were all official documents and not suitable for others to see, Gu Jingxi packed them up herself without asking Qingqiu and Ningdong for help. They simply stood guard outside the door, which was also left open. Anyone passing by could see what was happening inside, but Gu Jingxi wasn't afraid of being seen and thus prevented others from having any ulterior motives.
Lunch consisted of three dishes and a soup, which was too much for Gu Jingxi to eat alone. It would have been just right for the two of them to share.
Gu Jingxi placed the bowl of lotus root, red date, and chicken soup in front of Meng Jinyao and said gently, "Madam, here's some soup for you."
Meng Jinyao refused: "My husband is busy with official duties and must be very tired on weekdays. You should drink it."
Gu Jingxi said without allowing any refusal, "The physician said you are weak and that drinking more nourishing soups would be good for your health, but I don't need any."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao felt a little sweet inside and didn't refuse anymore. She had already eaten lunch, and if she ate another meal, she would just eat a few bites and then make an excuse that the weather was hot and she didn't have a good appetite. Now, drinking soup would be good so that she could eat less rice.
She glanced at the chicken and lotus root in the soup, then silently used her chopsticks to pick them out and put them in Gu Jingxi's bowl. She liked to drink the soup, but she didn't like to eat the soup ingredients.
Gu Jingxi had spent some time with her and knew her habits, so he silently ate the lotus root and chicken that she had put on his plate.
Halfway through the soup, Meng Jinyao felt full and couldn't drink anymore, so she put down her spoon.
Gu Jingxi asked, "Why doesn't Madam drink more?"
Meng Jinyao said without changing her expression, "It's too hot and I don't have much of an appetite. I drank some soup and I'm not hungry anymore, so I don't want to eat for now." She thought for a moment and added, "I'm fine. If I get hungry again when I get home, I'll eat something else."
Gu Jingxi had no suspicions and continued eating. After finishing his meal, he cleaned up the leftovers and put them in a food box. He then let her sit and rest for a while before seeing her off from the Dali Temple. He watched her get into the carriage before turning back.
Once inside, Gu Jingxi was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. He turned his head and saw his friend's smiling face, a smile tinged with a hint of mockery. He raised an eyebrow: "What do you want?"
Qi Yunwen chuckled and said, "It's nothing. It's just that it was my sister-in-law's first time bringing you food, so she came out out of curiosity. She just asked the yamen runners at the gate and learned that our stern and unsmiling Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is actually a gentle and considerate man. He even personally wiped the sweat off the lady. If it weren't for the bright sunshine and the intense sunlight, which is the time of day when the yang energy is at its peak, they would have thought they had seen a ghost."
Gu Jingxi found his tone rather strange and was puzzled. She didn't take it seriously and said, "What's the problem? You don't need to wipe your sweat?"
Qi Yunwen was taken aback by his words. Wiping sweat was fine, and wiping sweat for one's wife was normal, but it was surprising that this happened to Gu Jingxi. When had Gu Jingxi ever been so gentle and considerate to a woman?
He shook his head: "No problem."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Yunwen patted his shoulder again and said with emotion, "I've known you for so long, and this is the first time I've realized that you have the potential to be a good husband and father. Even if you don't become an official, you'd be a good wife and father if you stayed at home."
A virtuous husband and loving father?
Gu Jingxi was taken aback. He didn't consider himself a virtuous husband, but he was close to being a good father. He was much more meticulous and patient in raising his daughter than in raising his son.
Qi Yunwen stopped teasing him and got down to business: "By the way, Yaoling, I think there are still some doubts about that case. Do you think we should re-interrogate the criminal?"
Gu Jingxi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: "I also think it's necessary. I also felt that something was off about those statements. I was just about to tell you after lunch."
Qi Yunwen said, "Let's go to the prison and have another look at that old guy."
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