Chapter 156 Grandmother's Relief
Gu Xiuming hurriedly replied, "Grandson will follow Grandmother's teachings."
Madam Gu nodded slightly and asked him to sit down and talk. The two seemed to have returned to their old ways, chatting and laughing, getting along very well.
At this moment, Granny Feng brought the medicine and instructed the maid to bring a basin of clean water to clean Gu Xiuming's wounds. Then she applied the medicine to his wounds. Looking at his wounds, one could tell how much effort he had put into kowtowing; there was no perfunctory effort whatsoever.
After applying the medicine, Gu Xiuming did not leave Shou'an Hall. Instead, he accompanied Old Madam Gu to the Buddhist hall. While Old Madam Gu chanted sutras, he copied Buddhist scriptures, saying that he wanted to copy the scriptures to pray for Old Madam Gu's well-being.
At noon, Gu Xiuming still did not leave, but stayed in Shou'an Hall to have lunch with Old Madam Gu.
Madam Gu is a Buddhist and often eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist prayers. Her diet is light, and today's lunch had no meat at all, consisting entirely of vegetarian dishes. She was worried that her grandson wouldn't be used to it, so she instructed her maid, "Go and have the kitchen prepare two meat dishes."
Gu Xiuming hurriedly said, "Grandmother, there's no need to trouble yourself. The vegetarian food is excellent, and I don't want to eat meat either. To be honest, I know I've made a mistake, and I'm preparing to fast for a month, abstaining from meat and fish to cultivate my character."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu glanced at him in surprise, but was quite satisfied. His willingness to do so showed that her grandson was genuinely repentant. To err is human, to forgive divine. Xiuming possessed this quality; if the Marquis's mansion were handed over to him in the future, even if it couldn't reach new heights, it wouldn't necessarily fall into ruin.
Madam Gu said, "Good child, it seems you have grown a lot during this time."
Gu Xiuming said with remorse, "Grandmother, I was ignorant before, and I won't do it again. You must have been troubled by my affairs these days, and I have made you feel bad. It is really my fault, and I am unfilial."
"Grandma isn't angry with you anymore. Let's not talk about the past, let's talk about the future." Old Madam Gu said kindly, with a loving smile. "Xiuming, you're doing well in your studies. Grandma just hopes you can study hard and pass the imperial examination with flying colors in the future."
Gu Xiuming replied, "Grandmother, I will return to the academy to study tomorrow. Don't worry, I will study hard."
After hearing this, Madam Gu smiled with satisfaction.
After lunch, Gu Xiuming chatted with Madam Gu for a while. Knowing that she had a habit of taking a nap, he didn't stay too long. Around the appointed time, he bid farewell to Madam Gu and returned to his Qingyuxuan.
Looking at her grandson's tall and straight back, Old Madam Gu felt very gratified. She felt that her grandson was already showing the qualities of an heir. Originally, she was worried that her grandson, as the heir apparent, was willful and reckless, and incapable of shouldering great responsibilities. She thought that the Marquis's mansion would be ruined by him sooner or later. Now it seemed that her grandson had become sensible and would gradually grow up to be able to support the entire Changxing Marquis's mansion in the future.
Granny Feng sighed, "Madam, it seems people really can change. I used to think the young master was ruined, but I never expected he would have a moment of repentance."
Madam Gu smiled and said, "People always grow up eventually. Seeing Xiuming like this now, I feel at ease."
Granny Feng seemed to be deep in thought, and asked softly, "Madam, now that the young master is old enough to understand, shouldn't we start looking for a wife for him? That concubine Li is ultimately a lowly concubine. After the young master inherits the title, the Marquis's mansion will need a proper mistress, and there will be banquets that the mistress will need to attend."
"inappropriate."
Without a second thought, Madam Gu dismissed Feng Mama's words. Seeing Feng Mama's doubt, she explained, "Xiu Ming did such a thing not long ago. Even if we were to arrange a marriage for him, no lady from a respectable family would be willing to marry him. Besides, Aunt Li is favored by him and they are currently very much in love. Any other girl who marries him would suffer."
Granny Feng was taken aback: "Then the young master can't be without a legal wife, can he?"
Madam Gu sighed softly, "Once Xiuming's infatuation with Concubine Li wears off and he gradually realizes the importance of having a legal wife, he might want to marry her. If we, as elders, force him now, he certainly won't do it willingly. In the end, not only will we harm an innocent good girl, but we'll also end up as a mismatched couple, and he'll grow to love Concubine Li even more. It's best not to interfere at all."
Upon hearing this, Granny Feng was stunned. She had forgotten about Consort Li. The young master dared to elope on his wedding day because of Consort Li. If the young master was forced to marry, he might elope a second time. Such a shameful act as elopement could be ridiculed for a long time. If it happened again, the reputation of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion would be completely ruined.
Madam Gu was also accepting of this. As long as her grandson was sensible, that was good. He would become even more sensible in the future and understand the good intentions of his elders. She said, "The love when a child is just beginning to experience love is the most intense. After adolescence, it will become much more subdued. Now he is spending every day with Aunt Li. Over time, he will gradually discover Aunt Li's shortcomings and thus discover the merits of a lady from a prestigious family. At that time, Aunt Li may not still be the apple of his eye."
Granny Feng nodded in agreement: "That's true. Once the novelty wears off, they might not like it that much anymore. Even if they still like it, once the novelty is gone, they'll start to like it more for other girls."
How many men, especially those from wealthy families, are truly committed to one partner for life?
Many men who have married a legal wife will still take in two maids even if their elders do not arrange for them to take a concubine while the legal wife is pregnant. They will take the one they like as a concubine, and while they like their legal wife, they also like their gentle and lovely concubine.
After a moment, Granny Feng suddenly remembered something and said, "Madam, let alone whether the young master's passion for Concubine Li will wane, given how inseparable they are now, it's estimated that Concubine Li will soon be pregnant. If the eldest son is born before the legal wife enters the family, it's unlikely that a lady from a prestigious family would be willing to marry the young master."
Madam Gu's face darkened. If Concubine Li were to drink the contraceptive soup, it would definitely provoke Xiu Ming's rebellious nature. Xiu Ming finally realized his mistake and said, "If Concubine Li can give birth, then let her give birth. What comes out of her belly will ultimately be a concubine's child. If a girl of equal social standing doesn't want to marry her, then a girl of lower social standing, a dignified and proper girl, will also be fine. It doesn't have to be a lady from a prestigious family."
After speaking, Madam Gu sighed again with melancholy. If it weren't for this Aunt Li, there wouldn't have been so many troubles. But her grandson still regarded Aunt Li as his precious darling. As far as she knew, Xiu Ming had personally supervised Aunt Li's diet, for fear that Aunt Li would be harmed.
As for who he's wary of, I reckon he's wary of A Yao. Xiu Ming is afraid that A Yao will be jealous of Aunt Li and might try to harm her.
In this respect, Xiu Ming was worrying unnecessarily; even that girl A Yao wouldn't stoop to dealing with Aunt Li.
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