SGEIRS -Chapter 73 Jingxi’s Promise

Seeing that Gu Xiuming was insistent, Gu Jingxi no longer said anything. With a few brief words, he sent the unruly son away—out of sight, out of mind.

Meng Jinyao watched Gu Xiuming’s light, brisk steps as he left, lost in thought. Recalling a speculation she had a few days ago, combined with Gu Xiuming’s behavior today, she couldn’t help but overthink—perhaps Gu Jingxi really did intend to adopt Gu Xiuwen into the third branch?

Gu Jingxi noticed her staring blankly in the direction his son had gone. He paused, lost in thought for a moment, then waved his hand to signal the maid to leave. His thin lips parted slightly as he spoke softly: “Madam, he is not a suitable match.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao slowly came back to her senses. She looked at Gu Jingxi, puzzled, before understanding what he meant. Could it be that he thought she still had some feelings for Gu Xiuming, so he was warning her to turn back in time?

She let out a soft laugh, thinking Gu Jingxi was overthinking. She smiled and said, “What you say is true. He is indeed not a suitable match, but to Miss Li, he is a rare man of deep affection.”

Gu Jingxi studied her for a moment, then nodded slightly. “As long as you understand, Madam.”

Meng Jinyao asked, “And you, Husband?”

Gu Jingxi looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

She turned her head toward him. His features were sharp and handsome, pleasing to the eye. She curved her lips into a smile and asked again, teasingly, “And you, Husband? Are you a suitable match?”

Gu Jingxi was momentarily stunned, then shook his head gently. “I don’t know.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao furrowed her brows, a hint of displeasure in her tone. “You’ve lived for twenty-nine years, and you still haven’t figured out what kind of person you are?”

Gu Jingxi looked at her and replied, “Whether I am a suitable match, that’s for Madam to decide.”

“And what about Gu Xiuming?” Meng Jinyao looked at him with amusement. “You’re not me, so why did you just say Gu Xiuming is not a suitable match?”

Gu Jingxi’s tone was firm. “If he can avoid a marriage, it’s obvious that he is not your suitable match.”

Meng Jinyao was speechless.

After a moment, Gu Jingxi spoke again: “I will not take a concubine. As for whether I am a suitable match, that depends on how you feel, Madam.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was momentarily stunned. She looked at him in surprise, seeing that he was serious, not lying. Then she remembered his hidden illness—taking multiple concubines would be pointless; it was normal that he wouldn’t take one.

As the saying goes, “gain comes with loss.” She had a lifelong marriage for two, yet her husband had a hidden illness. Still, she was satisfied. Her luck had always been poor. Even if she had married a husband without any ailments, he likely could not have offered a lifelong, exclusive marriage.

There was still one question she needed to clear up, otherwise she would feel uneasy inside—she had to know if she had been at a loss.

She stared at him intently, not wanting to miss any subtle change in his expression, and asked seriously: “Husband, have you ever had another woman before?”

Gu Jingxi couldn’t help but chuckle. “I only got married last month. Didn’t Madam know?”

Meng Jinyao glared at him. “I mean, like a maid or someone in the household.”

Instantly, Gu Jingxi understood her meaning. A faint blush flashed across his face. Surprised, he looked at her for a moment, then answered: “No.”

Meng Jinyao widened her eyes in astonishment, then her heart leapt with joy. She smiled, eyes gleaming: “Then Husband can probably be a suitable match.”

His hidden illness didn’t matter; she felt that a husband and wife didn’t necessarily need intimacy. As long as he didn’t take concubines to bother her, it was enough.

Gu Jingxi’s hidden illness meant she would remain intact until death, but if he had experienced physical intimacy before, she would have felt cheated—she never experienced it, yet he had.

Now that she knew he had never done so, she felt psychologically balanced. She remained intact, and Gu Jingxi remained a virgin—fair and square.

Gu Jingxi was a little confused by her words and took a moment before understanding how the young lady defined a suitable match: as long as he hadn’t been with another woman before, that sufficed.

After a while, Gu Jingxi asked, “Besides that?”

Meng Jinyao smiled and asked back: “Besides that, Husband only needs to fulfill his duties as a husband. They say the Marquis of Changxing is noble in character; surely you wouldn’t treat your wife unfairly, right?”

“Of course not,” Gu Jingxi replied without hesitation, his tone resolute, making a promise. “Rest assured, Madam, you will have the dignity befitting a lady of the Marquis’s residence. You will not be lacking in anything for food, clothing, or daily needs.”

It was the first time the couple shared their hearts. Meng Jinyao was very satisfied. The curve of her lips deepened as she said, smiling: “That’s what you said, Husband. A gentleman’s word is his bond.”

Gu Jingxi followed with: “And a promise once made is hard to retract.”

Seeing the young lady smile brightly, like a child who had received candy, Gu Jingxi’s lips curved slightly. Children were simple, easily satisfied. Raising such a girl as a daughter wasn’t bad at all.

Noticing his relaxed expression, Meng Jinyao felt she could ask another question without displeasing him. She said again: “Husband, I have one more question.”

Gu Jingxi nodded. “Ask freely, Madam.”

Meng Jinyao chose her words carefully, testing the waters: “Husband, do you think in the near future we will have another son?”

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Gu Jingxi’s fingers tapped lightly on the tea table. The sound of his fingers striking the wood echoed in the quiet, magnified in the tense air, as if striking the heart directly.

After a moment, Gu Jingxi looked at her with an unreadable expression and asked: “Madam, do you wish for another son?”

His tone was calm, neither happy nor unhappy, yet his gaze carried a certain meaning.

Meng Jinyao was slightly startled, first nodding, then shaking her head. “Well, we only have Xiuming now—isn’t that a bit few? Have you thought about adopting another child from the clan?”

Gu Jingxi answered in a calm voice: “No.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was taken aback, exclaiming softly, “Ah?”

Gu Jingxi sensed a subtle disappointment in her voice and asked again: “Madam, do you wish for another son?”

Undoubtedly, Meng Jinyao wanted another son. After all, when Gu Jingxi grew old, she would face Gu Xiuming’s family, full of sons and grandchildren. If Gu Xiuming didn’t get along with her, how could a lone elderly woman cope with an entire household?

However, she didn’t dare tell Gu Jingxi the truth. That would only stir conflict between father and son. So she said, “Xiuming has gone to Lingshan Academy. I saw how attentive you were to him, Husband, so I misunderstood.”

Gu Jingxi paused, then briefly explained the reason to her.

Meng Jinyao finally understood. It had been a misunderstanding. Because Madam Zhang spoiled her children excessively, Gu Xuanyi had been raised poorly. The matriarch feared Gu Xiuming would be raised the same way, so she asked Gu Jingxi to help—sending Gu Xiuming to Lingshan Academy to study diligently, far from Madam Zhang.