bookcurios Chapter 111 A Mother's Ruthless "nitpicking"
Chapter 111 A Mother's Ruthless "nitpicking"
As Jiang Mianmian spoke, she secretly muttered to herself:
[How about I put on a dramatic face-changing act for him later? I'll just turn on him and pretend I don't know him at all, which will also solidify the 'biased' image from the plot analysis.]
[Anyway, according to the original plot, this is how I feel about the third brother, so I might as well just play myself. It shouldn't be too much to ask, right?]
Thinking of this, Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but reach out and touch her pointed chin, her brows furrowing slightly.
She racked her brains trying to figure out how to perform well on the spot so that she could achieve a satisfactory result.
Hmm... which aspect should we start with?
Just then, Jiang Mianmian subconsciously began to carefully examine her own son from head to toe.
However, Jiang Mianmian was surprised to find that the third brother had become increasingly handsome.
Wow, look at this child! Such a handsome face, with exquisite features that are captivating at first sight.
Not only that, her figure is also impeccable. Broad, strong shoulders paired with a slender, powerful waist make her a natural clothes hanger.
No wonder he's her own son, born from her womb! Even his appearance is just a collection of her best features!
[Look at his white casual clothes today. Although the style is simple, it can't hide the unique charm he exudes from within. The color makes him look even more fresh and handsome.]
Hehehe! Look how handsome this boy is! No wonder he's my own son. He makes me so proud and honored!
[Oh dear! ...Wait a minute, something seems off! I was supposed to be finding fault with him, so I could find an excuse to teach him a lesson and then use that as a pretext to vent my frustrations, right? Why did I end up praising him?]
But where should I pick the thorn?
Jiang Mianmian stared intently at Gu Yunchen, scrutinizing him closely from head to toe. After a while, her eyes suddenly lit up, and a slight smile appeared on her lips:
[Haha, I've got it! Since he's wearing all white today, I'll use that as leverage. Humph, that brat, daring to wear white! Doesn't he know what white represents?! I'll say he's scheming and full of bad intentions—clearly a self-inflicted curse.]
Thinking about this, Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but praise herself for her cleverness.
"Um, cough cough..."
Jiang Mianmian suddenly came to her senses. She coughed lightly twice unconsciously, and then began to try to organize her thoughts.
Suddenly, she frowned deeply, deliberately hardening her expression. She stared intently at Gu Yunchen, her eyes wide, and said sternly:
"Gu Yunchen! Look at you, why are you wearing all white? Don't you know that white is unlucky?"
People usually only wear this color during funerals! Hmph, tell me, are you deliberately trying to 'filially' kill me?
Gu Yunchen looked up at the sky speechlessly, listening to his mother's deliberately nitpicking words and her fierce attitude towards him. He knew perfectly well what was going on, but the corners of his mouth still twitched slightly.
Then, he glanced down at his white brocade robe and shook his head helplessly.
Then, as he glanced at Jiang Mianmian's clothes, he replied with a slightly teasing tone:
"Well, Mother, why don't you take a good look at the color of your clothes? It seems to be exactly the same as mine. We are truly of one mind, even our clothes are both white!"
Upon hearing Gu Yunchen's words, Jiang Mianmian seemed to realize something and quickly lowered her head to check her clothes.
She was furious the moment she saw it:
[Oh dear! How careless of me! Why did I choose all white today? Even black would have been better! Now look what's happened, this kid has caught me red-handed!]
[But that won't do! This white, soft gauze dress is not only breathable and cool, but it also perfectly accentuates her natural elegance. She thought to herself that wearing it like this would surely leave her son with a beautiful impression of gentleness, kindness, and compassion.]
Normally, she adored this outfit, and today she naturally chose to wear it to see her son. But not growing up had become his excuse for turning against her. What an unrespectful brat!
Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling deeply regretful.
She was furious. If she had known she would encounter this situation, she would have changed into this outfit no matter what. She was so careless; she completely underestimated her opponent!
[Fine, fine. Since this troublemaker doesn't meet the requirements, the next one will be better...]
[But besides that excuse, what other strange and unusual reasons could she come up with to nitpick?]
Jiang Mianmian's gaze slowly moved and finally landed on him. She stared intently at the sword beside him and examined it carefully for a while.
Suddenly, a smile bloomed on her face again.
Oh, right, why did he carry a sword with him when he went home?
Gu Yunchen: "..."
Is that even allowed?
Sure enough, the next second, he heard his mother's familiar yet sharp voice blaring in his ears:
"What's wrong with you, child? You're coming home with a sword! What are you trying to do? Don't you trust your own family at all?"
