Chapter 12 A Show of Force
Now that Granny Wu has punished herself and Madam Qiao has apologized to Qingci, Yu Jingsheng's expression softened and he said to Yu Qingci, "You are my daughter, and therefore the most precious mistress of this Earl's Mansion. If any ignorant servants disrespect you in the future, you don't have to tolerate it. Just tell your grandmother, and she will definitely stand up for you."
He turned to look at Yu Qingbai: "Qingbai too."
"Um."
The siblings obediently nodded in agreement to their father.
Qiao almost lost her smile. The Earl actually told them to go to their grandmother for advice if they had any problems, instead of her, the lady in charge of the inner quarters. This was practically a slap in her face.
Hearing the Earl so publicly defend the siblings, the others couldn't help but re-evaluate the pair. Yu Qingci then said:
"I understand, but my grandmother is getting old, and I'm embarrassed to bother her with such a small matter. I'll talk to Madam instead; she's kind and will surely help me."
After saying that, he looked at Mrs. Qiao with a trusting expression.
Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao looked at Yu Qingci with even more affection and nodded, saying, "That's certainly true. It was my negligence that caused you to suffer today. I promise this will never happen again. If you have any questions, just come and tell me."
After such a display of maternal love and filial piety, everyone tacitly moved on from the matter and began their meal.
Yu Qingci was stunned as soon as she picked up her chopsticks. Why were all the seafood dishes in front of her, and most of them still in their shells?
Braised prawns, boiled prawns, cold sea cucumber salad, and several steamed crabs neatly arranged on the plate, their round eyes staring right at me.
While she was still in a daze, she heard Yu Qingyan at the next table say with a smile, "Why isn't Third Sister eating? It's rare to be able to eat so much fresh seafood today, all thanks to Third Sister and Seventh Brother. Third Sister and Seventh Brother should eat more."
After saying that, he gestured to the maid behind Yu Qingci who was serving the dishes. The maid quickly used her chopsticks to pick up a few large shrimp and put them into the plate in front of Yu Qingci.
Yu Qingying also urged her to eat quickly, but her voice clearly carried a hint of watching the excitement.
"Third sister, eat up! These are all extremely precious ingredients, truly transported from the coast all the way. Only families like ours can afford to eat them in the capital. I suppose you've never eaten them in a place like Youyang. Do you want me to teach you how to eat them?"
Yu Qingci understood. This was another attempt to embarrass her, because they thought that she, coming from a rural area, had never eaten or even seen these things before, so they wanted to use this to make things difficult for her.
If she had never eaten these things before, she would probably be quite intimidated by them now.
Unfortunately, their wishful thinking was doomed to fail. Although Youyang was a remote and desolate place in the northwest, their father was of noble birth and was the local inspector. What good things hadn't they eaten since they were young?
Not to mention that there are river shrimp and crabs for sale near Youyang City, my father has even brought back rare seafood for them.
Therefore, their actions were petty and petty.
Yu Qingci calmly picked up a large shrimp and put it in her mouth. Several girls next to her craned their necks and stared intently, as if wondering if she would swallow the shell to save face.
Yu Qingci put the shrimp in her mouth, puffed out her cheeks, chewed a few times, and then somehow lowered her head to spit out the shrimp shell. She seemed to think it tasted really good, and ate several more before putting down her chopsticks and saying to her father, "These shrimp taste really good. Father and brother, please try some too."
Yu Qingying hadn't expected this outcome, and she felt even angrier. She couldn't stand seeing the two siblings eating shrimp so contentedly, so she said, "Third sister, try some crab too. You've probably never eaten such a big crab before, have you?"
The maid serving the dishes immediately placed a large crab onto Yu Qing's porcelain plate.
Yu Qingci put down her chopsticks, looked at the crab but didn't move.
Yu Qingying chuckled and urged, "Why aren't you eating, Third Sister? Hurry up and eat!"
She wanted to see how this pretentious little bitch actually picked up a crab and started eating it; she was sure she'd embarrass herself!
Yu Qingci looked at Yu Qingying with a puzzled expression: "Where are the crab-eating tools?"
Yu Qingying was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Yu Qingci repeated, "Crab-eating tools? Don't you people in the capital use crab-eating tools? How do you eat them then? Do you just bite them with your mouth?"
Yu Qingying's pretty face immediately turned red with anger: "You're the one who bites with your mouth, you..."
Qiao immediately reprimanded, "Enough! If you don't want to eat, then leave. Don't embarrass yourself here. What kind of behavior is this? Is this how I've always taught you manners?"
A few words of scolding almost brought Yu Qingying to tears. Her mother had actually scolded her in front of so many people. How could she face her cousins in the future?
After scolding her daughter, Madam Qiao turned to the servants and said sternly, "Hurry up and bring out the crab-eating tools to serve the Third Miss her meal!"
The servants placed the crab-eating tools on the table, and Yu Qingci unceremoniously lowered her head to enjoy the crab. She even put the crab meat she had picked out into Yu Jingsheng's bowl, saying, "Father, please try it. This crab is indeed fresh and delicious."
Yu Jingsheng obligingly picked up some crab meat and put it in his mouth, not forgetting to praise his daughter a few times.
Qiao forced a smile and said, "Qingci is still the most steady girl. Just look at the manners on the table. She is well-mannered. No wonder she grew up by the Lord’s side. She is so pleasing to the eye. If Qingying had half the steadiness of her third sister, I would be praying to Buddha."
After saying that, he personally got up and used serving chopsticks to pick up a few dishes that were a little further away from Yu Qingci.
Yu Jingsheng silently picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After the table quieted down, he put down his chopsticks and said to Madam Qiao, "Qingying's manners are indeed a bit lacking. You should pay more attention to her and teach her properly in the future, so that she doesn't embarrass the Marquis's family and become a laughing stock."
These words were quite harsh, especially coming from the head of the family. It was practically the same as slapping Yu Qingying across the face. Yu Qingying, being young, blushed and couldn't hold back for long before covering her face and running away.
Enraged, Madam Qiao hurriedly told her maid to follow her.
Seeing that the atmosphere of the meal was awkward, and that the Earl and the Old Madam were clearly unhappy, no one spoke again. The only sound at the table was the clinking of teacups and saucers.
Yu Qingci ate her meal in silence, her heart filled with mixed feelings. In her previous life, because her mother had stood in front of her, attracting everyone's attention, these people secretly used all sorts of tricks against her mother. She and her younger brother were better off, but this time their mother did not enter the mansion, so these people naturally turned their attention to her.
In the evening, Qiao brought Yu Qingyan to Yu Qingying's courtyard. Yu Qingying was still throwing a tantrum, smashing a pile of porcelain in the house, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
This time, Mrs. Qiao did not indulge her. After sitting down, she scolded her for a long time without any politeness, but when she saw her youngest daughter with swollen eyes from crying, she softened.
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