SGEIRS -Chapter 217 Growing Closer

Days passed one by one.

Gu Jingxi could clearly feel that the young lady had changed recently. She would occasionally bring him lunch, seemed a bit more lively around him, always wore a smile on her face, and had become noticeably more affectionate in their interactions, sometimes even making small requests of him.

For instance, just now, as he was about to get out of bed, his sleeve was tugged by the little girl beside him. When he turned to look, he saw her slowly opening her sleepy eyes, yawning, and trying hard to keep them open. She looked at him in a dazed, half-awake state.

Gu Jingxi saw this and gently asked, “What is it?”

“Wontons.”

The little girl had just woken up; her voice was soft, trailing at the end, as if she were teasing him a little.

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi’s heart softened. He felt as if he had raised a little glutton, always asking him for food. Seeing her so dazed and cute, his tone unconsciously softened as well: “Alright. The wontons from Old Xu’s shop, right? I’ll bring some back after my shift.”

The girl seemed satisfied with his answer. She murmured “Mm” and immediately drifted back to sleep.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi smiled faintly, pulling the thin blanket she had kicked off back over her stomach. Just as he was about to get out of bed, he realized his sleeve was still held tight and couldn’t be pulled free.

Looking at the now-sleeping girl, he found himself at a loss. He couldn’t forcibly yank his sleeve back, so he gave up on the shirt, took it off, changed into another, got dressed properly, washed up, and had his breakfast before heading to the office.

When Meng Jinyao woke up, she found herself clutching a nightgown that wasn’t hers, looking bewildered. After a while, she remembered what had happened and could roughly guess why the nightgown was in her hand. A smile unconsciously curved her lips, and she sent for her maid to come attend her.

When Qingqiu and Ningdong entered, they saw their mistress beaming with a smile and naturally smiled themselves. Lately, their mistress had been smiling more and more, and they knew it was because of the Marquis.

The Marquis and the mistress had grown increasingly close. He would occasionally buy her food or little things, and she had become more relaxed in his presence. Yet, neither of them had dared to openly acknowledge the unspoken feelings between them.

Perhaps, some things are better left unspoken, where silence speaks louder than words.

Indeed, true love isn’t something to flaunt—it’s shown through actions.

The changes between Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi had also reached the other branches of the family, and everyone was surprised. After all, they knew Gu Jingxi’s usual temperament. Suddenly being so attentive to a young lady was unimaginable.

The happiest of all was, of course, Old Madam Gu. She was deeply gratified to see her seemingly oblivious, stubborn son finally becoming considerate toward his wife. Their marital relationship had become more harmonious, finally resembling that of a normal, loving couple.

Old Madam Gu sighed with satisfaction: “Yaoling is far better than his father. His father would never be this considerate.”

Nanny Feng said, “That’s all thanks to your guidance, Old Madam. You always reminded the Marquis to treat the lady well. He’s heard it so many times that he gradually began to understand.”

“That’s true.”

Old Madam Gu nodded in agreement. Unlike her mother-in-law, who neither knew how to teach her son nor tolerate him treating his wife well, she often got jealous whenever her husband treated his wife nicely. Then she would meddle and make life difficult for the daughter-in-law, taking pleasure only when the wife suffered quietly. Infuriating, indeed.

Of course, if the mother-in-law didn’t see her husband being kind, she wouldn’t get jealous. Given Yaoling’s intelligence and cleverness, the grandmother doted on him immensely. Yet, Yaoling also protected his mother in his heart. No matter how spoiled he was by his grandmother, his mother remained more important to him. The grandmother could never make herself the object of his dislike.

Thinking back, Meng Jinyao was thankful she had given birth to Yaoling in the tenth year of her marriage. Otherwise, life would have been unbearable. Her mother-in-law disdained her, the two concubines mocked her in secret for not bearing sons, and her husband never intervened in the women’s disputes, remaining a passive bystander.

Song Xinning came to Changxing Marquisate to visit Meng Jinyao and brought a jar of homemade fruit wine as a gift.

As soon as she sat down, she noticed the golden hairpin in Meng Jinyao’s hair—the begonia flower looked almost lifelike. She paused in surprise, then laughed: “A-Yao, your Marquis has excellent taste. This hairpin suits you perfectly; it makes you look elegant and noble.”

Meng Jinyao instinctively touched the hairpin and asked, surprised, “A-Ning, how did you know he gave this to me?”

Song Xinning replied honestly, “That time at the Jinyu Pavilion, I saw your Marquis buying jewelry—twelve hairpins in total. This one on your head is one of them.”

Meng Jinyao was slightly stunned. Thinking of Gu Jingxi, she smiled at Song Xinning. As close friends, she felt no embarrassment sharing her thoughts and softly asked, “A-Ning, how do you think he came to like me?”

Song Xinning widened her eyes in astonishment. “A-Yao, you’ve noticed he has feelings for you too?”

“What do you mean ‘too’?” Meng Jinyao looked puzzled, then added, “I’m not clueless. Suddenly being treated so well by him made me notice, and I even tested him a little.”

Song Xinning was both shocked and delighted, staring at Meng Jinyao for a while before nodding repeatedly, feeling gratified: “Indeed, our A-Yao is a clever girl.”

She spoke proudly: “A-Yao, you’re beautiful, smart, and sensible. The Marquis isn’t blind. Of course he would notice you. Don’t ever belittle yourself. Even I, if I were a man, would want to marry you. My mother always praises you—she considers you a first-rate girl.”

Meng Jinyao was taken aback: “But my little cleverness is nothing in front of him.”

Song Xinning, speaking from experience, said earnestly: “Among the girls, you’re not foolish—you’re clever. Actually, men don’t always like someone for their intelligence. Look at me—I’m not clever, but Brother Shen is devoted to me. He waited for me to grow up. I’m twenty-two this year and still unmarried. Most men at twenty-two already have children four or five years old.”

Meng Jinyao said, “Our A-Ning is clever and very cute.”

Song Xinning smiled and then asked: “A-Yao, aside from giving you the hairpin, the Marquis must have given you other things too, right?”

Meng Jinyao nodded: “This dress I’m wearing is from Jinxiufang. He gave me eight dresses from there, bought me rouge, and occasionally bought me some food as well.”

Song Xinning nodded repeatedly, feeling very pleased, and asked again: “A-Yao, have you given him any gifts in return?”

Meng Jinyao was stunned. She had responded to Gu Jingxi in her usual gentle and considerate way, but she had never actually given him a gift.

Suddenly, she realized she should give him a present. After thinking for a while, she quickly came up with an idea.

Seeing her silent, Song Xinning called, “A-Yao?”

Meng Jinyao blushed: “A-Ning, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. But I’ll make it up later.”