Chapter 386 Endless Regret
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi knew that the main topic had arrived, and replied, "Yes, the reason for returning to my hometown this time is to pay respects to my ancestors. I haven't been back to my hometown for more than ten years. When the anniversary of my ancestors' death was approaching, they appeared to me in a dream and asked me to bring my wife back to visit their graves so that they could see her."
As he spoke, he changed the subject: "However, it will be a few days before we return to the capital. My wife's maternal uncle is the magistrate of Deqing County. We haven't seen him for many years. Now that we've arrived in Huzhou Prefecture, we should at least go and visit our elder."
Lord Wei was taken aback: "Magistrate Du is Madam Gu's maternal uncle?"
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "Indeed, I will have to trouble Lord Wei to take good care of me in the future."
Lord Wei hurriedly replied, "Not at all, not at all."
His attention was all on Gu Jingxi, and he didn't pay attention to Lord Du, who had been demoted and sent to Deqing County as magistrate. He didn't expect that Lord Du was actually related to Madam Gu by marriage. So, was Gu Jingxi and his wife visiting their elders in Deqing County, or...?
Gu Jingxi took in all the subtle changes in Lord Wei's expression; it was normal for Lord Wei to be surprised.
The Yongchang Marquis's Mansion had long since declined. The Meng family and the Du family had contact when Madam Du was still alive. She felt sorry for Ayao, who lost her mother at a young age, and would take time to visit Ayao at the Meng family. However, Madam Du also passed away early, and there was little contact after that.
Mrs. Du and his mother-in-law were cousins. When they were alive, people would think that the two families were related. But after so many years of their deaths, and after his father-in-law remarried twice, people had long forgotten that the two families were ever related.
At this moment, Mei Qingyun asked, "So, Madam Gu and Lord Gu went to visit their elders and then returned to the capital?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "Yes, Your Excellency is busy with official duties and cannot stay any longer. After visiting your elders, you must return to the capital."
Mei Qingyun said with a hint of regret, "I get along well with Madam Gu and was hoping you would stay longer. In a couple of days, we are hosting a flower-viewing banquet at our residence and would like to invite Madam Gu to join us."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao also expressed her regret, saying, "In a couple of days? Oh, the timing is really inconvenient, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Before long, the waiter brought out the dishes one after another, and the four of them ate and talked.
When Lord Wei talked with Gu Jingxi, he would occasionally try to subtly elicit information from Gu Jingxi, but Gu Jingxi did not hide anything and answered whatever was asked without revealing any flaws, which made Lord Wei somewhat frustrated.
Gu Jingxi's conversation with Lord Wei did not affect his care for his young wife.
Since the dishes were served, Meng Jinyao hadn't picked up any food herself; Gu Jingxi had been serving her. Her small bowl was always full of food, and she only needed to eat and occasionally respond to Mei Qingyun's words.
Mei Qingyun was momentarily stunned as she looked at Gu Jingxi, who was gentle and considerate to his wife. The last time she saw Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao, she could tell that Gu Jingxi liked Meng Jinyao and was gentle and considerate to her. But she did not expect him to be this considerate. He did not let Meng Jinyao pick up any food for him during the meal. When eating fish, he would pick out the fish bones and put the fish meat into Meng Jinyao's bowl.
A noble marquis, and a high-ranking official of the third rank, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, treated his wife like an ancestor even in public. A man who could do such a thing was truly rare in the world.
She glanced at her husband, who was completely different from Gu Jingxi, and felt an overwhelming sense of regret. What kind of person had she married? Gu Jingxi was gentle, considerate, and devoted, but she had lost him and married someone like Wei Heng. Her life was ruined. If she hadn't broken off the engagement, she would be the one being taken care of by Gu Jingxi now.
Lord Wei had been married to Mei Qingyun for many years and knew her very well. He could easily notice her subtle changes. Seeing her like this, he knew that she was regretting it again. She regretted breaking off the engagement and marrying him instead, and she was fantasizing about how happy she would be if she married Gu Jingxi.
Lord Wei sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of it, and said with a smile, "Lord Gu and Madam Gu have such a good relationship, it's truly enviable."
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "The relationship between Lord Wei and Madam Wei is also enviable. I heard that their relationship has remained unchanged for more than ten years, and they are still as loving as ever."
Upon hearing this, Lord Wei and Mei Qingyun exchanged a smile. To outsiders, they seemed to be as loving as ever, and they tacitly accepted this fact.
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After lunch, the four chatted for a while in a private room before parting ways and heading home.
Meng Jinyao recalled Mei Qingyun's graceful and dignified demeanor, and her gentle and kind speech. It was truly hard to imagine the cruel and vicious side she showed when she plotted to harm her husband's children and concubines.
Gu Jingxi reached out and held her small hand, asking gently, "What are you thinking about, Yao?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "I was thinking about Madam Wei."
Why are you thinking about her?
Gu Jingxi's brow twitched, and he subconsciously recalled the scene of the meal just now. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it. Ayao should not have noticed the disgusting things about Wei Heng and his wife.
Meng Jinyao considered her words carefully before replying, "I always felt that Madam Wei was very gentle, but the things she did behind the scenes were not consistent with her image. Perhaps she wasn't this kind of person from the beginning."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi frowned slightly, fearing that she might get involved with that crazy woman, and reminded her, "Ayao, you can't judge a book by its cover. You can't judge a person by their appearance alone. You can't have too much contact with someone like her."
Meng Jinyao nodded: "I know. Even if she used to be a truly gentle woman, she isn't anymore. Husband, don't worry. I was just expressing my feelings. We'll be returning to the capital soon, and we probably won't even see each other again."
Gu Jingxi changed the subject: "It's still early, is there anywhere else you'd like to go, Ayao? Let's wander around a bit before heading back home."
Meng Jinyao said, "Let's go for a walk on the street. I don't want to go back to the manor so soon."
The couple got off the carriage. Gu Jingxi held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield themselves from the sun. They strolled side by side down the street, taking a closer look at anything that caught their eye.
Suddenly, Meng Jinyao saw an elderly couple with gray hair and hunched backs pulling and tugging at each other on the street, and subconsciously stopped to see what was going on.
The old woman was acting like a child, making a fuss about finding her father, and even cursing the old man for being a malicious human trafficker who wanted to kidnap her.
The old man wasn't angry. He coaxed the old woman gently, saying he would take her home to find her father and that he would buy her candied hawthorns later. But the old woman became even more defiant, saying that he was trying to lure children with a string of candied hawthorns and that everyone should judge her case.
Meng Jinyao was a little confused. She felt that the old lady must be sick. She was so sick that she didn't recognize people, didn't know what year it was, and didn't even know how old she was. She seemed to have become a child again.
Just then, she heard someone next to her say, "Hey, Old Li's wife has been crazy for a year. Her son and daughter-in-law both despise her. Luckily, Old Li is still alive and can take care of her, otherwise who knows what would have happened to her."
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