It was already midnight when Meng Shu Tang returned to her maternal grandmother's house.
Her maternal grandmother had not gone to sleep, and the dishes she loved were still being kept warm on the table, but she could not eat a single bite.
Her mind was filled with the image of Gu Yun Ci accompanying Bai Ci Xian just now. They had clearly been doing so well before, so why did things suddenly turn out like this?
"What is it? Have you and Yun Ci still not made up after your argument?" The Old Madam noticed she was unhappy and asked quietly.
Meng Shu Tang did not intend to tell Li Xiu Yun about the divorce; she did not want the Old Madam to worry along with her about the medical expenses for Zhou Xingfan.
Once she received the project payment and divorced Gu Yun Ci, she would tell the Old Madam about this without hesitation.
"It's nothing, I'm just a bit tired."
Li Xiu Yun was an experienced person; she had seen through it long ago.
"What couple doesn't argue? It's normal to bicker, but you shouldn't hold grudges."
She paused for a moment. "Tangtang, does he want children? I saw him standing in a maternity and infant store for a long time while shopping once.
You aren't young anymore; you can't just focus on earning money for your mother's medical treatment and not have children."
As for having children, she really could not be blamed for that.
In the three years of their marriage, Gu Yun Ci was extremely greedy for intimacy between them, yet he always kept his composure perfectly, never leaving the slightest possibility of her getting pregnant.
Even on the few occasions when their passion was at its peak and they didn't take precautions, he would always hit the emergency brakes at the critical moment.
She had brought up having children twice, but he had rejected it both times.
This most recent time, he directly brought up divorce.
"Maternal Grandmother, our relationship is very good, please don't overthink it."
Seeing that she would not say anything, Li Xiu Yun did not ask further and let her go to sleep.
Although Meng Shu Tang was married, there had always been a room for her at home.
The Old Madam would take the quilt and other bedding downstairs to air out every few days, all so that she could sleep comfortably when she returned.
At the Zhou family home, Meng Shu Tang did indeed sleep soundly, sleeping until ten in the morning. Because it was Saturday, Li Xiu Yun did not wake her.
After getting up, she ate lunch, accompanied Li Xiu Yun for a walk downstairs, and went to a nearby supermarket to buy vegetables and fruit, filling the refrigerator and stocking up on other necessities before returning to Shallow Bay.
When Zhang Ma saw her return, she smiled with a kind expression. "Young Madam, I will stew some bird's nest for you. It will be ready in a moment, and I will bring it up to you."
Meng Shu Tang handed the gifts she had bought for the servants to Zhang Ma. "Alright, please distribute these among everyone."
Afterward, she trotted up to the third floor.
The attic where Meng Shu Tang lived was a small bedroom converted from a semi-open storage room.
The ceiling was pointed and cramped; it was about the same height as other rooms at its peak, but one had to hunch over to walk in the lower areas, and if one wasn't careful, they would bump into the crossbeams.
The space was not large, and there was a small skylight on the roof, so the lighting in the room was very poor.
That was not the worst of it; it was just difficult to endure once night fell.
The attic had poor soundproofing, and it was extremely cold at night in late autumn.
On the first night she stayed here, the quilt was thin, and she had curled into a ball just to barely fall asleep.
This time, when she returned from her maternal grandmother's house, she had brought the thick cotton quilt over.
In addition, she had decorated the attic, placing green plants and fresh flowers to make it look soft and cozy.
This was her place to stay for the next 44 days, and she did not want to treat herself poorly.
Just as she finished tidying up, Zhang Ma knocked on the door to deliver the bird's nest. Seeing the attic newly decorated by her, she said, "Young Madam, you are truly skillful."
As she spoke, she looked around. "When the Madam was still here, she really liked this room.
She loved to paint here when there was sunlight.
Back then, the windows of this room were open all day, and the smell of paint could be smelled even downstairs.
President Gu... would sit here and wait for her, and the mother and son would stay here for the whole afternoon."
