Chapter 266 Reunion Dinner Not a Reunion?
She whispered instructions to Zilan.
"Go and give twenty taels of silver to the stable manager, and tell him that I'll reward him for the New Year."
"Tell the servant on the Marquis's side to keep an eye on what he's doing, don't interfere, and then quietly report back."
Zilan responded and went out.
Nangong Qiang returned from outside and brushed past Zilan.
He came in and whispered a few words in Li Nanke's ear.
Li Nanke sneered.
It was already noon, and Marquis Anping was still outside and had not returned.
It's the Lunar New Year, and even the shops outside are closed. It's obvious who the Marquis of Anping is with.
Li Yao took Li Zhenxuan and Li Xinyou to the Sun family's place for a reunion dinner.
After Sun was divorced, Li Yao rented a house for her to live in.
Madam Tao had already informed them that the entire Hou Mansion would be having a reunion lunch at noon, but Li Yao still chose to go to Madam Sun's place at noon, which was clearly meant to annoy them.
Marquis Anping and Li Yao have abandoned even the last pretense.
She looked at the table laden with dishes and clung to Mrs. He's arm, acting coquettishly.
"Grandma, Ke'er is so hungry, let's eat first."
He patted Li Nanke's hand and shook his head slightly.
"Before we have the reunion dinner, we should first pay respects to our ancestors. Your grandfather and your second uncle haven't returned yet. We'll wait until they finish offering incense to our ancestors together."
"We can only start eating after our ancestors have finished eating, sweetie. I'll have Aunt Tao get you a snack first."
Li Nanke puffed out her cheeks, but couldn't bear to tell her grandmother the truth directly.
She could only cling to Madam He and continue to whine, "It's already so late, our ancestors must be starving."
"Let Father go and offer incense to the ancestors first. After Father comes back, we can eat."
As she spoke, she winked at Li Mu.
Li Mu hesitated for a moment, then realized what was happening.
He stood up and said, "Yes, Mother, as the eldest son in the family, it is not unreasonable for me to offer incense to our ancestors."
This afternoon we still need to prepare for our trip to the palace. Father and my second brother aren't back yet; we can't just starve and wait, can we?
He looked at Li Nanke, then at Li Mu, and gradually realized what was going on.
"It seems the second son went to the Sun family."
A hint of sadness flashed in Madam He's eyes.
She didn't understand why, despite her years of trying to get closer to her second brother, Li Yao.
But Li Yao could never get close to her.
So she always had a strange feeling that Li Yao wasn't her biological son.
But no matter what, we're all family.
In her heart, she still hoped that during the Lunar New Year, the whole family could sit together and have a lively reunion dinner.
But Li Yao went directly to Sun's place without even informing her.
This serves as a stark reminder once again of the estrangement between Li Yao and her.
He closed her eyes, suppressing the stinging sensation in them.
The fact that they couldn't have a family reunion dinner made her feel very sad.
When he opened his eyes again, his expression had calmed down a bit.
Gently patting Li Nanke's hand, she said softly, "Ke'er is right. Boss, go and offer incense. After you offer incense, we'll have dinner."
Li Mu bowed and then went to the ancestral hall to offer incense.
Li Nanke knew that his grandmother was sad, and although he opened his mouth, he ultimately dared not tell her the truth.
For the grandmother, the fact that her husband and son were not close to her was already very distressing.
If it were the afternoon of New Year's Eve, she would find out that her husband had replaced her biological child with an illegitimate one.
This was a devastating blow to the grandmother.
To cheer up Madam He, she brought up the matter of Yun Qiwu.
It is said that Wang Tongyun and her friends received the clothes she sent and couldn't wait to wear them when visiting others.
As expected, this attracted a bunch of young girls who asked where the clothes were made.
As a result, even before Yunqiwu opened for business, it had already received many orders from high-end clients.
"When Ke'er earns money, she will buy a big Shoushan stone for her grandmother, wishing her a long and healthy life."
He was amused by her and gently rubbed Li Nanke's little face.
She said affectionately, "Alright, alright, Grandmother is waiting for Ke'er to send a big Shoushan stone."
Seeing that his grandmother finally had a smile on her face, Li Nanke felt a little less depressed.
After Li Mu finished the sacrificial ceremony, he came in with Song Yi.
Madam He picked up her chopsticks and said with a smile, "Come on, let's eat. This is a family reunion dinner."
Song Yi was slightly startled and subconsciously looked at Li Nanke.
Li Nanke winked at her.
Song Yi understood and sat down with Li Mu.
Just as the family of four was almost finished eating, the curtain was lifted.
Marquis Anping and Li Yao entered from outside.
He took off his cloak and tossed it to the maid beside him.
He bent down to brush off non-existent dust from his body, his expression slightly impatient.
"Didn't we agree to have a family reunion dinner? Let's begin."
No one at the table moved.
When Marquis Anping looked up and saw the table full of leftover food, his face immediately darkened.
"This family is getting more and more disorderly. I haven't even come back yet, and you've already started having your reunion dinner."
"Mrs. He, is this the fine son you raised? I'm not even dead yet, and he already doesn't respect me at all."
Madam He's face turned pale with anger, and her hand holding the chopsticks trembled uncontrollably.
"We agreed to have our reunion dinner at noon, but it's already past 1 PM now, and you're only just returning, so it's clear you're late."
Marquis Anping disagreed.
"I was delayed outside by some business, but I'm only a little late. You can wait here."
Mrs. He slammed her chopsticks heavily on the table in anger.
"The eldest brother and the others have to go to the palace to attend the New Year's Eve banquet tonight, so lunch has been delayed."
Since the Marquis is busy outside, why didn't he send someone back to let us know? We sent people out but couldn't find the Marquis at all.
"I thought Your Excellency had forgotten that today is New Year's Eve, a time for the whole family to have a reunion dinner. Are you expecting us to just wait here like fools?"
Li Yao stepped forward, a gentle smile on his face, but his words were clearly in defense of Marquis Anping.
"Mother has really wronged Father. Father was indeed delayed by important matters today. As soon as he finished, he rushed home in a hurry."
Li Mu scoffed.
"Second brother, do you want to listen to the absurd things you're saying? Father only holds a sinecure in the court and doesn't usually have to go to the office. Why is there such an important matter on New Year's Eve?"
Nowadays, whether it's government offices or shops on the street, everything is closed and shut down.
Where did Father take care of this important matter? Did he sneak into someone's backyard?
Marquis Anping's expression changed slightly, and he pointed at Li Mu and began to curse.
"You unfilial son, do you think you're all grown up just because you're a fourth-rank official? How dare you talk about me like this."
"Eating a reunion dinner to pay respects to our ancestors is a tradition passed down from our ancestors. I, the head of the family, haven't even returned yet, and you're already eating before I can even perform the ancestral rites. This is truly disrespectful and unfilial."
"You go to the ancestral hall right now and kneel down to beg forgiveness from our ancestors."
Marquis Anping pointed at Li Mu and roared angrily.
Li Mu, with his neck stiff, uttered two words to Marquis Anping without hesitation.
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