"Sister, sister!"
The clear, cheerful voices of children outside broke the ambiguous atmosphere inside the room.
Sun Miao'er turned her head in a panic, forced a smile, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiaoman stood at the door, sweating profusely, and pointed outside, saying, "Sister, someone brought food!"
"Why didn't you call me?" Sun Miao'er awkwardly tidied her hair, unaware of how red her face was.
Xiaoman tilted her head, puzzled, and asked, "I called out to my sister in the yard just now, but she didn't hear me?"
She must have been so focused on talking to her master that she missed the noise outside. Luckily, no one else witnessed that scene, otherwise she would never have the face to face anyone in the Wei family again.
The maidservant was carrying a food box over. "Miss Sun, this is food that the steward instructed us to prepare for my two younger brothers, so I'll leave it here for now."
"Thank you, Miss!" Xiaoman eagerly took the food box, which looked rather comical as he carried it.
Xiaoman called her "Miss" so sweetly that the maid was delighted and said with a smile, "Miss Sun, your little brothers are so sweet-talking, and they're all so handsome!"
"That's all he knows," Sun Miao'er said modestly, opening the food box as she spoke.
The Wei family's meals were quite good, with a wide variety of dishes.
Xiaoman took a bite and nodded with satisfaction. Ever since his sister left home, the family's meals had plummeted. Grandma Sun always cooked the same three dishes: rice and steamed buns, and he didn't even dare to think about snacks.
Unexpectedly, they were able to enjoy a feast as soon as they arrived at the Wei family's house.
"Eat slowly," Sun Miao'er reminded her, then turned to look at Xiao Ning, who was waiting by the door. "Why isn't Xiao Ning eating?"
Xiao Ning is shy and embarrassed when there are strangers around. It wasn't until his sister called him that he reluctantly came over, took a pancake, and ate it in a very delicate manner.
The two had started eating when the maid suddenly remembered something and said, "Miss Sun, the master has invited you to the front hall this evening. He says he wants to host a banquet for you."
Wow, I'm really getting a lot of attention. Master Wei is going to treat me to a meal. Sun Miao'er was outwardly respectful, but inwardly she was somewhat flattered.
Before this trip, she was just a country girl from Fushui Village. She never expected that in just half a month, she would become a guest of honor at Master Wei's house.
"By the way, the master heard that your two younger brothers came looking for you, so he sent them along this evening."
Unexpectedly, Master Wei was really thoughtful. Not only did he invite her, but he also remembered Xiao Ning and Xiao Man. Sun Miao'er couldn't refuse his kindness, so she replied, "Then please thank Master Wei for me."
After the maid left the courtyard, Xiao Ning began to eat heartily, but compared to Xiao Man, he ate very little.
No sooner had the maid left than Yunniang arrived.
"Oh, Miao'er, are these your two younger brothers?" Yunniang had never given birth herself, and she was overjoyed to see the two children.
Sun Miao'er responded and invited Yunniang in, "What brings you here, sister?"
After thinking it over, Sun Miao'er realized that Yunniang was more than ten years older than her, and calling her Yunniang would be too formal. It would be more appropriate to call her "elder sister".
Yunniang took out two small sachets from her sleeve. "I heard from the people in the room that your two younger brothers came looking for you today. I didn't have anything to prepare, so I'm giving these two sachets to them to pass the time when I was bored in my boudoir. I wish them peace and good luck."
Sun Miao'er accepted the sachet, a small gift but a heartfelt thank you, saying, "I never imagined that your embroidery was so exquisite and extraordinary."
"It's an old craft, nothing to mention," Yunniang said with a smile. She looked radiant, and her every smile and gesture was much more lively than before.
After saying that, Yunniang grasped Sun Miao'er's hand, also expressing her gratitude, "Thanks to Miao'er for helping me. Although you didn't say it, I know in my heart that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to come to the front yard."
"Well, today the master not only invited you, but also me. In the past, Master Wei would probably have been afraid to even look at me for fear of offending his own eyes."
Sun Miao'er replied with a smile, "Gold shines wherever it is. Sister, you have extraordinary skills and you shouldn't have fallen into depravity. I was just going with the flow."
Yunniang liked her, liked how well she did things and how tactfully she spoke, so she was naturally willing to help her wholeheartedly. "I'll hurry up with the white yarn, it will be ready in two more days."
"Thank you in advance, sister." Sun Miao'er was delighted. Having been away for a long time, she missed the days when her family stayed in Fushui Village. She quickly finished her work so she could go back and spend time with her grandmother and Xiaoman.
And this time, Xiao Ning will be coming home with him.
Yunniang peeked inside and saw a man sitting at the table. From a distance, she could tell he was an extremely handsome man, not from the Wei family. She exclaimed in surprise, "Miao'er, who is that?"
“Sister, he is my master,” Sun Miao’er whispered. “My family was worried about me traveling alone, so they asked my master to come with me.”
Even though she said that, it did not dispel Yunniang's doubts.
Yunniang nodded with an "I see" expression. She had lived all these years, and as a woman herself, she immediately understood the meaning behind the man's expression.
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before it grew dark.
"It's time to go to the front hall. Don't be late and make them wait for us," Yunniang reminded, looking up at the sky.
Xiao Ning and Xiao Man lay on the stone steps, their bellies round and full. Xiao Man let out a satisfied burp and said, "It's been so long since I've eaten so well! The Wei family's food is really good!"
Although Xiao Ning was full, she still stubbornly said, "Hmph, it's still far inferior to the Wang family's!"
Xiaoman retorted, not to be outdone, "Well, well, it can't compare to what my sister makes!"
Xiao Ning wanted to argue with him, but was suddenly interrupted by her sister's voice, "Alright, you two stop fooling around, come with me to the front hall for the banquet."
"Huh? To a banquet?" Xiaoman wanted to jump up from the steps, but she was too full, so she slowly stood up, holding her stomach. "Sister, why didn't you say so earlier? I would have saved some room!"
He pouted, wondering how he could possibly eat anything good now that he was already so full.
Sun Miao'er feigned anger and said, "This will teach you a lesson. Next time, it's best to eat only until you're 80% full. You eat like this every meal, but you haven't gained much weight. Be careful not to damage your spleen and stomach."
"Let's go quickly," Yunniang urged from ahead.
When Sun Miao'er caught up, she spoke again: "Today is the Wei family's family banquet. There are no outside guests. The old master is also there. However, because of you, he invited me out of all the concubines."
Yunniang knew without a doubt what Wei Rongchang's intentions were in hosting the banquet. Naturally, there would be no shortage of drama at the banquet, after all, none of Wei's many sons were easy to mess with.
Let alone being easy to deal with, they were all envious of Wei Rongchang. Why should such a large family fortune be handed over to him alone?
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