"No, no." Mother Du's smiling voice came from outside the flower hall, "Miss Qiao was looking at the lights just now, so she walked a little slowly. Now she's coming!"

Following her voice, a woman walked in with a blank expression.

With snow-white skin and delicate facial features, who else could it be but Qiao Lianfang?

"Lian Fang!" Madam Qiao said in surprise, "The feast is about to start, where have you been? Come and sit down with the sisters!" Then she seemed to have seen something, her expression was startled, her eyes were full of confusion, and her face showed a bit of strangeness, "Lian Fang, why did you change..."

"Alright, alright." The lady suddenly smiled and interrupted Mrs. Qiao, "It's enough that people are here. Mrs. Qiao, please say less." She smiled and said to Lian Fang, "Come, sit next to me, so that you won't be nagged by your aunt."

Everyone was stunned.

I didn't expect Qiao Lianfang to win the favor of the lady.

Some people looked envious, some looked jealous, some looked surprised, and some looked confused. Suddenly, they became the target of public criticism...Qiao Lianfang herself did not expect this. She looked shocked and stared at the lady for a long time without saying a word.

Mrs. Qiao's eyes flashed with surprise, and she pushed Qiao Lianfang hurriedly: "Why don't you go and accompany the lady?"

Qiao Lianfang staggered when being pushed by Madam Qiao. She said "Oh" in a daze and walked to the side of the Madam.

In the bright light, Shiyi Niang discovered that the color of Qiao Lianfang's skirt was darker than other parts...

She seemed to be thinking about something.

The Third Lady over there had come to her senses and was busy adding a brocade stool at the corner between the Lady Dowager and Madam Huang, but she couldn't help but glance at Qiao Lianfang a few times.

Qiao Lianfang sat between the two of them like a child.

The lady nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Let's begin the feast! It's getting late, and we still have to watch the fireworks later!" After that, she stood up and raised the wine cup: "You all are rare guests, I'll drink this cup first." As she said that, she raised her hand and drank it all in one gulp.

Several ladies responded in unison, holding up their wine cups. Several grandmothers followed suit, and the young ladies symbolically raised their tea cups and took a sip. The old lady picked up the chopsticks with a smile.

Everyone raised their chopsticks and the banquet began.

Miss Tang at the next table talked to Miss Lin: "Tell me, where did Lian Fang go just now?"

The people at Eleventh Lady's table heard it all clearly.

Miss Lin smiled and said, "Didn't you say you were looking at the lights?"

Miss Tang laughed softly, her eyes showing a bit of disdain: "What's so good about round red lanterns? Everyone has a row of them hanging under the eaves."

Miss Lin said nothing.

Miss Tang added: "It's hard to say. Maybe the Xu family's lanterns are really unique! At least, the Xu family's corridor is different from other families. Walking along the way, I actually got my skirt wet.

Eleventh Lady was quite surprised.

This Miss Tang is very observant...and she's also very smart.

However, it is inappropriate to discuss Qiao Lianfang like this...

She coughed lightly and was about to say something to change the subject, but the Seventh Miss Gan said loudly, "Cousin, Miss Tang said the shad is delicious and she wants a plate," interrupting Miss Tang.

Everyone looked over with a smile.

Miss Tang was so angry that her face turned purple. She stared at Miss Gan's Seventh Miss: "You..."

The Seventh Miss Gan family giggled and winked at Eleventh Lady.

She must have thought that Miss Tang's words were too much, so she spoke out to stop her.

Eleventh Lady's affection for her increased and she couldn't help but smile.

"You want to eat, but you still blame me!" Miss Tang sneered, "Is it because your family is too harsh..."

"If my sister wants to eat, she will ask Madam Xu for it." Before Miss Tang could finish, Miss Gan suddenly stood up and leaned sideways, as if to block her sister behind her. She said, "Why should I rely on you?"

Eleventh Lady was very surprised.

She had never thought that the third daughter of the Gan family, who had always been as obedient as an old man, would shamelessly help her sister to "frame" Miss Tang, and she had never thought that she would stand up and speak for her sister...

"You!" Miss Tang was so angry that she was shaking. She was about to stand up and argue with the third lady of the Gan family, but was grabbed by Miss Lin.

"Cao'e!" Mrs. Gan called out to Miss Gan in a bewildered manner, "Hurry up and sit down. It's so embarrassing to be like this!"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel ashamed.

One is called Cao'e, the other is called Lanting... two famous calligraphy works. I don't know who gave them the names?

Madam Huang stroked her forehead and smiled, "Cao'e, don't give in to Lan Ting in everything. Look how spoiled she is... Hurry up and sit down. It's not a rare thing. Just ask someone to serve Miss Tang a plate of shad!"

The third young lady of the Gan family then sat down angrily.

Miss Tang looked at Miss Gan's third daughter with a sharp gaze, then turned her back to the Gan sisters and spoke only to Miss Lin in a low voice.

The third daughter of the Gan family glared at her sister fiercely and whispered, "Lanting, if you do this again, I will go back and tell grandma!" She looked very angry.

Upon hearing this, Miss Gan sighed helplessly at Shi Niang: "It's like this - if you can't control it anymore, you have to tell the adults!"

Shi Niang covered her sleeves and smiled, but her eyes drifted towards Shiyi Niang.

Eleventh Lady sat upright, ignoring everything.

"You two sisters are really interesting!" The Seventh Miss of the Gan family looked at the Tenth Lady, then at the Eleventh Lady, "I will come and play with you later!" This made the Third Miss of the Gan family stare.

It's not easy for a rich lady to come out. However, as long as she can come out, I will treat her as a great gift. Because no matter whether she is a somewhat old-fashioned elder sister or a delicate younger sister, she is not confused about major issues and is a person worth making friends with.

