Chapter 149 This Fool
Night has fallen, and people are about to rest.
Meng Jinyao lay on the bed. In summer, the bed had been fitted with a jade mat. The jade mat was not made of jade, but of bamboo. It could cool down the room and make it more comfortable to sleep on in the summer. The window was also open, and the summer breeze blew in to dispel the heat. There was no need to put an ice chest in the room to cool it down.
While Gu Jingxi was taking a bath and hadn't returned yet, Meng Jinyao thought for a moment, then moved her body and lay down in Gu Jingxi's spot. Since Gu Jingxi hadn't returned yet, she rubbed against the coolness, feeling the gentle warmth from the jade mat, and comfortably squinted her eyes.
Not long after, Gu Jingxi returned and found that the little girl on the bed was already asleep, and she was sleeping in his spot.
The little girl was still wearing a thin silk shirt, and you could clearly see the color of her undergarments.
Upon seeing this, he awkwardly looked away, but ultimately dared not cover the little girl with a blanket. Last time he covered her with a blanket, the little girl woke up from the heat and got angry with him, blaming him for disturbing her peaceful sleep.
They are a couple who will spend their lives together, so there's no need for them to be overly reserved. As long as they are married, things like closing the bedroom door are normal.
However, the little girl is now sleeping in his spot.
Gu Jingxi thought for a moment, then got onto the bed and gently picked up the girl, preparing to place her in the spot where she had been sleeping.
But Meng Jinyao was still startled awake. She suddenly opened her eyes and found Gu Jingxi holding her. She asked blankly, "Husband, what's wrong?"
"The lady slept in my seat."
As Gu Jingxi spoke, he gently put the person down.
Meng Jinyao was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered what had happened and said awkwardly, "I just lay down there, I didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly."
Gu Jingxi said, "It's alright."
Meng Jinyao suddenly remembered something, propped her head up with her hand, and said, "Husband, there is something I need to discuss with you."
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Please speak, Madam."
Meng Jinyao said, "The grain and oil shops in the north of the city are not very profitable. There are three grain and oil shops there, which are taking away customers, so business is just so-so. I was thinking of turning it into a wine shop. There are no wine shops on that street. What do you think, my husband?"
The shops in the north of the city were in average locations and not very large; they were just small businesses and not very important to Gu Jingxi.
Therefore, Gu Jingxi agreed without hesitation: "It's fine for Madam to make the decision, but have you thought about where to get the wine?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "A-Ning's future mother-in-law, Madam Shen, comes from a merchant family and owns a winery. In addition, with A-Ning's connections, I think it's reliable to source goods from there."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly: "It's good that Madam has a plan. We will do as Madam says."
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Shou'an Hall.
The younger members of the family went to pay their respects to Madam Gu.
Today was not a day off. After paying their respects to Madam Gu, Gu Jingxi and his two brothers went to their respective government offices to take their duties.
The eldest son, Gu Xiuyuan, and the second son, Gu Xiuhong, went to the academy. Although the eldest son was already married at the age of eighteen, as long as he had not passed the imperial examination and was still on his way to take the exam, he still needed to go to the academy to receive instruction from the teachers.
After her son and grandson had left, Madam Gu's gentle gaze fell on her two granddaughters. Although they were not her biological granddaughters, she had watched them grow up and was quite concerned about the affairs of the younger generation.
The two granddaughters are the same age and have already reached marriageable age, but Xuan Yi from the eldest son's family is slightly older.
Looking at her two granddaughters who had grown into beautiful young women, Madam Gu knew their personalities well. Her eldest granddaughter, Xuan Yi, was ambitious and arrogant, and was spoiled by Zhang Shi, making her spoiled, willful, and domineering. Her second granddaughter, Xuan Ling, was born out of wedlock. Although her second son's wife did not mistreat her, she was timid and weak because of her birth, and was often bullied by her eldest granddaughter.
Overall, the eldest granddaughter isn't a completely wicked person. Apart from bullying Xuanling, she hasn't intentionally harmed anyone. It's just that her parents didn't discipline her properly and raised a perfectly good child astray. It's likely that she won't be able to change her personality until she experiences some hardships in the future.
After a moment, Madam Gu withdrew her gaze and said gently, "Xuanyi, Xuanling, go back first."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi and Gu Xuanling knew that their elders had something to discuss, so they obediently agreed and left Shou'an Hall.
Afterwards, Madam Gu dismissed the maids who were serving her, leaving only Granny Feng and her three daughters-in-law.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Zhang asked, "Mother, is there something you want to discuss with us?"
Madam Gu said gently, "Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, Xuanyi and Xuanling have reached the age of marriage. Do you, as their mothers, have any suitable candidates in mind?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately said, "Mother, your daughter-in-law has been keeping an eye on Xuanling's marriage this year, and has now taken a liking to a scholar. She is thinking of taking Xuanling to meet him in a few days."
Madam Gu looked at Madam Chen: "Which family's young master is he?"
Chen replied, "He is the only son of the Vice Director of the Imperial Academy. I heard that he is a handsome, virtuous and academically excellent young man who is very ambitious. Moreover, the Liu family is small, consisting of only three people, and they have some modest assets."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang glanced at Madam Chen, subtly pursing her lips. In her heart, she was filled with disdain. The Assistant Director of the Imperial Academy was just a minor official of the eighth rank. After all, she wasn't his biological mother. How could she possibly put her heart into finding a good husband for her illegitimate daughter? She would just find a poor family and send a dowry to settle things.
However, when Madam Gu heard this, she was somewhat satisfied. Given her second granddaughter's timid and weak nature, and being born out of wedlock, it wouldn't be a good thing for her to marry a son of equal social standing. It would be better to marry someone from a lower social class with fewer family members, so there wouldn't be so many troubles. Even with the Changxing Marquis's family's status, a lower-ranking in-law wouldn't dare to bully Xuanling.
Since her two granddaughters had reached marriageable age, she had also taken note of eligible young men in the capital. She had also done some research on the Liu family, whose ancestors for three generations were all scholars. Although they did not hold high official positions in the court, they were still a family of scholars. Young Master Liu was quite knowledgeable and was a candidate worth considering.
She nodded slightly and immediately said, "The Liu family sounds good too. We can let Xuanling go and take a look."
Zhang was taken aback, not expecting her mother-in-law to be satisfied. But then she thought about it and realized that her mother-in-law was also the legal wife. How could a legal wife like a child born out of wedlock? Naturally, she wouldn't want a child born out of wedlock to have a good life. If she had a son or daughter born out of wedlock, she would do her best to suppress them and not let the child born out of wedlock steal the limelight from her own child.
Madam Chen replied, "Yes, my daughter-in-law has already made an appointment with Madam Liu to go to the temple to offer incense in three days."
Madam Gu nodded slightly, not asking any further questions, and turned to Zhang: "Eldest daughter-in-law, have you found a suitable husband for Xuanyi?"
Zhang replied, "Mother, I have found a few suitable men, but I haven't arranged for them to meet yet."
Madam Gu asked, "Which families' sons are they?"
Madam Zhang spoke eloquently, detailing the characteristics and family backgrounds of these young masters. At the end, she added, "Mother, my daughter-in-law's favorite is the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. I have met him; he is a handsome and gentle young man. What do you think, Mother?"
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Chen with a smug look on her face.
When Chen met her gaze, she smiled knowingly, thinking to herself: What a fool!
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