Chapter 10 The Slow-Returning Guest (Part 9) Not wanting to offend him, nor wanting to submit...

While the older generations of the families were bowing to each other in front of the flower hall, the younger generation of the Song family were offering birthday wishes to Old Madam Xu in the hall.

Zhi Rou, aware of her awkwardness, stood in the corner the entire time, watching them kowtow to Old Madam Xu, offer beautiful blessings, and receive the red envelopes from Old Madam Xu…

She watched indifferently until Wei Mingying walked in, smiled and called out, "Grandmother," which was considered a greeting, without kowtowing.

Wei Yuanzhan entered a step behind her. Seeing her like this, he naturally stood there and, like her, called out "Grandmother".

Madam Xu sat on a grand chair to the right of the long table, wearing a crimson brocade robe with a longevity character pattern. She had a pointed chin and an elegant demeanor, and must have been a beauty in her youth.

At this moment, her smile remained unchanged as she warmly beckoned the two of them to come forward, examining them closely for a while: "You've grown taller and more handsome."

After speaking, he took two red envelopes from the maid beside him and handed them out equally, as if he did not care about the lack of kowtow they owed.

Because of this, Zhi Rou's gaze kept lingering on the two of them. Wei Yuanzhan seemed to notice this and would turn his head away from time to time.

Once your gaze falls on her, it's hard to look away.

Her attire was... festive and flamboyant, like a four-happiness doll that stepped out of a paper-cut window decoration.

Thinking of this, Wei Yuanzhan couldn't help but lower his eyelashes, but the corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly.

For Madam Xu's birthday celebration, all the guests were close relatives. Lin He, being a concubine, had no right to attend the banquet, and Song Congzhao was busy with official duties and could not come in person. Zhi Rou naturally became the one who was ignored.

After everyone had entered the hall and taken their seats, Old Madam Xu suddenly noticed her, raised her eyes slightly, and asked, "What is that?"

Xu Yueyuan sat slightly closer to her, and upon hearing this, glanced at Zhi Rou for a moment before turning back and smiling, "Mother, that's my fourth daughter."

As she spoke, she beckoned to Zhi Rou: "Rou'er, come here and kowtow to the old lady."

Zhi Rou was momentarily stunned, not expecting that she would also have to bow.

Seeing that everyone in the room was looking at her, she felt embarrassed and didn't want to stay still. So she stepped forward, lifted her skirt, and knelt down in the center.

"Zhi Rou congratulates the old lady on her birthday. May the old lady enjoy good health, longevity, and boundless happiness." With that, she bowed again.

Her manners were impeccable, and she was also quite beautiful. What was most surprising was that her speech was completely fluent and uncouth, indicating that she was indeed well-educated.

This was the first time Song Hanjin had looked at Zhirou properly.

She had originally advised her mother to bring her along, with the selfish intention of embarrassing her, but who would have thought that Song Zhirou would respond in this way.

Madam Xu chuckled slightly. What kind of fourth girl is this? She's just a mistress from another family. Is she really worth bringing to the Xu residence to offend her eyes?

Though inwardly disdainful, his face remained amiable: "Get up."

Xu Yueyuan's biggest worry was that she didn't want her younger sister to laugh at her. She wanted to earn a reputation for being virtuous and kind, and also to let people know that her marriage hadn't been ruined by her fourth sister.

Trying to cover something up only makes it more obvious; going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

Lady Yining glanced at the little girl and subtly twitched her lips.

Lady Hou, Xu Yueqing, resembled Xu Yueyuan by six or seven points, except that her almond-shaped eyes were rather cold and slightly upturned at the ends, making it impossible to tell her age. She was like the most elegant and dignified lady on a scroll, untouched by the passage of time.

Seeing her sister's attempt backfire, she couldn't help but chuckle. The soft sound reached Xu Yueyuan's ears, causing her to clench her fingers.

"That's my fourth sister?"

On the second chair to the right of the head of the table, Wei Mingying shifted her position, leaned closer to Wei Yuanzhan, and whispered, "Is she dressed like this to offend Grandmother?"

He laughed as soon as he said it, "If she had come a few years earlier, we would definitely have gotten along well."

"You've taken a liking to her again?" Wei Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Zhi Rou.

A moment later, he smiled and said, "Your previous 'sister' is here too." He was referring to Song Hanjin.

Wei Mingying's expression changed drastically after hearing this, and she glared at him, gritting her teeth.

Wei Yuanzhan was still angry about what happened in the carriage, but now that things had calmed down, his smile became even more genuine.

Wei Mingying was unwilling to give up and retorted sarcastically, "Your 'close' brother is watching you right now!"

Wei Yuanzhan turned his head, and Song Qiyu, who was beside him, turned her face to meet his gaze, whether she had heard them talking or caught a glimpse of his movement out of the corner of her eye.

He paused slightly, then heard Song Qiyu say, "Does the young master have something to say?"

"No."

Wei Yuanzhan's expression turned serious, but before he knew it, another voice rang in his ears: "That day, thank you, Your Highness, for bringing my sister back."

He frowned slightly, glanced at Song Qiyu quickly, and replied casually, "It was nothing, cousin, you're too kind."

The banquet was held in the evening. The younger generation sat idly in the flower hall for a while before going to play in the courtyard.

Zhi Rou was a stranger, unfamiliar with everyone, and even her own family members didn't bother with her. Only after everyone had left did she jump off the stool and wander into the covered walkway alone.

