Chapter 151 Zhao Xinbao Makes Things Difficult

Madam Zhao broke off a banana and put it in Liu Ye's hand. There were also oranges and mangoes in the fruit plate, all of which were southern fruits.

Liu Ye nodded shyly, holding the banana but not eating it. She had never liked fragrant food before, as it smelled like stinky feet. Eating bananas gave her the illusion of eating stinky socks. She liked lychees, strawberries, cantaloupe, longans, oranges, mangoes, papayas, cherries, and grapes. She didn't like durian either; she felt nauseous and vomited the first time she tried it, and never dared to try it again.

By the way, the fruit trees she planted in her space have already borne fruit, and many fruits are ripe and ready to eat. All the fruits she likes are there. Strawberry and cantaloupe vines are spreading all over the ground, and the strawberries are big and red. Yesterday, she secretly went into her space and ate a bowl of them, and they were incredibly sweet. The oranges were also sweeter than the ones she had just eaten.

She placed the bananas on the table and glanced at Madam Zhao out of the corner of her eye. Madam Zhao was indeed worthy of being the wife of the prefect; she was truly eloquent and knew how to conduct herself. From her face, she couldn't detect any disdain for her, unlike the other young ladies and wives. Look at their expressions—they were full of disdain and looked down on her, as if she looked up to them. She didn't even bother to look down on those who looked down on her!

Zhao Xinbao gave a wink to the young lady next to her. The young lady next to her was none other than Liu Meixia, the daughter of Magistrate Liu. She didn't understand what Zhao Xinbao meant.

Zhao Xinbao smiled happily and said, "Grandma, today is your birthday. I wish you boundless happiness, longevity, good health, and a long and healthy life."

Madam Zhao nodded happily and said, "Good, good, if you don't upset Grandma, Grandma will live a long and healthy life."

Zhao Xinbao subtly nudged Liu Meixia, and Liu Meixia immediately understood what she meant. She quickly stood up, looked shyly at the old lady, and said, "Meixia, I wish the old lady a journey to the East Sea on a crane carrying sweet dew, and a pine tree draped in auspicious clouds standing tall on the South Mountain."

Next was Magistrate Liu's wife, who also said a few words of birthday wishes. One after another, until everyone at their table had finished speaking, the ladies and young ladies from other tables also came over to wish the old lady a happy birthday. Liu Ye then saw Miss Qin, realizing that she had also come, and that her father must have come as well.

After everyone had returned to their seats, Zhao Xinbao looked at Liu Ye provocatively and said, "Miss Liu, you've come to wish my grandmother a happy birthday, so please say a few words of blessing."

Liu Ye had already seen through her intentions, so she had prepared a bunch of birthday wishes in her mind. She slowly stood up and looked at Madam Zhao without any stage fright: "I wish Madam Zhao all the best, may everything go smoothly, may your happiness and fortune be as great as the sun and moon, may you live a life of wealth and honor, may you enjoy longevity, may your family be healthy, may the heavens add years to your life, may spring fill the universe, may blessings fill your house, may you enjoy eighty years of spring breeze and rain, may you have happiness and good fortune, may your family be happy, may you have a long and blessed life, and may you be sharp-witted and free from worries."

After hearing this, Madam Zhao clapped her hands happily: "Good, good, good! I just want to be sharp-witted and free from worries. Good, good, well said."

Zhao Xinbao was shocked. She hadn't expected that this country bumpkin could come up with so many birthday wishes. She had been careless!

Sitting at a table in a corner, Qin Qiaoyun pouted, looking unconvinced. "That wretched beggar girl, she can spout such a long list of birthday wishes. Even I can't say them. She must have practiced beforehand, just wanting to show off today. What a scheming woman!"

Zhao Xinbao suddenly noticed the banana in Liu Ye's hand and had another good idea to embarrass her. She also reached out and broke off a banana, took a bite with the peel on, and said, "Miss Liu, try this. This is fruit that my brother asked someone to buy from the south. It's very sweet and very expensive. You should try it."

Upon hearing this, Qin Qiaoyun, who was sitting in a corner, stood up and craned her neck to look at Liu Ye, wondering if she would eat it. It was her first time eating a banana, and she ate it peel and all.

Madam Zhao gave Zhao Xinbao a warning look, telling her to stop fooling around. The banana was clearly meant to be peeled before eating, and the brat didn't know when to stop.

She turned her head, about to tell Liu Ye that bananas should be peeled before eating, when she saw Liu Ye peeling a banana. After peeling it, Liu Ye took a bite and said, "Hmm, it is indeed quite sweet. Actually, bananas are very cheap in the south. Things are expensive because they are rare. They are only so expensive in the north."

Zhao Xinbao hadn't even swallowed the banana with the peel still in her mouth. It was bitter and astringent, and she was too embarrassed to spit it out, so she could only grit her teeth and swallow it. She threw the banana on the table in a huff. This country bumpkin, she actually knows how to eat bananas? It makes her look like a clown. Today, she doesn't believe it. She doesn't believe she can eat all the fruits from the South.

She took an orange from the fruit plate and placed it in front of Liu Ye: "Miss Liu, try this fruit. It's very sweet. I love eating it the most. The yellow part on top is the best. It's my favorite."

The ladies and young women at the table all looked at Liu Ye. The first time they ate an orange, they bit into it peel and all, including Madam Zhao. Even the old lady looked at Liu Ye with curiosity. She thought Liu Ye was very interesting and a clever girl. Her mischievous granddaughter might not be a match for her.

Sure enough, Liu Ye picked up the orange and started peeling it. After peeling it, she put the orange peel in front of Zhao Xinbao and said, "Miss Zhao likes to eat orange peel, so you can have it all. I heard that orange peel can reduce internal heat, no wonder Miss Zhao likes to eat it."

After saying that, she broke off a small half of the orange and put it in her mouth: "Mmm, delicious, it's both sour and sweet, the taste is just right."

Every single lady at the table lowered their heads, suppressing a laugh. They were so pleased to see Zhao Xinbao get the short end of the stick. Zhao Xinbao, relying on being the daughter of the prefect, had bullied and manipulated them countless times.

Madam Zhao looked at Zhao Xinbao with schadenfreude and said, "Don't you like to eat? Eat up."

Zhao Xinbao grabbed the orange peel with a frustrated look and threw it under the table: "My tooth hurts today, I can't eat anything!"

Having been thwarted twice, Zhao Xinbao dared not cause any more trouble with the fruit. However, she was still unwilling to give up and decided to get back at her during dinner. She didn't believe that a country girl would eat their family's delicacies. Her brother had bought a lot of seafood from the maritime merchants. Had she ever seen crabs as big as bowls? Had she ever eaten shrimp as big as her arm? And there were also cat's eye snails, sea snails, and clams. Humph, she definitely had never even seen them before!

In the adjacent men's hall, Young Master Zhao led Bai Zilin in, but instead of seating him at the head table, he simply found him a random table and sat him down before going to greet the dignitaries and VIPs.

Those who sat at the same table as Bai Zilin were mostly people of low status. For example, Master Zou sat at the same table as Bai Zilin, and his table was full of merchants, mostly small merchants. The truly wealthy merchants and big shots were seated at a side table near the main table.