Chapter 222: Gu Jingjing’s Expectations
Gu Tingxiao’s father and mother, his eldest brother and sister-in-law, his second sister and brother-in-law, his fourth brother and sister-in-law, and all of the grandchildren had gathered in the living room. The entire family was present; no one had dared to skip tonight. The old general himself had declared that everyone would dine together, and absolutely no one possessed the courage to flout his orders.
The moment Gu Tingxiao stepped down the stairs, Mother Gu was the first to sprint forward and corner him.
“How is life out at the base? Where is Wanyan?” she asked frantically. “Is she doing alright now that she’s expecting?”
Gu Tingxiao merely offered a low, noncommittal grunt. His exasperating habit of being completely tight-lipped was enough to drive his mother up the wall.
“I am speaking to you! What on earth does a grunt mean?” she snapped.
“Everything is fine.”
Thoroughly annoyed by his lack of words, Mother Gu bypassed him entirely and started up the stairs to check on her daughter-in-law himself. But Gu Tingxiao reached out and caught her wrist, smoothly blocking her path to protect his wife’s peace.
“Wanyan is still resting, Mom. Give her a little more time.”
Hearing that the girl was asleep, Mother Gu paused her footsteps and instinctively dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “She’s napping? Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“You didn’t grant me a single opening to speak.”
“Are you actively blaming your own mother right now?”
Gu Tingxiao caught his father’s warning gaze across the room and quickly lowered his eyes. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“That is more like it.”
Mother Gu turned on her heel and marched back to settle onto the sofa, while Gu Tingxiao strode over to sit directly opposite his father.
“How many months of leave were you granted for this rotation?” Father Gu inquired, showing quiet paternal concern for his son.
“Three months,” Gu Tingxiao answered truthfully. “However, my father-in-law and mother-in-law are currently residing at the base, so I intend to return a month ahead of schedule.”
Father Gu nodded in firm approval, satisfied as long as his son could spend the core of the Lunar New Year holidays at the ancestral estate.
“Wanyan’s sister-in-law has already delivered, correct?” Mother Gu chimed in, mentally calculating the timeline. The old general had previously instructed her husband to purchase a premium doll from the city markets to ship out to the frontier.
“Yes.”
“A boy or a girl?”
“A boy.”
Hearing this, Mother Gu clapped her hands together in genuine delight. Delivering a healthy boy on the first try was a massive victory for any daughter-in-law. “Oh, that’s spectacular news! Her parents must be absolutely ecstatic. The Sheng line has always had single-son generations, so welcoming a male heir right out of the gate must bring immense relief to her grandparents.”
“Yes.”
Gu Tingxiao agreed with her assessment. Traditional elders harbored very straightforward milestones, and Grandpa and Grandma Sheng’s desires had been remarkably simple: ensuring their family line didn’t fracture and securing a male successor to carry on the name.
“Wanyan has just cleared her third month,” Mother Gu continued, leaning forward. “Have you been keeping up with her routine prenatal checkups out at the base hospital?”
“We attend every single month. Her metrics have strictly hit every target.”
“Good, good.”
Mother Gu’s face was a picture of endless smiles as she launched into a rapid-fire interrogation, which Gu Tingxiao systematically answered with his usual, razor-sharp brevity. She didn’t care how few words her son deployed, as long as the underlying information was clear and reassuring.
Seated on the adjacent sofa, the fourth brother’s wife, Wang Chunmei, curled her lips in bitter dissatisfaction as she watched the display. She instinctively rested her hand over her own protruding, six-month pregnant belly. She was carrying a child as well, so why did it feel like her mother-in-law didn’t harbor a single ounce of this intense concern for her?
Furthermore, she had noticed Mother Gu and the older sisters frequently sneaking out to procure high-end, imported nutritional supplements over the past few weeks, and whenever she snooped, it turned out the treasures were being stockpiled exclusively for Sheng Wanyan. They completely ignored the daughter-in-law living right beneath their noses, while their minds were entirely consumed by a girl living thousands of miles away.
Mother Gu acted this way, and Grandma Gu was exactly the same. Even when Wanyan slept past noon on her first day back, the old general and Father Gu didn’t utter a single syllable of complaint. Yet, if Wang Chunmei so much as left a single dish unwashed in the kitchen sink, her own husband would launch into a lecture. Why was the family dynamic so deeply, unfairly skewed? She was currently carrying a precious son for the Gu line; if her health suffered due to the stress, could the family even afford the consequences?
Sitting beside her, Wang Chunmei’s four-year-old daughter, Gu Jingjing, blinked in confusion upon hearing that her third aunt was expecting. A flicker of deep uncertainty flashed across the child’s face. But didn’t Mommy explicitly tell me that…
The moment the family nanny finished setting the dining table, Gu Tingxiao slipped back upstairs to coax his wife awake.
“Wanyan, time to wake up and have some dinner,” he murmured, leaning over the bed.
Sheng Wanyan’s brow furrowed tightly at the disruption, and Gu Tingxiao instantly froze, completely motionless as he watched her facial expressions, not daring to make another sound. Wanyan indulged in a long, stubborn bout of sleepiness before she finally managed to drag herself upright. Gu Tingxiao immediately held out her fresh clothes, helping her into her sleeves.
