Chapter 120 Family Dinner

She quickly opened the car door, and the grandmother braved the cold wind and came in, holding up her skirt.

"I think Shi Niang looks weird." She was cold, "She won't say anything when I ask her! When I ask her too urgently, she only says "OK"."

After hearing what the eldest grandmother said, Eleventh Lady told her about the uneasiness she felt when Old Lady Wang was with her.

The eldest grandmother nodded and said, "You have your mother-in-law above you and your sisters-in-law below you, so it's not convenient for you to go in and out. I can go see her by myself tomorrow. If there is anything, I will send someone to tell you." She added, "It's very close for you to go back to Hehuali from here, so we can say goodbye here. Otherwise, if you go back late, the Marquis will worry."

Eleventh Lady was very grateful for her thoughtfulness. She said something like "be careful on the road" and said goodbye to Grandma at the intersection of West Street.

A maidservant led in a woman wearing a parrot green satin jacket.

She was no more than thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, of medium build, a little thin, with a broad forehead and a high nose. She was very pretty, but her brows were very dignified, making her look a little serious.

"My Lord, Madam!" She saluted respectfully to Shiyi Niang and Xu Lingyi, her gestures revealing the elegance and reserve unique to women from aristocratic families.

Eleventh Lady looked at it and couldn't help but secretly praise it.

Compared with her mother, Qiao Lianfang is a bit like "it's difficult to paint the bones of a tiger even though it's easy to paint its skin".

But because of this, Eleventh Lady couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

If she had not been dragged into this matter, why would Qiao Lianfang have to greet herself every morning and evening, and why would Mrs. Qiao be treated like this - as the mother of a concubine, she was not considered a relative of the Xu family. To come and see her daughter, she not only needed Shiyi Niang's consent, but also had to go through the corner gate.

Xu Lingyi said nothing, just nodded, his attitude seemed very indifferent.

Eleventh Lady could only smile and said, "What's the matter, Mrs. Qiao?"

Mrs. Qiao's eyes darkened, and she whispered, "I came here to thank the Marquis and his wife. Lianfang's father died early, and I only have this daughter. I have high hopes for her. She was enlightened at the age of three and read books at the age of five. She is smart and sensible, and is deeply loved by the Duke and his wife, who brought her up with them. I am a woman of little experience and superficial, and I treated her like a treasure. Now she has become a person who knows nothing about the world." As she spoke, she squatted down and bowed deeply, "If she has been rude, please forgive her for the fact that she lost her father at a young age. I am very grateful!"

Ha! I didn’t expect this Mrs. Qiao to be so good at talking!

He talked about Qiao Lianfang's miserable life, that her father died early and she was raised by her widowed mother; he also talked about how talented his daughter was; he also said that Qiao Lianfang's relationship with Duke Cheng and his wife and that Qiao Lianfang's arrogant personality was something he was used to.

What a wonderful person.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look up at Xu Lingyi.

Just then I saw Xu Lingyi's eyes glancing over.

He looked a little annoyed, as if saying, this is your women's business, do you really want me to intervene?

Eleventh Lady sighed inwardly, stepped forward a few steps and helped Mrs. Qiao: "You are too modest. Sister Qiao is polite and gentle, and the Marquis and I like her very much. Mrs. Qiao does not need to worry that she will have a bad life in the mansion."

I fought back gently - what did you mean when you said this, did Qiao Lianfang complain to you, or did you feel that your daughter was wronged.

Mrs. Qiao stood up and looked at Shiyi Niang with a proper smile: "It is because Lian Fang is living well here that I feel uneasy. It's just a minor cold, but they invited several imperial doctors to diagnose her. They also sent someone to invite me to see her. It's really an overstep, and I'm very scared."

Was he saying that his daughter was being too presumptuous, or that he was being too presumptuous by treating Qiao Lianfang like this?

