tallest building

Chapter 136 Early Planning

Gong Chang'an returned home happily, but Wen Mingqian was not there.

He then went to the room of the old lady Gong.

When Madam Gong saw him, she was very happy and hugged him, asking, "Did you go to Prince Zhao's residence today? Your uncle said you were quite the star!"

"My uncle went too, but I didn't see him?" Gong Chang'an asked.

"He was assigned to the West Flower Hall, not with you all," said Madam Gong, stroking his head. "But he saw you playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

"I also received a reward!" Gong Chang'an smiled and took out a string of white jade prayer beads from his pocket. "This is for Grandmother."

"Oh dear, this is something you finally got, quickly give it to your mother," said Madam Gong.

“There is an order of seniority. This is something I specially chose for my grandmother. As for my mother, I will give her the plate of golden melon seeds,” Gong Chang’an said.

At this moment, Xu's mother, who was standing to the side, said, "This is a filial gesture from the young master. Old lady, please don't refuse it. Just accept it! You can show it off to others in the future."

"Hehe, you're right. There's nothing more enviable than what my good grandson gave me," said Madam Gong with a smile. "Everyone says I dote on him, and this child is indeed adorable."

“Who can disagree? Not to mention that the old lady is his closest grandmother, even we, the people around us, love him to bits,” said Mama Xu. “This child is truly blessed with a pitiful nature.”

"I heard that the Fourth Young Master has returned, but we couldn't find him anywhere. It turns out he came to the Old Madam's place," Sang Er said with a smile as she entered.

"This child is used to being around me and comes here all the time," said Madam Gong with a smile. "His mother went to the Zhou family and should be back soon."

“Thanks to the old lady’s visit to the Zhou family yesterday, their eldest mistress was saved,” Sang Er said. “Our lady went there today with Zhang Mama to teach the people in their household how to make medicinal cuisine, so that the eldest mistress of the Zhou family can take good care of her health.”

"Grandmother, I still have homework to finish, so I'll go back first. I'll come back to keep you company at dinner time," Gong Chang'an said.

"Alright, go ahead! Sang Er should stay with him carefully and make sure she doesn't fall or get hurt," said Madam Gong hurriedly. "Also, take some snacks with him, in case he gets hungry."

Gong Chang'an followed Sang Er out and said with a grin, "Sister Sang Er, actually I don't have any homework."

“You’re lying more and more casually these days. I’ll tell Mother.” Sang Er said sternly.

"No, please! I just wanted to talk to you properly!" Gong Chang'an said. "I received some valuables at the Prince Zhao's residence today, so here you go."

As he spoke, he took out a handful of golden melon seeds and stuffed them into Sanger's hands.

"I don't want it," Sang Er quickly pushed it back, "You should keep it for Madam!"

“The rest is for my mother. This is what I got, and I want to share it with you. Besides, even if my mother knew, she would agree,” Gong Chang’an said.

“Even if my mother agreed, I wouldn’t want it,” Sang Er said. “What would I do with it?”

"Then please keep it for me, okay?" Gong Chang'an said. "I'll ask you for it when I need it. Please, sister, just keep it for me! You know I have friends outside, and I inevitably have some expenses. I can't keep asking my mother for money all the time."

“You have so many thoughts on your mind, just wait until I tell your mother.” Sang Er threatened him. “Hehe, let me tell you, today I punished Song Xiang severely, and he has fallen out of favor with the King of Zhao ever since.” Gong Chang’an said.

"Really? How did you punish him? Tell me quickly!" Sang Er urged.

"Then put these golden melon seeds away, and I'll tell you the details," Gong Chang'an said smugly, arms crossed. "Otherwise, I won't tell you."

"Alright then." Sang Er sighed helplessly, because she was too eager to know what had happened to Song Xiang.

At this moment, Wen Mingqian was at the Zhou family home talking with Liu Cuiyi.

"Don't worry! Your mother-in-law and the others have already agreed to give you another two years. If you handle things well, it shouldn't be too difficult to get through these two years."

"Let's hope so! But some things depend on God's will."

"Don't be so discouraged. Cheer up, anything is possible."

"I know, sister, I won't give up until the very last moment."

"That's good. Now that we've reached the edge of the cliff, we must strive forward and not retreat."

In the kitchen, Zhang's mother was teaching Zhao's mother how to stew a nourishing medicinal dish.

There was also a young girl helping out nearby.

"Young lady, go outside and carefully chop some firewood, just as thick as your finger," Zhang Ma sent the girl away.

"Sister, should we drink this soup both morning and night, or just once a day?" Zhao's mother asked cautiously, staring at the soup pot.

"This is for breakfast. I'll teach you how to make the evening version later." Aunt Zhang carefully skimmed the foam off the side of the pot with a spoon, then steered the conversation toward Liu Cuiyi, "There's something I find strange. Logically speaking, your daughter has been taking my medicinal meals for more than half a year, and her body should be well-nourished. Why is she still having trouble with this pregnancy?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao's mother sighed and said, "Who can say otherwise? We have been taking good care of her for the past six months, and the doctor has checked her pulse several times and said that the young lady's body has recovered very well. If she becomes pregnant again, there is no need to worry."

Although the two concubines' fierceness was partly to blame, our young lady's pregnancy had been unstable before that, and she had already been taking medication to prevent miscarriage.

“That’s exactly right. If that’s the case, then the problem probably isn’t with your daughters.” Zhang Ma lowered her voice. “It’s probably with your son-in-law.”

Zhao's mother was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "That's what they say, but who would believe it? The Zhou family won't listen to us either. If they say that again, I'm afraid they'll argue even more fiercely."

“Whether you tell me or not, that’s the truth. Your son-in-law spends all his time gambling and whoring, his body is completely ruined. If the seed isn’t good, it won’t grow well no matter how fertile the soil.” Zhang Ma said, “Don’t you understand this?”

"Oh dear, old sister, what good is it if I know? I'm just a servant, I can't even protect our young lady," Zhao's mother said helplessly. "You don't know us, the son-in-law is most sensitive about people talking about these things."

"Hmph! You'd better be sure of yourselves. He's hiding his illness and refusing to see a doctor. He asked someone to say that Xiang Cai has tolerated your daughter for another two years. If she can't give birth to a son to support her in these two years, how will she stand in this family?" Zhang Ma said. "Your daughter is soft-hearted and can't make decisions, so you people around her will have to put in the effort."

"Older sister, what do you think we should do? Although we girls are staying here for now, we live in constant fear and worry about the future."

“What’s there to worry about?” Zhang Ma laughed. “The Zhou family has been unkind and unjust to you, so what kind of morality do you have to talk about? Everyone has to look out for themselves. You should make plans as soon as possible.”