tallest building

Chapter 204 Doing My Best

The Gong family held a grand funeral, and Wen Mingqian stayed in the inner quarters to observe mourning on behalf of Gong Chang'an.

However, she did not help Lady Wei with anything. After all, Gong Xu had already remarried, and Lady Wan was a virtuous and capable woman, so she and Lady Wei would take care of everything.

As the saying goes, "If you are not in a position, you should not meddle in its duties," and Wen Mingqian should naturally avoid any appearance of impropriety.

She had just finished burning paper money in front of the old lady's coffin when she heard someone say that the second master had brought several close relatives to pay their respects.

Wen Mingqian quickly got up and went around to the back.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor had already met him in person, so he had no choice but to stop and greet him.

Madam Wan carefully examined Wen Mingqian for a few moments before saying, "Everyone in the manor is busy right now and has neglected Madam Wen. If you don't mind, I'll ask Concubine Yun to come and keep you company."

Wen Mingqian knew that the Aunt Yun she was referring to was Yun Ying, so he replied, "In that case, I'll trouble you, Second Madam."

Of course, Madam Wan knew that Yunying was originally bought into the manor by Wen Mingqian, so they were considered former master and servant.

But ever since she entered the manor, Yunying has always been humble and respectful towards her.

As the mistress of the house, she couldn't appear petty. Everyone in the mansion, openly or secretly, compared her to Wen Mingqian, since Wen Mingqian was very popular.

Even if Wan felt that she was inferior to Wen Mingqian in some ways, she shouldn't lose to her in terms of character. She was now the legitimate mistress of the second wife, and as a guest, Wen Mingqian should be treated with proper respect.

So they had someone invite Wen Mingqian to a secluded, quiet room, and then they had someone call Yunying over.

When Yunying heard that Wen Mingqian had arrived, she rushed over and greeted him as soon as she entered the door.

Sang Er ran over happily and grabbed her hand: "Sister Yun, it's so good to see you."

"It's been more than half a year since I last saw you, and you look even more beautiful than before," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

"It's so good to see you all. I think about you every day, but as a concubine, I can't do as I please," Yunying said. "I can't even go to see you."

"Don't worry about us, we're doing well," Wen Mingqian said with a smile. "Please sit down, let's catch up."

"I received the things you asked the First Madam to bring before. That longevity lock is very precious; I'll wait until the child is older and understands its value before putting it on her!"

"It's not about how valuable it is, it's just a token of my appreciation."

Just then, the wet nurse brought in Yunying's baby, who was only three months old and looked like a snowball.

Wen Mingqian was overjoyed and quickly took her in his arms, praising, "What a beautiful girl, with such a noble face, she'll definitely amount to something in the future. With this child, you'll have someone to rely on from now on."

"It's all thanks to you, Madam," Yunying said as she called the wet nurse away. "If you hadn't brought me into this mansion, I wouldn't have any good fortune to speak of."

"Don't say that. It's because you were born with such good fortune," Wen Mingqian said. "I think that Madam Wan is a virtuous woman, and you have a gentle nature. Life shouldn't be difficult for you."

Yunying nodded and said, "My lady has always been very good at judging people. This second madam has indeed treated me well. She is pregnant now and even told me to learn how to manage the household to help her!"

"To be honest, although that old man Gong Xu has moral failings, he's really lucky." Sang Er clicked her tongue. "He's married to virtuous and kind women. It's a testament to the good deeds of his ancestors." Wen Mingqian glanced at her, and Sang Er stuck out her tongue and laughed.

“Sister Sang Er is still as quick-witted as ever.” Yun Ying had no feelings for Gong Xu, so he didn’t take offense at what Sang Er said. “You’ve become more and more worldly-wise, going in and out of the Prince Zhao’s mansion and the Princess’s place with your wife. It’s truly enviable.”

“It’s truly wonderful that you live a peaceful life here, with your daughter by your side.” Wen Mingqian lovingly patted the child’s little hand. “Look at this little one, I wouldn’t trade her for a mountain of gold.”

"Yes, with her around, I don't want anything else," Yunying sighed contentedly. "My wife must be thinking about Young Master Chang'an every day, right? Is he doing well?"

"How could I not think about it? He and Zhang Ma are both doing well. It's just a pity that the old lady passed away so suddenly this time, and he didn't have time to attend the funeral. He was originally supposed to come back in the autumn, but perhaps he will return to the capital sooner because of this."

“Life is unpredictable. We were originally planning to get the eldest young master married this autumn! Now that the old lady has passed away, their wedding date has to be postponed again.” Yunying sighed, “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

As dusk fell, Wen Mingqian went to the mourning hall again, burned the evening paper offerings, and then bid farewell to Madam Wei and Madam Wan.

"I'll head back now. I'll come every day to offer incense and burn paper money during the seven days the body lies in state," Wen Mingqian said. "Please take good care of yourselves, ladies, and don't overwork yourselves."

After seeing her off, Madam Wei and Madam Wan walked back to the door. Madam Wan asked Madam Wei in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, was Madam Wen always like this?"

"You mean when she first married into the Gong family?" Madam Wei said. "Back then, she was much more lively than she is now. But after spending seven years in Shuangxi before returning, I think anyone, regardless of their temperament, would change!"

“That’s true. Spending seven years refining a person’s character is like putting sand into an oyster shell, which will eventually polish a smooth pearl,” said Ms. Wan. “When I met her, I could never describe her temperament. Now I understand. It’s like a pearl, wrapping up layers of blood and tears until it becomes smooth and round.”

“You do understand her,” Mrs. Wei sighed softly, “but it’s a pity that you and she are destined to be nothing more than nodding acquaintances.”

“I may not really understand,” Madam Wan smiled. “I just understand that a man who has wronged a very good woman will be restless day and night for the rest of his life.”

After that, Wen Mingqian would come to burn incense and paper money every morning and evening. On the third day, he met Gong Xu.

Gong Xu's eyes were red and swollen. Staying up late and crying made him look haggard and tired, inevitably showing signs of aging.

It was raining when he woke up that morning, and his old ankle injury flared up, causing him to walk with a slight limp.

Upon seeing Wen Mingqian, his ankle seemed to hurt even more.

The two looked at each other, but neither spoke.

Wen Mingqian lowered his head slightly, held up his umbrella, and walked quickly past him, as if walking through an old dream.

Gong Xu stood in the rain, turned to the side, and watched Wen Mingqian walk through the heavy gate.

In the misty rain, he was slightly dazed, recalling a similar rainstorm many years ago. He called out to Wen Mingqian in the rain, and Wen Mingqian turned around and smiled at him without any suspicion.

That kind of smile will never return, and that person will never turn back.

Gong Xu turned his head and looked with emotion at the white silk flowers hanging under the eaves.

Suddenly, he felt as if there was a funeral between him and Wen Mingqian, but he wasn't sure what was buried there.

All I know is that it's all over.