Chapter 81

Unable to erase the thought, Zhang Yunniang could only say, "When I told you earlier that I didn't want to get married in this life, it wasn't empty talk. Whether I did it on purpose or not, my life has been simple and peaceful. Now, although some of my thoughts have changed, I won't force love."

"That means you don't like my brother."

“…”

"However, it seems that my eldest brother is not indifferent to you. I saw him secretly looking at you."

"...You've fallen into love all on your own, and even a normal assessment would be misleading."

"He hasn't looked at other girls this way before. I'll observe him a little longer."

Late in the evening, Jun Qingmo arrived as expected.

"I, Yuan Jin, am here to greet you, sir. I heard you were ill the other day and hadn't been able to visit you. I brought some herbs to replenish your qi and blood. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you sooner."

"You are busy now, so there is no need to be so polite."

Everyone greeted each other one by one.

Mr. Huaiyuan knew he was coming and had someone prepare more food.

It was lunchtime, so they chatted briefly and then went to the cafeteria to eat together.

Zhang Yunniang pushed Jun Qingmo, naturally intending to sit next to Jun Qingmo.

"Yunniang, come sit here, let's sit together."

There are not so many requirements for private banquets.

Liu Yingxue and Xue Yunze stood next to each other, and the other side was empty. Liu Qingshuang was walking towards the other side of the empty seat.

Jun Qingmo's heart was filled with alarm bells, "I'm sorry, but I need Yunniang's help when I'm not able to."

As a half-paralyzed man, he did have many inconveniences, so Liu Yingxue did not force him. Zhang Yunniang worked in his house, and taking care of the master was her job.

It makes sense.

Zhang Yunniang sat down aside.

In the countryside, the food is fresh and has a unique flavor.

"Brother, Yunniang is too far away to grab some of those fresh stir-fried wild mushrooms. Can you help her get some?"

"No, no, I can do it myself."

"Why are you being so polite in front of Grandpa? We're all family. Brother, what are you standing there for?..."

Zhang Yunniang's bowl was covered with a layer of fried wild mushrooms.

It's from Jun Qing Mo.

After picking up the food, he didn't forget to give Liu Qingshuang a kind look.

Liu Qingshuang noticed the gaze directed at her, and helplessly turned the chopsticks and threw them into her sister's bowl.

"Eat your own food and don't make trouble, be good. Otherwise, grandpa will kick you out tomorrow."

Liu Qingshuang has been in the court for a long time. Ever since Jun Qingmo came, his eyes have never left Zhang Yunniang. How could he not guess what was going on?

His sister hasn't figured out the situation yet, and he's trying to match people up with her at random.

Well, it’s not her fault for being slow, otherwise, how could she not see that Yunze was only being silly towards her.

He hid in the countryside to hide from people.

Liu Yingxue was slow-witted, but while she was eating, she noticed something was wrong.

Didn't they say it was inconvenient to eat? Who was that person who kept picking up food for Zhang Yunniang?

She looked at Zhang Yunniang's usual expression. Is there something going on with these two people?

There is something going on, but you don’t tell her?

Not really.

Zhang Yunniang and her have been together for so long that they have become accustomed to many small things.

As for the other people at the dinner table, Xue Yunze's heart and eyes were full of Liu Yingxue.

Whenever Liu Yingxue glanced at him or smiled at him, he would blush and lower his head in shame, not daring to look at her.

Liu Yingxue felt extremely curious, as if she had discovered a new world. She would tease him from time to time, making him so embarrassed that he lowered his head and dared not raise it at all.

Holding the bowl and shoveling rice into his mouth, he looked even more silly.

"Grandpa, there are some fools who don't know how to pick up food when eating."

Upon hearing this, Xue Yunze hurriedly picked up some food and stuffed a piece of something that looked like meat into his mouth.

As soon as I chewed it, a spicy taste rushed into my nose. It was not a piece of meat, but a piece of ginger to remove the fishy smell.

It would be indecent to spit it out, so I held my breath and swallowed the whole thing. I choked so much that I wanted to stretch my neck.

Liu Qingshuang looked at her friend's ridiculous appearance, shook her head, and said with dismay, "Look at how disappointing you are."

Then he said to Liu Yingxue, "Behave yourself and eat your meal in peace."

Jun Qingmo looked at Xue Yunze's "unpresentable" appearance and sneered in his heart, "Tsk tsk, this guy is so useless, not even as good as him."

"Stir-fried vegetables with oil residue is delicious, Yunniang, you should try it."

"There is ginger, you can eat it yourself." Zhang Yunniang looked at the piece of ginger stuck on the vegetable leaf and pushed it back with disgust.

When Jun Qingmo picked up the food, he deliberately chose the place where there was no ginger powder.

Zhang Yunniang has a very sharp eye for things she doesn't eat.

On the edge of the leaf, there was a very small piece of ginger. Jun Qingmo fiddled with it in the bowl for a long time before he saw where it was stuck.

Then he picked up another piece, carefully shook off the ginger powder, and then passed it to the person without leaving any trace.

Mr. Huaiyuan looked at the "two pairs" each having its own owner, then looked at his eldest grandson and snorted coldly.

Useless bastard.

Liu Qingshuang held her forehead with her hand, the only victim present appeared.

Zhang Yunniang was so happy staying in the countryside that she didn't want to leave. Every day, Mo Yatou took her to play with cats and dogs, and she had a lot of fun.

Go to the river to catch crabs and fish, go to the mountains to pick wild vegetables, life can be as rich as it can be.

Mo Yatou has lived in the countryside for a long time. Although she is young, she knows a lot.

