Marrying for someone else and being a widow? Stepmothers open classes to raise children

Du Yusheng smiled and said, "This is only part of the reason. More importantly, I see your potential and perseverance. I believe that you will become an outstanding figure in the future."

Xie Yunchen was deeply moved. He knelt down and kowtowed to Du Yusheng: "Master, I will study hard and live up to your expectations."

Du Yusheng helped Xie Yunchen up and said, "Okay, if that's the case, then you should stay in Bailu Academy and study hard with me. As for your mother, she has high expectations of you, so you must disappoint her."

Xie Yunchen nodded firmly and secretly made up his mind to become someone who would satisfy both his master and mother.

……

Inside the Ningguo Mansion, the spring sunshine shines through the tall vermilion walls and onto the blue brick path, illuminating a peaceful glow.

Gu Zhiyi stood in front of the window, looking deeply at the maid Luluo's hurriedly leaving back. She had a myriad of thoughts in her mind, and all of them originated from the name Du Yusheng.

What Gu Zhiyi cared about was not his talent and character, but whether he had any connection with the Ninth Prince.

"Luoluo, make sure to find out the relationship between Du Yusheng and Master Yin." Gu Zhiyi ordered, with an unquestionable firmness in her tone.

Luluo took the order and left, while Gu Zhiyi returned to the desk, picked up a pen, and began to think about how to reveal her true identity to Du Yusheng. Once her identity was exposed, her relationship with Du Yusheng would inevitably change dramatically.

However, she knew better that the safety of Ningguo Mansion and even the stability of the entire court depended on her relationship with Du Yusheng.

Xie Yunlin accidentally found a neatly arranged food box in the small kitchen of the main courtyard. The lid of the food box was slightly open, and inside was the already cold food, emitting a faint fragrance. He frowned slightly, and a trace of doubt surged in his heart.

Since the new mistress married into the mansion, she has been trying to improve the relationship between the Xie brothers. Xie Yunlin knows that the new mistress has good intentions, and the food box in front of him is undoubtedly a trap she set up to make him reconcile with his second brother Xie Yunce.

Xie Yunlin stood in front of the food box, feeling conflicted. If he accepted the food box, it would mean that he had tacitly agreed to the new mistress's arrangement and reconciled with his second brother. However, his hatred for his second brother had not been completely resolved, and how could this grudge be resolved with a food box?

He recalled the quarrels with his second brother in the past. Those unbearable past events haunted him like a nightmare. He didn't know whether he should jump into this situation, cater to the expectations of the new mistress, and face the reconciliation with his second brother.

However, when Xie Yunlin saw that the food in the lunch box had already gone cold, he suddenly felt uneasy. He thought of his second brother Xie Yunce, who had been feeling unwell recently and had a poor appetite. If he didn't eat, he might not be able to hold on.

With such complex emotions, Xie Yunlin couldn't stand his second brother suffering. He took a deep breath, his eyes became firm, and he decided to get the food box and send food to his second brother Xie Yunce.

In the deep twilight of the Ningguo Mansion, Xie Yunlin laboriously carried the food box, walked through the winding corridors, and came to the quiet ancestral hall. Inside the ancestral hall, the dim candlelight flickered, reflecting Xie Yunce's angular face. He sat on a cold and hard bench, with a complex look in his eyes.

"Second brother, this is the meal that the new mistress prepared specially for you. Please eat a little." Xie Yunlin's voice was pleading. He carefully placed the food box on the ground and then slowly opened it.

Xie Yunce glanced at him coldly and said firmly: "I will never eat the meal you sent me, please go."

Xie Yunlin paused for a moment, feeling mixed emotions. He looked at Xie Yunce, then at the food in the lunch box, took a deep breath, and then started to eat. Such an action might anger Xie Yunce, and he couldn't let his second brother starve in this cold ancestral hall.

Xie Yunce's eyes were fixed on the dishes in the food box. Those were his favorite delicacies in his life. He had said it so resolutely before, but at this moment, facing the fragrant dishes, his stomach began to growl uncontrollably. He stared at Xie Yunlin, a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, but in the end he couldn't help but reach out and pick up a piece of braised pork.

"You...what do you mean?" Xie Yunce tried to hide his embarrassment while eating.

Xie Yunlin smiled slightly, feeling a little relieved. "Second brother, the new mistress means well, and she hopes that we brothers can reconcile. I know there are some misunderstandings between us, but I believe that as long as we are honest with each other, we can always find a way to solve the problem."

Xie Yunce snorted, but didn't say anything else. He continued to eat, and a hint of warmth gradually appeared in his eyes. Xie Yunlin did this for his own good. And those misunderstandings may really be slowly resolved.

After finishing his meal, Xie Yunlin packed up his lunch box and prepared to leave. Xie Yunce suddenly called him, "Yunlin, thank you."

Xie Yunlin was stunned, turned his head, and saw the rare gentle expression on Xie Yunce's face. A warm current surged in his heart: "Second brother, we are brothers, this is what I should do."

Gu Zhiyi sat quietly in the warm room of the main courtyard, listening to Nanny Yang's detailed explanation, with a satisfied light in her eyes. This family needs not only wealth and status, but also harmony and warmth.

When she heard that Xie Yunce and Xie Yunlin did not quarrel but had their meal together harmoniously, her heart was filled with relief.

"Madam, you see, the Second Young Master said thank you to the Fifth Young Master. This is unprecedented." There was some excitement in Nanny Yang's tone, as if she had witnessed a historical moment with her own eyes.

Gu Zhiyi smiled slightly. She knew what this meant. Xie Yunce and Xie Yunlin, one was her eldest son and the other was her second son. The harmony between them was her greatest wish as a mother. She said softly, "This is a good thing. We should be happy for them."

Gu Zhiyi sat in the warm room of the main courtyard, quietly listening to Yang Mama telling stories about Xie Yunce's childhood. Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly, shining through the window lattice onto Gu Zhiyi's face, creating mottled light and shadows.

Nanny Yang's words seemed to open the closed door of Xie Yunce's heart, allowing Gu Zhiyi to see the depths of his heart.

“Madam, you see, the second young master was only six years old at that time. He was looking forward to the birth of his younger brother, but when his younger brother really came into this world, he suddenly became silent.” Madam Yang sighed, with deep regret in her eyes.

Gu Zhiyi's heart tightened. She understood that Xie Yunce's change was not only due to the birth of his brother, but also due to the death of his mother. At that time, Xie Yunce was still a child who needed his mother's love, but he had to endure the pain of losing his mother. This pain undoubtedly planted a deep hatred in his heart.

"Mammy, do you think the second young master has a grudge against my younger brother?" Gu Zhiyi asked softly, but she was extremely worried in her heart.