Chapter 428 The Joys of Raising a Child
A gentle breeze stirs, and the cold dew falls sadly.
Time flies, and autumn has arrived in full swing. It rained last night, and the morning air was chilly. As soon as I got out of bed, I could feel the cold creeping in.
Meng Jinyao put on the autumn dress she had ordered from Jinxiufang and wore her newly bought jewelry. After having breakfast, she went to Shou'an Hall to pay her respects to Old Madam Gu. As soon as she entered the room, everyone present was immediately struck by her exquisite and luxurious attire, as if she were going to a banquet.
She was dressed in a red dress embroidered with gold threads and intertwined branches, adorned with a gold filigree ruby hairpin and bright moon earrings. She was walking gracefully with lotus-like steps, her skirt fluttering, exuding elegance and nobility, and her beauty was beyond compare.
After paying her respects to Madam Gu, Meng Jinyao sat down in the seat below Madam Gu.
Zhang asked curiously, "Third sister-in-law, you seem to have dressed up carefully today, and you're dressed so festively. Are you going out to a banquet?"
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "No, I just thought the dress was pretty, so I dressed up a bit. Otherwise, I felt like I didn't deserve it."
Madam Chen sized her up and interjected, "Judging from the style of the skirt, it shouldn't have been made by the embroiderers in the manor, right?"
Meng Jinyao truthfully replied, "The dress is from Jinxiufang."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen and Madam Zhang understood. Since it came from Jinxiufang, it must have been prepared by their younger brother-in-law. Their younger brother-in-law was away on business and had arranged everything for his wife at home.
Madam Gu's gaze also fell on her youngest daughter-in-law. She looked at her daughter-in-law's elegant and dignified attire, and her little face seemed to have gained a little weight. She sat there with a smile on her lips, like a flower of wealth and beauty.
Although the gifts were bought for the daughter-in-law in the son's name, she actually had them bought by someone else. Years later, she experienced the joy of raising a child again, and she raised the child very well. She felt a sense of accomplishment for no reason. Raising a daughter is just different from raising a son.
Zhang said enviously, "Third sister-in-law, my third brother is so considerate to you, unlike his eldest brother, who is as dense as a block of wood."
Meng Jinyao lowered her head slightly, feigning shyness. Since she was too embarrassed to answer, she lowered her head like a shy young wife, and others understood.
Madam Gu said gently, "Eldest daughter-in-law, the eldest son is used to being careless. If you want something, you have to tell him yourself. Otherwise, he won't know what you want, and you'll just keep bottling it up inside. Won't that make you angry?"
“Mother is right.”
Zhang nodded in agreement, feeling annoyed. Her husband was sometimes so stupid that it made her furious. He didn't even realize when she was angry. On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, she deliberately wore a thin nightgown and gave him a suggestive look, but it was like flirting with a blind man. People even asked her what was wrong with her eyes, which made her lose all interest.
Madam Gu added, "Their father was like that back then. Without being explicitly told, they wouldn't have realized this. The eldest son inherited this trait from his father."
What she said was true; the old Marquis was indeed not a very considerate husband back then. He was not considerate to either his wife or concubines, and he never interfered in the affairs of the inner quarters. However, apart from not being a good husband, the old Marquis was quite good as a subject, a father, a friend, a teacher, and a son.
Later, she had enough. She would speak her mind directly about anything that bothered her and ask her husband to do this or that. Her husband was unhappy and thought she was a nuisance, but as long as it didn't involve his mother and there was no conflict, he would at least meet her requests to make her feel better.
Upon hearing this, Zhang thought of her father-in-law. He was indeed not a very considerate husband, but he treated his mother-in-law with respect. Her own husband was perhaps a little better than her father-in-law when he was young. At least he would coax her when he was young. Her father-in-law was such a serious person that he probably wouldn't lower himself to coax a woman.
Compared to others, she was not as good as some but not as bad as others, which comforted Zhang, who replied with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance, Mother."
Madam Gu announced another matter: "I have made an appointment with a few of my old friends to go to the temple for a few days tomorrow. The eldest and second daughters-in-law should take care of things at home. The third daughter-in-law is pregnant, so she should not overwork herself."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi immediately replied, "Grandmother, I will accompany you to pray for blessings."
Madam Gu was surprised. Her granddaughter usually avoided going to burn incense whenever she heard about it. What was wrong with her today?
Gu Xuanyi also noticed her unusual reaction and said, "Granddaughter has recently gained some insights, but her thoughts are still somewhat vague. She feels that she needs to get closer to Buddha in order to understand them better."
Madam Gu nodded: "It's rare that you can calm down and contemplate the truth. Then go back and pack your bags later. Come with me to Lingyun Temple tomorrow morning."
Gu Xuanyi smiled and replied, "Yes, Grandmother."
Zhang was frustrated. She knew what her daughter was up to: she wanted to avoid her, even if it meant going to a temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers.
But she was doing this for her daughter's own good. Even if a woman who has been married is still a virgin, some men will still mind if she has never been married. If she gets older, they will mind even more. It's better to find a husband while she's still young.
I suggested taking her out to banquets more often, giving her more opportunities to meet people, and maybe she'd meet some nice ones. But my daughter didn't understand my good intentions and resisted so much.
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We left Shou'an Hall.
Gu Xuanyi rushed back to her own courtyard as quickly as possible, afraid of being nagged by her mother.
Seeing this, Zhang was both angry and helpless. It was bad enough that her husband was not only useless and inconsiderate, but her daughter was also useless and could not understand her good intentions. Fortunately, her two sons were doing well. The eldest son had passed the imperial examination and the youngest son had passed the county-level examination. Otherwise, how could she have endured this life?
Zhang turned to Meng Jinyao and pleaded, "Third sister-in-law, Xuanyi is getting close to you now. Could you please persuade her? A young lady can't stay single forever."
Meng Jinyao said gently, "Sister-in-law, sometimes the more you push her, the more she resists. If you wait another year or two, she'll probably come to her senses."
Zhang was worried: "If we wait another year or two, she will be seventeen next year. I am doing this for her own good."
"So what if you're seventeen?"
Madam Chen shook her head dismissively, somewhat disapproving of Madam Zhang's actions, and said in a low voice, "Our Gu family's daughters don't have to worry about getting married. Sister-in-law, you're rushing to take Xuanyi to find a husband as if you're afraid no one will want her. In the eyes of outsiders, this makes it seem like Xuanyi is eager to get married. Isn't that belittling Xuanyi in front of outsiders?"
Zhang was speechless.
Madam Chen glanced at her and continued, "Mother has also told you that there's no rush for Xuan Yi's marriage. Last time, my sister-in-law was too hasty and ruined Xuan Yi's life. Although Xuan Yi was disobedient and headstrong when she married into the Marquis of Wu'an's family, without my sister-in-law's matchmaking, how would Xuan Yi have met her former son-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang's face darkened, and she said in an unpleasant tone, "Second sister-in-law, why are you bringing up such an unlucky topic?"
Chen replied, "I was just reminding my sister-in-law not to repeat the same mistake and harm the child again."
Having said that, Chen didn't bother arguing with her and walked away.
Meng Jinyao didn't want to get involved either, so she said, "Sister-in-law, let's take our time with Xuanyi's matter. I have some things to do, so I'll head back first."
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