When it was time for dinner, Zhu Jiayu was led to the dining room by her nanny. Everyone from the Qiu family was already seated. Qiu Lingyan warmly took her arm and introduced her to her uncle and two cousins.
After exchanging greetings with each of them, Zhu Jiayu gained a general understanding of the Qiu family.
The eldest and second sons of the Qiu family are legitimate sons. The eldest daughter of the eldest son, Qiu Feiyan, is already married. The two siblings, Qiu Zhuqing and Qiu Lingyan, are still unmarried. The second son has only one son, Qiu Songdao. The third son is a son born out of wedlock and has two daughters, Qiu Boyan and Qiu Mingyan, who are also unmarried.
Although all three gentlemen had concubines, none of them had any children born out of wedlock.
The Third Master and the two young masters didn't say much at the table, but the First Madam was very concerned about Zhu Jiayu and occasionally asked about her affairs in Suiping.
Zhu Jiayu replied that it was alright, and then mentioned that Heling was beautiful, quite different from Suiping.
The First Madam was pleased by her words, feeling that her niece was trying to please her, and smiled, pursing her lips:
"I've heard that Suiping is a place of bright and lively scenery, probably because merchants gather here. It's quite different from the elegant and gentle atmosphere of Heling."
It's almost as if it's been explicitly stated that Suiping is steeped in the stench of money and can't compare to the elegance of Heling.
Zhu Jiayu seemed oblivious to the implication and smiled gently, saying yes.
After the meal was finished, the Third Master started the meal, and the younger ones all made excuses and left early, leaving only Zhu Jiayu, the three ladies, and the siblings Qiu Lingyan and Qiu Zhuqing in the dining hall.
Qiu Lingyan ate her rice with her head down while secretly glancing at Zhu Jiayu across from her.
She couldn't understand why Zhu Jiayu looked so much better at eating than her two cousins, who, despite having good manners and posture, seemed to lack something compared to Zhu Jiayu.
But she felt it shouldn't be like that. Zhu Jiayu grew up in a poor family, how could she understand these things?
Qiu Zhuqing was also sizing up her cousin.
His three younger sisters were all beautiful and intelligent girls, rare beauties in Heling City, but it seemed that with the arrival of this cousin, they all paled in comparison.
His cousin was really timid, unlike his younger sisters who had been taught by famous teachers since childhood and were much more cheerful and outgoing. But perhaps it was precisely because of this that he found his cousin more endearing than his sisters.
Zhu Jiayu ate on her own, oblivious to their stares. She had been traveling for two days, neither sleeping nor eating well. Now that she finally had the chance, she felt she couldn't neglect herself.
The three ladies initially wanted to wait for her to finish eating so they could express their concern for the younger generation. However, after a quarter of an hour, they had no more thoughts and simply watched Zhu Jiayu eat and drink with elegant manners.
For a moment, they couldn't even tell whether it was the Qiu family's chef's skill that was too good, or their niece's appetite that was too good. Otherwise, how could she eat for half an hour without stopping?
After finishing her meal, Zhu Jiayu let out an embarrassed burp, then belatedly realized that everyone's eyes were on her. She smiled and asked, "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
The First Madam was the first to react. She smiled and said, "It's nothing," then gently asked, "Are you... full?"
Zhu Jiayu nodded.
Qiu Lingyan glanced over at the opportune moment and asked, "Cousin, have you always been like this?" She looked at her slender waist with a hint of jealousy, then looked down at her own and muttered, "You eat so much and don't gain weight, you're truly gifted."
Zhu Jiayu pretended not to hear and looked at them with a smile.
The three ladies felt they should redefine their niece, but for a moment they couldn't think of anything to say. They each made an excuse to leave the dining room and head to their own courtyards.
Qiu Lingyan felt hurt and was too lazy to stay and pretend to be a sister.
Only Zhu Jiayu and Qiu Zhuqing remained in the dining room.
Qiu Zhuqing looked at her with a smile. He had a refined and scholarly air about him, probably because of his diligent studies. It was a somewhat rigid kind of scholarly air.
His smile wasn't like Wei Qinglou's forced smile; instead, it was gentle and pleasant, like a spring breeze.
He asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Zhu Jiayu: "..."
Although I know I eat a lot, is it really necessary to ask such a question?
Even the pigs in the production team wouldn't dare eat like that.
She obediently shook her head: "Thank you, cousin, no."
Qiu Zhuqing took off his purse and handed it to her: "Consider this a gift from your older brother to your younger sister. If there's anything you want to eat or buy, don't deprive yourself."
Zhu Jiayu accepted the gift with a flattered expression and then solemnly thanked him.
Qiu Zhu reached out to pat her head, but realizing it was impolite, he withdrew his hand halfway through, saying casually, "Between brother and sister, there's no need for thanks."
When Qiu Lingyan returned and saw this scene, her eyes were so red they almost bled.
This is her own brother, but he has never been so kind to her before!
Every time he saw her, he would only say one thing: "Study hard." As if she were some incredibly stubborn person!
She gritted her teeth, pretending not to have seen anything, and walked to Zhu Jiayu's side:
"I was feeling a bit sleepy, but I was worried that my cousin might not be used to things since she's new here, so I decided to come back and spend some time talking with her."
After saying that, she seemed to only then notice Qiu Zhuqing, and asked in surprise, "Brother, aren't you studying tonight?"
Qiu Zhuqing seemed to have been burned by something; her eyelids twitched, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She said, "I'm going now."
"Go on, go on." Qiu Lingyan waved with a smile, pulled Zhu Jiayu, and turned to leave the dining room.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com