SGEIRS -Chapter 594 Picking You Up and Taking You Home

First, Meng Jinyao went to Rongfu Hall to pay respects to Old Madam Meng, and then she went to Madam Zhao’s residence.

Qiao Yunying was also at Madam Zhao’s place. After exchanging a few polite words with her, Meng Jinyao turned to Madam Zhao and said, “Mother, I have something I need to discuss with you.”

As soon as Madam Zhao heard this, she immediately understood what it was about. She sent her daughter and the maid who was attending them out of the room. Only when they were alone did she ask the main question: “Jinyao, is it true that your father insists on arranging a marriage with the Huang family? The Huang family isn’t bad in itself, but I wonder if Chengzhang likes them. If you arrange it hastily and he doesn’t like her, it could become a marriage full of resentment. And this marriage seems to be something your father wants for his own benefit. That’s why I asked you to come back.”

Meng Jinyao nodded gently and said, “Father does indeed want to marry into the Huang family, but he doesn’t dare act recklessly.” She paused for a moment, then looked up at Madam Zhao, her eyes filled with a mix of admiration and gratitude. “Mother, what you’ve done is absolutely right. Thank you for being cautious. Otherwise, if Father made a serious mistake, it could have brought disaster to the family.”

Madam Zhao’s heart jolted. She hurriedly asked, “Why do you say that? Is there something wrong with the Huang family? But come to think of it, the Huang family is actually better than our Mengs. We have noble titles, but your father holds only a minor position, and Chengzhang hasn’t entered the court yet. If they are so eager to arrange a marriage, there must be a catch.”

Meng Jinyao shook her head and spoke gently: “There is a problem, but it’s not that the Huang family itself is bad. At present, their family is fine, but that may not remain the case in the future.”

Madam Zhao looked puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

Meng Jinyao replied calmly, “The Huang family is closely related to the Minister of Personnel, the Wen family. The Wen family produced a Fourth Prince’s consort, and both the Wen and Huang families support the Fourth Prince. The Huang family wants to marry into the Meng family to try to pull the Gu family over to their side. Right now, the Fourth Prince is in the spotlight and seems to have the advantage, but in the succession struggle, you won’t know who will win until the very end. Choosing sides is risky; one wrong step could lead to catastrophe. The Meng family cannot get involved, and neither can the Gu family.”

Madam Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. Originally, she had thought her husband was just trying to use his stepson’s marriage for personal gain, which was why she had informed her stepdaughter and asked her to handle it. She never expected that one marriage could be so deeply entangled. She didn’t understand court politics, but she knew that if officials chose sides wrongly, the whole family could be in danger.

Meng Jinyao added, “Mother, in the future, we must be careful with my younger brother and younger sister’s marriages as well. If you’re unsure, you can ask me. My husband is in court and sees things clearly; he knows which families are suitable for marriage alliances and which are not.”

Madam Zhao nodded. She could make decisions about her own daughter’s marriage, but for her stepchildren, she needed to consult her stepdaughter. Perhaps the stepdaughter already had someone in mind, and then she could notify her to arrange for a matchmaker.

After that, the mother and daughter chatted for a while. Meng Jinyao saw that it was getting late and prepared to return to her own residence.

Before she could leave, Madam Zhao said to keep her there: “Jinyao, stay for lunch today.”

Meng Jinyao wanted to politely refuse, but seeing Madam Zhao’s earnestness, she agreed.

Meng Dongyuan, still sulking, did not appear. Lunch was shared only with Madam Zhao and Qiao Yunying.

When Meng Jinyao saw the table full of dishes she liked, she was momentarily stunned.

She wasn’t foolish—she could tell that Madam Zhao had prepared the meal according to her preferences.

Previously, at the Meng family dining table, she couldn’t eat what she liked. After her father dismissed Madam Sun and married Madam Dong, she could eat her favorite dishes when she returned to her maternal home. Now, at Madam Zhao’s, every time she visited, her favorite dishes were prepared. Both of her stepmothers had given her a rare sense of warmth in the Meng household.

Madam Zhao warmly invited her to sit and said gently, “We’ve got a new cook recently. The old one went back home to care for her sick mother. Try the new cook’s dishes and see if they suit your taste.”

Meng Jinyao tried a piece of bamboo shoot and nodded lightly. “It tastes good. This whole table is exactly what I like. Thank you for going to the trouble, Mother.”

Madam Zhao smiled. “I just said a few words—it’s not trouble at all.” She then picked up her chopsticks and served Meng Jinyao. “Since you like it, eat more.”

A warm feeling flowed through Meng Jinyao’s heart. It seemed like a small gesture, but not everyone would do it voluntarily. Madam Sun never did, her own grandmother never did, and her father never cared—he left her at the mercy of Madam Sun and her grandmother.

After lunch, Meng Jinyao felt sleepy, likely due to not sleeping well last night and getting up too early today. She had originally planned to return home, but with a series of yawns, she decided to stay and take a nap at her maternal home.

She slept until the sun was setting. When she slowly opened her eyes, about to get up, a familiar face appeared before her. She froze, momentarily unable to distinguish reality from a dream.

Gu Jingxi saw her drowsy eyes staring blankly at him. Her expression was irresistibly cute. He reached out to stroke her hair and asked with a smile, “Why are you staring at me like that? Still half-asleep?”

Meng Jinyao fully woke up and asked, “Husband, why are you here?”

Gu Jingxi said softly, “I came to take you home. You hadn’t returned for so long, I thought something had happened, so I hurried over. I didn’t expect to see our little lazy pig sleeping so soundly.”

Hearing the first part, Meng Jinyao felt a warmth in her heart and smiled. But when she heard the second part, she glared at him and teased, “You’re the lazy pig!”

“I’m the lazy pig’s husband, called the big lazy pig,” Gu Jingxi said. Then he bent down to kiss his little wife, who was giggling from being teased, and picked her up from the bed. He asked, “Are you hungry? Your mother has already had dinner prepared. We just need you to wake up to start eating.”

Meng Jinyao touched her stomach and nodded honestly. “A bit hungry.”

Gu Jingxi personally helped her dress and do her hair, then held her hand and led her to the dining room.

At noon, Meng Dongyuan hadn’t wanted to see his daughter, so he skipped lunch. Now that his son-in-law was here, no matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to attend and even wear a smile.

Everyone was satisfied with this evening meal, except for Meng Dongyuan.

Looking at the smiles on everyone’s faces, he suddenly gained a deep understanding of the saying: “Sacrifice yourself to benefit everyone else.”

Although he was the elder, he received no respect from the younger generation, and he had to be cautious in front of them. His son-in-law, Gu Jingxi, was even harder to please than a superior. He had to watch his son-in-law’s expression with every word he spoke. Who, as a father-in-law, could feel more humiliated than him?