was enough, so he let go of that jade foot and went aside to clean his hands.Qing Qiu He Ning Dong glanced at Gu Jing Xi's clean basin, her eyes widened suddenly. They met each other's gaze for a mome...In the afternoon, Gu Jingxi returned from his errands and gave Meng Jinyao some snacks she liked, all kinds of candied fruits that little girls loved.

Recently, Gu Jingxi has bought her things more frequently. He's become a little knowledgeable about the kinds of things girls like to have, such as clothes and food, and he mostly buys things that Meng Jinyang would appreciate.

Gu Jingxi had just returned to the courtyard when he saw Meng Jin Yao standing at the door. The young girl was dressed in a sea棠 red gown embroidered with gold thread and peonies, her head adorned with a jade and gold hairpin. She smiled sweetly and stood there quietly, looking pleasing to the eye.

The little girl's dress, jewelry, rouge, and lipstick were all bought by him, and the flesh on her face was also raised by him.

Looking at the little girl being raised so well, he felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

Before, the money in his hand was just accumulating, there wasn't anything else particularly useful about it. He himself wasn't the kind who liked to spend money. Besides the daily socializing with friends, there weren't any other expenses. Now that he had to raise a young girl, the money finally came in handy.

Gu Jingxi walked over to her, and handed her the snacks he had just bought: "Madam, here you go."

Meng Jin Yao also got used to his occasional feeding, smiling brightly as she reached out to take the snack he handed her. She said crisply, "Thank you, husband."

Gu Jingxi said in a gentle voice, "Today's peach candy is the store's new product. The shopkeeper said it was made with milk and has a milky aroma. Madam, try it and see if you like it."

Meng Jinyao, upon hearing this, found it novel and immediately went into the house to try it. As soon as she unwrapped the oiled paper, she smelled a milky fragrance. She picked up a piece to taste, and the yellow peach candy was soft and chewy, with an orange-yellow color. It was melt-in-your-mouth sweet and slightly chewy, with a strong milky flavor. The shopkeeper had processed the milk very well, without any fishy smell.

She picked up a piece and held it to Gu Jingxi's mouth: "Husband, try it, it's quite delicious."

Thanks to Meng Jinyao, Gu Jingxi has recently been treated to a lot of snacks that girls like. Whenever Meng Jinyao tastes something delicious, she doesn't forget to stuff it into his mouth.

Gu Jingxi cooperated and opened his mouth, eating the candied fruit she fed him. The candied fruit was sweet and sour, soft and chewy, with a hint of milky flavor.

Meng Jinyao tilted her head and looked at him with a smile, "How does it taste"

Gu Jingxi saw the little girl's bright smile, and the corners of his mouth also twitched upwards. He felt an indescribable joy in his heart and smiled, "It's okay, but he doesn't like to eat snacks that little girls like. So when the little girl offered him again, he politely declined, “Madam, you should eat it. Don't worry about me. I don't have much desire for food.”

Meng Jin Yao, upon hearing this, curved the fruit pastry and fed it into her own mouth.

Gu Jingxi said again: "You play by yourself, I'll go to the study and read for a while."

Meng Jin Yao: ...

She's not a child, what can she play

Chun Liu glanced at Gu Jing Xi's receding figure and said to Meng Jin Yao, "The Marquis is truly patient with his wife. He pampers her like a child, holding her in the palm of his hand. He doesn't show this much care towards his elder and younger daughters. I hear that when the two girls were young, the Marquis never coddled them, let alone now that they are grown up. The two girls act like mice seeing a cat when they see the Marquis."

Meng Jin Yao was stunned: "He's not that scary, is he"

Chunliu replied, "The Marquis is usually cold and aloof towards everyone, always giving off an unpleasant impression. He also possesses the strictness that elders should have. He's only different with his wife."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jingyao recalled when she first married Gu Jingxi. Although Gu Jingxi wasn't difficult to get along with back then, he was indeed a bit aloof. However, it was a well-mannered kind of aloofness. He would answer any question and was very reasonable. Even if they weren't familiar, as long as she was in the right, Gu Jingxi would help her.

Spring Willow looked up at her master's beautiful face and thought to herself, "No wonder the Marquis likes her. Even I, a lowly servant girl, find her pleasing to the eye." She continued, "I think, madam, is the only exception for the Marquis."

The only exception

Meng Jin Yao was slightly taken aback. She didn't know how Gu Jing Xi had treated his former fiancée before, but as things stood now, as long as he treated her like this for the rest of their lives, she would be content.

When Chunliu saw that she wasn't speaking, she stopped the topic and lowered her eyes to look at the candied fruits whose oiled paper had already been removed. She asked tentatively, "Madam, you won't be able to finish these candied fruits in a short while. Should I go get a porcelain jar to store them"

Meng Jinyao nodded. "Go ahead, I'll eat two more pieces at most. If I eat too much more, I won't be able to eat dinner later."

-

Not long after, Gu Xiuming came to look for Gu Jingxi, asking him for some pointers on the autumn imperial examination tomorrow.

Although Gu Jingxi was displeased with his way of doing things, when he asked, he did not give evasive answers. He said everything that needed to be said and even offered some encouragement at the end.

Subsequently, Gu Xiuming also sought instruction in academics.

Gu Jingxi answered all his questions and even tested his scholarship. Seeing that he could answer most of them, and for those he couldn't, Gu Jingxi explained them to him as well.

Before leaving, Gu Xiuming couldn't help but ask his father, "Father, do you think I have a chance of passing the autumn examinations"

Gu Jingxi vaguely replied, "Anything said now would be inaccurate. Everything is possible. Just treat everything with a normal heart and do your best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Not getting the desired answer, Gu Xiuming felt a bit frustrated, but his determination to pass the imperial examination became even stronger. As long as he was on the list of successful candidates, his elders at home would finally change their opinion of him.

For a moment, he became anxious again and asked, "Father, what if I fail the exam"

Gu Jingxi responded calmly, "Xiuming, you are only sixteen years old. It's not shameful to fail the exam at this age. Some people don't even become a Xiucai until their twenties, let alone a Juren. You already have the title of Xiucai, which is better than many other students. Even if you don't pass the Juren exam, you will only be nineteen years old in three years."

After hearing this, Gu Xiuming felt a little better and replied, "Son, I understand."

Gu Jingxi said softly, "Alright, go back and prepare the things you need to bring into the examination room tomorrow. If you have already prepared, check if there are any omissions. Get a good night's sleep tonight, and go to take the exam early tomorrow morning."

Gu Xiuming nodded: "Yes, father."

Having said that, Gu Xiuming bowed respectfully and then left.

Meng Jinyao saw that Gu Xiumin had left, and then she went to the study. She peeked inside and saw the man looking at her. So, she stepped in and asked, "Husband, what is our eldest son doing here"

Gu Jingxi replied, "Asking about the Qiu Wei examination also involves some academic matters."

Meng Jinyu lacked interest and merely responded with an "oh" before changing the subject. "Husband, do you have anything else to attend to If not, then let's have dinner first."

Gu Jingxi shook his head. "It's nothing."him not to worry too much and to study hard.He shook his head. "It's not that, it's that Father wants to find us a stepmother."Meng Jin's heart skipped a beat, and she exclaimed urgently, "What do you...