Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Ms. Wu’s Thoughts

Before they had said much, Ms. Wu arrived with Gu Qingyu. Coincidentally, Chen Jiale now had a companion, and the two little ones ate pastries and went off to play by themselves.

The three women then started chatting.

“Wuqing, bring the little ones over,” Gu Qingli called out, knowing that Ms. Wu wanted to see the three babies.

Wuqing called two older female servants, and the three of them carried the children over. The three little ones were still asleep; babies at this age did little more than eat and sleep.

“Ah, come here, let Grandma hold you.” Ms. Wu immediately reached out to take Xiaoyuanzi.

Gu Qingmei also held Xiaotuanzi, and Gu Qingli held Little Le’er.

“They’re so cute!” Gu Qingmei couldn’t help but praise. The children’s features were beautiful, much more attractive than her own son, Chen Jiale.

“Yes, yes, my babies are so adorable. They’ll be even more beautiful than their parents when they grow up,” Ms. Wu chimed in with a beaming smile, her eyes glued to Xiaoyuanzi, reluctant to even blink for fear of missing a single moment.

Gu Qingli’s lips curved into a smile. When someone praised her children, no matter who it was or how much truth there was to the words, a mother’s heart would always be happy.

Over the past few days, the three little ones had indeed filled out and grown quite beautiful; one could never tire of looking at them.

She dotingly kissed her youngest son, Little Le’er, her heart melting with tenderness.

“Li’er, let’s hold the children’s Hundred Days Banquet in the village. We should make it a lively event for them,” Ms. Wu said.

Gu Qingli nodded. “Okay.”

They hadn’t even celebrated the full moon, so it would be hard to justify not holding the Hundred Days Banquet. Around here, some people even held a three-day banquet for their children, but Gu Qingli thought that was too troublesome and unnecessary, especially since the babies were still so small. However, the full moon and hundred-day celebrations were considered essential. Since the three little ones hadn’t had a Full Moon Banquet, now that they were back in the village among their own people, it was only right to invite everyone for a joyous gathering.

“Xiaoli, when is it? We’ll come over early to help,” Gu Qingmei also asked.

“It’s still a little over a month away, so there’s plenty of time. As their aunt, you won’t be able to get out of it, will you?” Gu Qingli teased.

“Of course! By the way, your brother-in-law mentioned inviting you over to our place for a meal tomorrow. Are you free?”

Gu Qingli replied, “Tomorrow, we’ve promised Uncle Dayou to be at his place around noon. Cousin, let’s skip our meal together this time; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. If we come to your place tomorrow, your parents and their whole family will definitely show up uninvited. Knowing their temperaments, they’re bound to stir up some kind of trouble.”

After hearing this, Gu Qingmei sighed deeply at the thought of her troublesome family. She knew Gu Qingli was right.

If they invited Gu Qingli tomorrow, her parents would undoubtedly bring their entire family along uninvited. Who knew what kind of embarrassing scene they would cause then?

Ms. Wu patted her. “Li’er is right. You sisters have finally managed to bury the hatchet; don’t let them cause a rift between you again. No matter how magnanimous Li’er is, she can’t keep forgiving them repeatedly.”

Gu Qingli gave Ms. Wu a surprised look. Since when had she become so assertive? In the past, she would rather have died than dare to say such things in front of others. Indeed, one’s environment truly shapes a person. Now that she was the mistress of her own household, her disposition had changed, and she could speak with confidence. To be honest, this Ms. Wu was far more likable.

Gu Qingmei nodded. She understood that Ms. Wu was admonishing her, and she had already carefully considered this matter in her heart.

As for her parents, just like with Chen Erlang’s parents, she would fulfill her filial duties. Beyond that, they shouldn’t dream of getting anything more from her. As for Gu Qingli, no matter what, if she hadn’t lent her those ten taels of silver back then, she and Chen Erlang would surely have perished. That was equivalent to saving both their lives. And without the two of them, how could they have had their son? All told, it amounted to three lives. Therefore, they had their own judgment about who and what held greater importance. Now Gu Qingli was helping them again, holding no grudges. She would have to be a fool to fall out with Gu Qingli once more for the sake of those heartless and unscrupulous parents.

So she smiled and said, “Alright then, we’ll listen to Xiaoli. We’re all in the same village anyway, so there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

“That’s more like it. Auntie truly hopes you’ll have a good life,” Ms. Wu said, smiling warmly as she patted Gu Qingmei’s hand.

Ms. Wu always felt that Gu Qingli was too lonely, with no one in the village she could really confide in. Now that Gu Qingmei had come to her senses, she seemed like a decent person. They had grown up together in the same courtyard and shared a certain bond; Ms. Wu would be glad if the two could become like sisters again.

Gu Qingli, unaware of Ms. Wu’s thoughts, said, “That’s right. Just focus on living your own life well.”

“Mhm, mhm.” Gu Qingmei nodded repeatedly, deeply touched. The people who now genuinely cared for her and wished her well were the very ones her family had once driven out. How unpredictable life is!

The three women chatted until the little ones grew hungry, at which point Ms. Wu and Gu Qingmei took their respective children and headed home.

As they were leaving, Wuyou had them each take two boxes of her homemade pastries.

Xiao Yunjing returned after having dinner at Gu Chang’an’s house, quite drunk and flushed.

“What are you so happy about?” Gu Qingli asked as she moved him into the Space and began to help him bathe.

Xiao Yunjing’s eyes were hazy with drink. He smiled tenderly, kissed Gu Qingli on the lips, and said, “I’m just purely happy today.”

Gu Qingli pursed her lips. As if she’d believe that!

After settling Xiao Yunjing into bed, Gu Qingli went to the Pharmacy and prepared medicines for a full two hours, as she had another delivery for the Gu Clinic the next day.

Nowadays, the Gu Clinic was operating smoothly, and she and Wuyou no longer needed to be personally involved.

Her pills alone were sufficient for severe illnesses.

Currently, throughout the Daqian Kingdom, there was a fixed monthly supply of 10,000 pills, each selling for one hundred taels. The income from these 10,000 pills alone each month was already staggering.

Gu Qingli arranged for all monthly profits to be converted into gold and silver and sent to Qiyang County, where she would go to collect them once a month.

Banknotes were too unreliable. If one day Daqian’s banks collapsed or the bankers absconded with the silver, what use would a thick stack of banknotes be to her? Real gold and silver were far more dependable.

The next day, Gu Qingli did not go to Uncle Gu Dayou’s house for the meal, worried about a repeat of the previous day’s awkwardness. Only Xiao Yunjing and Daniu went; even Gu Qingqiu stayed behind.

Xiao Yunjing returned after the meal and then headed into the mountains.

When he returned in the evening, he called Dashuang, Xiaoshuang, Daniu, and Gu Qingqiu to the backyard, where a training ground had been specially set up. There, one of them taught while the other four learned.

「Time passed in this way until the end of the tenth month.」

Snow began to fall from the sky, and the three little ones’ Hundred Days Banquet was only a few days away.

The triplets had been born on the twenty-fifth day of the seventh month, making their Hundred Days Banquet fall on the fifth day of the eleventh month. The couple had informed the villagers and were preparing for a grand celebration for their three children.

Conveniently, the villagers were not particularly busy at this time. They had finished harvesting the medicinal materials from their own back mountain and from another ten mu of land, leaving only those that had not yet matured.

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