Chapter 351 A Letter from My Cousin
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
Meng Jinyao got drunk last night and slept until late morning. She was still a little groggy when she woke up and it took her a while to fully wake up.
She sat up and realized that the sun was shining brightly outside, and it was almost noon. She was surprised that she had been sleeping so long and had only woken up at this hour.
Soon, Meng Jinyao realized that she seemed to have been drunk last night.
Immediately afterwards, memories of being drunk last night flooded back into my mind.
She covered her face with her hands, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning. She never expected that she would act so recklessly while drunk, actually trying to take liberties with her husband.
Meng Jinyao took a deep breath to calm herself down, pretending that she had drunk too much and didn't remember anything. She then reached out to pull the bell to summon a maid to serve her.
While Qingqiu was doing Meng Jinyao's hair and makeup, she suddenly mentioned, "Madam, the second young lady and the second son-in-law have returned today."
Meng Jinyao asked in bewilderment, "Why did the Second Miss suddenly return?"
Qingqiu replied, "The second young master passed the imperial examination, and the second young lady and her husband came to congratulate him. Besides, the eldest young lady has encountered such a thing, so she probably also came to see her."
Meng Jinyao suddenly realized, "I see. My brain is a bit slow to process this."
Qingqiu smiled and said, "Madam was drunk last night, and she's probably still a bit dazed." As she spoke, she remembered something else and continued, "Madam, the provincial examination is about to begin, and the Third Young Master and the Second Young Master of the Marquis's Mansion should be back in a few days."
The third son refers to Gu Xiuwen. Gu Xiuming became famous in the clan, so Gu Xiuwen moved up one place in the ranking. The second son of the Earl's Mansion is Meng Chengzhang of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion.
Meng Jinyao nodded: "It should be in the next few days."
Qingqiu asked, "Madam, will you be returning to the Meng family at that time?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly: "No need. Madam Dong is not Madam Sun. She has no grudge against my second brother and will not harm Chengzhang. Besides, she has no children of her own. Madam Sun's two children also have some complaints about her. Madam Dong is a smart woman. I believe she would prefer my second brother to be more successful than Meng Chengxing, and then stand on his side to find a backer for herself in the future, so that she will have children to take care of her when she gets old."
Qingqiu was slightly taken aback, then said, "This servant was overthinking it."
-
After lunch.
Meng Jinyao was feeling a bit bored and was thinking of something to do to pass the time and relieve her boredom. Just as she stood up, she saw Ning Dong enter the room with a letter.
Her gaze fell on the envelope, and she asked curiously, "Ningdong, whose letter is this?"
Ning Dong quickly stepped forward, presented the letter with both hands, and replied, "Madam, this is a letter from Young Master Biao, it's for you."
Young Master Cousin?
Isn't that her cousin?
Meng Jinyao was stunned. For a moment, she couldn't recall which cousin she had written to her. Before Sun Shi was divorced, Sun Shi's nephew was her cousin according to seniority, but she didn't get along with them. Could it be Luo's cousin Yong'an?
Ningdong noticed her confusion and said, "Madam, it is the young master of the Du family."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was stunned again. The Du family's cousin was Cousin Sze, who was her distant cousin. She had to call Madam Du "Aunt" because Madam Du was her mother's cousin.
The Du family and the Meng family had no connection. If her mother were still alive, they would still have contact, but since her mother passed away early, they basically stopped having any contact.
When her aunt was alive, she would occasionally take her cousin Szeze to visit her at the Meng family home. When she was six years old, her aunt died of postpartum hemorrhage. The child was a daughter, who also died young.
Not long after her aunt passed away, her uncle was also ordered to take up an official post in another place, taking her cousin Sze with him. However, her uncle was a rare and affectionate man. After her aunt's death, he did not remarry and raised her cousin Sze alone.
A few years ago, Madam Du fell ill. Her uncle was an official in another city and could not return to Beijing. Her cousin Sze returned to Beijing to take care of her and also went back to the capital to study. That's when the cousins met again.
Two years ago, Madam Du had recovered and her health was restored. Then, at the beginning of last year, Cousin Sze went on a study tour.
Meng Jinyao took the letter, opened the envelope, took out the letter, and read its contents. The letter contained a simple greeting, and because she was worried about her, asked if it would be convenient for her to meet the day after tomorrow.
Ningdong asked curiously, "Madam, what did Young Master Biao write in his letter?"
Meng Jinyao said, "They didn't write anything, just asked if it would be convenient for us to meet the day after tomorrow, and we agreed to meet at Cha Ran Ju."
Ning Dong was stunned for a moment, then asked again, "Madam, what do you mean?"
Meng Jinyao pondered for a moment and said gently, "It's been more than a year since my cousin and I have seen each other. Now that my cousin has returned from his studies abroad, it wouldn't be a problem for us to meet. But I am a married woman. Even if he is my cousin, I still need to ask the Marquis for his opinion before I can see him."
Ning Dong nodded: "Then we must let the Marquis know."
-
In the afternoon, around dusk, Gu Jingxi returned to his residence.
Meng Jinyao handed the letter that her cousin from the Du family had given her to Gu Jingxi. After he finished reading the contents of the letter, she looked at him expectantly with a questioning look in her eyes.
Gu Jingxi put down the letter, and as soon as he looked up, his eyes met those of his little wife. He smiled and said, "Ayao, just go see him. But I won't have time to accompany you to see your cousin the day after tomorrow. When I have time off, I'll invite him to my home and treat him well."
Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "Husband, you don't mind?"
Hearing this, Gu Jingxi shook his head and chuckled: "Why would I mind? I trust you, and the fact that you showed me the letter and asked for my opinion proves that you and my cousin are completely innocent. It's normal for my cousin to care about you, want to see you, and ask about what has happened to you in the past year."
Meng Jinyao said, "Then I will reply to my cousin tomorrow."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly and asked, "You must have a pretty good relationship with this cousin, right?"
Meng Jinyao answered truthfully: "It's not bad. My cousin has a younger sister, but she died young. So he treats me like his own sister. When he was younger, he thought girls were very fragile and was afraid that I would die young like my cousin. He didn't dare to raise his voice when he spoke to me, for fear of scaring me to death."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly, asked a few more questions, and after getting a basic understanding of her cousin, she didn't ask any more. She said gently, "Ayao, it's still early, not yet dinner time. Let's go for a walk in the garden."
Meng Jinyao responded, pulled him into the inner room, personally helped him change out of his official robes and into casual clothes, and then they went for a walk in the garden together.
The sun isn't too strong right now, so it doesn't feel hot, and it's a good time for a walk.
During their walks, Gu Jingxi would tell her some interesting cases, as if they were stories, and Meng Jinyao would share the interesting things she had heard with him.
They started having more and more to talk about, though they didn't know when it started. Before, even when they sat together, they didn't have much to say; after finishing their business, they would fall silent.
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