entertaining guests
As usual, the Lin family gathered together for dinner that evening.
Lin Fu had recently made significant contributions to the disaster relief efforts by frequently inspecting the post-disaster recovery efforts, which earned him two words of praise from Emperor Su in the imperial court. This was undoubtedly a great honor for any official.
With a series of joyous occasions recently occurring in the manor, all the servants naturally put in their best efforts to curry favor with their master and thus receive some rewards.
Qi Rou'er had just moved in, and she brought two children with her. No matter how angry Gao Youyi was, she still had to show some respect as the mistress of the house since she had received Lin Fu's approval.
Therefore, she had no choice but to swallow her grievances for the time being and settle Qi Rou'er and the two young children in the Yilan Garden where Qi Shi lived. She also ordered people to clean two clean and spacious rooms for the mother and children to live in.
After a long and detailed conversation with Gao Youyi in the backyard, Lin Xu gradually understood the ins and outs of the situation.
Qi was the daughter of a butcher in the northern part of Mujing City. At the beginning of the year, when the Weilong River was frequently flooded, her elderly parents had both passed away, leaving her all alone. This is why Lin Fu couldn't bear it and allowed her to come back to his mansion with him.
This beautiful woman named Qi Rou'er was actually Qi's older sister.
Qi Rou'er was five years older than Qi Shuang'er. In her early years, she was noticed by an old wealthy merchant from Jiangzhou who came to Mujing to do business. He took her home as his second wife, and she stayed there for several years.
Now that the old wealthy merchant has passed away, only Qi Rou'er and her two children remain in the family. Presumably feeling increasingly lonely, Qi Rou'er has started to think of her younger sister, who has married into a high-ranking official's household as a concubine, and thus travels north to return to Mu Jing to visit her.
But what kind of logic is that? Who would bring their whole family, including two young children, when visiting relatives? Gao Youyi didn't even know about this until Qi Rou'er arrived at the mansion. Qi's scheme was clearly aimed at diminishing Gao Youyi's current prestige as the matriarch of the Lin family.
Gao Youyi gets a headache whenever Qi Shi is mentioned. Since Qi Shi became pregnant, the two have argued a lot over trivial matters. Now, just telling Lin Xu about Qi Shi's situation makes her even more restless and uneasy.
Before leaving, looking at Gao Youyi's obviously dejected face and Xin Tan's hesitant expression, Lin Xu secretly made up his mind.
This thorn embedded in my palm can no longer be delayed.
It was unusual for the manor to have so many people dining there, with children laughing and playing all around, which added a touch of liveliness compared to the usual quiet. The steward then arranged for a round table made of huanghuali wood to be set up in the flower hall in the backyard.
Lin Xu and Gao Youyi rushed over from the backyard and sat down to drink tea early in the morning.
Lan Yue also arrived early. She was thin and wore only a thin coral-colored velvet cloak, and her face looked somewhat sickly. Upon seeing the two of them, she gently smiled, then respectfully greeted Madam Gao before taking her seat according to her rank.
Lin Fu, dressed in casual clothes and looking exhausted, lifted the curtain and strode in.
Recently, he has been busy with political affairs, preoccupied with his only daughter's marriage, and things haven't been peaceful at home either, so it's no wonder he feels troubled. Lin Fu took a sip of tea, looked up and saw Lin Xu sitting gracefully at the table with a charming expression, and only then did his mood ease for a moment before he said:
"You've been staying at your classmate's house for the past few days. Have you seen or heard anything new?"
Lin Xu stood up gracefully and greeted Lin Fu and Gao Youyi with a charming smile.
Fortunately, Dou Yanxun had already sent people to take care of everything; otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to explain her disappearance for the past two days to her father when she got home.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, they heard voices and the sound of children jumping around coming from outside the palace gate. In the blink of an eye, Qi Rou'er walked in, holding a child in each hand and beaming with joy.
She had already finished washing and dressing, and changed into a light blue brocade robe with a pattern of golden chrysanthemums and auspicious flowers. From a distance, she was indeed graceful and elegant. Her face, which bore a resemblance to Qi Shuang'er, was covered with a thick layer of powder, and as she spoke and laughed, fine dust of powder floated up.
Lin Xu glanced at Gao Youyi secretly. Her stepmother was the least able to hide her thoughts, and sure enough, her bright face immediately dimmed.
Qi Rou'er finally managed to sit down for a moment before Qi Shuang'er walked steadily at the back, with a respectful little maidservant carefully helping her into the hall.
