tallest building

Chapter 148 Hearts Far Apart

Before dawn, the people in the Ruyang Earl's mansion were already busy.

"Everyone should do their job diligently, and there will be rewards after today," the manager said repeatedly.

"We understand, we understand. We'd be happy even if we didn't get any reward money." Everyone said with a smile, "This is such a joyous occasion, we're all so proud of each other."

"Ah, you're right. Now, people from our household are looked up to wherever they go."

Wen Mingqian naturally got up early as well, in order to welcome Gong Chang'an's teacher. As a mother, she naturally had to do her best.

Ma Ping'an came in and said, "The small matters outside are handled by the young ones, and Zhang Ma is in the kitchen in the back. You just need to sit there and make the decisions; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Aunt Zhang also said, "Yes, it's getting cold. We should avoid going outside if we can. Besides, you can spend more time with the young master, right?"

"Sister Zhang, come over here and see which kinds of snacks we need for today? If any ingredients are missing, we can ask someone to buy them." Mother Zhu rushed in and said.

Zhang Ma didn't have time to talk to Wen Mingqian anymore and quickly followed Zhu Ma Ma out.

Then Gong Xu walked in leisurely, with Yun Ying following behind him with a little maid.

Yunying asked with a smile, "There's something important going on in the manor today, so I came to ask if there's any work assigned to me, Madam?"

"Why are you up so early?" Wen Mingqian asked. "You're pregnant now, so you need to take good care of yourself. The first three months are the most crucial, so you can't be careless. Although there are things to do at the manor, we have plenty of manpower, and besides, we don't actually have many guests."

It's easy to oversleep at this time of year, so getting up this early will make you uncomfortable.

Yunying had been feeling unwell a few days ago and consulted a doctor, who found out she was over a month pregnant.

Wen Mingqian specifically instructed the people following her to take good care of her, and even sent over a lot of tonics from his own room, telling her to focus on her pregnancy. He told her to just ask for whatever she wanted to eat or use, and that he would make sure the child was born safely.

Yunying was grateful to Wen Mingqian from beginning to end. Having a child meant that she would have someone to rely on in the future, something she wouldn't have dared to imagine a few years ago.

"It's strange, but I'm not a big sleeper," Yunying said with a smile. "I am quite greedy, especially when I see others eating, I can't wait to eat with them."

"Being able to eat well is a blessing. The manor has plenty of food for you. Just ask the kitchen to make whatever you want to eat. If the manor can't make it right away, just buy it from outside," Wen Mingqian said. "But remember not to eat too much, otherwise the baby will be too big to deliver."

Gong Xu was in high spirits because of the happy occasion; he had already asked the government office for leave yesterday.

Before going to bed, he specifically asked Yunying to find him clothes to wear this morning—a light blue brocade robe that would make him look a few years younger.

He was very satisfied with Gong Chang'an's matter, and last night when he returned to the mansion, he chatted and laughed with Old Madam Gong until very late.

Still not satisfied, he ordered wine and dishes to be prepared, wanting to drink and chat with Wen Mingqian.

Wen Mingqian ignored him, simply saying he was tired and needed to rest early, and took Zhang Ma and Sang Er back to their room.

Gong Xu had no choice but to order someone to put the wine and dishes in his study, where he would sip and drink slowly.

Having gotten carried away, he eventually summoned Gong Chang'an and indulged in a wild celebration until late at night before allowing the child to go back to sleep.

Gong Chang'an was so sleepy that he couldn't lift his head. He had already exhausted himself that day, and when he got back, he collapsed onto the bed and hadn't woken up yet.

Gong Xu glanced around and, not seeing Gong Chang'an, immediately asked, "Is Chang'an still not up? He can't be this lazy. Why aren't you waking him up? Did all my words last night go to waste?" "It's still early, let him sleep a little longer! The teachers won't arrive until before noon. If he's drowsy then, it won't look good. It's better to let him sleep in." Wen Mingqian spoke with feigned gentleness, but in reality, he didn't take Gong Xu's words to heart at all.

She understood why Bai Gongxu acted this way.

Gong Chang'an was raised by her alone from birth until she was seven years old. The Gong family, including Gong Xu, did not care about the child at all.

Now that Gong Chang'an has become so successful, Gong Xu wants to show that he, as a father, has also fulfilled his responsibility to educate him.

He might not necessarily be doing it for show, but he definitely wants to feel less guilty when talking about his son in the future.

Gong Xu couldn't refute Wen Mingqian's words, but she still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Wen Mingqian appears to be very respectful to me, but he is not close to me at all in his heart.

Of course he didn't want it to be like this. He knew that Gong Chang'an was closer to his mother, and Wen Mingqian's attitude towards him would naturally affect him as well.

He felt wronged. He had tried his best to show that he wanted to get back together with Wen Mingqian, but she was always so indifferent to him.

Therefore, these days he has gained a deeper understanding of what the sage said: "Only women and petty men are difficult to deal with."

"I'm going to the east courtyard to see the old lady." Wen Mingqian stood up. "Would you like to come along, sir?"

She invited Gong Xu only because she didn't want him to stay in her room any longer, because in her heart, Gong Xu had already lost that right.

Gong Xu was delighted to be invited and replied with a smile, "Okay, let's go see the old lady together."

Gong Chang'an's selection for the Sanjing Academy was enough to make Gong Xu happy for quite some time, so any minor unpleasantness would quickly pass.

Moreover, Wen Mingqian's initiative to show goodwill was a way of giving himself an out.

"Yunying, come along too! You're pregnant now, the old lady will be happy to see you." Wen Mingqian called to Yunying with a smile.

Gong Xu's originally bright face darkened.

When they arrived at Madam Gong's courtyard, Xu Mama happened to come out of the house and greeted Wen Mingqian and Gong Xu with a smile.

Then she said to Yunying, "Aunt Yun looks really good. Everyone says that if you have a good complexion, you're carrying a daughter. Yesterday, the old lady was saying that it would be wonderful if Aunt Yun could give birth to a daughter. Our family hasn't had a daughter for a long time."

“I’m also hoping she’ll have a daughter,” Gong Xu said. “Daughters are sweet and caring, and Chang’an should have a little sister too.”

"Are we too early? Is the old lady already up?" Wen Mingqian asked.

"I just got up, and I was just about to call them to bring breakfast," said Madam Xu. "Second Master, Second Madam, please come in quickly."

At this moment, Madam Gong had already heard the commotion outside and said, "Who's outside? Come in quickly! It's so cold so early in the morning."

Wen Mingqian and the others quickly agreed and went inside, greeted the old lady, and chatted for a while.

When breakfast was served, Madam Wei came over to serve it.

Wen Mingqian said that he still had many things to finish and left under this pretext.