Chapter 160.1
Gu Yan sat beside Gu Jiao with a dark expression.
Gu Jiao was somewhat amused, "What are you angry about?"
"Aren"t you angry?" Gu Yan looked at her with puzzlement.
In fact, there was really no need for him to ask. Whether she was angry or not, could he not feel it?
Little Jing Kong was a child and didn’t understand these twists and turns, but she should know. Gu Yan didn’t get why she wasn’t angry at all.
Gu Jiao leaned back lazily and said, "What is there to be angry about?"
She was never someone who led a life of constantly minding people’s gazes. Others" opinions on her couldn’t hurt her, and she also never depended on others" charity. It was because she was strong enough that she could ignore all these judgmental eyes.
For now, Gu Yan was unable to reach the level of his sister, but being at Gu Jiao’s side, his emotions were also infected by her inner strength and gradually settled down.
Little Jing Kong ate happily and was stained by juices all over, "Jiao Jiao, I"m dirty."
"It"s okay, I brought you clothes." Gu Jiao took Little Jing Kong into a room, washed his face and hands, and took a small cotton-padded jacket from her back basket and put it on for him.
Old Madame Yao had a son and a daughter. Yao Yuan’s children were also a son and a daughter. His daughter was Yao Xin and her son was called Yao Fengyi.
Yao Fengyi was studying far away and would not be coming back this year.
Everyone sat down at the table for a meal. All of them here were part of the family so there was no need to distinguish between men and women.
Yao shi took Little Jing Kong to wash his hands first. She found that his shoes were wet in the snow, and changed his socks and tiger shoes with great care.
To be fair, Little Jing Kong was really good-looking. Old Madame Yao had lived to this age but had never seen another child more beautiful than him.
It was just that no matter how beautiful he was, he was still just an orphan who would have to rely on the Marquis Estate in the future.
Nevertheless, in front of Yao shi, Old Madame Yao still showed enough affection towards Little Jing Kong.
Old Madame Yao gave him the biggest drumstick.
Little Jing Kong said politely, "Thank you, grandmother, but I can"t eat meat now."
It would be fine eating it once he grew up. That was what Grandaunt said anyway. When he was old, he would be willing to eat a lot of meat!
"Then eat this." Old Madame Yao put the egg custard in front of Little Jing Kong.
This egg custard was made with great care, it was beautifully made with lilies on top.
Little Jing Kong moved his hand and ate joyously.
It was a pleasant meal.
After eating, Old Madame Yao asked Yao Xin to take Gu Jiao and others for a stroll in the garden.
Gu Yan grabbed a small blanket before going.
After walking for a while, Little Jing Kong rubbed his eyes.
"Are you sleepy?" Gu Jiao asked.
Little Jing Kong shook his head, "I"m not sleepy! I just ate a little too much."
Gu Jiao picked him up with a chuckle.
Little Jing Kong widened his eyes and insisted, "I"m really not sleepy, I don"t want to sleep at all!"
But his head tilted on Gu Jiao’s shoulder and he soon fell asleep in Gu Jiao"s arms.
Yao Xin never understood why Gu Yan grabbed a blanket before they went for a stroll. Only when Gu Yan put the blanket on Little Jing Kong did she understand everything.
This cousin was quite meticulous.
"Biao elder brother, when will biao elder sister Jinyu come over?" She asked with a smile.
Gu Yan grumpily replied, "Ask her, how would I know!?"
Yao Xin choked up and was a little embarra.s.sed. She added, "I heard that biao elder sister Jinyu entered the women’s academy, is it true?"
Gu Yan was sick of hearing Gu Jinyu’s name again and again, but this biao younger sister just wouldn’t keep her mouth shut and continued to ask about her. Couldn’t she see that his own sister was here?
"I"m sleepy too. I"m going to bed!" He said and pulled Gu Jiao"s away without looking back.
