It would have been fine if it were any other time, but at this moment, Mrs. Shen had just finished speaking and Old Mrs. An did not respond, so the Second Miss's cold snort was clearly heard by everyone.

Mrs. Shen's face changed drastically, and she looked at the Second Miss with some hatred in her eyes.

If you dare to do it, you must dare to take responsibility.

Yu Tang pretended not to see it.

Aunt Chen, who was serving beside them, couldn't let the atmosphere get too bad. She smiled and said, "Mrs. Shen has just recovered from a serious illness. I don't know what the doctor said. I can tell the maids and servants to stay away from her."

Stomach discomfort is not a strange disease. Most maids in wealthy families have common sense in this regard. Aunt Chen asked this question, obviously to smooth things over.

It was not known whether Lao An was protecting his own people or disliking Mrs. Shen, but he did not stop her. The others followed Lao An's lead and of course, they all bowed their heads and acted like quails.

Mrs. Shen's face became even uglier, and her lips twitched as she was about to say something.

Gu Xi glanced quickly at Yu Tang.

She didn't expect that Miss Yu was a coward who kept herself out of the trouble and just watched the fun from the side. So what did Mr. An want her to do?

Is it because she is obedient?

But which of these young ladies in the Pei family is disobedient?

Is it necessary for Mr. An to keep another family's daughter around just to find an obedient girl?

Gu Xi secretly despised Yu Tang in his heart. He was a little irritated, but he smiled and said, "I'm sorry to trouble Aunt Chen. The doctor didn't give any special instructions, just to eat less spicy food for the next two or three days."

She had to find a way to find out why Old An asked Yu Tang to stay in the villa for a while!

Aunt Chen heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Gu Xi taking over the conversation.

She had served Old An for so many years, and she knew Old An's temper. Especially after the old lady passed away, Old An became more and more willful and unrestrained. Not to mention people like Mrs. Shen, even the eldest wife of the Song family, she would just criticize them without any mercy.

Now that Miss Gu had given this matter a platform, she naturally wanted to seize it. She immediately smiled and said, "I've heard about avoiding spicy food. Although the food at home is usually light, we should be prepared for anything. I'll tell the maids and servants now." After that, she immediately called a little maid over and said, "In addition to telling the kitchen, you should also tell the servants around Mrs. Shen. If there is any mistake, you will be in trouble!"

The little maidservant nodded in agreement and quickly retreated.

Aunt Chen asked Mrs. Shen, "Have you had dinner yet? Do you want some more?"

This is a bit impolite to ask.

Usually when you want to invite someone to dinner, you will directly ask them to stay instead of asking them if they want to stay.

Besides, aren’t Mrs. Shen and the others here to have dinner at this time?

Mrs. Shen raised her eyebrows when she heard this.

Gu Xi came to the rescue again.

Before Mrs. Shen could even open her mouth to speak, she smiled and interrupted, "I'm afraid the kitchen hasn't prepared it yet. I'll ask He Xiang to tell the maid in our courtyard to bring our dinner here as well, shall we?"

This means you must stay for dinner.

Old An glanced at Mrs. Shen.

Veins popped out on Mrs. Shen's forehead, but she did not refute Gu Xi's words.

Old An smiled and said, "That's fine! Mrs. Shen can't eat spicy food, but I love spicy food. This is just right for Mrs. Shen. If she does it again, it will be my fault."

Do people in Lao'an like spicy food?

This was the first time Yu Tang heard of it.

Gu Xi smiled and said, "I heard from my aunt's aunts that Lao An once lived with Mr. Qian, an official in Changsha Prefecture, for some time. I didn't expect that Lao An's taste had become like that of Hunanese people."

This was the first time Yu Tang had heard of such a thing, and she looked at Lao An in surprise.

Old An, who had a somewhat stiff expression just now, smiled after hearing this. She sighed in a nostalgic tone and said, "That was more than 50 years ago!"

Gu Xi smiled and said, "No matter how long it has been, everyone will remember it. I heard from my brother a few days ago that his senior brother went to Changsha Prefecture and took a walk beside the canals built by the old master. He also said that although more than 50 years have passed, the irrigation in Ningxiang still relies on the canals built when the old master was in office! Everyone is grateful for the grace of the old master, and some families still worship the tablet of the old master!"

"Really?" Old An was surprised and happy. The look in his eyes when he looked at Gu Xi was no longer cold as before, but became warm. "Does anyone still remember my father?"

"Really!" Yu Xi nodded, looking sincere, and said, "My brother wrote back to me saying this, otherwise how would I know? And my brother's letter was not written to me, but to my great uncle. He said that officials should be like the great old man, and asked my great uncle to educate the children in the family to learn from the great old man."

"Oh, I'm sorry to trouble you, brother." Old An said politely, but his face was full of smiles. He also talked about his childhood when he followed his father to work.

Gu Xi occasionally agreed with a few words, and the atmosphere was lively.

Yu Tang admired him very much.

In her previous life, she still underestimated her.

There's a reason why she's so popular.