“How is it already this late?” she muttered, her voice thick with panic as she caught sight of the alarm clock. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? Are Mom and Dad back from their shifts?”
Realizing it was already half past six, the last of her drowsiness vanished, and she scrambled to pull her outfit into proper alignment.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Gu Tingxiao soothed. “Mom and Dad explicitly ordered me to let you rest as long as you needed.”
Sheng Wanyan shot him a sharp glare, smoothed her hair, and hurried down the staircase.
The moment Mother Gu spotted her descending, a warm, radiant smile broke across her face. Noting the anxious, rushed pace of the young woman, she quickly raised her hands. “Slow down, slow down! There is absolutely no rush, child.”
Wanyan scanned the assembled room, her cheeks flushing with deep embarrassment. She only let out a quiet breath of relief when she confirmed that the four senior elders harbored zero signs of disapproval.
“You silly child, you’re carrying a baby now. Why are you rushing down the stairs like a schoolgirl?” Grandma Gu chided gently.
“Exactly,” the eldest brother’s wife, Liang Nazhen, agreed smoothly. She glided over to meet Wanyan at the foot of the stairs, gently taking her by the arm to guide her toward a comfortable seat. “You have two lives to account for now, so you must move at a slow, measured pace.”
“Thank you, Mom, Sister-in-law. I’m perfectly fine,” Wanyan smiled, her posture graceful.
Mother Gu scrutinized her appearance, her heart settling completely when she verified that Wanyan’s complexion was beautifully ruddy and healthy. Even though Gu Tingxiao had delivered a clinical, flawless health report moments ago, a mother could never truly rest until she verified the reality with her own eyes. Seeing that her daughter-in-law was genuinely thriving, she felt immense peace.
“Since everyone has assembled, let’s sit down for dinner,” the old general announced, rising from his chair. The eldest brother instantly stepped forward to support his grandfather’s elbow, and the massive family systematically arrayed themselves around the grand dining table.
The grandchildren settled into the spaces directly adjacent to their respective mothers. Little Gu Jingjing stole a glance at her mother, only to be met with a cold, thoroughly disdainful look from Wang Chunmei.
Jingjing’s eyes welled with sudden tears, and she quickly turned her gaze away, secretly staring at Sheng Wanyan across the table. Sensing the child’s intense focus, Wanyan offered her a gentle, reassuring smile.
Spotting the interaction, Wang Chunmei’s eyes flashed, and she spoke up, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “Jingjing, why don’t you run over and sit right next to your third aunt? It’s been half a year since you last saw her; didn’t you tell me you missed her terribly?”
The sudden statement caused the surrounding family members to blink in absolute disbelief. Why on earth was the notoriously petty Wang Chunmei acting so uncharacteristically pleasant and accommodating today?
“Go on, sweetheart,” Wang Chunmei urged, her smile widening. “Jingjing has been pining for her third aunt every single day. Now that Wanyan is finally back, she should sit right by her side if that’s what her heart desires.”
Hearing that her little granddaughter held such an innate affection for Wanyan, Mother Gu felt a wave of maternal happiness. She quickly waved her hand in approval. “Yes, come along, Jingjing! Sit right here next to your aunt.” In any prominent household, seeing the younger generation display genuine love for their elders was always a beautiful, welcome sight.
As Gu Jingjing trotted over, the fourth brother, Gu Tinghao, noted his daughter’s sudden eagerness to be near Wanyan. He smiled, pulling a spare stool over to properly bridge the space. “Look at that. Jingjing is practically glowing now that her third sister-in-law is back home.”
Listening to Wang Chunmei’s sugary commentary, Wanyan felt a distinct, subtle prickle of suspicion. There was an undeniable undercurrent operating beneath those pleasant words. Still, regardless of whatever psychological games her fourth sister-in-law was attempting to play, she had zero intention of weaponizing a four-year-old child to execute a feud.
“Let’s begin our meal,” the old general commanded, his sharp eyes lingering briefly on Wang Chunmei’s face, his thoughts entirely unreadable.
Wanyan picked up her chopsticks, expertly selecting a tender piece of braised chicken to place into Gu Jingjing’s small bowl. After all, a child of four required a certain degree of care and guidance at a formal table.
Seeing the prime cut of meat land in her bowl, Gu Jingjing’s tearful eyes instantly blazed with pure excitement, and she stared up at her third aunt with immense, unadulterated adoration.
Beside them, Gu Tingxiao quietly ladled a steaming bowl of nourishing broth for Wanyan, and the family dinner proceeded with remarkable harmony.
“Ensure you eat your fill, Wanyan,” Mother Gu doted, utilizing her serving utensils to deposit a plump chicken leg into her bowl. “During these early months, you must prioritize fortifying your physical constitution.”
Wang Chunmei remained uncharacteristically quiet, offering zero snide remarks as she simply watched the interaction with a pleasant, mask-like smile.
“Thank you, Mom. Please ensure you nourish yourself as well,” Wanyan replied graciously. She turned her attention to the table, systematically serving choice delicacies onto Mother Gu’s plate before extending the courtesy to the other senior elders.
The four patriarchs and matriarchs accepted her attentive gestures with absolute, radiant delight.
“Ah, look at you,” Grandma Gu beamed, her eyes crinkling. “You have always been the most considerate child in this household.”
