Chapter 283 Add another dining table

"Ah Chen, my dear great-grandson is here!" The silver-haired old man rushed over and picked Ah Chen up in his arms.

"Caesar, you old codger, you promised to let me hug you first, why did you change your mind at the last minute?" another gray-haired old man next to him said discontentedly.

"Hey, Huayang, you old codger, why are you fussing so much? Once I've had my fill of hugging, I'll definitely let you hug me!" Caesarland turned around with Achen in his arms, his back to his old friend.

Evan smiled and said, "Master, please put the young master down first. They've come from afar and haven't even had time to wash up yet!"

Upon hearing this, Caesar Lannister felt a little embarrassed and put the child down, saying, "Look at my brain, it's getting worse and worse, I even forgot about this."

Ah Chen, don't mind! Quickly have Evan arrange for someone to take you to wash up, then come over and talk to your great-grandfather.

"Hey you old codger, you promised I could carry you, but now you're going back on your word?" Hua Yang complained.

Fifteen minutes later, the family returned to the spacious living room after washing up. As soon as Huayang saw Achen, he rushed over, picked him up, and tossed him into the air.

Ah Chen quickly activated the anklet, turned around, and floated to the mahogany chair next to Zuo Shan, where he took her arm and stood still.

"Hey? Little Chen, those things on your feet are pretty nice. Did Mina make them? I want her to make me one too!" Hua Yang said with great interest.

He originally intended to scare Ah Chen, and his hands were already prepared to catch him from below, so he wouldn't actually drop him. Unexpectedly, the child ignored him completely and flew straight to his mother.

“You don’t have any great-grandchildren, so what do you need those toys for little kids?” Caesar glared at him.

"What if one day my Hua Bixiao comes to her senses and, like your brat Modi, brings me back a beautiful great-granddaughter?"

"When your Ah Chen wants to marry my great-granddaughter, you old man will have to curry favor with me." Hua Yang stroked his beard and said.

A-Chen, caught in the crossfire: Old man, your great-granddaughter isn't even here yet, how do you know I'd be interested in her? Tch~

After everyone was seated, Zuo Shan took out the gifts he had prepared in advance.

Given the wealth of the Lan Dun family, Zuo Shan didn't intend to send any high-grade energy stones or anything like that; instead, she sent four boxes of homemade delicacies.

Cookies, chestnut cake, glutinous rice meatballs, and double-skin milk pudding.

All of these delicacies were packaged in exquisite metal gift boxes, the shapes of which were designed and made by Xiao Bao himself. Even though the two old men were very knowledgeable, they couldn't help but marvel at them.

Through their conversation, Zuo Shan learned that the reason Evan was late in picking them up was because Caesar had originally planned to go with him to pick them up, but Hua Yang arrived before they even left the house.

Hua Yang is the head of the Hua family, a reclusive family among the four major families. He has a very good personal relationship with Caesar and often visits the Lan Dun family.

Hearing that he was going to the city gate to pick up his great-grandson, Hua Yang felt a pang of jealousy. Then he deliberately nitpicked Caesar's clothes, saying that his beard was not properly trimmed and that his clothes made him look old.

This made Caesar lose confidence, fearing that his poor image would leave a bad impression on his great-grandson.

After all that trouble, it got late, so they had to send Evan alone to pick them up.

Because of Zuo Shan's special status, Evan didn't bring any of the other servants from the house. He was afraid they would mistake Zuo Shan for a real tutor, or an insignificant woman who had been slept with by the young master but whom he was unwilling to give a proper title. If she lost face in front of outsiders, the young master would definitely be furious when he returned.

After he left, Caesar simply took Huayang to his dressing room, opened the wardrobe, and asked him to help him choose clothes.

The two old men discussed it for a long time before choosing a silver-gray suit, paired with a white shirt and a youthful-looking red tie.

Then the two of them stood together under the eaves, waiting for Ah Chen and the others to appear.

Zuo Shan found it amusing and endearing to watch the two old men bickering. She dreaded living with those old-fashioned, conservative people, even though she and A Chen lived at school most of the time and still had to come back on holidays and weekends.

To show off to his old friend, Caesar opened the food box and invited Huayang to taste it.

After tasting it, Hua Yang was both pleasantly surprised and couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.

Seeing this, Zuo Shan took out four more identical gift boxes and gave them to him.

Caesar was still somewhat dissatisfied: "Did you prepare many of these gift boxes?"

