allendalepharm Chapter 142 The Prodigal Son's Head Is More Precious Than Gold
Chapter 142 The Prodigal Son's Head Is More Precious Than Gold
Chapter 142 A Prodigal Son's Return is More Precious Than Gold
After leaving Fanlou, Gu Tingye intended to go home.
But after thinking about it, he went to the outer city instead.
His visit to the Yu family to propose marriage a few days ago became a hot topic of discussion in Bianjing.
No one goes to propose marriage on their own. Even if their parents are no longer alive, they always ask an elder to go.
But Gu Tingye went to the Yu family to propose marriage himself, accompanied by a matchmaker and gifts.
After this incident became known, he was ridiculed by many people.
Gu Yankai was furious when he found out. If he hadn't been very satisfied with the family Gu Tingye had chosen, he probably would have resorted to family discipline.
Even so, Gu Yankai hasn't given Gu Tingye a kind look these past few days.
At this time, the Yu family had not yet agreed, and Gu Tingye had not dared to go to Manniang's place in the past few days.
They were afraid that something unexpected might happen.
But he didn't tell Manniang about his plans, and now that the news has spread, Manniang might already know.
It just so happens that Wang You is treating him to drinks today, and his family knows about it, so he can go and see Manniang.
Gu Tingye arrived at the courtyard where Manniang was being housed, looked around, and then knocked on the door.
A moment later, the maid opened the door, and Gu Tingye went inside.
Upon learning that Manniang was putting the child to sleep, Gu Tingye went to the bedroom.
Manniang coaxed the child to sleep, her expression grim, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Because he was facing away from the door, Gu Tingye didn't see it.
After an unknown amount of time, Changge turned over, bringing Manniang back to her senses.
She pulled the blanket up for Changge'er and stood up.
She turned around and was startled to see Gu Tingye leaning against the door with a smile.
Upon recognizing Gu Tingye, she said coquettishly, "Second Brother, you scared me to death!"
"I just arrived and saw that the children were asleep. I didn't want to wake them, so I didn't make a sound," Gu Tingye said.
Man Niang glanced back at the child, then quickly pulled Gu Tingye out.
"I noticed you looked a little off just now. Is something on your mind?" Gu Tingye asked Manniang, who was making tea.
Man Niang hadn't seen him the moment she turned around, so she obviously wasn't scared by him.
Man Niang's hands froze for a moment, but she quickly came to her senses and continued making tea.
"It's nothing, it's just that Chang-ge and Xian-jie are too naughty," Man-niang said.
"It shouldn't have anything to do with this, right?"
Gu Tingye grasped Manniang's hand and asked, "Is there something else?"
Manniang raised her head, her eyes showing some tension, giving off a fragile feeling.
"Erlang, I heard you went to the Yu family to propose marriage?" Manniang asked in a trembling voice.
Seeing Man Niang's nervous appearance, Gu Tingye's heart softened. He stepped forward, hugged her, and comforted her, "Didn't I say I would give you a title?"
Given your background, it would be very difficult for you to enter the Gu family. I've heard that the Yu family's daughter has a very good temperament and doesn't look down on courtesans at all.
If I marry her, and then tell her about you after she's married into the family, she might be able to accept you.
Wang You said that Man Niang was not that simple, but Man Niang was clearly very weak.
Manniang leaned against Gu Tingye's chest, listening to his story, but she didn't believe it at all.
Humans are complex; they often have double standards, but sometimes they also tend to judge others by their own standards.
In her opinion, even if she were the eldest daughter of the Yu family, she would not accept a mistress with a child.
Therefore, even though Gu Tingye spoke so casually, she felt no reassurance whatsoever.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Erlang, but the Marquis must be very angry that you came to propose marriage on your own," Manniang said softly.
"He is angry, but Grand Tutor Yu was once a prime minister. Although he has retired, he still has many protégés and former officials in the court."
Gu Tingye sneered, "He's quite satisfied with this marriage. Even if he's angry inside, he hasn't shown it."
Man Niang felt even more uneasy upon hearing this. Gu Tingye's father was satisfied with the marriage. Once the eldest daughter of the Yu family entered the family, with her parents-in-law's support, what could Gu Tingye do if they really refused to let her in?
Her only bargaining chip is her two children. Once Gu Tingye gets married and has children, will he cause trouble for his family because of her?
Although Man Niang came from a humble background, she was an opera singer and knew some of the scenes from the plays.
If she cannot enter the house, the most likely outcome will be that the mother leaves and the child stays.
If she truly loved Gu Tingye, perhaps she would have followed the example of the woman in the play, leaving the child behind and secretly departing.
But her purpose in approaching Gu Tingye was to enter the Gu family and enjoy wealth and luxury.
But she couldn't say these things.
Gu Tingye comforted Manniang and chatted with her for a while before saying, "It's getting late, you should go back to your room and rest. I should go back too."