In their three years of marriage, Meng Shu Tang knew that her mother-in-law, Chu Fu, was a taboo in the Gu family.
She was like a person who had never existed, even though she had given birth to and raised two sons, Gu Yun Ci and Gu Jin Xing.
No one would ever voluntarily mention her.
But recently, for some reason, this was the second time Zhang Ma had spoken of her.
It was as if her death had something to do with this marriage of hers that was about to come to an end. In reality, what connection could there be? Everything was her own doing.
If she hadn't loved Gu Yun Ci and hadn't left with him on the day of her engagement to Gu Jin Xing, perhaps...
Meng Shu Tang did not want to think about it anymore and picked up the bird's nest bowl from the tray. "Zhang Ma, was the Madam a painter when she was alive?"
She remembered that at the company, someone had said that Bai Ci Xian also loved to paint.
Seeing Meng Shu Tang take the initiative to mention it, Zhang Ma nodded happily. "The Madam was very talented and held many art exhibitions. At the Palace Museum, at the Zhong Lin Building—every time, it was Mister Gu who helped her organize them.
The Madam was skillful; everything she painted looked beautiful, but her temperament was too fiery, and she could not tolerate any sand in her eyes."
Meng Shu Tang asked, "But why have I never seen the Madam's paintings?"
Zhang Ma replied, "...They were burned. Mister burned them all."
The Mister she referred to was Gu Ye Heng.
As she spoke, she sighed. "Young Madam, I will head down first. Call me if you need anything."
Meng Shu Tang sat at the vintage carved wooden desk to start working. While drinking the bird's nest, she glanced downstairs inadvertently and saw Zhang Ma wiping the corners of her eyes as she went down.
For the next few days, Gu Yun Ci did not return.
The attic was very quiet, except for Zhang Ma coming up every day to deliver fruit and exchange a few words with her.
Meng Shu Tang also heard a conversation between Li Sao and Zhang Ma. Li Sao said, "Miss Bai is still better. If the eldest young master had married Miss Bai in the first place, there wouldn't be so many issues."
Zhang Ma replied, "Do not mention Miss Bai in this house."
...
One day, Meng Shu Tang finished her meal early and went to the studio.
After working all morning, Ruan An reminded her at noon, "Tangtang Jie, we have to go to the Zhong Lin Building to receive our award this afternoon."
This was a project she had participated in a long time ago, and their studio had won first place.
"I know."
Ruan An said, "President Gu previously said he would accompany you to receive the award on that day. There is still time; do you want to call him and ask?"
Meng Shu Tang's hand paused slightly. "Forget it!"
He didn't even come home; would he care about such a small award of hers?
Ruan An knew they were going through a divorce, but the two of them were a handsome couple and looked like a perfect match—how could they really divorce!
"Jie, whether he goes or not is his business, but if you don't tell him and you happen to run into him... it might be awkward."
"We won't run into each other."
Gu Yun Ci was either at the Gu Shi Building or accompanying Bai Ci Xian; it was impossible for him to be idle enough to go there.
Ruan An pursed her lips, took her mobile phone, and snuck out.
Assistant Qin had said before that if they had any issues and couldn't reach Gu Yun Ci, they should look for him.
She called Assistant Qin. "Assistant Qin, we won first prize for the 'Ancient Bead Restoration and Cultural Heritage Project.' President Gu previously said he would accompany Tangtang Jie to receive the award. Is it convenient for him to go?"
Assistant Qin replied, "Please wait a moment, let me ask."
Two minutes later, he said, "Miss Ruan, please tell the Young Madam that President Gu is busy and will not be able to accompany her.
However, President Gu has ordered flowers and will have someone send them over."
Ruan An was very happy; this showed that Gu Yun Ci clearly cared a lot, but he was just a king of stubbornness who kept up a facade!
With her as the golden assistant, let's see if they can actually divorce!
She rushed to Meng Shu Tang's side, only to see Meng Shu Tang not even lifting her head, her voice as calm as a pool of deep water.
"There is no need to send flowers. I will receive the award myself."
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