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded.

Thinking of his three sisters, his expression darkened.

Shi Niang smiled happily and nodded repeatedly: "Okay! I'll wait for you."

Miss Gan sat up straight and ate her meal seriously, looking elegant and dignified like a lady from a wealthy family.

At the dining table of the grandmother and the young ladies, only the sound of porcelain clinking could be heard, but at the lady's side, it was much more lively. You persuade me to have a drink, and I persuade you to try this dish.

Qiao Lianfang had been sitting next to the lady dowager, and felt very uneasy when people looked at her.

After dinner, everyone moved to the west to drink tea, and the lady still invited Qiao Lianfang to sit next to her.

The maids took down the window panes and door lattices, and the servants placed all kinds of firecrackers of different sizes on the ground in front of the flower hall or hung them on the trees.

After removing his makeup, Master Xu Wu came over with four or five servants.

He bowed to the ladies with a smile, then shouted "Light it up", and the servant behind him took a long incense stick and lit the fuse of the firecrackers.

Amidst a series of long or short "孳孳" sounds, red, yellow, blue, white, green, and purple sparks burst out one after another, decorating the terrace in front of the flower hall into a dazzling world of fireworks and silver flowers.

"So beautiful!" Shi Niang murmured as she looked at the colorful flowers.

The colorful colors reflected on her beautiful face, as bright as a blooming flower.

The third daughter of the Gan family took a handkerchief and handed it to her sister: "Cover it quickly. Be careful that the smoke does not enter your throat."

Miss Gan took out her handkerchief and kindly reminded Shi Niang and Shiyi Niang: "Fireworks smell like gunpowder, you can't smell it."

Eleventh Lady nodded and imitated the Seventh Miss Gan family, taking out a handkerchief and half covering her nose.

Shi Niang looked at the fireworks and smiled: "It's nice to be able to smell the smell of gunpowder... I'm afraid I won't be able to smell it in the future even if I want to."

Eleventh Lady seemed to understand something.

A servant took firecrackers as thick as a man's arms and scattered them everywhere, and lit more before the fireworks were finished.

With dull "bang" sounds, the fireworks shot straight into the sky. The people in the house were blocked from view by the eaves and could only see half of a blooming firework.

"I can't see clearly." Mrs. Huang simply got up and went under the eaves of the flower hall.

The lady laughed and stood up to invite everyone: "Shall we go and take a look as well?"

Everyone should be fine.

The lady took Qiao Lianfang's hand and said, "Come on, accompany me to watch the fireworks." She was very kind.

Qiao Lianfang replied "yes" in a low voice, and followed the lady to the eaves obediently.

Miss Gan's Seventh Young Lady pulled Shi Niang and said, "Let's go and take a look too!"

Shi Niang nodded.

The two of them went there excitedly.

The third Miss Gan looked at her sister's back and sighed helplessly, inviting Eleventh Lady: "Let's go and take a look too!"

"Okay!" She smiled and stood up with Miss Gan's Seventh Miss, and saw Miss Lin and Miss Tang passing by them arm in arm, followed by Wu Niang with a forced smile.

Seeing Eleventh Lady and the Third Miss Gan, she greeted them warmly: "Are you guys going out to watch the fireworks too? Let's go together!" As she said that, she came closer.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but sigh secretly.

Some circles are not so easy to break into...

* * * * * *

The third lady had had armchairs placed under the eaves, and several ladies sat down on them while the others stood around, some looking up at the fireworks in the sky, while others gathered in groups of three or four to whisper.

A little maid walked up to Mrs. Qiao and whispered a few words.

Mrs. Qiao looked surprised. She looked at Qiao Lianfang who was standing next to the lady dowager. She hesitated for a moment, whispered a few words to Mrs. Lin beside her, then stood up and followed the maid back to the flower hall.

Eleventh Lady stood on the east side of the eaves, seemingly watching the fireworks, but in fact she was vigilantly paying attention to the situation around her.

Seeing Mrs. Qiao enter the flower hall, her eyes immediately followed her.

Mrs. Qiao left her personal maid behind and quietly followed the little maid out of the flower hall and headed east.

To the east is the courtyard.

When Qiao Lianfang appeared in Dianchun Hall, the finale of "Pipa Xing" was being sung, and everyone's attention was inevitably attracted. Later, the lady appeared and took her with her, so that Mrs. Qiao never had a chance to say a word to Qiao Lianfang.

Now, Yuanniang sent someone to find Madam Qiao again...

What did the lady dowager, the marquis, and Yuanniang talk about while they were locked in the room?

Eleventh Lady was quite uneasy.

When I turned around, I saw the lady turning her head to look at Mrs. Qiao's back.

Amid the brilliance of the courtyard, her eyes were as dim as midnight.

Is it helplessness? Or disappointment?

Eleventh Lady is a little undecided!

Look at the eldest wife.

The eldest wife, however, looked at the fireworks with a happy expression, and said to Madam Gan beside her with a smile: "The fireworks rising into the sky are still the most beautiful."

Madam Gan did not notice anything unusual around her, and smiled as she replied to the first wife: "You will stay in Yanjing for a while! June is the Wanshou Festival. Every year, they use cannons to set off fireworks that go all the way up to the sky. People in the entire Yanjing city can see it. It is truly rare in the world."

The eldest wife nodded: "There is nothing going on at home. I plan to stay in Yanjing for a few more days. I also want to let my daughters gain some experience, so that they won't be so timid when encountering things in the future..."

Mrs. Gan agreed very much: "Girls should go out and see the world, so that they can act more generously in the future!"

"That's exactly the reason..."

They actually looked like they were having a very pleasant conversation.

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It's a little late to update, don't wait. Read it tomorrow morning. (*^__^*) Hehe...