"No, this was originally intended for Lord Modi, but since Patriarch Hua likes it, we'll give it to him first."

"We'll make the adult's portion later; he won't be back for at least three days anyway," Zuo Shan said with a smile.

I couldn't help but think to myself, "They say old people are like children, but I never thought that Caesar, who is already a great-grandfather, would still be jealous of this kind of thing."

Caesar felt even more heartbroken after hearing her explanation: the brat hadn't even told him the exact time of his return, but had told this girl instead.

Sigh! It's true what they say, boys are like birds that grow up and can't stay at home forever. This elbow of his has long been bent and patched up!

After chatting for about half an hour, Evan suggested that everyone go to a restaurant for a meal.

Feasts in the wasteland are usually simple. Caesar is not particular about food; his family usually only has two dishes and a soup on the table. But today, to entertain his beloved great-grandson who has come from afar, he specially instructed the cook, Laurie, to prepare twice as many dishes.

On the long dining table, after all six dishes and one soup were served, Caesar, as the head of the household, was the first to pick up his chopsticks and start eating.

Ah Chen didn't touch the dishes on the table for a long time. The observant Evan, who was standing to the side, noticed first and asked with concern, "Young Master Ah Chen, is it because these dishes don't suit your taste?"

After all, the four dishes his mother had just casually picked out were all better than the cook Laurie's cooking skills.

Lan Dun's family practices a separate meal system, something Achen has long been used to.

“Mr. Evan, why don’t you eat with us?” Ah Chen asked in return.

“Young Master, these are the rules. I am the steward of the Lan Dun family, so naturally I cannot dine at the same table as the master of the house,” Evan replied respectfully.

“But in our family, everyone gets a portion of food at mealtimes, and Xiao Bao and Pang Tou Yu get theirs first because they don’t know how to use utensils,” A Chen said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

He noticed that there were no seats reserved for Aunt Lele, Xiaobao, and Pangtouyu at the table, and even Evan was standing behind them, showing no intention of joining them.

This made him very uncomfortable, so he lost the desire to eat.

Like their family, the Lan Dun family also practiced separate meals, but unlike their family, servants could not eat at the same time as their masters, much less sit at their master's table.

Having watched too many movies and TV shows, Zuo Shan naturally understood the differences in social class. In large families, it was perfectly normal for people to be divided into different classes.

As a tutor in name only, she could barely sit at the table and dine with her master, but Lele, as Achen's personal bodyguard, was not entitled to that.

As for Xiao Bao and Fathead Fish, in their eyes they were nothing more than contracted beasts, and were not worthy of sitting at the table and dining with their master.

In some homes, people simply give their contracted beast a basin and throw it in a corner, treating it like a guard dog.

However, from birth until the age of six, Ah Chen had always lived in District 48. Among the people he knew, only the Gu family had an old butler, but the butler always ate at the same table as the old lady, sitting on equal footing.

The same goes for their family. Even when Xiaobai brings Mina, Matt, and Montgomery over for a meal, everyone sits around the same table and eats together.

Caesar naturally did not ignore Achen's dissatisfaction, and he stopped Evan from continuing to explain the rules regarding the distinction between master and servant to Achen.

"How about this, we'll set up another table in the restaurant from now on. Whoever Ah Chen wants to eat with, he can sit at that other table, okay?" Caesar said, trying his best to maintain a kind smile.

Achen wanted to say something, but Zuo Shan stopped him: "Achen, why don't you thank your great-grandfather!"

Ah Chen nodded tactfully and said, "Thank you, Great-Grandfather! From now on, Fathead Fish, Xiao Bao, Mr. Evan, Grandma Laurie, and the two young ladies who brought over the trays can all sit at the new table to eat."

Caesar choked, his old face turning red, while Hua Yang, standing to the side, gave A-Chen a very appreciative look.

It's rare that this child has both an equal heart and the ability to take care of everyone in the family. He doesn't neglect Laurie and the two maids just because they aren't familiar with him.

Zuo Shan was very moved. She knew that this was already the biggest concession Caesar had made. After all, the distinction between master and servant had probably been followed for hundreds of years in a great family like theirs. It was impossible for him to change this habit overnight.

At the same time, she was also very pleased that her son, influenced by his mother who had received education on equality for all citizens, had come to regard the mutated beasts around him as his companions.

In his eyes, they were all his family, and he would not allow any member of his family to be slighted.