Chapter 297: Future Stepmother

taels of silver were spent. It was like feeding a bottomless pit. Even Xiu Ming, who usually didn't care about silver, was stunned by the expense. It seemed that raising a daughter was indeed not eas...In the carriage.

Meng Jinyáo, holding a hand warmer, looked at the man sitting across from her and asked, "Husband, I feel that my father was so kind to me today, it must be an attempt to curry favor. There's no ulterior motive, right He didn't say anything to you, did he"

Gu Jingxi chuckled: "Aiyao is truly clairvoyant."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao sat up straight and asked curiously, "What did he say to you"

Gu Jingxi didn't hide anything from her and truthfully replied, "He found out that there's a vacancy at the Ministry of Revenue now, but many people are eyeing that position. He can't get in just by going around himself, he wants me to help him make some connections."

Meng Jin Yao, upon hearing this, revealed a knowing expression. No wonder all the dishes at today's luncheon were her favorites, even the desserts. It seems they had gone to great lengths to please her.

Her father was an ordinary man, but he had a sharp eye for certain things. He knew her husband loved her, so he wouldn't flatter him directly. Instead, he used her as a roundabout way to save himself.

The result was a foregone conclusion; she could guess that her husband would never agree to her father's request.

She smiled and asked, "Is he angry again"

Gu Jingxi replied, "He didn't dare to get angry, but he did ask me indirectly what I thought about his wanting to remarry."

Meng Jin Yao, upon hearing this, was astonished: "In his heart, does he actually value my opinion so much He could simply marry a new wife directly without caring about how I feel"

Gu Jingxi smiled helplessly: “I think he’s probably a little afraid of you.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Jin Yao's face took on a subtle expression. Her father, who always had the final say at home, could be afraid of her Perhaps he was a little afraid because she had a reliable husband to rely on. Moreover, because of the Sun family incident, she had some shadows towards her stepmother. She probably feared that when things were about to succeed, her stepmother would sabotage him behind his back.

Meng Jinyo sneered, "Then he's overthinking things. I wouldn't do anything underhanded. Instead of worrying that I might ruin his plans, he should be worried about whether he and the Sun family will have a pair of good children"

Gu Jingxi said: "So, I told him that you don't mind and will even bless him. After hearing this, he felt relieved."

Meng Jinyao pondered for a moment and asked, "Could it be that he has already found a suitable candidate to replace me"

Gu Jingxi nodded.

Meng Jinyao was very curious: "Which family's daughter has such poor eyesight To actually choose my father

Gu Jingxi replied, "She is Dong Hanlin's youngest daughter. Dong Hanlin is an unlucky old scholar who spent half his life in the Imperial Academy but never made it to the top. According to my father-in-law, the Dong family has already agreed to this marriage."

Half a lifetime

Still an old Hanlin

Meng Jin Yao caught the key phrase and felt that Dong Hanlin was quite old, much older than her father. Generally, men of this age wouldn't have a daughter close to her own age, unless she was a concubine's child. She questioned: "How old is Dong Hanlin's youngest daughter"

Gu Jingxi said: "Miss Dong is a legitimate daughter, twenty-five years old.

Upon hearing this, Meng Jin Yao was so surprised that her eyes widened in disbelief. "A young woman of twenty-five hasn't married yet" she exclaimed.

Except for nuns, it was very rare for a woman to be unmarried at the age of twenty-five. For poorer families, girls were married as young as thirteen or fourteen years old. Wealthier and more influential families would keep their daughters for a few more years, marrying them off at sixteen.

A young lady who remains unmarried until the age of twenty-five, especially from an official family, must surely have some problems. Would her well-connected father agree to this

Gu Jingxi explained, "Miss Dong isn't twenty-five and unmarried. She is widowed, with no children. After keeping widowhood for three years, she returned to her natal family in the capital, and her family arranged another marriage for her."