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly, "The Marquis is kind and tolerant to others. We sisters should also understand his painstaking efforts and live in harmony. It is not a matter of being more or less presumptuous. Besides, it was the Marquis' idea to ask Mrs. Qiao to visit Sister Qiao. If Mrs. Qiao wants to thank you, she should ask Sister Qiao to get well soon and serve the Marquis with all her heart."

Mrs. Qiao's eyes flashed when she heard this, and she glanced quickly at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi stood there, standing upright like a pine tree, but the slightly curled corners of his mouth revealed his impatience.

She smiled slightly and bowed to Eleventh Lady, "Thank you for your teachings, Madam. I will remember them. I will definitely ask Lian Fang to serve the Marquis wholeheartedly and get along well with the sisters."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "It's getting late. The Marquis and I still have to go and pay our respects to the Madam. I have already asked the kitchen to prepare the meal. Madam Qiao, please have dinner here before going back!"

Mrs. Qiao thanked them gratefully and respectfully saw Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang out.

Outside, the snow was falling heavily in the beautiful buildings.

Fortunately, the way to the lady's place was along the corridor, so there was no need to hold an umbrella or wear wooden shoes. Eleventh Lady followed Xu Lingyi with light steps.

When turning, Xu Lingyi suddenly turned back: "Be careful, the ground is slippery."

Eleventh Lady lowered her head in astonishment.

The bluestone bricks were carved into fine lines to prevent slipping, and the corridor was more than half a meter wide to prevent wind and snow from blowing in and wetting the ground - how come the ground suddenly became slippery?

When she looked up again, Xu Lingyi was already striding forward.

Looking at his receding back, Eleventh Lady did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly followed him.

The room was already lit with a fire, and it was as warm as spring. The fresh pine and cypress fragrance from the small silver-gilt incense burner drifted through the room, adding a touch of warmth to the room.

The lady leaned on a large ginger-yellow brocade pillow on the kang by the window, smiling at the brother who was wearing a bright red silk gourd-patterned crane cloak in front of the kang, reciting "You Xue Qiong Lin" with his head shaking: "... Lu Duan is the first day of the New Year, and Renri is the seventh day of the Lingchen. On the New Year's Day, I offer you pepper.

Huasong is a way to wish for a long life; drinking Tusu wine on New Year's Day can cure warts and plague. "

Xu Lingkuan sat below the old lady, Xu Lingning sat opposite Xu Lingkuan, the fifth lady wore a bright red blouse with peony flowers carved on the sleeves. Because of her pregnancy, she looked very healthy and sat next to her husband with a rosy face. The third lady stood behind Xu Lingning,

Sitting on the Bian Jin stool were his eldest son Xu Siqin and his youngest son Xu Sijian, while Xu Siyu sat next to Xu Sijian, with a distance of about two feet between them.

When he saw his father and stepmother come in, he immediately stood up and called out "Father" and "Mother" respectfully.

Zhe Ge's recitation was interrupted. He turned around to look at Xu Lingyi, then immediately trotted to the side of the lady, grabbed her clothes, and looked at Xu Lingyi nervously.

Everyone else in the room also stood up and saluted Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi nodded to his eldest son, then returned the gifts from his brothers and sat down opposite the lady.

Eleventh Lady stood beside the Fifth Lady.

"Can you recite 'Childhood Learning Qionglin'?" He smiled as he looked at his brother who was held in his grandmother's arms. "Who did you learn it from?"

Confusion was revealed in Zhuge's eyes. The lady pushed him gently and said, "Your father is asking you a question." He came back to his senses and whispered, "My grandmother taught me!" Then he raised his head and secretly looked at Xu Lingyi's expression. Seeing that he was smiling all the time and didn't show any impatience, he added in a flattering way, "My grandmother taught me. She said that the New Year is coming, and I need to know the rules of the New Year..."

Hearing the answer in the baby voice of his brother, Xu Lingyi did not show his usual displeasure. Instead, he smiled and nodded: "Not bad, not bad. Following grandma, I have indeed learned some rules."

