SGEIRS -Chapter 266 Mutual Complaints

Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao instinctively raised their heads and looked in its direction.

They saw Qi Yunwen staring at Gu Jingxi with sparkling eyes, his gaze practically glowing. He hurried toward him, like a destitute beggar rushing toward a newly discovered mountain of gold and silver.

Qi Yunwen nodded at Gu Jingxi, then shifted his gaze to Meng Jinyao and greeted her with a smile, “Sister-in-law.” After that, he looked at Gu Jingxi eagerly.

Meng Jinyao nodded in response. “Lord Qi.”

Seeing his expression, Gu Jingxi roughly knew what he wanted. He silently took out a hundred-tael banknote from his purse and handed it to him.

“Is this enough?”

Qi Yunwen snatched it up at once, beaming with joy. “As expected of my good brother! You really understand me. But it’s still not enough. I just took a fancy to a little trinket and I’m still short of some silver.”

“How much more?” Gu Jingxi asked.

“Not much,” Qi Yunwen replied. “Just two hundred taels.”

Gu Jingxi: “?”

What kind of ‘little trinket’ cost two hundred taels?

Though he complained inwardly, he still silently took out another two-hundred-tael banknote and handed it to his troublesome friend.

Qi Yunwen accepted it with a grin. Knowing better than to disturb the couple, he said, “Thanks, Yaoling. I’ll pay you back when I’m better off. I still have things to do, so I’ll take my leave. You two carry on shopping.”

Before leaving, he even hooked an arm around Gu Jingxi’s shoulder and teased him in a low voice, “Not bad, Gu Yaoling. You’re getting better and better—now you even know how to accompany your little wife to a rouge shop.”

Gu Jingxi shot him a calm glance and didn’t reply.

Qi Yunwen didn’t mind. He patted his shoulder lightly, took the banknotes, and went to settle the bill. He handed the shopkeeper a hundred-tael note and said,

“Here. This is for both the old and new accounts. Don’t always think I won’t pay. Do you think I’d really owe you this little bit? I’ve just been short on cash lately.”

The shopkeeper quickly agreed, smiling as he flattered him a little, then cleared the accounts and gave him his change. Qi Yunwen took his purchases and left.

Meng Jinyao picked out a box of lip balm, as well as creams for her face and hands. Gu Jingxi went to pay.

After leaving Zhuyan Pavilion, Meng Jinyao suddenly asked curiously, “Husband, is Lord Qi’s family really that poor? He mentioned old and new debts, and he even has to buy things on credit at a cosmetics shop?”

Gu Jingxi smiled and shook his head. “The Qi family isn’t poor at all. Their foundation is quite solid. But after getting married, he has someone managing him. If he doesn’t behave, it’s normal for him to have no spending money.”

Meng Jinyao was surprised.

She had met A-Ning’s uncle many times before. He was handsome and dignified, and as the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he looked quite authoritative. A-Ning had also said he was devoted to his wife, with no concubines or maids.

Who would have thought he was actually afraid of his wife?

After a moment, she asked again, “Then if he has no money and still buys things on credit, isn’t he afraid Madam Qi will be unhappy and refuse to pay for him?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “He has private assets. He runs a restaurant and an inn with others. When profits come in, he pays it back himself. He’s never truly broke. Madam Qi doesn’t interfere with that income either—after all, most of that money is spent on her.”

Meng Jinyao nodded in understanding.

Look—this was the difference between men.

A capable man, even if tightly managed by his wife, would still find ways to earn money just to please her.

Unlike her useless father, who lived off his wife’s dowry and schemed to seize it. Madam Sun’s dowry had been taken by him to cover her mother’s losses, and before that, he had spent her mother’s dowry freely.

Now that he had divorced Madam Sun and had no wife, who knew if he would marry another fool and continue living off women?

Seeing her fall silent, Gu Jingxi smiled and asked, “What are you thinking about, A-Yao? Are you also thinking of managing me like Madam Qi manages Mobei?”

“Why would I manage you?” Meng Jinyao glanced at him strangely, then said,

“You’re self-disciplined and don’t need me to manage you. You understand more than I do in every aspect and have far richer life experience. You always have your reasons for what you do. If anything, I’m the one who needs to be managed.”

Gu Jingxi froze slightly and looked at her.

His little wife was very sensible. Sometimes, she did need him to “manage” her—but not in the sense of restraining her. Rather, there were things he had to take care of for her. If he didn’t, her life would become much harder.

He smiled gently. “Mm. As long as I live, I’ll take care of A-Yao.”

Meng Jinyao lifted her head and looked at him without blinking. “A gentleman’s word is as good as gold. If only you manage me, and you break your promise, then no one will manage me anymore.”

“I won’t,” Gu Jingxi said.

He rubbed her head, then took her small hand. Without a hand warmer after getting out of the carriage, her hand felt icy cold. He frowned.

“Why are your hands so cold again?”

She was already used to it and didn’t think much of it. “They’re always like this when it’s cold. It’s fine. I’ll get the hand warmer once we’re back in the carriage. I was too lazy to bring it just now.”

“Be more careful in the future,” Gu Jingxi said. “Don’t catch a chill.”

She smiled in response and tugged him toward the carriage.

Meanwhile, in a private room of a teahouse.

Gu Jingze and Madam Kong sat inside, neither in the mood to drink tea. While waiting for the person who hadn’t arrived yet, the couple began blaming each other.

Madam Kong glared at her husband and complained unhappily, “Last time, at Xuanyi’s wedding banquet, why didn’t you properly talk to Xiuming when you came to drink the wedding wine?”

Being suddenly blamed, Gu Jingze grew irritated. “Women’s shortsightedness! Xiuming had only just regained the old madam’s favor. If I, his biological father, went to talk to him, what if people misunderstood?”

Madam Kong retorted, “Even so, you can’t just let him act recklessly. If you couldn’t be close to him in the Gu household, couldn’t you have asked him out and talked to him?”

Gu Jingze was left speechless for a moment. With an unhappy expression, he said, “Who knew he would fail the provincial exam? He said it was a sure thing. Who would’ve thought of making other arrangements? If he passed, he’d bring glory to the family, and his position as heir would be even more secure.”

Madam Kong opened her mouth, then swallowed her words and let out a cold snort.

Gu Jingze rubbed his temples irritably. “Why are you taking it out on me over the child’s problems? Can’t we just talk to him properly later? Why must you make a scene with me? Where did your gentle and virtuous image go?”

She shot him a glare. “Wasn’t I gentle and virtuous when I married you? Didn’t you wear it away yourself?”

“Utterly unreasonable!” Gu Jingze said disdainfully, lifting his teacup for a sip.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Gu Jingze and Madam Kong exchanged glances and immediately changed their expressions. Both put on warm smiles, looking like a loving, respectful couple. The earlier tension vanished as if their quarrel had never happened.

Gu Jingze signaled to her with his eyes.

Madam Kong stood up and went to open the door.