Chapter 140: A Dinner with Chicken Legs
My daughter is just a money-losing nuisance, Wang Chunmei grumbled silently. She doesn’t deserve to eat such premium cuts. That chicken leg should go right into my mouth.
However, still stinging from the brutal reprimand she had received that morning, Wang Chunmei forced herself to hold her tongue, terrified of saying anything that might trigger another wave of family outrage. If she pushed Mother Gu too far, the matriarch might actually kick her out of the compound and send her back to her parents’ house in disgrace.
“Mom, I want to eat a chicken leg too…” Gu Jingjing whispered, staring at the drumstick resting in Gu Jinfang’s bowl and swallowing hard.
She had never tasted a chicken drumstick before; she honestly had no idea what they tasted like. In the past, whenever her grandmother managed to sneak a premium piece of meat into her bowl, her mother would immediately snatch it away and eat it herself, leaving Jingjing to merely watch.
Hearing her daughter’s plea, Wang Chunmei’s eyes immediately lit up. This was the perfect excuse to force Sheng Wanyan to surrender her portion.
“Your Third Aunt has a chicken leg right there,” Wang Chunmei said smoothly. “Why don’t you ask her if she’s willing to give it to you?”
Following her mother’s prompting, Jingjing turned to Wanyan, her wide eyes brimming with innocent anticipation.
Wanyan paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She wasn’t shameless enough to hoard food from a hungry four-year-old. But Wang Chunmei had deliberately phrased the suggestion to make it seem as though Wanyan was actively snatching food out of a child’s mouth.
“Look, Third Sister-in-law, the child clearly wants a bite of chicken…” Wang Chunmei smiled, her expression dripping with fake sweetness.
Wanyan’s face darkened slightly. She looked at Gu Jingjing, then leveled a cool gaze at Wang Chunmei.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, if you want your child to eat well, you should simply buy it for her,” Wanyan said, her voice clear and carrying across the table. “How can a child of the prestigious Gu family be left practically drooling at the sight of a simple chicken drumstick? That reflects incredibly poorly on your parenting!”
Wanyan didn’t grant her an ounce of face. With a warm smile directed entirely at her niece, she picked up the drumstick from her own bowl and placed it gently into Jingjing’s.
“Come here, Jingjing. Eat up,” Wanyan coaxed softly. “If your mother won’t provide you with chicken legs, your Third Aunt gladly will. This is a gift from me; eat as much as you’d like.”
Jingjing’s eyes instantly turned red as she stared at the prize in her bowl. Could she really eat it? Would her mother snatch it away? Would she be beaten later for accepting it?
But looking up and seeing the gentle, encouraging warmth in her Third Aunt’s eyes, her inner conflict slowly dissolved.
“Thank you, Third Aunt,” she whispered.
“Good girl.”
Jingjing stole a fearful glance at Wang Chunmei, noting how her mother clearly wanted to devour the meat herself but didn’t dare make a move.
Gu Tinghao reached over, gently rubbing his daughter’s head. “This was given to you by your Third Aunt. Eat it quickly before it gets cold.”
Jingjing nodded eagerly, picked up the drumstick, and began to happily gnaw the meat off the bone.
Wang Chunmei perfectly understood the veiled insult Wanyan had just delivered. She couldn’t believe a common city girl had the absolute gall to publicly humiliate her in front of the entire family. But when she opened her mouth to snap back, she caught sight of Gu Tingxiao sitting beside Wanyan, his face resembling a thundercloud. She subconsciously shrank back into her chair.
She could only swallow her rage, suffocating on her own frustration because she lacked any defensible reason to explode. Turning back to the table, she saw Jingjing genuinely eating the drumstick all by herself and shot the child a vicious, piercing glare. Jingjing felt the silent threat and instinctively trembled, shrinking her shoulders.
“Let’s eat,” Grandpa Gu announced, knocking his knuckles against the table. He shot Gu Tinghao a deeply meaningful look.
The patriarch couldn’t help but sigh internally. With the fourth brother having married a wife of this caliber, the social and moral gap between his household and the first and third branches was destined to widen significantly.
As the old proverb stated: A man’s peace relies on marrying a virtuous wife. The fourth daughter-in-law was horribly petty, incapable of speaking with tact, and bound to offend countless essential contacts in the future. Ultimately, whatever fate befell the fourth branch would depend entirely on Gu Tinghao’s ability to manage the wife he had chosen.
While the majority of the Gu lineage had secured their power within the military, the fourth son had chosen to navigate the treacherous waters of the political sector. Aside from Mother Gu’s residual connections, he was virtually operating without a safety net in his career. A politician needed to foster peace and avoid making unnecessary enemies—yet he was chained to a remarkably troublesome wife.
