Chapter 153 Xiu Ming Arrives
It was late afternoon, past the hottest time of the day.
Zhang went to Shou'an Hall to tell her mother-in-law the good news that Xiuyuan's wife was pregnant. She had upset her mother-in-law that morning, but now that there was good news, her mother-in-law might be so happy that she would forget about what happened that morning and her anger would dissipate.
Old Madam Gu had just woken up from her afternoon nap when she learned that she had arrived. She felt a little annoyed, wondering what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into this time. She didn't want to see her, but since she had already come, she still asked a maid to invite her in.
A moment later, Zhang entered and saw her mother-in-law sitting upright in the seat of honor, her face calm, making it impossible to tell whether she was happy or not. She stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Daughter-in-law greets Mother."
Madam Gu said calmly, "Sit down and let's talk."
"Hey!"
Zhang responded and moved to the seat below Madam Gu. She then told Madam Gu about the events of the morning, and finally mentioned that Xiuyuan's wife had been diagnosed with being more than a month pregnant.
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu's face lit up with joy, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face. She immediately instructed Granny Feng to fetch some tonics suitable for pregnant women from her private treasury and send them to Madam Jiang.
Seeing this, Zhang was overjoyed. This proved that the mother-in-law valued her great-great-grandson/great-great-granddaughter. The first child of the great-grandchild generation, having the character "eldest," carries different significance whether it's a girl or a boy. With her brother-in-law like this, the mother-in-law couldn't even have a biological grandson, let alone a biological great-grandson. Therefore, she valued even those who weren't blood relatives.
The next moment, Madam Gu said in a deep voice, "Eldest daughter-in-law, you are about to become a grandmother. You should be more prudent in your actions from now on, think things through, and don't cause any more trouble."
Zhang was suddenly scolded and dared not show any dissatisfaction. She quickly smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry, there will be no next time. Next time, your daughter-in-law will definitely keep her eyes open and not make the same mistake again. As for Xuanyi's marriage, your daughter-in-law will definitely discuss it with you before making a decision next time."
Old Madam Gu stared at Zhang Shi for a long time. Zhang Shi had said similar things countless times, and she was already tired of hearing them. If this really would never happen again, then she wouldn't be foolish this time. She said calmly, "It's good that you know. If there's nothing else, you can go back now. I'm going to the Buddhist hall."
Not daring to linger and displease her mother-in-law, Zhang quickly replied, "Yes, I'll go back now and won't disturb you any longer, Mother."
After Zhang left, Granny Feng said, "Madam, you were doing this for the sake of the First Madam, which is why you were so earnest in your teachings. But the First Madam may not think that way and may even harbor resentment towards you."
Madam Gu said nonchalantly, "She's been resentful of me for a long time now. Let her think what she wants. I'm old enough to not care if anyone hates me."
Granny Feng was taken aback, then sighed inwardly. The old lady was already at the age to enjoy her retirement. In other families, the old lady would have long since stopped caring about things, but their old lady still had to worry about the younger generation all the time.
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That morning.
Meng Jinyao was having breakfast with Gu Jingxi.
When men eat, they do so slowly and deliberately, chewing almost silently, seemingly more refined and elegant than young women.
Meng Jinyao just looked at him and found him pleasing to the eye. No wonder some people say that you should marry a good-looking man, because it makes you feel better when you look at his handsome face.
The slender, fair hand held the chopsticks, and the joints exerted force when picking up food, making the hand appear even more flawless and well-defined, like it was carved from the finest white jade. It was incredibly beautiful.
Seeing that she was staring longingly at her hand, Gu Jingxi followed her gaze and noticed that she had picked up the last soup dumpling. Thinking that she wanted to eat it, he placed the dumpling on her plate and said gently, "Madam, please eat."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback, and stared blankly at the steamed buns on the plate: "For me?"
Gu Jingxi smiled gently: "Madam was looking at my hand the whole time, wasn't it because you wanted this xiaolongbao?"
Meng Jinyao's expression froze. Actually, she thought his hands were beautiful, which was why she couldn't help but glance at them a few more times. She didn't expect to cause a misunderstanding. Beauty really can be a trap. She quickly covered up and said, "I was just having a craving. Thank you, husband."
Gu Jingxi didn't think much of it and simply said, "If Madam likes it, then eat more. If you haven't had enough, we can have the kitchen make more tomorrow morning."
Meng Jinyao replied, "Then there's no need. Let's eat something different tomorrow. Eating the same thing every day will get boring. We need some new variety."
Gu Jingxi asked with a smile, "Madam seems to really enjoy eating?"
Meng Jinyao replied matter-of-factly, "It's not that I particularly love eating, it's just that I want to eat more good food when I have the opportunity. Who knows when I might not be able to eat it anymore?"
Gu Jingxi looked up at her and saw that the little girl's cheeks were chubby and she had a satisfied expression on her face. She looked quite cute. He smiled and said gently, "Don't worry, my wife. There will never be such a day. I have always been doing my job and obeying the law. I do not embezzle or accept bribes, nor do I bend the law for personal gain."
Meng Jinyao believed him. He was a good official, but she said, "Sometimes when you're unlucky, you can end up in jail even without doing anything wrong. Maybe one day when you're in jail, I'll be in jail with you and eat jail food."
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Jinyao froze, pursed her lips, and cursed herself for being a jinx.
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly: "What you say, Madam, is not impossible. However, some people choke to death while drinking water. We can't stop drinking water just because there's a possibility of choking to death, can we?"
"Too."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently, understanding his meaning. One cannot simply resign from office and become a coward just because there is a possibility of being framed by political enemies.
Just then, Xia Zhu came in and announced, "My lord, my lady, the young master has arrived."
Young Master?
Meng Jinyao was just about to reach for the crystal dumpling with her chopsticks when she heard this. She paused, stunned for a long time before realizing that her adopted son had arrived.
It's no wonder she was momentarily stunned, because her adopted son hadn't shown his face in front of her for a month. It had been so long that she had almost forgotten about him. Last time, he had been punished by Gu Jingxi for fighting with Xiuwen and Chengzhang and slandering their elders, and was confined to his home for a month and made to copy the Classic of Filial Piety fifty times.
Since she married into the Gu family, Gu Xiuming has been punished several times, including being confined to his home twice, each time for a month.
While they were having breakfast, Meng Jinyao didn't want Gu Xiuming to bother her, lest she lose her appetite later. So she said, "Xia Zhu, please ask the young master to wait in the side hall first. The Marquis and I will be there in a bit."
Xia Zhu withdrew in response.
Meng Jinyao looked at the man sitting opposite her and asked, "Husband, is our eldest son's house arrest period over?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "I didn't notice. His confinement period should be over, otherwise he wouldn't dare to step out of Qingyuxuan."
Meng Jinyao nodded. This was going to be interesting. Gu Xiuming had been released from confinement, and he would probably be causing trouble for her soon.
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