Chapter 574 The Fourth Year
With the year-end approaching, the household is bustling with activity again.
Although the New Year has not yet arrived, the festive atmosphere is already growing stronger. The servants in the manor are all smiling, looking forward to the arrival of the New Year. Every year during the New Year, the Marquis's manor would reward the servants, and they would receive an extra income every New Year.
The family dinner on New Year's Eve was a joyous occasion.
This year's Lunar New Year's Eve family dinner was missing one person, because Gu Xiuwen had gone on a study tour with his teacher and had not returned for the New Year. He and Meng Chengzhang shared the same teacher, and he would return whenever Meng Chengzhang returned.
Although Zhang didn't get to see her youngest son, she was proud that he was studying with a famous teacher. In her joy, she drank a few extra glasses of wine during the meal, and even her awful husband seemed more agreeable to her.
Seeing the harmonious family, Old Madam Gu felt very gratified. Previously, Zhang and Chen often quarreled, scheming and plotting over trivial matters. Without her presence, the two sisters-in-law would have been even more at odds. It seemed that since A-Yao married into the family, Zhang and Chen had gradually calmed down and even had times when they got along well, occasionally gathering to talk—a scene she had never dared to imagine before.
Zhang held her mother-in-law in high esteem. Seeing her mother-in-law's gaze frequently falling on her, she instantly felt extremely uneasy, wondering if she had done something wrong to displease her mother-in-law. She asked anxiously, "Mother, why are you looking at your daughter-in-law like that? Have I done something wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingsheng immediately glared at his wife. Ever since their quarrel and falling out, the affection they had shared when they were young and married had long since vanished. They were always on edge whenever they met, never exchanging pleasantries. Now, assuming that his wife had done something to displease his stepmother, he immediately scolded her, "Zhang Shi, what have you done to anger Mother this time? Quickly apologize to Mother. Mother is kind-hearted. As long as you sincerely admit your mistakes and correct them, Mother will definitely forgive you this time."
Zhang was speechless, her heart sinking. What a good husband she was, a master at kicking someone when they're down. Other couples, even if they no longer had feelings for each other, would still think of each other as a unit and say a few good words for each other. But her husband was different. Before her mother-in-law had even said anything wrong, her husband had already condemned her and made her apologize.
Gu Xiuyuan and his wife, as well as Gu Xuanyi, all frowned and cast disapproving glances at Gu Jingsheng. However, given that the elders were present, they, as the younger generation, could not openly criticize their father.
Madam Gu said gently, "You did nothing wrong, and you've even improved a lot. I'm very pleased."
Caught off guard by the unexpected praise, Zhang was flattered and overwhelmed. She knew that in all the years she'd been married into the family, her mother-in-law had never praised her, though she had praised Chen a few times. This had been a source of resentment for years, who felt her mother-in-law only praised her because her family background wasn't as high as Chen's. At this moment, she felt like a student seeking her teacher's approval, and suddenly receiving it. Years of resentment vanished in an instant, and her eyes welled up with tears. She just didn't understand why her mother-in-law said she had improved; she didn't seem to have done anything wrong, and she'd even had a falling out with her husband.
Then, Old Madam Gu looked at Gu Jingsheng and felt that he was becoming more and more outrageous. Zhang Shi was the one who knelt in front of her and said that he would not marry anyone but Zhang Shi, but now he had no affection for his wife at all. Disregarding his dignity, she admonished him in a stern voice: "Eldest son, husband and wife are one, sharing honor and disgrace. Even if your wife did nothing wrong, you should share the responsibility with her, instead of scolding her without distinguishing right from wrong."
Gu Jingsheng was extremely embarrassed and awkwardly replied, "Mother is right. It was my fault just now, and I should have asked about it."
After dinner, apart from Gu Yunxin, the eldest grandson of the first wife, Wanwan from the third wife was still too young to stay up all night. Seeing that they were all sleepy, the wet nurse took them down to sleep, while the others gathered together to stay up all night, chatting and laughing.
It was past midnight when everyone returned to their respective courtyards.
At the fork in the road, after parting ways with the first and second wives, Meng Jinyao reached out to take Gu Jingxi's hand. The icy touch made Gu Jingxi pause. He took Meng Jinyao's other hand as well, frowning, "Why is it so cold?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "I left the hand warmer with my mother and forgot to bring it back when I came back."
Just then, Gu Xuanyi's voice rang out from behind: "Third Aunt, are you cold?"
Hearing the sound, Meng Jinyao subconsciously turned her head and saw Gu Xuanyi returning. Seeing Gu Xuanyi looking at her hands being held by her husband, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed and quickly pulled her hands back, asking, "Xuanyi, didn't you just leave with your sister-in-law?"
"I dropped something, I'll look for it later." Gu Xuanyi said, taking a few steps forward and stuffing the hand warmer in her hand into her arms, saying, "Third Aunt, you take this, don't catch a cold."
Meng Jinyao held the hand warmer in both hands, glanced at her hands, and was about to return it when she heard her say, "Third Aunt, I'm not cold." After saying that, she grabbed the maid's hand and turned back, whether she was in a hurry to find something or afraid that the maid would not accept the hand warmer, it was unclear.
Meng Jinyao watched Gu Xuanyi's departing figure, then looked down at the hand warmer in her hand. A gentle warmth spread through her, and her originally cold hands gradually warmed up.
She said softly, "Xuanyi has grown up, she's completely transformed, but the price of growing up is too high."
Gu Jingxi replied, "People always have to pay the price for their wrong choices, but if you can stop the damage in time, it's not too late. Let's go, it's windy at night, let's go back and rest first, we have to get up early tomorrow."
Meng Jinyao nodded and walked towards her own courtyard, talking incessantly to the man beside her. The man responded to every word, and the two seemed to have endless topics to discuss.
Back in the courtyard, after washing up, and just as Meng Jinyao was about to rest in bed, something cool was suddenly slipped into her hand. She paused, picked it up, and saw it was a jade pendant depicting two fish. The jade was of excellent quality, translucent and valuable, though the carving was slightly lacking, seemingly the work of an apprentice. However, such fine jade was rarely given to apprentices, as the finished product would be significantly inferior, unless…
Meng Jinyao smiled and looked at him with delight: "Husband, did you make this yourself?"
Gu Jingxi hummed in agreement and then said, "This is a New Year's gift for Ayao. It's my first time making one, so it's not very good. Does Ayao like it?"
"like."
After saying that, Meng Jinyao pounced on him and kissed him on the face a few times. Not satisfied, she kissed him on the lips. Later, she didn't know how, but her clothes gradually came off, and she lost all sense of time and place.
Afterwards, Meng Jinyao stroked the jade pendant with great affection. Thinking that she hadn't prepared a New Year's gift for Gu Jingxi, she suddenly felt that she hadn't been a good wife. She said, "Husband, I didn't prepare a New Year's gift for you."
Gu Jingxi's eyes were gentle, and a smile played on his lips: "It's ready. Didn't you just give it to me? I'm very satisfied."
Meng Jinyao blushed, gave him a shy, reproachful look, then shifted her body and snuggled into his arms, feeling as sweet as if she had been filled with honey.
She was nineteen and he was thirty-two that year, their fourth year of marriage. They had grown fond of each other and had a son. They were a loving and harmonious couple.
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