They knew exactly what was edible and what was not, and the two of them ran out with a small basket.

Perhaps humans still retain the primitive memories engraved in their bones and blood, and are very interested in picking in the wild.

There were many delicious wild vegetables on the mountain, and they brought them back in baskets.

Jun Qingmo listened to them talking about interesting things that happened during the day at the dinner table, and they shouted that they wanted to go hunting together when they had time.

That day, after Jun Qingmo came back, he seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he had something to say, but he refused to say it even when asked.

When they were having a meal together, he picked up the bowl and put it down again. Seeing his expression, Zhang Yunniang couldn't help but frown.

"Is the Jun Mansion going bankrupt? Or have you been fired?"

Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? If you don’t say anything, who will know what it is and how will we solve it?

She really couldn't stand her temper, so she slammed her chopsticks on the table. She hated it the most when she wanted to say something but didn't, and you could tell something was wrong.

Jun Qingmo was frightened and quickly put the bowl of rice on the table. It was a close call as the rice almost spilled on the ground.

Mo Yatou was holding the bowl of rice and was also frightened and trembled. She pursed her lips, not knowing whether to eat the meal or not.

Zhang Yunniang took a deep breath, forced a smile, and turned sideways to Mo Yatou and said softly, "Are you scared? Be good, take more food and go out and eat slowly."

Mo Yatou looked here and there, picked up a bowl full of dishes with her chopsticks, and ran out with the bowl in her arms.

"What went wrong outside? Tell me." Zhang Yunniang frowned again, crossed her arms, and stared at Jun Qingmo with an unhappy look on her face.

"No, no, you, don't frown, nothing happened."

Jun Qingmo, who was hesitant just now, now opened his eyes wide, pursed his lips, and raised the corners of his mouth high. He looked, well, elegant with a hint of cuteness and softness, which was very inconsistent with his gentle gentleman temperament and was very disharmonious.

Quite stupid.

"You, me, huh?" Zhang Yunniang looked at Jun Qingmo, who had a smile as beautiful as a flower and looked like a fool, with a puzzled look on her face.

What exactly happened? What kind of stimulation did this person experience outside?

"Are you sick? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm not sick, you were just angry with me." Jun Qingmo pursed his lips and looked at Zhang Yunniang with an innocent face.

"Ah, huh?"

"Hehe, you haven't been mean to me for a long time. Hehe. Hehe. Hehe hahahahahahahahaha."

Before anyone could say anything, he let out a silly, roe-deer-like laugh.

It feels as sweet as if I had eaten honey.

Zhang Yunniang's heart skipped a beat and she was stunned. Oh my God, what big deal has happened?

"The last time you were mean to me was the last time. Hehe, great, you're mean to me again."

When he was still a mess, Zhang Yunniang always scolded him like a grandson.

At that time, he was not very motivated and was always criticized.

He also knew that the better it was for him, the harsher the scolding would be.

Later, he became rich, became an official, and was promoted. Zhang Yunniang never treated him harshly again.

It seemed as if the relationship between them was gradually fading because he had money and power.

He was often afraid and panicked.

Today, Zhang Yunniang was so cute when she got angry, just as cute as when she was lecturing him before.

"Hehe, that's great, you're still willing to scold me. Hehe."

Zhang Yunniang took a deep breath, suppressed her temper, and said in a pleasant manner, "What's going on, Second Young Master? Can you tell me now?"

"Uh, I can't tell you, wow."

Jun Qingmo's smile faded, and he looked aggrieved. Tears began to well up in his eyes again. He looked like he wanted to cry but was trying hard to hold it back. It was so heartbreaking and annoying.

"Hu, hu, hu," Zhang Yunniang inhaled and exhaled, inhaled and exhaled, and repeated this several times. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer and slammed the table in anger, "Jun Qingmo, are you done yet?"

"The Emperor has newly appointed Empress, and it coincides with the first Mid-Autumn Festival. To celebrate, a banquet will be held on that day to entertain all the ministers. However, the ministers must bring a female relative to the banquet to pray for the Emperor and Empress, hoping that they will be inseparable and live happily ever after."

Jun Qingmo lowered his head and spoke very quickly, as if he had rehearsed it many times in his mind. He was very proficient and did not stutter at all.

He didn't dare to raise his head, shrugged his shoulders, shrank his neck, and closed his eyes tightly, not daring to face the impending rejection.

"Isn't this very unreasonable? With so many unmarried ministers, do they have to get married first in order to attend a banquet?"

"It doesn't have to be a marriage, just bringing a female relative is enough."

Zhang Yunniang understood. Isn't it just a modern dinner partner? In modern times, it is indeed not a big deal.

However, things were different in ancient times. For women, reputation was particularly important, so they could not attend casually. If they went together, they would be tied together.

"Want me to go with you?"

"I can also pretend to be sick." Jun Qingmo whispered dejectedly, "I have an advantage in pretending to be sick. Others will easily believe me."

"It's just a party, what's the big deal about attending it?"

"Are you willing to go with me?" Jun Qingmo looked up in disbelief. He had already prepared himself to be rejected. Even though he felt uncomfortable, he couldn't force anyone.

"I've never been to the palace before. This is a great opportunity. I can even enjoy a palace banquet. It's great to go and broaden my horizons while I'm still young."

"Do you know what it means to go to the banquet together?" Jun Qingmo really wanted to ask, but he didn't dare.

Everyone is willing to accompany him to the party, so he can't be too greedy.

Well, yes, he is a little ostrich, a happy little ostrich.

Woohoo~haha!