Chapter 86 Heart-to-Heart Talk with Best Friends
Cha Ran Ju.
When Meng Jinyao arrived at the private room, Song Xinning was already waiting inside.
Song Xinning immediately poured her a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Ayao, you're here! Come and sit down. I haven't seen you for a long time, I've missed you so much."
At this moment, Song Xinning had a pleasant smile on her face, and Meng Jinyao's lips also turned up. She nodded slightly, sat down next to her, and asked, "A-Ning, is Madam Shen feeling any better?"
Song Xinning's smile deepened, and she said in a light tone, "Ayao, your method is still the most effective. I used your method to comfort Aunt Shen, and after I talked to her a lot, Aunt Shen suddenly perked up and didn't want to die anymore. She took her medicine on time every day, and her condition improved."
Meng Jinyao was also happy for her friend. As long as Madam Shen could recover, the wedding could proceed as scheduled. She said gently, "That's good. People always need a goal in life. If they lose their goal and hope, all that's left is despair, and the will to live will be gone."
Song Xinning said, "Aunt Shen couldn't accept that her husband, with whom she had been in love for many years, suddenly had a mistress and even brought her back as a concubine while she was pregnant. Now she has finally come to her senses. Even if she loses her husband, she still has her son. She is now frightened by what I said about Uncle Shen taking a second wife and tormenting her son and future daughter-in-law if she dies. She only wants to live and is afraid to die. However, this also proves that compared to Uncle Shen, my brother Shen and I are more important to Aunt Shen."
Meng Jinyao smiled gently. That was natural. After she passed away, her son would be tormented by his stepmother, and her future daughter-in-law would not have a peaceful life after marrying in. She had done so much, only to have it all go to someone else. All the glory would be given to another woman, and her son would have to call another woman "mother." Who could die willingly like that?
A moment later, Song Xinning asked, "By the way, Ayao, I heard that things have been quite unsettled at the Marquis of Changxing's residence lately. Are you alright?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head gently and smiled, "I'm fine, it's just that my adopted son has caused such a commotion. One scandal after another at the Changxing Marquis's mansion has become the talk of the town. The elders in the family are quite angry with him."
Song Xinning frowned: "Although Gu Xiuming is not a good person, he is really madly in love with that girl."
Meng Jinyao agreed: "That's right. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been such a commotion."
Suddenly remembering something, Song Xinning scoffed, quite annoyed, and gritted her teeth, saying, "Ayao, I attended a party yesterday, and guess what? Quite a few people envied that girl, saying that you are a girl from an earl's family, yet you were outshone by an unknown commoner. It really infuriated me. If they were in Gu Xiuming's shoes, they wouldn't be able to win either."
Meng Jinyao refilled her teacup and pushed it closer to her, saying gently, "A-Ning, don't be angry. This tea is good. Have a cup to calm down."
Song Xinning picked up her teacup, took a sip, and curled her lip in disdain: "What's so enviable about being a concubine? You'll be a concubine who can't even be brought to the table until you die."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "It's normal for them to be envious. The heir of a noble family is willing to do anything for a commoner woman. Such love is rare in official families. Official families value reputation and interests. Even the Hao family, that scoundrel, wouldn't dare to be so reckless."
She paused, then changed the subject, "However, although they may think Gu Xiuming is affectionate and envy that Concubine Li for receiving the wholehearted love of the Marquis's son, they would avoid marrying Gu Xiuming like the plague."
Song Xinning nodded: "That's true. Even the Hao family's scoundrel is still the heir, and he's Lord Hao's own son. They wouldn't dare to do this. Gu Xiuming is stupid. After causing such a mess, no lady from a respectable family would dare to marry him, right?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "I guess no good girl would dare to marry him, but he has also made it clear that he does not intend to get married and will only stay with Aunt Li for the rest of his life."
"Not going to marry?" Song Xinning's eyes widened in disbelief. "The heir of a noble family doesn't want to marry. Won't there be no mistress to run the household? There won't even be a mistress to attend social events. What is he thinking?"
Meng Jinyao laughed and said, "Who cares what he thinks? It's best that he's like this, so he doesn't have to harm innocent girls."
Song Xinning clicked her tongue twice: "Then he must stick to his current idea and never change his mind in the future, otherwise he will ruin a good girl."
Meng Jinyao said, "I don't know about the future, but for now, it seems he can persevere."
Song Xinning glanced at A Yao. Perhaps she was living comfortably after marrying into the Changxing Marquis's mansion and no longer had to be constantly on guard against her stepmother's schemes. A Yao's complexion was rosy, and she had even gained some weight in her face. She looked energetic and full of life. It was true that the environment nurtured her. She reached out and gently pinched her soft cheek, giggling, "You look great! You've gained weight since we last met. It seems that Marquis Gu has taken good care of you."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's expression froze, and she subconsciously reached up to touch her face: "Have I gained weight?"
Song Xinning said softly, "You haven't gained weight, you've just put on a little weight. You used to be too thin and frail. Now that you've gained a little weight, it's just right. You look much healthier."
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback. She looked in the mirror every day and felt that each day was pretty much the same, so she hadn't noticed any changes in herself.
Song Xinning hesitated for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Ayao, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao gave her a reproachful look and laughed, "Is there anything we can't say to each other? Aning, please speak freely."
Song Xinning spoke frankly: "Ayao, although you are living a good life now, I suggest you plan ahead. I think you should have a child. If you don't have a child of your own, you will not have a good life in your old age. After all, Lord Gu is thirteen years older than you. If he passes away before you, there will be no one to protect you."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback again upon hearing this, her heart warmed. Apart from her two personal maids, only Aning would consider these things for her. She replied softly, "I have thought about this. In a year or two, I will mention it to Gu Jingxi and ask him to adopt a child from the clan. If that doesn't work, we can also adopt a child from the orphanage that we feel a connection with."
Song Xinning nodded: "It's good that you have a plan. You've raised her since she was a child. Even if she's not your biological daughter, she's better than one." As she spoke, she smiled and said, "If you raise a boy and I have a girl in the future, we can arrange a marriage between our children. With you as my mother-in-law, my daughter will definitely not suffer."
"No way!"
Meng Jinyao refused without even thinking.
Song Xinning was taken aback by her refusal. She paused for a moment, then asked, both angry and amused, "You naughty girl, are you looking down on my daughter? Brother Shen is handsome, and I'm not bad either. My future daughter will definitely be beautiful too. What are you looking down on?"
Seeing that she was getting anxious, Meng Jinyao chuckled and quickly explained when she was about to continue arguing angrily, "It's not that I dislike it, it's that I think it's not good. Look at me, I got engaged at such a young age, and it turned out like this. We should wait until the children are older and ask for their opinions before we can arrange a marriage."
Song Xinning remained silent: "...Well, that's true."
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