Do you really think everyone would want to harm you? Hmph, I bet you've never truly considered us your family.
[Hehe, look at me, bombarding you with five questions in a row like this, humph, I'm sure I'll make you furious, right? I bet the third brother will be angrily throwing up his sleeves and turning away in the next moment, haha...]
Thinking of this, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face, as if she could already see Gu Yunchen's exasperated expression.
He silently muttered to himself:
Yes, that's right, that must be it.
[Angry, she flung her sleeves and left...]
However, reality ruthlessly shattered her illusions. Her own son, Gu Yunchen, remained seated there, as steady as a mountain, showing no sign of being angered and storming off as she had expected.
Faced with such a critical mother, Gu Yunchen naturally wouldn't act according to her carefully crafted script.
On the contrary, he maintained his good manners and patience, and responded sincerely:
“Mother, you have misunderstood. Things are not as you think. Because of the special nature of my position, I am often required to serve His Majesty at all times and accompany him on his travels.”
Therefore, in order to ensure that I can respond promptly to any emergencies and protect His Majesty's safety, I have no choice but to carry this sword with me at all times, and it has never left my side for even a moment.
After hearing what the third brother said, what else could Jiang Mianmian say? She couldn't possibly say something detrimental to the Emperor just to get rid of him! Otherwise, her whole family might die even faster, before they could even wait for those women to come and take revenge.
Jiang Mianmian tried to find fault again but failed, and a sense of annoyance welled up in her heart.
Whether it's his clothes or his sword, that brat always finds a plausible excuse to deflect criticism. What more could I possibly want to say?
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Oh, so it's because his posture wasn't right!
Jiang Mianmian's face instantly darkened, and she pointed at Gu Yunchen and scolded, "Look at yourself, what kind of person are you!"
Your posture is so improper; haven't you even learned the most basic manners? Look at your older brothers; they're much more proper than you..."
However, she stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, as Jiang Mianmian turned her head sharply and was surprised to find that she had originally intended to praise her eldest and second eldest brothers.
At this moment, the two of them also appeared listless and slovenly, even worse than Gu Yunchen. For a moment, she froze on the spot, unsure how to continue speaking.
Jiang Mianmian: "..."
These two good-for-nothings always have to mess things up at the crucial moment! Looks like we really need to hire a strict governess to teach them proper manners!
Shen Xiuyan, the money-losing bastard: Listen to me, thank you!
Shen Xiujin, the money-losing bastard: Listen to me, thank you!
Shen Xiuyan and Shen Xiujin exchanged an innocent glance, then blamed each other, saying, "It's all your fault for not sitting properly. I don't want to be nagged by the governess every day!"
At the same time, Gu Yunchen pursed his lips helplessly, thinking: I just went home to have a meal and relax a little, is this considered improper posture? It's really a case of finding fault where none exists!
Her own mother was truly unreasonable, always coming up with a different story! But he had no choice but to let her pick whatever she wanted! At that moment, he felt both helpless and amused.
It's really hard on his mother to go to such lengths to find excuses and find fault, she really went to great lengths to get rid of him!
He had to pretend he couldn't hear her true feelings and cooperate with her performance. If he hadn't been playing the part with his usual cold demeanor, he probably would have given himself away by now!
"flutter……"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter rang out, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Hearing the laughter, Jiang Mianmian turned her head sharply and saw a figure among the crowd desperately trying to suppress his laughter, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"
Jiang Mianmian questioned him irritably, her voice almost squeezed out from between her teeth.
She was furious. Not only did her eldest daughter-in-law not help her, but she was even laughing out loud now. What did she mean by that? It was outrageous!
Li Tingxue covered her mouth tightly with both hands, her eyes curving into crescents as she tried to stop laughing, but she was clearly unsuccessful.
She chuckled between stammers, "Mother... I'm sorry, I just... I burst out laughing..."
However, at that moment, several more sounds rang out.
"flutter……"
"flutter……"
"flutter……"
It turned out that, apart from Li Tingxue, the others couldn't help but laugh, each of them doubled over with laughter.
Even Gu Yunchen, who usually has a stern face, couldn't help but smile slightly at this moment, revealing a barely perceptible smile.
Looking at Jiang Mianmian's exasperated appearance, he felt that this mother was just like a little child, and quite adorable.
Jiang Mianmian was even angrier now. She stomped her foot hard and cursed inwardly:
[A bunch of heartless bastards! Don't you know I'm doing this to help you? You're all about to lose your lives, and you still have the nerve to laugh? Laugh, laugh your ass off!]
[Hmph, just wait until you're crying!]