The Xu Mansion is built much like a garden in the Jiangnan region, with white walls and black tiles, lush flowers and trees, and sunlight shining through the latticed windows, creating a light and elegant atmosphere.

Having learned from her previous experience, Zhi Rou dared not go far. Seeing a narrow door at the end of the corridor, with golden light emanating from it and tree shadows swaying, she unconsciously strolled over.

The first thing that caught her eye was a persimmon tree, taller than the eaves, its fiery red fruit exposed under the dome, instantly reminding her of Xiao'e.

In Luozhou, she often climbed over the wall of Xiao'e's house to help her pick persimmons to eat.

Comparing the past with the present, Zhi Rou's expression darkened slightly. She lost interest for a moment and stood there blankly, not knowing where to go.

"Hey." A clear voice came from behind.

She turned around, and before she could see who it was, a brownish-yellow object flew towards her. She immediately reached out and caught it steadily.

Looking down, she saw a bag of food with the words "Fuxiang Pavilion" written on the oil paper. If she remembered correctly, Sister Wei had been carrying many things from Fuxiang Pavilion earlier.

Zhi Rou paused, then looked up in surprise.

The courtyard was bathed in sunlight, which made his features appear even more striking. Surprisingly, he didn't have a cold expression and looked at her naturally. Seeing her confusion, he kindly raised his chin and pointed to the rolled pastry in her hand.

Is this a signal for her to...try it?

Zhi Rou was in a dilemma, not understanding why Wei Yuanzhan had suddenly changed his mind. She didn't want to offend him, nor did she want to comply.

If you squeeze the oil paper in your palm for a while, it gets hotter and hotter.

This was the first time Wei Yuanzhan had encountered someone like her.

Isn't she just a child? Give her some food to coax her, and even if she doesn't like it, she'll talk to him, right? Is she mute or in a trance? She's staring at him without moving, just swaying back and forth.

Wei Yuanzhan was initially displeased, his spine slightly straightened, and his face held a scrutinizing look. Then, he snapped out of his daze and coughed lightly: "You and Mr. Xue Nan..."

His voice sounded slightly uneasy, and he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence, his brow furrowing as he looked at her.

I moved my fingers holding the rolled-up pastry a little; now it wasn't too hot.

Zhi Rouming said frankly, "I have only met you twice, and if you count the day before yesterday, that's only three times." Her connections were blocked.

Wei Yuanzhan was clearly disappointed: "So, you and the gentleman don't have a deep relationship."

Zhi Rou thought for a moment and then changed her words: "He is my savior."

Wei Yuanzhan's gaze lingered briefly on her innocent face.

A short while later, he said, "I understand." His tone was exceptionally calm. Then he turned and stepped out of the narrow door.

As she watched his figure disappear into the corridor, Zhi Rou's chest suddenly skipped a beat, and she ran two steps in his direction.

"Thank you again for that day!"

The sound was as clear as a mountain spring, tinkling as it reached Wei Yuanzhan's ears, and the corners of his mouth subtly curved into a smile that he himself was unaware of.

Knowing she couldn't possibly hear him, he still softly replied, "Okay."

A rustling sound came from all around, and withered leaves fell onto Zhi Rou's shoulder. The wind picked up again.

She pulled her collar together with one hand and held the bag of rolled pastries in the other. After turning a few corners, she stopped near the flower hall.

The stage had been set up long ago, and a row of people in colorful costumes and heavy makeup were standing on the stage. Their flowing sleeves rose and fell, and their singing voices sang. Zhi Rou was easily attracted by them.

She chose an inconspicuous spot to stand, opened her food bag, and took out a rolled pastry in her hand. It was about half the size of her fist, slightly bulging, and the aroma of oil and crispiness wafted up, tempting her stomach.

She was indeed childlike; now that she had the pastry in her mouth, her opinion of Wei Yuanzhan had changed.

Perhaps he was inherently kind and gentle, just as he had been when they first met, and he hadn't held her impetuousness against her. Apart from being a bit arrogant, Prince Wei was perfect in every way.

As Zhi Rou ate, she watched the rehearsal on the stage. Suddenly, someone threw a date at her head.

Snap.

Another one.

Just then, Zhi Rou turned around, and the second one hit her right in the eye.

The two children, dressed in fine clothes, were very pleased with themselves for hitting the target, and laughed, "You country bumpkin! You country bumpkin!"

They were all boys from the Xu family. According to their grandmother, the fourth daughter of the Song family came from the countryside and was different from her three older sisters.

Sure enough, she had never even seen an opera performance before; she was hiding here, peeking at it.

Zhi Rou covered her eyes where she had been hit, her face tense.

Amidst the cacophony of voices, the opera performance on the seven-foot-high red stage continued uninterrupted.

Dissatisfied, the boy bullied her even more, snatching the food bag from her hand and demanding in a domineering tone, "You country bumpkin, where did you steal these things from Fuxiang Pavilion!"

"Give it back to me!" Zhi Rou reached out to grab it, but one of them immediately pushed her away. She staggered a few steps from the push, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Even though she knew she should be tolerant because she was in the Xu family, she was still a clay figure with some stubbornness.

Zhi Rou rolled up her sleeves and started to move, but her movement froze halfway through.

A clear, cold gaze fell upon her, without much sharpness. But when she met his gaze, her hand froze.

It is Song Qiyu.

A note from the author: