Chapter 660 The First Person to Cause Trouble at the Baby's First Birthday Ceremony
Then came the arrangement of the servants: some were responsible for serving tea, some for leading the way, some for relaying messages, and some for security...
Of course, the most important thing is the items Li Yiqian chose for his first birthday celebration.
These things were prepared more than a month ago.
On the eve of the baby's first birthday celebration, Qiao Qinghe personally inspected the items again to make sure that everything was complete, that they were all valuable and of good quality, and that all of them had auspicious meanings. Only then did she feel at ease.
The next day, the day of the baby's first birthday celebration arrived.
Li Yiqian has officially turned one year old.
Qiao Jingyao took a day off to help welcome the guests. The second wife's family also came early to help.
Qiao Qingping and his men arrived early from the eldest branch of the family.
When Grandma Qiao learned that Qiao Jingyao had taken leave to help, she complained to Jingyi's wife again, quite unhappy.
It is said that when his grandfather, uncle, and aunt came to Beijing, he was reluctant to take leave to visit them.
As a result, he happily took leave when his child celebrated their first birthday.
Ultimately, it's because the Qiao family's gate was more prestigious than theirs.
They were saying, both openly and secretly, that Qiao Jingyao was a sycophant who flattered the powerful and belittled the weak, and that he was just like Zhou Shi, the mother.
Mrs. Qiao supported Old Lady Qiao, and no matter what she said, she listened with a smile.
Ever since the management of the household was handed over to her second sister-in-law, her status in the mansion plummeted.
The only way to gain a foothold in the household now is to curry favor with the old lady.
The group entered the Qiao residence. Qiao's eldest sister-in-law, Xiao Li, and Jing Lian's wife, who were visiting for the first time, were all amazed by the exquisite and grandeur of the Qiao residence.
Regardless of what the eldest son's family thought, once they arrived at the main courtyard and met Qiao Qinghe, Qiao Qingping instructed Jingyi to help Qiao Jingyao, and also ordered Jingyi's wife and Jinglian's wife to follow Wei Jia's orders.
Qiao Qinghe knew that Qiao Qingping was trying to bring the two families closer, so she did not refuse.
So he instructed the maid to lead the three of them to find Qiao Jingyao and Wei Jia.
After everyone left, Old Master Qiao and Qiao Qingping only stayed for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before Qiao Qinghe instructed someone to lead them to the outer courtyard.
Firstly, there is a difference between men and women, and if we stay too long, it might be awkward if a female guest comes along and we bump into her.
Secondly, if they go to the outer courtyard, they can also help Qiao Qinghe greet the male guests.
Once the two left, only a few old ladies remained in the room, and they spoke more casually.
"Why haven't I seen Qiao Yue and his wife?" Qiao Qinghe asked casually.
The eldest sister-in-law, Xiao Li, replied with a smile, "We were originally going to bring them along, but they said the children didn't come and asked to stay home to take care of them."
"You know, there are many children in the family, some big and some small. I really don't feel at ease if no one is watching them."
“I originally said I would stay home to take care of the children, but your older brother insisted that we stay, saying that this is our first time visiting your home since we came to the capital. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t come.”
That's why Qiao Yue and his wife were allowed to stay at home.
Qiao Qinghe had only asked casually, but she didn't expect Xiao Li to explain so much.
Grandma Qiao clearly didn't like hearing this either. She explained so much, as if she was afraid Qiao Qinghe would misunderstand something.
Hmph, so what if she lets Qiao Yue and his wife stay home to take care of the child?
Qiao Yue's whole family belonged to the third son's branch of the family; they should be grateful that they were allowed to come to the capital with him.
Trying to show your face in this kind of situation is just embarrassing, isn't it?
Qiao Qinghe was naturally unaware that as soon as the rest of the Qiao family arrived in Beijing, the Qiao family had already been divided into different classes by Old Madam Qiao.
She chatted happily with her eldest and second sisters-in-law.
Neither Xiao Li nor Zhou were spoilsport, so Qiao Qinghe deliberately chose a topic that both of them were interested in.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was very harmonious.
Seeing that she couldn't get a word in edgewise, Grandma Qiao looked around and deliberately asked, "We've been here for quite a while now, so why haven't we seen the person who's supposed to be celebrating their first birthday today?"