Qi Rou'er's daughter, Yu Mei, should be only four or five years old now. She blinked her big, dark, bright eyes, but she didn't say anything, just silently bit her fingers and watched.
No matter how arrogant Qi Rou'er was, she naturally wouldn't dare to act presumptuously in front of Lin Fu. She hurriedly pulled her daughter's little hand, signaling her to pay her respects, but Yu Mei just shyly hid behind Qi Rou'er, her eyes fixed on Lin Fu, who was sitting in the main seat.
Qi Rou'er glanced at Lin Fu discreetly, and seeing that he showed no displeasure, she then put on a smile:
"My daughter is still too young and doesn't know any better... She's probably just arrived here and is still shy. Please don't take offense, Master Lin."
After saying that, she gently patted the shoulder of the boy with the slightly darker complexion and said softly:
"Haiping, you are older than your sister. As guests, we must be polite. Quickly greet the master and madam."
The little boy named Haiping showed no fear; he calmly stepped forward, glanced at the crowd, and bowed in greeting:
"Hai Ping greets Master Lin, Madam Lin, Lady Lan, and my elder sister."
After speaking, he stood properly below the hall, not moving around, appearing more composed than when he first met Lin Xu in the maple forest during the day.
Even though these mothers and children were uninvited guests, the children were innocent. The Lin family hadn't had a newborn child for years, and Haiping seemed honest enough. Lin Fu, who always adored children, asked:
"Hai Ping? Could it mean 'peace and prosperity throughout the world'?"
Qi Rou'er was overjoyed to see Lin Fu take the initiative to ask:
"My lord Lin, it's a pity I'm a rough woman who can't read many words. This child's name was given by my late husband when Haiping was born. I don't know what his intention was, I just thought it was a very auspicious name... Unfortunately, seven or eight years have passed now, and everything has changed..."
She had only uttered two sentences when, as if touched by a deep wound in her heart, her eyes welled up with tears, and her snow-white face was already brimming with tears.
Seeing Qi Rou'er suddenly appear with tears streaming down her face, everyone present couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
Lin Fu coughed lightly and then spoke again:
"This is a good name. It signifies peace and prosperity throughout the world, and the unity of all things, reflecting a broad vision of family, country, and the world."
Having finished speaking, he turned and gestured for the steward to come forward, saying calmly:
"You two are already in a difficult situation as orphans and widows. You've traveled all the way north from Jiangzhou to here, and the journey must have been arduous. Steward Zhao, please send someone to get some new clothes for these two children, and also send them some usable writing implements such as pens, ink, paper, and inkstones from the storeroom. As for the adults, we can leave them at home, but we can't let the children's studies be disrupted."
Manager Zhao quickly agreed and then hurriedly withdrew to prepare.
Qi Rou'er was even more delighted upon hearing this and thanked her repeatedly in a gentle voice. Qi Shuang'er saw this and couldn't help but smile, a hint of pride appearing on her face. She then busied herself with making arrangements, and the two sisters finally sat down with their children.
After everyone was finally settled, Xin Tan instructed the maids to bring out the various dishes that had been prepared. Since guests were a rare sight at the mansion, the dinner was much more lavish and abundant than usual.
Lin Xu had been sick for two days and missed the food at home, so he couldn't help but feel a strong urge to eat.
She picked up a piece of five-flavor almond mutton from the plate in front of her, and took a bite, immediately tasting its fragrant aroma. The mutton had been steamed until tender, and the kitchen must have selected a young lamb with just the right amount of fat, as it had no gamey smell. The unique sweetness of the almonds balanced and neutralized the flavor, giving it an even more distinctive taste.
While I was engrossed in eating, a sudden, loud wail of a baby rang out.
Lin Xu's hand holding the chopsticks paused involuntarily. She looked up and saw that Yu Mei, who was sitting directly opposite her, had inexplicably opened her mouth and started wailing.
Everyone was startled by the sudden cry.
Gao Youyi was drinking tea when she nearly choked on the spilled tea. She then asked:
"The child was perfectly fine just now, why is he suddenly crying?"
Qi Rou'er quickly put down her chopsticks, hugged Yu Mei in her arms and comforted her, asking softly:
"Mei'er, what's wrong?"
Yu Mei's little face turned bright red, and she cried and sobbed. After Qi Rou'er asked her gently for a long time, she finally spoke, her voice trembling:
"Mei'er wants to eat mutton—"
Lin Xu raised his head.
