Qiao Zhishu walked even faster than the three of them, saying, "Then I'll go take a look."
Anle swiftly grabbed his sleeve.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Qiao Zhishu remained expressionless. "Serve the dishes."
Anle sighed, about to say something, when the cook brought over the dishes, followed by Qiao Qiuniang.
Anle grinned.
"Alright, you don't need to carry it anymore, the dishes are already served."
It was a rare treat to have guests at their door, and Qiao Qiuniang's face beamed with joy. "I've just cooked a few dishes. You can eat first, and Aunt Ding and I will make more."
Aunt Ding was the cook hired by the household. She usually worked in the kitchen, cooking for everyone.
As they were talking, the food was taken out of the food box and placed on the table.
Because we were in a bit of a rush, we didn't go through the trouble of making any time-consuming dishes. We bought a ready-made roast duck and some cooked meat, and the rest were just a few simple country-style dishes that we made ourselves.
Because of the tight schedule, if they had known that guests were coming, they would have been busy preparing food and drinks much earlier, instead of just going through the motions.
"No need, no need, this is enough. There's also roast duck. Just by smelling this aroma, I know it's from that famous roast duck restaurant. I love their roast duck; it tastes great, but it's also very expensive—half a tael of silver per duck."
Yan Qingxue's smile was somewhat forced. She sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of roast duck meat, and stuffed it into her mouth, trying her best to avoid looking at Qiao Zhishu.
She didn't expect that Qiao Zhishu wouldn't even give her a chance to speak.
She wanted to explain her attitude towards Yan Linglong properly.
Yan Qingxue's forced smile was obvious to everyone. Qiao Qiuniang seemed to sense something was off and tried to lighten the mood.
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and sit down to eat. Be a good guest. Lewa, come with me to get the dishes. There are a few side dishes in the kitchen."
Finding an excuse, Qiao Qiuniang called Anle out.
An Yi and his sister both knew that their mother's words were just an excuse. How could they let such a young child as An Le serve the dishes? If anyone was going to serve dishes, it would be the two of them.
He must have something to ask his younger sister.
An Yi pulled Qiao Zhishu down to sit, forcefully pressing her into the chair.
"Cousin, what are you standing there for? Sit down and eat. The food is served, eat it while it's hot."
Outside, Qiao Qiuniang suspiciously pulled Anle aside and pressed her for answers.
"What just happened? Your friend—"
Before Qiao Qiuniang could finish asking, Anle explained it to her in detail.
"Mother, let me be frank with you. Actually, this Miss Yan came to see my cousin. She has feelings for him, but he doesn't reciprocate those feelings and is quite annoyed by her over some trivial matter."
But I think this Miss Yan is a very good person. She's just a bit too straightforward and can't control her temper. She doesn't have any bad intentions.
It was because her cousin, Zhishu, had some misunderstandings about her.
You know, it's rare for someone to go all out of their way to visit their cousin, and yet their cousin is so indifferent. Isn't that a bit unseemly?
Qiao Qiuniang paused for a moment, her expression turning somewhat stunned.
What?
Is this girl coming to see Zhishu?
For a young woman to take the initiative to visit Zhishu, how much courage must that have taken?
What girl would willingly offer herself up to a man and cater to his every whim?
A woman's reputation before marriage is very important. She has already put aside her reputation, so it would be really unseemly to give her a stern face.
"Mother, is my eldest aunt at home?"
Hearing Anle's sudden question, Qiao Qiuniang paused again, "Lewa, what are you trying to do?"
"I have to put some pressure on my cousin Zhishu. He's so uncooperative, he doesn't even want to get along with Miss Yan. So I can only try to get my aunt to come out and put pressure on my cousin Zhishu."
If my aunt intervenes, even if my cousin Zhishu is unwilling, he'll have to obey, right?
Anle crossed his arms, a sly glint in his eyes.
If this aunt knew about Miss Yan's existence, her family background, and that Miss Yan was interested in her son but he was indifferent, you can imagine how much trouble she would cause. She would skin her cousin Zhishu alive.
The relationship between Zhishu's cousin and Miss Yan is currently at a standstill, with no breakthrough in sight. It's precisely the time when a catalyst is needed.
She needs to take drastic measures to break the deadlock between them.
Qiao Qiuniang was still a little shaken, thinking about Qiao Zhiyi's past relationship issues, and hesitated.
"Lewa, isn't this a bad idea? Your aunt is too domineering. What if she forces your cousin Zhishu to go and propose marriage to her?"
Anle grinned, "Isn't that perfect? It's brought together a wonderful marriage!"
Qiao Qiuniang frowned.
"Judging from the way that girl is dressed, she doesn't seem to come from an ordinary family. Moreover, she has a maidservant with her. Ordinary families can't afford to have maidservants, so she must come from a wealthy and powerful family."
We're just peasants, how could we possibly be worthy of those girls?
Isn't this just playing matchmaker? It's hardly a good match! I'm afraid Zhishu understands this too, which is why she avoids associating with that person.
"Mother, you're just making wild guesses here. How could you know anything about Cousin Zhishu and Miss Yan when I've been watching them every day?"
My cousin Zhishu didn't refuse to associate with that person because of that; it was because he misunderstood them.
Qiao Qiuniang thought for a moment and then spoke.
"How about I have the second brother go to Jincheng Commercial Street and call her back? Your aunt is staying there for a while."
Anle nodded with a smile.
"Alright, let Second Brother go." No matter how powerful Sun Wukong is, he will still be suppressed in the palm of Buddha's hand.
Inviting her aunt, this powerful figure, would prevent things from getting any worse, whether good or bad.
"Alright, I'm going to the kitchen now. That maid is still busy there; we can't let her work there all by herself."
After Qiao Qiuniang finished speaking, she picked up the food box and left with Aunt Ding.
Anle turned and went back into the house. Only Anle and Anning were keeping the atmosphere lively, while Yan Qingxue and Qiao Zhishu ate their own meals in silence.
Yan Qingxue's enthusiasm had been dampened by Qiao Zhishu more than once or twice, and she was feeling somewhat frustrated and discouraged at this moment.
He didn't even give her a chance to explain. Is it still not working?
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