Meng Jin Yao nodded understandingly after hearing this. "So it's a woman who has been married before, twenty-five years old, and she has been married before. My father would agree to that, so Dong Ergu must have quite a good appearance. But with the reputation of the Meng family like this, now fallen into disrepute, compared to the Meng family, even worse than our family's status, my grandmother's picky eyes wouldn't look upon it favorably. A well-matched maiden who is still pure would definitely not want to marry my father, but a married woman would be willing, and besides, Dong Ergu comes from a decent family, it would save face when spoken about."

Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Ayao is quite calm."

"What else can we do It's not up to us younger generations to handle the affairs of our elders," Meng Jin Yao helplessly shrugged her shoulders, then clicked her tongue twice. "My son wants to get married, and my father also wants to get married. From young to old, everyone is racking their brains over finding wives. In the end, the older one gets his wish first."

Gu Jingxi couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. After a moment, he continued analyzing, "The Meng family has disgraced themselves, but Mrs. Sun took the blame for her father-in-law's downfall and bore the responsibility of her mother-in-law's death. In the eyes of outsiders, the father-in-law is a victim, and people sympathize with him because Mrs. Sun lost both her husband and child. However, Xiu Ming is different. He eloped, has a concubine, and his current concubine is pregnant."

Meng Jinyao lightly nodded. “That’s true, my father doesn’t appear as reckless as Xiu Ming on the surface. By the way, did my father mention when the wedding is scheduled”

Gu Jingxi replied, "The wedding date hasn't been set yet, but the engagement is about to be finalized. We are preparing to find an auspicious day to formally propose."

Meng Jin Yao let out a light chuckle: “He actually told you everything, but didn't tell me a single word. Is he so afraid of me making a move That’s why he went to you to gauge the situation and make sure I wouldn't object before saying anything. To call him stupid would be an insult, as he knows how to probe for information. But to call him smart, he probes you instead – isn't he afraid we're in cahoots”

Gu Jingxi said in a soft voice: "No matter what, now we know who he's going to marry. Your several younger brothers and sisters should still be unaware of this."

Meng Jinyao scoffed, "I doubt it. My sweet sister came to me today and wanted to use me as a knife."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi frowned: "What's the matter"

Meng Jin yao replied, "She wanted to persuade me and you to pressure our father into giving up the idea of marrying. She must have known that our father was about to propose to the Dong family, so she panicked. However, I ignored her. I don't care who my father marries. Right now, I can protect my younger brother."

She fell silent for a moment, as if remembering something, and then smiled again. "All the weddings I've attended have been those of people my age or younger. Thinking about it, in the near future, I'll have to go back home to attend my father and stepmother's wedding... It feels a little strange, almost novel."

Gu Jingxi smiled helplessly: "There aren't many sons-in-law who get to attend their father-in-law's wedding, are there"

"That's true. Meng Jinyao nodded and after a while, she started to worry again, "I still know what to give my son when he gets married, I just need to prepare a gift for his new bride during the tea ceremony. But what should I bring as a wedding present when I go back to my parents' home for the wedding celebration"

This question stumped Gu Jingxi for a moment. Gift-giving is indeed an art form, and when it comes to gifts for his father's remarriage, he couldn't think of anything suitable at the moment.

Before he could answer, Meng Jin Yao said, “Forget it, let's put this aside for now and talk about it later. Husband, since we're already going out, let's take a stroll before heading back. I haven't been to the market in ages.

Gu Jingxi replied, "Okay," and then smiled and asked, "Now you're not afraid of the cold anymore"

Meng Jinyao: "The sun is out today, it feels alright, much warmer than yesterday."

I wandered around until evening, buying quite a few interesting and fun trinkets. I had dinner at a restaurant outside before heading back home.m Chen Shi, her face turned dark. By exaggerating such a trivial matter, Chen Shi had elevated it to the level of potentially making her mother-in-law ill, leaving her with no easy way out. If she wer...