He Jihong hugged Old Lady He's arm and acted coquettishly. "Mom, it's a good thing that you're here. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to live."
"If I die, I'll see how you live!" Old Lady He snorted lightly.
"Bah Bah Bah, Mom, you're going to live a long life. Don't spout nonsense!"
He Jihong hurriedly said a few good words, which made the Old Lady He happy, she said earnestly, "Bilian, that wretched girl, is very ambitious. You should talk to her properly and tell her not to get too close to Gu Jianshe and live peacefully with Gu Ye. Gu Ye is a promising child and is also Old Gu's biological son. He will definitely be stronger than Gu Jianshe in the future."
"Mom, I've said these words to Bilian countless times. That wretched girl just won't listen. Oh right..."
He Jihong lowered her voice and whispered a few words into the Old Lady He's ear. Her expression changed drastically, and she asked in disbelief, "Really?"
"Bilian said it herself. She said that it's useless even if she takes off her clothes. Mom, I don't know if Gu Ye's illness can be cured. It's definitely impossible for Bilian to be a widow. If she can't hold on, my heart aches too." He Jihong's face was filled with sorrow, she had been worried to death these past few days. She had been asking around for good male doctors, but she could not find any clues for a while.
Old Lady He frowned. She had calculated everything and missed this. However, she still did not believe it. She muttered, "Gu Ye looks so sturdy and strong. Did Bilian make a mistake?"
"Mom, some men are just good-looking but useless. Bilian has already done so much. She's not ugly either. Any man would be tempted, right? But Gu Ye has no reaction no matter what. If he's not sick, then what is?"
He Jihong trusted her daughter and felt that Gu Ye was a cripple. Although her daughter was not a beauty, she was still a beautiful girl. It was definitely Gu Ye's problem.
Old Lady He nodded. It made sense. How could a cat not cheat.
"Don't worry. I'll ask around about good male doctors. Maybe it's just a small problem. Just take some medicine."
"What if it doesn't get better?" He Jihong asked worriedly.
Old Lady He rolled her eyes and her voice turned cold. "If it doesn't get better, we can't leave either. Our He family can't afford to lose face. Your father and Old Gu are life and death friends. He won't agree."
"Mom... but it's too hard for Bilian to live as a widow."
He Jihong was a little afraid of her mother, so she mustered up the courage to say it. She didn't want her daughter to stand guard.
Old Lady He sneered and looked at her from the corner of her eyes, she said mockingly, "Bilian is not idle. Go back and ask her if she is still in a lady's body. Humph, you shameless thing. The rumors have already spread to the courtyard. If it wasn't for me suppressing it, your father would definitely know."
"Mom, that's impossible. Bilian wouldn't..."
He Jihong's voice was swallowed down by the Old Lady He's stern gaze. She secretly scolded Xu Bilian for not being sensible. She smiled apologetically, Old Lady He said coldly, "Tell Bilian to behave herself and wait for Gu Ye's illness to be diagnosed. If there really is a problem, it's not impossible for Bilian to go out and have fun, but it definitely can't be Gu Jianshe. Let Her give up on this idea!"
Since Gu Ye was crippled by nature, her granddaughter naturally couldn't stand idly by. It was understandable for her to go out and relieve herself. The Gu family should be able to understand, but if Xu Bilian still went to look for Gu Jianshe, it would be a slap to the Gu family's face, the Gu family definitely wouldn't do it.
Marriage was absolutely not allowed. The real reason wasn't because of the friendship between the He and Gu families. The main reason was that Gu Huainian's rank was higher than her old man's. There wasn't much difference in the past few years, but Old Man Gu's rank rose again and again. He was several ranks higher than her old man. Her old man hadn't changed for more than ten years. It looked like it would be difficult for him to rise again.
The He family had been declining in the past few years. None of their descendants had lived up to their expectations. They could only form a marriage alliance with the Gu family to strengthen the He family's position. Therefore, Xu Bilian could not get a divorce, and Chu Qiao had to marry Gu Jianshe.
Old Lady He had calculated very well, but she did not expect that Xu Bilian, Chu Qiao, or Gu Ye were not wooden figures in her hands. They would not listen to her obediently.
He Jihong was obedient. After receiving guidance, she did not bother with Chu Qiao after returning home. She did not do housework or cook, and she did not say a word. Her attitude was also very good. When she spoke to Chu Qiao, she had a smile on her face, which made Chu Qiao's hair stand on end, she secretly raised her vigilance.
In the past two days, He Jihong had called Gu Jianshe's mother, Zhu Yuzhen, a few times a day. She was trying to coax her into agreeing to let Gu Jianshe go to the Chu family for another blind date.
"It's fine if Jianshe can't get a match this time. Your stepdaughter is too arrogant. Our Gu family can't afford it." Zhu Yuzhen still remembered what Chu Qiao said last time. Her words were sarcastic.
"Sister Yuzhen, don't worry. I'm watching over you this time. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
"What's the use of me being satisfied? You have to be satisfied with Jianshe. I'll let Jianshe know later."
Zhu Yuzhen actually had her own selfish motives. She knew about her eldest son and Xu Bilian, but she would not allow Xu Bilian to enter the house. This girl had a very bad temper. She married her daughter-in-law to enjoy her life, not to be a bodhisattva, she had met He Jihong's stepdaughter a few times before, and she was indeed a slow-witted person. Zhu Yuzhen was very satisfied with this kind of girl. She allowed Xu Bilian to marry into the house as she pleased, just like her daughter-in-law who was not very fortunate, she had put on the airs of a mother-in-law.
Zhu Yuzhen did not really believe in the incident at the Teahouse last time. She thought that her eldest son might have said those things to anger her because he wanted to marry Xu Bilian. In any case, she had to let her eldest son go to the Chu family for dinner this time.
Gu Jianshe went back to his parents' house for dinner, and he was not in a good mood. Gu Ye had looked for him last night, and this bastard had actually collected so many photos. They were all taken when he was dating Xu Bilian, and some of them were especially intimate, if the old man saw these photos, he would definitely break his legs.
His grandfather hated the problem of lifestyle the most. He was only a deputy secretary now. He was not even a formal secretary yet. If he lost the support of the old man, his official career would definitely be affected.
Gu Jianshe's mood was very heavy. He did not sleep last night. The dark circles under his eyes were like pandas. He did not look well either. He was thinking about how to tell his mother about the jewelry. His mother kept those pieces of jewelry as if they were her precious treasures, she definitely would not be willing to take it out.
"Dad."
A seven or eight-year-old skinny little boy called out happily. He was Gu Jianshe's eldest son, Gu Wen. His youngest son was called Gu Wu. He was both civil and martial. It was the name that Gu Jianshe had given him.
"Okay."
Gu Jianshe patted his eldest son's head and touched the oil on his hand. When he saw that his eldest son seemed to have lost some weight compared to the last time, he could not help but frown. His mother really did not know how to take care of children. She did not even do hygiene, and did not have enough food to eat. He had to pay 80 Yuan for living expenses every month.
However, he did not dare to say anything about his mother. After all, he was even more worried about leaving her in the care of others. He still had to get a wife as soon as possible. After seeing his equally skinny youngest son, Gu Jianhe became even more determined to get a wife. This time, he lowered his requirements, as long as he was gentle and had a decent appearance, it would be fine.