"Yes, I'll see Erlang off," Manniang said.
"You're not dressed warmly enough, and it's still a bit chilly outside at night, so don't go out."
Gu Tingye turned and left after saying that.
"Brother Ye".
As soon as Gu Tingye stepped out, he saw Granny Chang waiting outside.
Seeing that Granny Chang was wearing an outer garment, Gu Tingye said apologetically, "I'm sorry to disturb Granny's rest so late."
"Sigh, I'm getting old, I don't feel that much anymore."
Granny Chang asked, "Are you going back?"
"Yes, I haven't been here for a few days, so I came to check on you," Gu Tingye said.
Be careful on the road.
It was late at night, so Granny Chang didn't try to keep him. She saw Gu Tingye to the door and opened the courtyard gate for him.
"Granny, be careful these next few days. Tell Manniang not to go out. If she needs anything, just have the maids buy it for her," Gu Tingye instructed.
"Don't worry, Ye-ge'er, I'll keep an eye on things here."
"Then I'll be going. Granny, please get some rest."
Granny Chang watched Gu Tingye leave, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Perhaps it was an innate dislike for Man Niang; she found Man Niang very unpleasant to look at.
Having a mistress and having children are two different things. Although the former is also serious, the latter is nothing compared to it.
It's understandable that Manniang was a virtuous girl who knew nothing.
But Man Niang is an actress who comes into contact with all sorts of people. Does she not even know how to use contraception?
One could be considered an accident, but what about two?
In her view, Man Niang's behavior was like that of a concubine in a wealthy family, who wanted to have a child to protect herself.
However, she had no evidence for these claims and couldn't make things up.
But after spending time with her, she became increasingly certain that Man Niang was not as simple as she seemed.
She really wanted to tell Gu Tingye, but after hesitating, she didn't say it.
"well.
""
Chang sighed and closed the courtyard gate.
When Man Niang saw Granny Chang turn around, she quickly closed the window that had been opened a little.
She didn't know what Gu Tingye and Granny Chang had talked about, but judging from Granny Chang's expression, there must have been something going on.
Manniang tossed and turned all night thinking, and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
The next morning, as soon as the rooster crowed, Manniang got up.
Looking at her sleeping children, she washed up, did her makeup, went to the kitchen to pick up a vegetable basket, and turned around to see Granny Chang.
"Where are you going?" Granny Chang asked.
"Granny, you scared me."
Man Niang patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled, "Yesterday, Chang Ge'er kept asking for mutton, so I went to buy some early this morning. Is there anything else you need, Granny?"
"These tasks will naturally be done by the maids."
Granny Chang sneered, "You know your own identity. Don't go out and cause trouble for Ye-ge'er."
After saying that, he snatched the basket, turned around and called over the maid, giving her a few instructions.
Man Niang returned to her room with a gloomy expression.
She originally wanted to go out and discuss it with her brother, but Granny Chang wouldn't let her leave, which made her even more worried.
After thinking for a moment, Manniang got up, brought a bowl of water to the bedside, and poured it on Changge'er's pants.
This water was originally yesterday's herbal tea, and it's gone cold after sitting overnight.
It's only early April, and it feels terrible to have water poured on you so early in the morning.
Changge woke up and started crying loudly.
"How do you take care of a child? They're crying first thing in the morning."
When Granny Chang heard the child crying, she walked in, cursing and swearing.
"Granny, Changge'er has wet the bed. Quickly, please bring some warm water so I can wipe him off."
Manniang carried her awake daughter off the bed, and then undressed her son.
"Oh dear, you wet the bed."
Granny Chang didn't have time to grumble anymore. She quickly ordered the maid to fetch hot water and then went to help.
Manniang helped Changge take off his clothes and removed the wet bedding from the bed, then carried it outside.
"Granny, you watch over them for now, I'll take these out."
Granny Chang didn't think much of it and comforted Chang-ge, who was still crying.
When Manniang came outside, she saw that the maid was still in the kitchen. She threw down what she was holding, opened the door, and ran out.
Hearing the commotion, the maid came out of the kitchen and saw that the courtyard gate had been opened. She quickly ran to tell Granny Chang.
By the time Granny Chang chased after them, they were nowhere to be seen.
After wandering around for a while, Man Niang arrived at a house. She looked around cautiously before knocking on the gate.
After waiting a while and seeing no response, I knocked again.
"Here they come, here they come, they're urging us on."
Zhu Zhuang yawned and opened the courtyard gate.
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, Manniang squeezed inside.
"you--"
Zhu Zhuang recognized the person in front of him and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, what brings you here?"
Looking at Zhu Zhuang's sleepy appearance, Man Niang coldly said, "Let's go inside and talk!"
The two entered the house, and Manniang sat down in the main seat, questioning, "Did you go gambling again last night?"
"I'm just going to have some fun," Zhu Zhuang said nonchalantly.