Yu Mei stretched out her small hand and pointed directly at the steaming bowl of apricot milk and mutton in front of her.
Lin Fu initially thought it was something important, but seeing it was just a child being picky about food, he couldn't help but laugh as well:
"She's just a child at heart. It's just a plate of mutton. You can take it to her and let her eat it."
Qi Rou'er responded gently with an "Yes," and was about to pick up the plate of mutton with both hands, but then, coincidentally, she stopped in mid-air.
She glanced at Lin Xu, who was eating mutton, with some hesitation, and said rather tentatively:
"...That's probably not appropriate, Miss is still eating."
Qi Shuang'er was in her late pregnancy and had little appetite. She had previously only sipped a bowl of old duck soup, but now she put down her spoon and slowly said to Yu Mei:
“That’s right, Xu’er has always loved this dish the most. Since you are a guest, you should obediently let your sister have it. Let’s have some soup and dessert instead. Children are too young to eat pastries properly, how could they possibly chew mutton?”
Yu Mei's nose was already red from crying, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but carefully tug at her aunt's sleeve, her face full of grievance as she remained silent.
Seeing this, Haiping stood up, placed two pieces of molasses chestnut cake from his plate onto Yumei's plate, and softened his tone:
"Little sister, have some of this. Don't you usually love chestnuts the most?"
Lan Yue, who had been silent until now, spoke up to defuse the situation. She quietly instructed her maid, Hua Mei, to move the lamb trotters and bamboo shoots stew in front of her to Qi Rou'er and Yu Mei.
"...I've been feeling quite tired these past few days, and I might not be able to eat this warming mutton. This lamb's trotter is quite chewy and very warming to the stomach. Yumei, please try it."
Yu Mei heard Lan Yue's soft voice, but only shook her head. The finger pointing at the apricot cheese and mutton dish in front of Lin Xu never lowered, and she stared straight at her.
Lin Xu was also tired of watching this so-called ignorant mother and daughter's act. She sneered inwardly and slowly put down her chopsticks.
It seems she originally intended to enjoy the meal first, but some people wouldn't have it.
Lin Xu calmly adjusted his posture before looking up at Yu Mei.
Seeing Lin Xu look up at her, Yu Mei froze for a moment, then shrank back. She kept burrowing into Qi Rou'er's arms, and then the muffled sobs of a little girl could be heard:
"Sister is so fierce, Yumei is so scared, sister, please don't hit Yumei..."
Qi Shuang'er quickly said in a gentle voice:
"Mei'er, what are you saying? Why would Sister Xu'er hit you for no reason?"
Lin Xu pursed her lips even tighter.
Qi Rou'er patted Yu Mei's back reassuringly, glanced at Lin Xu with a troubled expression, and awkwardly said:
“Miss Lin, please don’t take offense. This child is usually prone to crying, and today she’s probably just having trouble adjusting to the new environment. Speaking of which, she also cried when she saw you at the maple forest earlier today. She’s definitely not like this usually… As her mother, I really couldn’t stop her from crying…”
Between the lines, however, it is clear that Lin Xu made things difficult for the guests as soon as he got home, not even sparing the little girl whose baby teeth had not yet fully grown in.
Lin Xu watched this unfold, a cold smile creeping across her face. When did this Qi family resort to such vile tactics? In her own home, they were even trying to smear her with the stigma of disrespecting elders and children.
In his past life, he was burdened with a bad reputation for many years because of Qi Shuang'er's despicable tricks.
In this life, she is no longer afraid of anything.
Lin Xu glanced indifferently at the Qi sisters, noticing that their expressions had subtly changed, before lazily speaking:
"Aunt Qi, you are mistaken. I am not some demon or monster, and I am kind to Yu Mei. Why would my sister be afraid of me for no reason?"
Before she finished speaking, she curled her lips into a smile, as if she had thought of something, and said softly:
"However, having said that, since Sister Yumei wants to eat mutton today, and I am much older than her, I should be more sensible and grant her wish."
She turned around and gave Zhu Ling a look, and Zhu Ling immediately understood, taking an empty bowl from the maidservant and handing it to her.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone at the table, Lin Xu slowly stood up.
She picked up a soup ladle and slowly pushed the bowl of apricot cheese and mutton closer to her, then ladled the soup and meat into her empty bowl, one spoonful at a time.
Until the mutton in the bowl gradually piled up to the height of a small hill.
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