There was a reason why Old Madame Yao sent Yao shi’s three children away. She gave He shi a meaningful glance, and He shi immediately said to Yao shi, "Sister-in-law, mother is tired, we should let her rest first. Why don’t we go to my room to have a chat?"
Yao shi didn"t like this sister-in-law of hers very much, but she couldn"t just refuse her. She had no choice but to go to He shi"s room.
He shi really didn"t disappoint Yao shi. After a few words of pleasantries, she started to dig a pit for Yao shi, "Sister-in-law, does Jinyu already have an engagement?"
Based on Yao shi"s knowledge of He shi, she would never care about this matter for no reason.
Yao shi was instantly suspicious.
Did He shi want to act as matchmaker for Jinyu and Yao Fengyi?
Yao shi said quietly, "Not yet. Her marriage will be decided by the Old Madame and Lord Marquis. I don"t have to worry about it."
He shi said with a smile, "Jinyu is a promising young lady, her future marriage surely won’t be bad. But in any case, she’s already reached the marriageable age. You, as the mother, should pay more attention."
"En." Yao shi was confused. So she didn’t have her eyes on Jinyu? What was she thinking then?
He shi continued with the same smile on her face, "Xin girl will also be at marriageable age soon. She is not as capable as Jinyu, so I"m thinking about setting her marriage as early as possible, otherwise it would be hard for her to get married when she"s older."
Yao shi cast her a look and asked, "Sister-in-law wants my help in Xin girl’s marriage?"
It honestly wasn’t difficult.
After Concubine Ling was seized of authority to manage the estate, Old Madame Gu was too busy and left a lot of things for her to take care of. She was the one preparing the New Year"s gifts for other great families, so she could take this opportunity to help Xin girl pay attention to any young masters.
However, He shi merely kept her smile without saying anything.
Seeing this, Yao shi"s heart suddenly thumped as an idea dawned on her, "You don’t take a fancy to several young masters of the Marquis Estate, do you? This is impossible!"
He shi originally wanted to talk about the shizi of the Marquis Estate, but seeing Yao shi"s big reaction, she smiled wryly, took Yao shi"s hand, and said, "Sister-in-law, after all, I"m doing this for your own good. If Xin girl marries over, our two families would be closer to each other. Once Xin girl enters the Marquis Estate, she can be of help to you and you can live more comfortably, can"t you? It"s better to squash enmity rather than keep it alive. If Xin girl marries them, you and them will no longer be enemies, but mother and sons!"
Yao shi simply didn’t know how He shi could say such a thing.
She and Yan"er had been bullied to death by those three stepsons, but her eldest sister-in-law wanted her to marry her niece to them?
What kind of logic was this?
She would never reconcile with the three of them in her life!
Yao shi said, "You think it isn’t enough to sell me, and now you also want to sell Xin girl?"
He shi retorted, "Xin girl wants it herself too!"
Yao shi smiled angrily, "Her aunt has been bullied like this, and yet she’s in a hurry to marry the person who bullied her aunt. Sister-in-law, this is the child you taught!?"
When He shi heard this, her expression turned ugly and she said, "Sister-in-law has now prospered and doesn’t care about her family’s life and death anymore? If we hadn"t married you into the Marquis Estate, could you have gotten your present splendor? You ignored your family for more than ten years, but we never said a word against you outside! Where else can you find such a good family in this world? Now that I’m asking for your help in your niece’s marriage, you"d rather let her suffer, marrying an outsider, than marry her into the Marquis Estate! Why? Is it that sister-in-law can’t tolerate seeing her family being better off than her?"
Yao shi sneered and responded, "How does sister-in-law know that she would have a better life when she married into the Marquis Estate?"
He shi raised her chin proudly and answered, "Our Xin girl is clever and sensible, she certainly can make both her husband and the Old Madame love her."
In the past, Yao shi might continue to argue and reason with her in detail, but she had gradually realized later that some people were just really unreasonable.
They only recognized their own reasoning.