Chapter 413 Children's Marriage
That night, exhausted from the journey, Meng Jinyao, who had finally returned home and could get some rest, couldn't sleep.
Although she understood that her husband had official business to attend to, she was still reluctant to part with him. She guessed that it was the first time she had to be away for so long and she was not used to it. She snuggled into the man's arms and tossed and turned.
Gu Jingxi couldn't sleep because of her commotion, so he held her to keep her from moving and said with a smile, "Ayao, I'm not leaving the capital until the day after tomorrow. If you can't sleep tonight, won't you be even less able to sleep tomorrow night?"
Meng Jinyao retorted, "I guess it's because I haven't slept in my own bed for too long, and I'm not used to it."
Gu Jingxi didn't expose her, and suggested, "Then let me tell you a story?"
Meng Jinyao nodded: "Okay, then you can go ahead and tell me."
Gu Jingxi's voice is really nice, but the stories he tells are really boring, no different from a monk chanting sutras, making people drowsy.
Not long after, Meng Jinyao fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, as soon as it was light, Meng Jinyao forced herself to get up and get ready, even yawning a few times in the process.
Seeing this, Gu Jingxi said, "Ayao, why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Meng Jinyao immediately shook her head: "No need. Today is the day to pay respects to Mother. It's not too late to sleep after we go to pay our respects."
Seeing her insistence, Gu Jingxi let her have her way. After getting dressed and having breakfast, the couple went to pay their respects to Old Madam Gu.
After paying their respects, Gu Jingxi and his two elder brothers left to go to the yamen for their shifts. Gu Xiuhong followed closely behind, as he had now secured a position in the Ministry of Revenue and also had to go there for his shifts.
Gu Xiuyuan was going to accompany Jiang Shi to visit her parents-in-law. After paying his respects, he took his son and left with Jiang Shi, preparing to go to the Jiang family home.
Only Old Madam Gu, her three sisters-in-law, and Gu Xuanyi, who had returned home after her divorce, remained in the house.
After some time apart, Gu Xuanyi remained warm towards Meng Jinyao, indifferent towards her profit-driven father who disregarded her life or death, but treated her mother fairly well, at least her mother did not abandon her.
Gu Xuanyi had never been back to her hometown of Huzhou, and asked with great interest, "Third Aunt, is Huzhou fun?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "It's fun. The scenery there is picturesque, there's plenty of delicious food, and the people from my hometown are very easygoing."
Hearing this, Gu Xuanyi said with some regret, "If I had known, I would have gone back with you to pay respects to our ancestors."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Listening to their conversation, Madam Zhang suddenly had an idea and said, "Xuanyi, the nephew that Madam Zhou mentioned last time is from Huzhou. I think he's quite good. He's in the capital now. If you agree to meet him, then I'll tell you all about it in front of the elders today, so that your grandmother can give her opinion."
After hearing this, Gu Xuanyi remained silent, only looking at Old Madam Gu for help. Regardless of whether the young master was good or not, she simply resisted the idea of getting married. Last time she married a homosexual, she was even beaten up.
Madam Gu immediately frowned and disagreed, saying, "Although our ancestral home is in Huzhou, and we have relatives there, there is still a distance between relatives. In my opinion, it would be better to find someone in the capital for Xuanyi. If anything happens, she can go back to her parents' home on the same day, and her family can immediately seek justice for her."
Madam Chen chimed in, “Sister-in-law, Mother is right. Our family is rooted in the capital, so we must find Xuan Yi a husband from the capital. Marrying her to Huzhou is like marrying her far away. The journey is long, and it takes more than half a month to go back to her parents’ home. A girl who marries far away will only have a few opportunities to go back to her parents’ home in her whole life. Look at our Xuan Ling, she has come back several times this year, and she even stops by to visit her parents’ home when she passes by.”