"you--"
Man Niang wanted to lash out, but remembered the important matter and held back.
"Sister, you've come at the right time. I'm out of money, please give me some quickly," Zhu Zhuang said.
"Out of money again?"
Man Niang said angrily, "Didn't I tell you? Gu Tingye's wet nurse is here now, and she's always been hostile towards me. I told you to be careful with your money!"
Gu Tingye inherited the Bai family business, and with the high annual output of those salt estates, he spent money lavishly.
When we were in Jiangzhou, I gave Manniang a lot of money every month for household expenses.
Man Niang didn't know that Gu Tingye was so rich because he inherited the Bai family business; she thought it was because he came from a noble family.
However, things were different when they arrived in Bianjing. Although Gu Tingye was generous, Granny Chang was no pushover.
With Granny Chang watching over her, she couldn't go too far.
"She's just an old woman, what's there to be afraid of?"
Zhu Zhuang said, "No, I'll have someone stage an accident and—"
"Don't do anything reckless!"
Manniang said, "I didn't bring any money with me this time, but I'll find a chance to bring it to you later. I'm looking for you—"
"Send it over later?"
Zhu Zhuang said urgently, "No, I don't have any money for food. You need to go back and get some right now."
"Money, money, money! All you ever think about is money!"
Man Niang said angrily, "Do you know that Gu Tingye has already proposed marriage to the Yu family, and he even had that old geezer watch over me? I ran away from home."
Once the eldest daughter of the Yu family enters the family, will I still be able to enter the Gu family?
Then you can go ask the ghost for money.
"Is that so?" Zhu Zhuang asked in surprise.
"Everyone's talking about it outside, I've heard it all, haven't you?"
Man Niang said angrily, "You don't spend all your time in the gambling den, do you?"
Zhu Zhuang said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm just afraid to go out during the day, so I can only go out at night to have some fun."
"I've given you no less than a thousand taels of silver over the years. Don't think I don't know where you've spent it."
"Little sister, let's not talk about this now!"
Zhu Zhuang quickly said, "It seems that Gu Tingye is also a heartless and fickle man. In my opinion, even if you enter the Gu family, your life will not be easy."
We need to find a way to ruin this marriage.
"To ruin it?"
Man Niang frowned and said, "Given my background, the Gu family would never allow me to be their legal wife!"
"Under normal circumstances, it's impossible, but what if there are special circumstances?"
Zhu Zhuang said, "Gu Tingye is not young anymore, and his older brother is a sickly man who doesn't even have a child."
This Gu family title will belong to Gu Tingye sooner or later.
Once you and your child are exposed, which family would be willing to marry their daughter into the Gu family?
Since the Gu family doesn't have a grandson yet, they will naturally take you and the child back first.
So what if you don't have the title of legal wife? As long as Gu Tingye doesn't have a legal wife, what's the difference between you and a legal wife?
The Gu family will accept you sooner or later.
"But how did this marriage fall through?" Man Niang asked, frowning.
"Go and cause a scene at the Yu family's place. Do they have no shame at all?"
Zhu Zhuang laughed and said, "Those wealthy families, the higher their social standing, the more concerned they are with their reputation."
"But if I make a scene, Gu Tingye will definitely get angry. What if he gets tired of me and abandons his mother and keeps the child?" Man Niang said worriedly.
"My silly sister, just tell her that you're afraid the Yu family girl won't accept you in the future, and that you want to go to the Yu family to offer her a cup of tea."
Zhu Zhuang laughed and said, "Even if Gu Tingye is angry, he won't kick you out for the sake of the child."
Manniang hesitated for a moment, then realized that Zhu Zhuang's words made sense.
Although this was somewhat risky, if the Yu family's daughter entered the family, she would be in an even more passive position.
"Minglan!"
"Sister Yanran!"
Yu Yanran took Minglan's hand and entered the mansion. They chatted idly all the way to their own courtyard.
Upon entering the hall, she waited for the maid to serve her tea, then dismissed the maid.
"Is there any news?" Yu Yanran asked quickly.
Yesterday, she went to the Sheng family to talk to Minglan, and Minglan said she would ask Wang You to inquire about Gu Tingye.
Now that Minglan has come over, she wonders if there's any news.
"It can't be that fast."
Minglan said, "However, my cousin promised to ask him for help."
"9
Yu Yanran said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, you don't have to ask."
"Um?"
'
Minglan was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Sister Yanran, you're not worried anymore?"
She didn't have any ill feelings towards Gu Tingye; she only asked Wang You to inquire because Yu Yanran was worried.
"When I came back yesterday, my grandfather told me that although the Second Young Master Gu had some bad reputation before, he has been studying hard all these years. Although he did not pass the imperial examination, he was able to participate in the metropolitan examination, which shows that he has been studying diligently all these years."
"My grandfather said that a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold, and after thinking about it carefully, I think he makes a lot of sense," Yu Yanran said somewhat shyly.