Chapter 116 Wicked Stepmother and Poor Child 9
Zhou Jingxuan paused in her tracks at the waiter's question, "Gu Lang, didn't you order this to be delivered?"
She thought that Gu Lang was being so considerate, understanding that she didn't like the food at the Gu residence...
Gu Hongjian looked embarrassed for a moment. He wanted to take the initiative and ask if Zhou Jingxuan had ordered it. Over the years, he, Gu Hongjian, had always been the one eating other people's food, never the other way around.
"Ahem, you mean osmanthus?"
Who ordered these dishes?
After asking, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at the gatekeeper, "Madam took the young lady and young master out today, have they returned?"
The gatekeeper was dark-skinned, and his face became unrecognizable as it got darker. I thought to myself, "You didn't care when he was here, but now you're asking so many questions."
He still managed a simple, honest smile. "Reporting to Your Excellency, the Madam has not yet returned."
The waiter didn't care about any of that; after finishing this order, he still had another one to deliver. "It was placed by a young lady who specifically requested that Miss Dan Gui take over. Is Miss Dan Gui at home? Should we have her come over quickly?"
The waiter dared not hand these things over to others casually. Although they were not treasures worth hundreds of taels of silver, the food at Ge Tianxiang Restaurant was not cheap, and he couldn't damage the restaurant's reputation. If he gave the food to someone else, he would lose his job.
So all that fun they had for was actually Shen Ci buying it himself? Tianxianglou's food is notoriously expensive, and Shen Ci, on his deathbed, was still thinking about this meal?
Gu Hongjian was speechless. Dan Gui couldn't possibly have that much silver. Shen Ci was truly... a glutton even in death! That amount of silver would be enough for him to treat his friends to a meal outside.
"Here I am, here I am. I'm so sorry, I was just a little late. I promise I won't be late next time."
A young woman jumped down from the carriage, ran over quickly, took the food box from the waiter, thanked him repeatedly, and gave him a handful of copper coins.
"It's alright, young lady, someone will come to collect this food box for the next meal."
Gu Hongjian's forehead veins twitched. Just as he thought, Dan Gui had returned, but what about his children? What about Shen Ci?
"My lord, Miss Zhou."
Dan Gui bowed and arrived.
"Where is Madam? Where did you all go when you went out? Did something happen to Madam?"
Where are the young master and young lady?
Gu Hongjian pressed on, eager to know the answer to a question: where exactly did Shen Ci die, and what had she been doing out today?
"I'm here."
A clear female voice came from the carriage. The first thing you saw was a slender hand, followed by Shen Ci's stunning beauty. She had been sick for too long, and her face, which was originally pale and sickly, had regained its former healthy appearance after she put on makeup today, except that she had lost a lot of weight.
Gu Hongjian thought he had seen a ghost. Doing something wrong was different from doing it in front of others. He reflexively flung Zhou Jingxuan's hand away.
"ah!"
Caught off guard, Zhou Jingxuan cried out in pain as her hand was slammed against the wall. The pain almost brought tears to her eyes. The wall was made of stone, and her hand scraped and swelled up immediately after hitting it.
Zhou Jingxuan looked at Gu Hongjian with a wronged expression, wanting him to comfort her, but Gu Hongjian didn't dare to look away and stared intently at Shen Ci.
He hadn't seen Shen Ci in her normal state for a long time. Today, she was like a willow tree by a spring stream, reminding Gu Hongjian of the charming young girl he remembered, lively and beautiful.
Gu Mingzhang and Gu Mingzhu were carried off the carriage one by one. They had a very enjoyable day. When they saw their father standing at the door, they wanted to run up to him, but then they remembered how Gu Hongjian had treated them and stopped.
Children can hold grudges too, and besides, they're already five years old and can remember things.
With his first wife still in front of him, Gu Hongjian couldn't care less about Zhou Jingxuan's condition at the moment; he was afraid of missing even a single expression from Shen Ci.
How come she didn't die?
Zhou Jingxuan's attempts to coax him failed, so she looked intently at Shen Ci as he stepped down from the carriage. Sure enough, he was experiencing a brief resurgence of energy before death; his movements were light and agile, showing no signs of illness whatsoever.
Damn it, she's been sick for so long, how come she's still so beautiful?
This last burst of energy has lasted way too long, from morning till night, and he's still not dead?
"What, don't you recognize me?"
Shen Ci asked deliberately, and the servants took out a lot of things from the carriage, large and small bags. At this time, many neighbors also came out.
The house she bought was spacious and in a good location. Not all her neighbors were colleagues; there were also ordinary people. She liked the warmth of everyday life, but she also had to consider Gu Hongjian's social circle. Now that these neighbors saw her come out, some of them couldn't help but want to see what was going on.
The original wife is still alive, and the new wife has already entered the family, even facing the original wife. Such a scene is quite rare!
"Madam Gu, you're much better now?"
It's been quite a while since I've seen you.
Shen Ci nodded and smiled.
"Dear neighbors, it's been a long time. My son is naughty, but thanks to you all for taking care of him."
So, I went to the market today and brought back some snacks. Please don't mind them.
As he spoke, he ordered some to be sent to the neighbors. People are bound by their kindness and gratitude. The neighbors all knew that Shen Ci had been ill for more than a year. Now that the new wife had entered the mansion, it just meant that he wouldn't live much longer.
Now that things have finally improved for a day, she sent someone to deliver gifts to them, implying that she wanted them to take good care of the two children she left behind.
Entrusting her children to someone on her deathbed... Such a touching display of maternal love is enough to make even outsiders feel heartbroken! This person is still standing here perfectly fine, while her two children are still so young, yet she has been forced to ask her neighbors for help.
Some of the more sentimental people took the snacks and then wiped away their tears.
"Don't worry, we'll be watching even if you don't say anything. These two kids are so adorable, we've watched them grow up!"
“Madam Gu, as long as you don’t look down on us, we will definitely not stand by and watch our two children be bullied.”
"Sister Chen..."
Everyone accepted the gifts, feeling deeply moved. They wanted to say something, but when they opened their mouths, they didn't know what to say, since the woman's husband and the woman she brought were both there.
All they could do was try their best to help Shen Ci's children after she passed away, give them food, and lend a hand whenever they could.
Alas, good people often die young; everyone felt a deep sense of regret.
Gu Hongjian's expression was very unpleasant. What was he doing? Was he putting on a show for him?
Even when Shen Ci was about to die, he was still so cunning!
"Madam, please return to the manor quickly. You are not feeling well, so please avoid being exposed to the wind."
The memory and tenderness in Gu Hongjian's eyes only lasted a few seconds. Now he just wanted everyone to go inside and stop making a fool of themselves at the door.
But he couldn't get angry, or even lose his temper. He had to maintain his image as a loving husband. After all, he was a top scholar who had never abandoned his wife, and he had only asked Zhou Jingxuan to come into the mansion to help because he was forced to do so.
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