Qiao Qinghe smiled and replied, "The child is playing with his three cousins at the third house. If Mother wants to see him, I'll have someone bring him over right away."
Grandma Qiao waved her hand, "No need. I was just asking. They're not Qiao family children, what's the point of seeing them?"
"But what about you? You brought someone else's child home and raised it yourself, what kind of nonsense is that?"
"If they're raised well, that's fine, but if they're not, something might happen..."
"Shut up!"
Before Old Mrs. Qiao could finish speaking, Qiao Qinghe interrupted her with a stern rebuke.
Grandma Qiao was startled and immediately became unhappy: "Why are you yelling? I'm your own mother, how can you speak to your own mother like that?"
Qiao Qinghe's face darkened, and she said coldly, "So Mother knows that being yelled at will make her unhappy? Then why doesn't Mother use her brain before speaking, and think about what she should and shouldn't say?"
"Heh, if Mother can't control her mouth, then there's no need for her to stay today. Please leave now."
After saying that, he stood up and started to walk out.
Little Li quickly pulled the person back, saying, "Little sister, don't be angry. Mother didn't mean any harm; she just said some unpleasant things. Don't take it to heart."
Madam Zhou also came over to mediate, saying, "Today is a joyous day. There's no reason for you to kick your family out before the banquet has even started."
Grandma Qiao was clearly startled by Qiao Qinghe's reaction.
She was just telling the truth, why did she get so angry?
But then I thought, I'm her own mother, what's wrong with saying a few words?
Isn't she saying all this for her own good?
The more Mrs. Qiao thought about it, the more she felt she was right, and the more she felt Qiao Qinghe was making a mountain out of a molehill.
He immediately sat there and got angry.
Little Li glanced back at the old lady and immediately felt a headache coming on.
Qiao Qinghe hadn't even managed to appease the old lady yet, so why did she put on a stern face again?
In the entire Qiao family, only Qiao Qingping could control the old lady.
Now that Qiao Qingping is not here, she can't do anything about the old lady.
Just then, a maidservant rushed in and said, "Madam, Madam Zheng has arrived."
Qiao Qinghe immediately left Grandma Qiao and the others behind, and, holding Ah Shuang's hand, quickly went out to greet them.
As soon as she stepped out, Old Mrs. Qiao began to complain: "Look, look, they all have this fawning attitude."
“It’s all my son’s fault for being so useless and my grandson for being so incompetent that she, an unfilial daughter, has been able to bully this old woman.”
"Wasn't I saying all that for her own good?"
"Not only is she ungrateful, but she also dares to scold me!"
"I'm her biological mother!"
"I've never seen anyone in this world dare to speak to their own mother like that!"
"She's an unfilial daughter! A heartless ingrate!"
Ms. Li and Ms. Zhou tried several times to stop the old lady, but she was unaffected and became more and more enthusiastic as she talked.
When the two tried to persuade her again, she scolded them both as well.
Little Li's eyes were filled with helplessness.
Because she was the eldest son's wife, the old lady loved her eldest son and was therefore quite lenient with her.
Furthermore, since she shared the same surname as the old lady, the old lady felt they were destined to be together. Outsiders, unaware of the true situation, always assumed they were related as aunt and niece.
The old lady happily accepted it and never explained it to anyone.
Over time, the old lady really started to treat her like a niece.
So, regardless of what kind of person the old lady was or how she treated others, she was very good to them and to the eldest branch of the family.
That's why Ms. Li was always accommodating and tolerant of her mother-in-law, Mrs. Qiao, and never went against her.
If the old lady did something wrong, she wouldn't directly contradict her in front of her. Instead, she would turn around and tell Qiao Qingping what happened, letting Qiao Qingping talk to the old lady himself.
So, after decades of living together as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she never had a serious argument with the old lady.
At this moment, although she knew the old lady was wrong, she couldn't be too forceful.
Zhou curled her lip in disdain.
He thought to himself, "Go ahead and yell at Qinghe to her face! Let's see if she dares to kick you out!"
"Hey! Who's swearing in this room?"
Just then, a voice rang out at the door.
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