Chapter 182 It's because I'm worried about her.
"Otherwise what?"
Meng Jinyao glanced at Gu Jingxi with a strange look. Seeing the man's odd expression, she thought of a possibility and asked hesitantly, "Husband, you don't actually think this outfit is a gift for you, do you?"
Gu Jingxi: "..."
The couple stared at each other, their eyes locked.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and Qingqiu, standing to the side, kept her eyes down, trying to minimize her presence.
After a long pause, Meng Jinyao smiled awkwardly and said again, "How could I possibly wear such clothes to ruin a handsome man like my husband?"
Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow: "What about my father-in-law?"
Meng Jinyao stared at him intently, smiling ingratiatingly, "How can he compare to my husband? The difference between you is like heaven and earth." She paused for a moment, then added, "He is earth."
She spoke with such sincerity.
Admittedly, her father, Earl Yongchang, was a handsome man in his youth, and even now in his thirties, he hasn't gained weight and is still considered handsome among middle-aged men. Otherwise, why would a young and beautiful maid be so eager to climb into his bed?
But she can't compare to Gu Jingxi. Putting aside appearance, their temperaments are vastly different.
Seeing the little girl's sweet smile and sincere eyes when she tried to please people, Gu Jingxi knew no one would doubt the truth of her words. He chuckled softly, "Sycophant."
Meng Jinyao blinked, looking completely innocent.
Gu Jingxi asked, "You're giving this as a birthday gift to your father-in-law?"
Meng Jinyao snorted in dissatisfaction: "It's already a favor to him to buy him a set of clothes. If not this, are you going to give him mountains of gold and silver? If he treated me as well as his mother-in-law, I would definitely prepare a special birthday gift for him."
After hearing this, Gu Jingxi said again, "Then I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Jinyao guessed what he was about to say and interrupted him, saying, "Husband, I've prepared this for you. My father likes to drink tea, so I prepared an elegant tea set for him. Although it's not anything expensive, it's very exquisite and won't embarrass you."
The gifts given by the younger generation to suit their tastes were impeccable. Even though the couple didn't care about that scumbag Meng Dongyuan, they still had to maintain appearances and avoid being seen by other guests, lest word get out and ruin their reputation.
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly, not daring to object, but it refreshed his understanding of the little girl. In his mind, the little girl was quite generous, but he did not expect her to be so stingy with her father, even less generous than with the maid.
Meng Jinyao glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking, and said calmly, "He doesn't deserve it."
A good father can produce a filial child. Although her father did not personally mistreat her, he tacitly allowed his family to mistreat her and allowed the servants to neglect her. He coldly watched her struggle in the Meng family's dire straits and even betrayed her mother, protecting the murderer who harmed her mother.
What's the difference between this father and an enemy?
She sent expensive gifts and even added to the Meng family's treasury. She wasn't that foolish. Her second brother, Chengzhang, was a child of the Meng family. What good things wouldn't be passed on to him? As the older sister, she would subsidize her brother privately.
Seeing that the girl's emotions were fluctuating, Gu Jingxi waved his hand to let Qingqiu leave. Then he put the clothes in his hands aside, sat down next to her, and said gently, "With your husband here, they won't be able to bully you in the future. People who do bad things will pay the price for their actions one day."
His tone was gentle and his voice was warm, making people feel as if they were being bathed in a spring breeze.
Meng Jinyao was furious when she thought of her father's disgusting behavior, but when she heard these words, the small flame that had been burning in her heart was extinguished, and a warm current flowed through her heart. She turned her head to look at the man beside her and couldn't help but smile: "Is my husband going to back me up?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Husband and wife are one, sharing honor and disgrace. If they bully you, wouldn't that be the same as bullying me?"
Meng Jinyao nodded seriously: "That's right. The wife of Marquis Changxing was bullied. Isn't it because Marquis Changxing is useless? If a man is capable, who would dare to bully his wife?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi choked for a moment, then said, both amused and annoyed, "Are you scolding your husband for being useless?"
"What do you mean?" Meng Jinyao looked at him with a smile. "I'm just agreeing with you. No one is bullying me now, which proves that my husband is still capable."
Gu Jingxi smiled and didn't argue with her. He thought that it wasn't his father-in-law's birthday and it wasn't a day off. The young lady would be going back to her parents' home by herself, and those people would probably cause trouble again.
Not only the Meng family, but also some guests were present. There were always people who liked to act arrogantly because of their seniority. As a junior, the young girl had a hard time dealing with them. With him there, those people didn't dare to be presumptuous because of his status.
Thinking this, he said, "Madam, I'd like to ask for a day off to go back with you."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao felt very comforted. She thought to herself that her husband was truly excellent and very responsible. Which married woman would not want her husband to accompany her when she returned to her parents' home?
This way, the girl has face. In the eyes of outsiders, she is valued by her husband. Those who have a bad relationship with their husbands and can only go back to their parents' home alone are ridiculed.
But she knew that Gu Jingxi was very busy lately. She appreciated his kindness and said understandingly, "My husband is busy with official duties lately. I can go back by myself. I don't think they would dare to do anything to me."
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "I've finally managed to steal half a day of leisure. I've finally found a reason to be lazy. My wife, you must grant my request."
Would Gu Siqing, who was so dedicated to his official duties that he would forget to eat and sleep, slack off?
Meng Jinyao paused, raised her eyes, and glanced at him with a strange expression. She saw that he had a faint smile on his lips, gentle eyebrows and eyes, and a hint of laughter in his narrow phoenix eyes. He looked gentle and easy to talk to.
She vaguely remembered that when she first married into the family, Gu Jingxi wasn't so easy to talk to. Now, she suddenly wondered if Gu Jingxi was worried that she would be bullied.
She smiled and said, "I suddenly realized that you have a rather pleasant way of speaking."
Gu Jingxi chuckled and said, "What are you saying? Does Madam think I used to speak very harshly?"
Meng Jinyao choked on her words, looking at him innocently: "You said it yourself, I never said that, husband, please don't wrong me."
Gu Jingxi gave a noncommittal "hmm".
Meng Jinyao was momentarily speechless. She didn't understand the affairs of the court, and the important matters had been discussed. The two were also far apart in age and had little in common. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Oh right, I prepared some mung bean soup to cool my husband down. I almost forgot. I'll have the maid bring it over now."
After saying that, she suddenly stood up and walked outside.
Gu Jingxi looked at her slender and graceful back, his eyes becoming more and more gentle. Ever since he drank the chilled water chestnut and lychee syrup left by the girl last time, she would often prepare some cooling soup for him, and each time the soup was different.
He suddenly understood what his mother meant by the phrase "knowing when you're cold and when you're hot."
It was a subtle feeling, but he felt pretty good.
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