After hearing this, Zhege smiled at Zhenjie who was sitting next to the lady, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Xu Lingyi saw that his son was losing his temper and frowned slightly. The lady-in-law looked unhappy and said with a smile: "Why did you come so late today? We are all waiting for you to have dinner. It's easy for others to talk, but your fifth brother's wife is pregnant and has to go back to the back garden. It's freezing cold here. If you get into trouble somewhere, I will tie you up and take you to apologize to Xiaowu."

The Fifth Lady smiled as she hid her sleeves. Xu Lingyi stood up in a panic, "No, no." Then he felt that this was inappropriate, so he changed his words, "No, I will take good care of Danyang and won't let her get involved... Fourth Brother, don't apologize to me."

The old lady burst into laughter after hearing this. Even Xu Lingyi showed a rare smile. Naturally, the others didn't need to hold back and they all laughed too.

Eleventh Lady took the opportunity to look at the three children opposite her.

The youngest, Xu Sijian, grinned foolishly, showing joy from the inside out.

Xu Siyu was also smiling, but his eyes were cold and distant.

Xu Siqin looked at Xu Siyu with a somewhat bitter smile.

This was the second time she noticed Xu Siqin giving Xu Siyu a bitter smile… Among the children of the Si generation, only the two of them had their own courtyards in the outer courtyard. It was said that the two courtyards were right next to each other. Xu Siyu was only eleven years old this year. In her previous life, she was called a teenager at his age.

He is mature, but just like that, he also gets along well with the babysitter next door, telling her how boring playing the piano is and how "unfortunate" he is... Could Xu Siyu and Xu Siqin have the same relationship?

"Wei Zi," the lady said with a smile on her face, "serve the meal! The third son sent wild duck today, and I asked the kitchen to make a wild duck hot pot. Everyone, come and have a try."

Xu Lingyi supported the lady, and the others surrounded the two of them and went to the banquet area in the east room.

Three tables had already been set up in the banquet area, one table for the lady and her sons, one table for the daughters-in-law, and one table for Siqin and his younger children.

The Taifu and Xu Lingyi sat down around them, and several young children were also helped to sit down by their respective wet nurses. The Fifth Madam was in a special situation, so she apologized and was also helped to sit down by Shi Mama. The Third Madam and Shiyi Niang helped Wei Zi and Yao Huang with their cloth chopsticks. The Taifu smiled.

He then shouted at the two of them: "...Why are you being so attentive at this time? Sit down and eat your meal."

The two of them set the table for the lady and a table of dishes for the young scholars before they sat down.

Maids and maids started serving the dishes.

The old lady was chatting with her sons: "It snowed so early today. It's only the beginning of November!"

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Who says it's not true? Shandong, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Henan have all submitted reports of snow disasters. The emperor has been busy discussing the disasters in various places with the inner cabinet these days!"

The lady was a Buddhist, and she couldn't help but worry after hearing this: "If the snow doesn't stop, I'm afraid people will freeze to death this year."

"Mom, should we set up a porridge restaurant?" Xu Lingkuan asked.

The lady and Xu Lingning both looked at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "We will do the same thing this year as we did in previous years."

The lady was a little hesitant: "Should we discuss this with the Empress?"

Everyone in the room fell silent at the same time.

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "We are going too far and it makes people feel weird. I will take care of this matter. I'm afraid I'll have to ask mother to help me deal with it when the time comes."

The lady nodded: "Is that it?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Xu Lingning smiled and said, "Then I'll prepare some rice first. Since we're opening a porridge stall, we can't have the rice soup reflect our reflections, right?"

The lady smiled and nodded, very satisfied with Xu Lingning's words: "Get ready early. If the snow continues to fall like this, the roads will be frozen and it will be difficult to walk on them."

"Don't worry, mother. I know the ins and outs of this matter." Xu Lingning responded respectfully.

The lady dowager nodded slightly, but Eleventh Lady noticed that the Third Lady, who was sitting opposite her, had her eyes rolling around.