Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside

Chapter 1265: Stealing the Spotlight

The Xu Family is a wealthy household in the county, with influential connections among relatives and friends. Although their son has become a scholar, due to their modest roots as migrants, visiting such households with betrothal gifts can still be daunting in front of Xu Family’s distinguished guests.

Gu Dafu, upon seeing Ms. Xu Wang, was taken aback and quickly stepped aside. Ms. Xu Wang, noticing this, also moved away, both fearful of causing another misunderstanding.

Gu Dexing followed behind Gu Dafu, witnessing the scene, and remembered the misunderstanding between his father and Ms. Xu Wang years ago. He felt some guilt and suddenly had an idea.

His mother was good, and his father still thought of her, though mother had been gone for several years. His father wasn’t too old, and since Gu Dexing would pursue an official career, he might often be away from home, perhaps for years without returning.

If his father could have a companion, life in the future might be more pleasant.

With these thoughts, Gu Dexing for the first time proactively greeted Ms. Xu Wang, "Aunt Xu."

Ms. Xu Wang was stunned upon hearing this, frozen in place, not understanding why Gu Dexing addressed her.

But Ms. Xu Wang was clever and quickly regained her composure, curtsied to Gu Dexing, and asked, "Young Master Xing, is there something you need from a servant like me?"

Gu Dexing: "..."

Young Master? Servant?

That wasn’t his intention at all.

Gu Dexing sighed helplessly and said, "Nothing, you’ve worked hard, carry on with your tasks."

Ms. Xu Wang was taken aback, nodded her head, and walked away with Ms. Wang Ma.

Gu Dewang was carrying two meat pies in one hand and a bowl of soy milk in the other, walking over from the kitchen. Upon witnessing this, he took a bite of the meat pie and stealthily sidled up, asking softly, "Brother Dexing, are you hoping for a new mom?"

Glancing at the back of the departing Ms. Xu Wang, he said, "Hmm, Aunt Xu is quite nice, and Xu Qing is very honest. If they became part of our family, it wouldn’t be much trouble."

Better than finding those widows who are fierce, temperamental, and have several children.

Gu Dexing’s face turned green and he glared at Gu Dewang, "Don’t talk nonsense, when did I ever have such intentions?"

Ever since Sister Mei passed away, he reflected on his past actions and realized he had been quite a scoundrel. Later on, after listening to Good Brother An’s advice, he decided to follow his guidance on how to be a better person.

He’s learned quite a bit now and understands that loose talk can lead to trouble, hence he reprimanded Gu Dewang, forbidding him from speaking nonsense.

"I get it, I get it, that’s why I’m quietly asking," Gu Dewang winked at him and inquired again, "Brother Dexing, am I guessing right? Did I get it right?"

"Right, what right? If you dare to ramble, be careful of Auntie’s wrath," Gu Dexing refused to admit it, yet when he saw Xu Qing, he told Gu Dewang, "Xu Qing is young and can’t handle heavy work, just let him take it easy. If there’s anything he can’t read, you teach him."

Hahaha, me teaching Xu Qing? Brother, are you joking? With someone like me who despises studying, teaching Xu Qing would ruin him.

Nonetheless, if Aunt Xu did marry Uncle, then Xu Qing would be his brother, and teaching him would be fine.

"Alright then," Gu Dewang agreed, went to find Xu Qing, generously sharing one of his meat pies with him, and asked, "Xu Qing, would you like a brother?"

See how clever his question was, only asking if Xu Qing wanted a brother, not if he wanted a dad, thus averting suspicion.

Xu Qing: "..."

...

Gu Jin’an woke up at the end of the Mao hour. He hadn’t slept well last night, and his mind felt heavy. After getting up, he took an awakening pill, waiting until his mind cleared before going out to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Brother Cheng had already brought breakfast to the main house in the courtyard for him and called out, "Big Brother, come quickly for breakfast. Once we eat, we need to head to Brother Dexing’s house. We should set off for the county at a quarter past Chen hour, aiming to enter the Xu Family’s gates by halfway through Si hour."

The auspicious timing was all calculated and must not be delayed, lest it would be inauspicious.

Gu Jin’an nodded, quickly finished breakfast, and gave Brother Cheng a look, wanting to remind him not to speak carelessly when they meet Master Ouyang today. However, after considering it, this would merely remind Brother Cheng of the matter with Third Miss, so he decided against it.

"Let’s go, change into our new clothes, and we’ll head to Brother Dexing’s house," Gu Jin’an said after finishing breakfast and washing his hands, urging Brother Cheng to return to his room to change into new clothes.

When delivering the betrothal gifts, one must not dress too casually.

Brother Cheng immediately ran back to his room, donned the new clothes prepared by Mrs. Cui, and after Gu Jin’an helped him tie his hair again, the two brothers went together to Gu Dafu’s house.

"Hey, you finally arrived! Did you bring the carriage?" Mrs. Chen asked, craning her neck upon seeing them.

The Xu Family is a wealthy household in the county. Mrs. Chen didn’t want the Xu Family to look down upon them; knowing that Gu Jin’an’s family had a carriage, she had planned earlier to have them bring it along, using the carriage for delivering the betrothal gifts to give Gu Dexing a boost.

Gu Jin’an replied, "Yes, it’s parked by the roadside."

Mrs. Chen was very pleased to hear this and, seeing that everyone had gathered, hurriedly said, "Elder Brother, let’s get going. Once we arrive in town, we still need to pick up Master Ouyang. If we leave too late, we might miss the auspicious hour."

She also turned to Aunt Tong, the matchmaker invited from Linhe Prefecture, and said, "Aunt Tong, we’re counting on you today. You must make this occasion splendid; it only happens once in a lifetime."

Mrs. Chen was prideful; seeing that during Qin San Lang and Gu Jinli’s betrothal, they had invited an esteemed Zong matchmaker from Great Chu, she asked Gu Jinli to invite her again to awe the Xu Family.

However, inviting the Zong matchmaker wasn’t so easily done. Qin San Lang and Gu Jinli managed to invite her only due to General Guo.

Gu Jinli declined, saying it wasn’t possible to invite her.

Mrs. Chen had no choice but to seek around He’an Prefecture’s main city, finding no matchmakers good enough. Finally, she spent a large amount and sent Ah Ling to Linhe Prefecture to invite Aunt Tong.

Aunt Tong was a renowned official matchmaker from Linhe Prefecture and was also well-known in He’an Prefecture. After receiving the silver, she came promptly and now assured, "Rest assured, my dear, I will make sure today’s ceremony is splendid, certainly bringing honor to your family!"

This was exactly what Mrs. Chen wanted to hear, and she laughed joyfully.

Third Grandma urged, "Stop talking. It’s getting late. Let’s hurry and set off. The betrothal is a big deal, we can’t be late."

"Yes, yes, yes, we’re leaving now." Mrs. Chen responded, immediately hurrying Aunt Tong along with the betrothal gifts out the door.

Everyone boarded the carriage together and headed for the county.

Upon reaching the town, they went to fetch Master Ouyang.

Master Ouyang had been waiting since early morning. Upon their arrival, he boarded the carriage, and they all proceeded towards the county.

Young Master Dou gave great face to Gu Dexing by waiting at the city gate. Seeing the Gu family’s convoy approaching, he instructed Dou Meng to drive and follow along, heading together to the Xu Family.

Mrs. Chen was overjoyed, her jaw nearly dropping with laughter, not expecting that even Young Master Dou, such a golden benefactor, would come to support them, allowing her some smugness.

A large lively group set off for the Xu Family, stealing the spotlight along the way.