tallest building

Chapter 94 Words of Comfort
“But will that work?” Yunying looked at Wen Mingqian with great concern. “After we women get married, we rely on our husband’s family. If you and the master remain estranged for a long time, not to mention what he thinks, after a while, I’m afraid the old lady and the others will also have opinions about you.”

“Yunying, if nothing unexpected happens, you should spend your life with Gong Er.” Wen Mingqian looked at her and said, “He’s not actually hard to get along with, just hard to open up to.”

But all you ask for is a place to stay; you don't care about whether someone is a friend or not.

He has a natural compassion for the weak, so you should be humble and submissive; he will always make room for you. If you have another child, you'll have someone to rely on for life.

"Madam..." Yunying wanted to say something more, but Zhang Ma came in.

"Young lady, the dishes I prepared for the old lady are ready. Would you like to come with me?"

"It's getting late, let's go!" Wen Mingqian said. "Yunying, you stay here for now. Later, you and Liu'er can help Chang'an have lunch and watch over him while he sleeps. I'll keep the old lady company and will probably be back later." Wen Mingqian instructed before leaving.

"Ha! I heard Gong Er got completely drunk," Zhang Ma muttered to Wen Mingqian as they walked westward, "that good-for-nothing!"

"For nearly ten years, he treated Song Shi as his confidante, trusting and caring for her wholeheartedly. Only now does he realize that the person he has confided in all these years is actually a monster. Anyone would find it unbearable." Wen Mingqian did not belittle Gong Xu in this regard.

He didn't give his true feelings to himself, but he did show his utmost sincerity to the Song family. His sincerity should not be ridiculed.

"Who told him to be blind and unable to recognize people? His sincerity has been wasted!" Zhang Ma made no attempt to hide her schadenfreude. "Look at how arrogant he was in front of the young lady, and look at him now! His beloved young mistress has given him a good lesson!"

Wen Mingqian just smiled and didn't say anything more.

When they arrived at Madam Gong's room, Madam Wei and a maid were putting flowers in the old lady's hair.

A carved lacquer tray held many freshly cut flowers. Mrs. Wei smiled and said to her, "Sister-in-law, you're here. Come over and choose two of your favorites to wear."

“The flowers in the old lady’s yard are more vibrant than those elsewhere,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile, picking up a pale yellow rose. “This flower is so beautiful, I’ll take it.” He then gently tucked it into his hair.

"Your skin is so fair, you look good in any flowers," Madam Gong said to Wen Mingqian with a smile. "We've all gotten up late, so let's have breakfast and lunch together!"

"The old lady is really good at managing the household; combining these two meals into one saves money," Madam Wei chimed in. "Should we try saving money like this every now and then?"

"Oh dear, that won't do! You young people can handle it, but this old woman can't. People say that old rice grains, old rice grains, will die if they miss a meal," said Madam Gong with a smile.

"Zhang Ma made the old lady's favorite dishes and also specially prepared a medicinal soup. Knowing that you didn't sleep well last night, she specially added some qi-boosting herbs." Wen Mingqian saw that the old lady Gong had already put on the flowers, so he asked the maid to take out the rest.

"Tell them to bring the dishes out to the outer room. We, mother and daughter, need to have a chat." Old Madam Gong waved her hand, and the servants all left. "You two sit down. There's no need to be so formal all the time."

Madam Wei and Wen Mingqian exchanged a glance and sat down. Old Madam Gong sighed before speaking, "It's a misfortune for our family to have such a scourge enter our household. It's truly my fault for failing to manage the household properly, causing my second son's wife to suffer so much injustice for so many years..."

"Grandma, please don't blame yourself. It's said that it's easy to draw a dragon or a tiger, but difficult to draw their bones. Song Xiulian is no simple character, and her schemes are truly vicious. It's no wonder that everyone was deceived; we just never imagined that someone could be so wicked," Wen Mingqian interrupted the old lady.

"Yes, Madam. We all feel sorry for our sister-in-law who has suffered so much, but that Aunt Song is truly cunning and manipulative. Fortunately, this time, the truth has finally come out," said Madam Wei.

“I have to thank the old lady for trusting me and working with me on this scheme. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know how to expose her true colors,” Wen Mingqian said. “After all, that incident happened so long ago. If she hadn’t told me herself, I probably would never have known the truth.”

"Just thinking about it makes me so angry!" Old Madam Gong said angrily. "She forced you to leave home while you were heavily pregnant. Thank goodness, Chang'an was born and raised safely. Otherwise, how could I face my grandfather and ancestors in the afterlife?"

Wen Mingqian's throat tightened slightly as he said, "Grandma, speaking of what happened seven years ago, I have a favor to ask. Ah Shou died unjustly and has carried this stigma for so many years. Could I perhaps offer a sacrifice for her later?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Gong immediately said, "Of course, of course. We should properly perform a ritual to help her pass on to the afterlife. She is truly pitiful."

"When the master left this morning, he specifically told me that my sister-in-law has really suffered these past years. If there's anything you want to do, just say it, and don't be afraid of the trouble," said Madam Wei.

Madam Gong also agreed: "We have wronged you all these years and should make it up to you properly."

"Grandma, the Second Master is still asleep. He's said to be... drunk..." came the maid who had gone to fetch Gong Xu.

"Sigh!" Old Madam Gong sighed, "You may leave now!"

Turning back to Wen Mingqian, she said, "I originally asked him to come and apologize to you, but things were chaotic last night, and there were some things I couldn't say. Don't blame him; he's feeling bad too."

"Don't worry, Grandma, I won't blame Second Master for such trivial matters." Wen Mingqian didn't care at all about Gong Xu's reaction.

Gong Xu was naturally having a hard time, but it would never be as painful as it had been for him.

But I no longer care about him, so why would I care whether he apologizes to me?
"Sister-in-law is becoming more and more mature and sensible. With the old lady loving you above and Chang'an being filial below, you will surely be able to reconcile with your second brother in the future. It can be said that your hardships have finally come to an end." Madam Wei promptly smoothed things over.

"Speaking of which, that Song woman is currently under surveillance, but that's not the end of the story. In your opinion, what should be done with her?" Old Madam Gong inquired about Wen Mingqian's opinion.

"It was Master who brought her into the manor in the first place, and now it is Master's turn to decide how to deal with her. As for me, now that I have cleared my name, that is enough." Wen Mingqian was all smiles and tolerance.

In truth, she knew very well that Song's true colors had already been exposed, so why should she continue to play the villain? That villainous role should be played by Gong Xu.

(End of this chapter)