After finishing her meal, Wanyan excused herself and returned upstairs to rest. Before Wang Chunmei retreated to her own quarters, she spotted the massive pile of return-visit gifts stacked neatly in the corner of the parlor. Her eyes widened in absolute shock.
Why… why are there so many luxury goods?
Wang Chunmei’s eyes darted frantically, mentally calculating the staggering cost of the haul. Noticing her loitering, Gu Tinghao stopped and turned back. “Are you coming or not?”
Seeing his face thunderous with barely suppressed anger, Wang Chunmei had no choice but to drop the subject and scurry after him.
Upstairs, Gu Tingxiao slipped into the bathroom to draw Wanyan’s bathwater. When he stepped back into the bedroom, he found her sitting quietly at the writing desk, absorbed in a book.
He walked over, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin in the curve of her neck. “I’m sorry you were wronged today,” he murmured, his voice muffled against her skin.
Wanyan smiled, shaking her head. “I wasn’t wronged at all. Wang Chunmei was the only one who ended up humiliated.”
Even if Wang Chunmei hadn’t spoken up, Wanyan fully intended to pass the drumstick to the child anyway. But since the woman had deliberately tried to corner her and make her look selfish in front of the elders, Wanyan naturally wasn’t going to let her succeed. Everyone at the table knew exactly who had lost face and who had maintained their dignity.
“It’s fine,” Wanyan added softly. “But if she continues to stir up trouble for me, I absolutely won’t hold back.” She lifted her chin defiantly. She refused to swallow any grievances simply to maintain superficial family harmony.
“Of course,” Gu Tingxiao agreed without hesitation. “You do exactly as you please, and I will always cover for you.”
Hearing his absolute loyalty, Wanyan felt a deep wave of relief. As long as her husband stood firmly on her side without objection, handling the rest of the household politics would be effortless.
“I’m going to take my shower,” she announced, putting her book down and gently pushing against his arms.
“I’ll join you,” he offered immediately.
“Absolutely not.” Wanyan wasn’t about to indulge him. Her in-laws slept on the very same floor; if they were discovered bathing together, she would die of mortification.
Knowing the logistical risks didn’t favor him, Gu Tingxiao let out a heavy, regretful sigh. Wanyan shot him a glare of pure exasperation. How could this man be so entirely shameless? He was a hardened, decorated officer!
Gu Tingxiao simply looked back at her with an expression of pure, unapologetic innocence. Why on earth should a man worry about “saving face” in front of his own wife? What good did pride do when it only left you sleeping alone?
Blushing furiously, Wanyan snatched her pajamas, shoved him aside, and practically sprinted into the bathroom. Gu Tingxiao watched her retreat, his dark eyes brimming with a hidden, predatory promise.
Wanyan crawled into bed the exact second she finished her shower. Terrified that her husband would unleash his “beastly” nature again, she immediately feigned sleep, determined to give him absolutely zero opening to initiate anything.
When Gu Tingxiao returned to the room, he found her huddled tightly under the covers, breathing evenly. He instantly saw right through her little survival tactic. Unfortunately for his bride, she seemed to have forgotten that the night was still incredibly long.
Hours later, Wanyan woke up feeling suffocatingly hot. Something incredibly heavy was draped over her, pressing down and making it difficult to draw a full breath. Half-asleep, she blindly reached out to push the obstruction away, her fingers brushing against the solid ridges of Gu Tingxiao’s abdomen.
She scratched lightly at his skin, trying to shift his weight. Gu Tingxiao let out a low, muffled groan, looking down at her with heavy, bloodshot eyes.
“You’re so heavy…” Wanyan mumbled, finally blinking her eyes open to find his face hovering mere inches from hers.
“Wanyan…” His voice was rough with raw need, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, visibly struggling to maintain his restraint.
“It hurts—mmph!”
Before she could finish her protest, he captured her lips, swallowing her words completely. For the rest of the night, the only sound she registered was his low, ragged voice constantly coaxing her in the dark.
“Be good, Wanyan… I promise I’ll be gentler this time.”
The following morning, Wanyan didn’t wake up until nine o’clock. To her surprise, Gu Tingxiao hadn’t risen at dawn for his usual rigorous morning run; instead, he remained tangled in the sheets right beside her.
His muscular arms were wrapped around her like a literal furnace, radiating a heat that was nearly unbearable in the warm morning air.
“So hot…” she groaned, weakly pushing against his chest.
Gu Tingxiao’s eyes flicked open, looking down at the flushed girl trapped in his embrace.
“Don’t move,” he commanded softly.
Wanyan froze, but a split second later, he shifted, pressing his body flush against hers.
“Don’t… it’s already so late,” she panicked softly.
“There is no one else home.”
“Mmm—”
Lacking the physical strength to mount any real defense, Wanyan was easily overpowered. Gu Tingxiao pinned both her wrists firmly above her head, lacing their fingers tightly together, stripping her of the final ounce of her resistance.
