Chapter 134 Arriving Late
Seeing the young girl's confident demeanor, Gu Jingxi asked with interest, "What are your plans, Madam?"
Meng Jinyao turned to look at him and saw that the man was looking at her with a gentle expression. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of trust in him. After hesitating for only a moment, she told him about her plan.
After listening to the girl finish speaking, Gu Jingxi realized that her plan was still quite naive to him. However, the things that a girl raised in the inner quarters could do were limited, so this was all he could do.
He nodded slightly and replied with two words: "Not bad."
Hearing his affirmative answer, Meng Jinyao's smile deepened. She rested her elbows on the table, propped her chins up with her hands, and asked with a smile, "Does my husband have a better plan?"
Gu Jingxi turned to look at her and nodded, saying, "Yes, but it's not suitable for you."
Meng Jinyao, puzzled, hummed in response and looked up at him with a confused expression, as if asking a question.
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Young lady, it's best not to get involved in bloody methods."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao pursed her lips, ultimately not daring to tell Gu Jingxi that she would have preferred to see blood if there were a simpler and more brutal method. She didn't need to be soft-hearted towards murderers, but she had no way or ability to do so, so she could only set a trap for others.
Gu Jingxi added, "Madam, please proceed according to the original plan."
Meng Jinyao glanced at him, quite puzzled: "Husband, you're so optimistic about my plan without offering any advice? What if the plan fails?"
Gu Jingxi smiled gently and replied softly, "Even if you fail, I'll still be your husband."
He spoke with a smile, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, and Meng Jinyao was stunned. She felt as if he was coaxing a child, as if he were watching a child play a game and letting the child play to their heart's content, with an elder to back them up if they lost.
Nevertheless, Meng Jinyao felt inexplicably at ease, and even a touch of emotion spread through her heart. Apart from her grandfather, only Gu Jingxi would speak to her like this, supporting her and backing her up when something happened, allowing her to do things with peace of mind.
In fact, Gu Jingxi could have married her and then ignored her, as long as he didn't mistreat her in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities. That way, no one could find fault with Gu Jingxi.
Gu Jingxi met her blank stare and asked with a smile, "Why is Madam looking at me like that?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly and replied, "It's nothing. I just feel that my husband treats me better than he treats our son. No wonder our eldest son is angry."
Gu Jingxi was stunned, then chuckled softly: "This is what Madam deserves. Madam is more obedient and sensible than that unfilial son."
Meng Jinyao blinked and asked, "What if I were even more rebellious than him?"
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Then I'll educate him properly. I can't possibly argue with a child who's younger than my own son."
Meng Jinyao was speechless. So the reason she received such preferential treatment from Gu Jingxi was because she was younger. But thinking about it, it made sense. If Gu Jingxi were ten years younger, he probably wouldn't have spoken to her so calmly.
After a moment, she reminded her, "Actually, many women become mothers at the age of sixteen."
The implication is that she is no longer a child, but an adult.
Speaking of age, she suddenly remembered that it was because of her age that she was getting married this year. Logically speaking, Gu Xiuming was only sixteen years old and there was no rush to get married. The second young master, Gu Xiuhong, who was over seventeen, got married first because she was too old to wait.
When she came of age, her grandmother was very anxious because the Gu family did not mention that she should marry Gu Xiuming. She was afraid that the Gu family would look down on the impoverished Meng family and that the Meng family would be unable to get this marriage alliance. However, she did not dare to mention it to the Gu family.
It wasn't until the end of last year, when her current mother-in-law hosted a banquet and invited her grandmother to the Gu family to discuss marriage, that her grandmother's worries were finally put to rest, and she began to make arrangements for her marriage.
Gu Jingxi seemed not to understand her implied meaning and smiled, "Madam has become a mother too."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
She'd rather not have a rebellious son like Gu Xiuming; she didn't want one. Having a son like Gu Xiuming would shorten her lifespan by a few years.
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The next day.
With a worried look on her face, Granny Qiao followed her son Li Cheng to the agreed-upon private room in the teahouse to wait. Her son had incurred gambling debts before, but he had never incurred such a large amount of debt.
Let alone the five thousand taels from the gambling den, she couldn't even fill the one thousand taels hole in the estate's income.
She was the lady's trusted nanny, but she was about to make a deal with the eldest daughter. The eldest daughter had a grudge against the lady, and her doing so would undoubtedly be a betrayal of the lady who had been kind to her.
She was already feeling incredibly anxious, and now that she had been waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea at the agreed time and place, and Meng Jinyao still hadn't appeared, she became even more agitated and restless.
Li Cheng was equally anxious. After all, six thousand taels was no small sum. If the young lady changed her mind, even if he wasn't beaten to death by the gambling den, the owner would beat him half to death if he found out that he had misappropriated one thousand taels of the estate's income to the gambling den.
Looking at her son, Granny Qiao said with a pained expression, "Cheng'er, I told you before not to gamble. Nine out of ten gamblers lose. You always agreed, but then you forgot what I said. Now look what's happened. You owe so much money. How are you going to fill this huge hole?"
Li Cheng looked remorseful and said earnestly, "Mother, I really will change this time. As long as you help me pay back this money, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and become a better person."
Granny Qiao's eyes reddened, her heart filled with turmoil: "Six thousand taels of silver, a huge sum, to make a deal with the eldest young lady. Who knows what she will ask us to do? If we do something that is detrimental to Madam, how can I face Madam?"
Li Cheng disagreed, saying, "Mother, you saved Madam's life once before, and you almost lost your own. You have already repaid that debt of gratitude."
As he spoke, his tone was tinged with anger: "Are you going to disregard your son's life for your master? Your wife is very important to you, but is my only son not important? Since my mother doesn't care about me, her son, I'll go to the gambling den right now and tell them I have no money, only my worthless life. At worst, they can beat me to death and leave my body lying in the street."
After saying this, Li Cheng suddenly stood up, making a move to leave the private room and go to the gambling den to face his death.
How could Granny Qiao bear to send her only son to his death?
If she were truly willing, she wouldn't have come to the appointment with her son. The wife is important, but her son is important too; she really had no other choice.
Seeing her son about to leave, she quickly reached out and grabbed him, whispering, "You little devil! I must have owed you something in my past life, and you're here to collect it in this one. It's time for your appointment with the young lady, why haven't you shown up yet?"
Li Cheng was also uneasy: "The young lady may be held up by something. Let's wait a little longer."
About 15 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Li Cheng stood up and quickly went to open it. As soon as the door opened, he saw Meng Jinyao, who had arrived late, and her two maids.
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