Zhang was stunned when she heard this. She hadn't thought of that. She just thought that the talented young man was quite nice. He came from an official family, was seventeen years old, had passed the imperial examination, and was from a wealthy family. He had never been married and didn't care that Xuan Yi had been married before. He was in the capital now, so a match could be arranged if she wanted to meet him.
Old Madam Gu glanced at her helplessly, not expecting that she still hadn't considered things thoroughly enough when it came to her children's marriages. She said in a deep voice, "Eldest daughter-in-law, Xuanyi is only sixteen years old, and she's only been divorced for a few months. There's no rush to find her a husband so soon. A second marriage should be approached with even more care than the first. Don't just look at appearances. As an aunt, she'll definitely say good things about her nephew. Besides, he's from Huzhou. Why didn't the family find him a girl in Huzhou? Now that he's in the capital, his aunt wants to match him with Xuanyi. Is it because she's ruined her reputation in Huzhou and wants to find a girl from out of town who doesn't know the truth?"
Zhang was stunned again. Knowing she was wrong, she nodded repeatedly: "Mother is right. I was not thinking things through. Next time I will definitely find out more thoroughly. If it is really good, please make the decision, Mother, and then arrange for them to meet."
Madam Gu didn't want to say anything more. Her eldest daughter-in-law seemed very shrewd, but she was only shrewd when it came to petty gains. She was often confused and prone to making mistakes.
Knowing that her mother-in-law didn't want to talk about this, Chen tactfully changed the subject: "Sister-in-law, Xuanyi really doesn't need to rush. If anyone should be anxious, it's her second brother, Xiuhong, who is two years older than Xuanyi."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu said, "Xiuhong has now entered officialdom, it's time for him to settle down. Second son's wife, have you found someone suitable?"
Madam Chen sighed softly: "We have found quite a few suitable daughters-in-law, all of them good-looking and virtuous girls, but he just keeps declining, saying that he doesn't want to get married yet, saying that he has only just entered the court and needs to make some achievements."
Madam Gu said gently, "It's a good thing that Xiu Hong is so ambitious. Since he doesn't want to get married yet, it's not too late to wait another year or two."
Madam Chen shook her head helplessly: "He's grown up now, and he's very opinionated. His wife can't do anything about him and can only let him be. Second Master's opinion is the same as Mother's. It's just a problem with his wife. Seeing the sons of relatives and friends getting married one after another, he is often asked about Xiu Hong's marriage. He can't help but feel anxious."
Madam Gu comforted him, saying, "It's not meant to be. You can't rush it. If you force him to marry a girl he doesn't like, you'll end up arguing with him. Xiu Hong is a promising young man who entered officialdom through the imperial examinations at such a young age. He won't have trouble finding a wife."
Chen sighed softly, "I hope so."
Meng Jinyao listened to their conversation, unable to get a word in edgewise. After all, she didn't have children yet and couldn't understand the anxieties of parents worrying about their children's marriages. She couldn't offer any opinions and could only sit and listen.
Gu Xuanyi wisely kept quiet to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. What she feared most now was her elders arranging a marriage for her. Having been married herself, she knew how happy and carefree life was for a young woman.
Married into her husband's family, the rules alone were enough to drive her crazy, especially in the cold winter. She had to get up early and serve her mother-in-law before even having breakfast. If her mother-in-law was still asleep, she would just wait. She had never done these things for her own mother, but she had to do them for her mother-in-law. She felt incredibly resentful.
Not only are there rules, but even if she goes out too often, her mother-in-law will criticize her for never being home and for being playful like a child, not acting like a wife or daughter-in-law at all.
Anyway, even if she remarries, she can't marry into a family with a mother-in-law. She doesn't want to be bound by rules again. Even though she knows there are good mothers-in-law, she's afraid she won't meet one.
The concept of filial piety is oppressive. No matter what her mother-in-law asks her to do or says to her, she cannot resist or talk back. Otherwise, she will be considered unfilial, and people will say that she has no upbringing and that her family did not raise her well.
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