Chapter 115 The Wicked Stepmother and the Poor Child (8)
The scumbag wanted to kill his wife and marry a woman with a powerful background. She's not even dead yet, and she's already daring to seduce him into his home.
In the original timeline, Gu Hongjian didn't care about his two biological children at all. His son became one of his means of promoting his reputation, and he originally wanted to use his daughter to climb the social ladder, but Zhou Jingxuan wouldn't allow it and plotted to marry her off to a stable boy.
Even if the couple no longer have feelings for each other, these two children are still his own flesh and blood, right? He doesn't care about the relationship between father and son or father and daughter at all. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs!
Gu Hongjian treated Zhou Jingxuan's children very well, completely forgetting the two poor children who had lost their mother. Since he was so biased, he decided not to have any children at all. Everything in the Gu family could only belong to her children. She could not care about the family business, could not want it, and could not look down on it, but in name only her children could inherit it.
Having many children is not unusual, but what if he only has these two children in his entire life?
Dan Gui returned after settling the bill, and the waiter had packed up the uneaten food. Shen Ci gave the waiter a tael of silver as a reward, feeling satisfied.
"Just follow this menu, three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and no two meals can be the same. Send it to the Gu residence for a month. How much silver will it cost?"
By the way, the portion doesn't need to be too much, a little less than today's, just enough for the few of us.
The kitchen in the Gu residence is now entirely under Zhou Jingxuan's control. Even before Zhou Jingxuan arrived, the people in the kitchen could no longer distinguish who was the master and who was the servant. She dared not use such a kitchen; who knew if it was clean or if it would be poisoned?
A big order has arrived! The waiter was overjoyed! Such orders are not unfamiliar to Tianxianglou, but it's rare to encounter such a big customer who orders for a whole month, three meals a day.
"Please wait a moment, Tianxianglou has several types of meals available for order."
The prices are ten taels of silver per day, thirty taels of silver, and fifty taels of silver. These prices are based on the number of people, not the dishes, which is very suitable for your family, Madam.
The food at Tianxianglou was indeed good. Shen Ci didn't want to make herself and her child suffer, but she also didn't want to be extravagant.
"I'll take thirty taels of silver, and add a new dish if there are any new dishes. I heard that Tianxiang Restaurant requires a pre-deposit of silver."
"Dan Gui, deposit one month's worth of silver, three hundred taels."
Shen Ci spoke casually, but Dan Gui felt a pang of regret. She had to listen to her master, so she took out a silver note from her purse and checked the information with the waiter.
Alas, so be it. Perhaps this is the last meal the lady will eat in this world. The lady has set up a monthly meal service at Tianxiang Restaurant, probably for the young masters and ladies. Rather than leaving the lady's money to be wasted by scoundrels, it is better to spend it on the young masters and ladies.
"From now on, all meals must be handed over to Dan Gui. If they fall into the hands of someone else, I will refund the money."
Shen Ci explained that Gu Hongjian worked in the Hanlin Academy, a prestigious and prestigious place with a good reputation, but the salary was not high, only about 50 taels a year. What could a Beijing official do with 50 taels? Not enough for anything.
Over the years, Shen Ci has been using her dowry to supplement the family income. Otherwise, how could Gu Hongjian afford such a large house with his meager salary?
How could one possibly support so many servants in the mansion, as well as their food, clothing, and daily necessities throughout the year, not to mention the social interactions required to attend literary gatherings and cultivate relationships with officials?
He eats her food, uses her things, and still dares to cheat? This is outrageous! People like this would behave themselves if they were starved for a couple of days.
The leech man has almost drained Shen Ci dry and is now preparing to move on to another fat piece of meat to suck blood. No one would fight over this kind of man, but those who have taken from her will have to return the favor.
"Ding-dong!"
The host spent 300 taels of silver and received a tenfold return; 3,000 taels have been deposited into the system.
The "Godly Rich System" allows you to get rebates as long as you spend money. Shen Ci was no longer surprised. She calmly left with her children. The capital city was beautiful, and with money in hand, she could be glamorous wherever she went.
"Madam, shall we return to the manor now?"
After composing herself, Dan Gui asked, "Even if Madam spends all the money today, I won't feel bad anymore. If I don't spend it now, when will I have another chance to spend it?"
The thought that everything the lady was doing now was the last time in her life made her want to cry, but seeing their happy faces, she could only hold back her tears.
"I won't go back; the children are free today, which is a rare treat."
After we've eaten and drunk our fill, how about we go listen to a traditional opera first, and then go fly kites?
Finally, returning to the residence, they were just in time for Tianxiang Restaurant to deliver the dishes.
She wasn't there to play around; she was there to take care of the two little ones. In the records, she saw that the original owner of this body had been repeatedly looked down upon by Gu Hongjian because of her background. He felt that she was a businesswoman and not worthy of a top scholar, let alone being his wife.
Therefore, the original owner attached great importance to the education of her two children, not wanting them to follow in her footsteps, and also wanting them to be more outstanding and valued by their father. So, the two children were taught to read and write at a young age.
The idea was good, but marrying the wrong person is a waste of time and effort.
In the late spring of the capital, apart from the cool mornings and nights, it was warm most of the time. The two children hadn't left the house in a long time, and they looked up at Chen Ci expectantly.
"Mother, really!"
"Can we go fly kites?"
Gu Mingzhang was originally a lively child, but his mother forced him to work hard, which toughened up his patience.
"Of course it's true, let's go play now! Let's have as much fun as we want today!"
Not only today, but also in the future!
How long can a child play at such a young age? What can a child learn at such a young age? Since money is no object, why stifle a child's natural instincts? Shen Ci doesn't have many expectations for her child.
Adults' expectations are the earliest burdens they place on children.
As long as you are safe, healthy, and happy, that's enough.
The mother and her two children played outside for a long time, experiencing a joy that the two children had never known before. They never even dared to dream of such a carefree and enjoyable day before.
As it grew later, Gu Hongjian had assumed that Shen Ci had gone out to settle her affairs, but she hadn't returned for so long, leading him to suspect that she had died outside.
"Sir, Miss Zhou, a servant has come to the door, saying he's from Tianxiang Restaurant and has come to deliver some dishes."
?
Delivery of food? Tianxianglou? The food there isn't cheap. Gu Hongjian looked at Zhou Jingxuan. Could it be that she ordered it? Jingxuan is gentle and virtuous; she's so thoughtful.
Zhou Jingxuan looked up at him with affection. Gu Lang was so kind; he was worried that she wouldn't be used to the food, so he specially ordered food from Tianxianglou to bring home.
The two went out, and the servant bowed respectfully.
"May I ask which one of you is Miss Dan Gui?"
This dish requires Miss Dan Gui's personal attention to prepare.
Both of them were taken aback. Dan Gui was a servant of the main courtyard. Where would she get the money to order food from Tianxiang Restaurant?
Are they meant to be brought back to Shen Ci as tribute?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