The conversation between the two did not stop until the second wife arrived. Even so, Old An was still in high spirits and kept talking to the second wife about this matter for a long time.

The second wife obviously heard this before. Not only did she respond with a smile, she also said, "Mother, my grandfather's death anniversary is coming soon. Do you want to ask the master at Zhaoming Temple to hold a few water and land ceremonies for my grandfather?"

"That's not necessary." Old An sighed, "You haven't met your grandfather. He has a stubborn temper. Before he died, he left a will, asking his body to be burned and his ashes to be scattered in the West Lake. Your uncle was so scared that he didn't know what to do, so he specially asked the head of the family to come forward and buried your grandfather in the ancestral tomb. Sometimes I wonder who Xiaguang took his temper from, and I think he took his temper from your grandfather. But your grandmother and grandfather don't think so, and they especially like his temper. Otherwise, when your grandmother passed away, she wouldn't have left all her dowry to Xiaguang. You had just got married at that time!"

Pei Yan's uncle is Lao An's adopted brother.

Isn’t it because Pei Yan is his own grandson?

Yu Tang disagrees.

However, after hearing what Old An said, Pei Yan really looks a lot like his grandfather.

They were actually going to burn her own body and scatter her ashes... She couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

The Second Wife might not be dissatisfied with Pei Yan inheriting her maternal grandfather's property, but it is true that she is very good at talking.

"My grandfather has always been a follower of his heart. My third uncle is like my grandfather, and my grandfather likes him, so he wants to leave his personal belongings to him. Besides, my grandfather's things are better in my third uncle's hands than in ours. This can be regarded as a gift of a sword to a hero." She smiled and said, "Once it gets out, it will be a good story."

Old An looked happy and relieved. He shook the second wife's hand and nodded.

Pearl came in and whispered that the food was ready.

The second wife stood up, holding Old An's arm.

A group of people followed Lao An to the west corner to have dinner.

Mrs. Shen and the second wife sat on the left and right of Old An respectively.

Gu Xi sat below Mrs. Shen, Yu Tang sat below the Second Madam, and the Miss Peis sat according to their age.

The meal went peacefully without any disturbance.

After dinner, Lao An was in good spirits, and everyone returned to the eastern corner to drink tea and chat.

The topic shifted from Mr. Qian before dinner to the snow scenery of Phoenix Mountain.

Phoenix Mountain is located outside Hangzhou. When it comes to the snow scenery of Phoenix Mountain, Gu Xi is of course the one who has more say.

She vividly recounted the time when she followed Gu Chaoyang to Phoenix Mountain to catch sparrows as a child.

Several Miss Pei, including Old An, Second Madam, and Madam Shen, all listened with great interest. Only Yu Tang sneered in his heart.

In her previous life, she had also heard Gu Xi talk about catching sparrows.

It is not in Phoenix Mountain, but in Yongfu Temple in the western suburbs of Hangzhou.

According to Gu Xi in her previous life, it was the tenth anniversary of her mother's death and she went to the temple with her brother Gu Chaoyang for the first time to perform a ritual for her mother.

She believed more in what Gu Xi said in her previous life.

But Yu Tang still admired Gu Xi for being able to perform to such an extent.

The room was bustling with activity when Aunt Ji came in with a cautious look on her face and whispered a few words into Old An's ear.

The smile on Lao An's face disappeared in an instant.

The Fifth Miss was so frightened that she grabbed the collar of Asan behind her.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to be frozen.

Gu Xi looked hesitant.

Yu Tang knew that she felt that she should say goodbye but did not want to lose the opportunity to get close to Lao An.

Some opportunities are fleeting.

Before Gu Xi could say anything, Old An said calmly: "Since she is interested, let her in!" After saying that, he glanced at Mrs. Shen.

Mrs. Shen was puzzled, but Gu Xi had a bad feeling in his heart.

Yu Tang and several Miss Peis kept silent.

After a while, Aunt Ji came in with a woman in white clothes.

Yu Tang was so frightened that he almost cried out.

The person who came turned out to be Mrs. Pei.

Yu Tang took a closer look. Although he hadn't seen her for more than a year, Mrs. Pei seemed to have aged ten years compared to the first time Yu Tang saw her. Not only did her hair turn gray, but her wrinkles were also obvious. She looked haggard, as if her muscles and bones had been drained away and she had lost all her energy.

"Mother!" The eldest wife greeted Old Lady An respectfully with a humble look on her face, without any trace of her previous noble arrogance.

Yu Tang was at a loss for a moment.

What happened to the first wife in the past year? Why is she in the other courtyard? Has she been living here since the old lady passed away? Or did Mr. An take the first wife with him when he went into the mountains this time?

Yu Tang's heart was like a tsunami, but she was afraid that others would notice her surprise, so she lowered her head and drank her tea as if to hide it.

But when she put the teacup down, her eyes accidentally glanced at Gu Xi and she found that she was also drinking tea with her head down.

Yu Tang smiled bitterly.

Old An said to the first wife, "You are not in good health now. You should invite Doctor Yang Yu to check your pulse every month. You should rest more. I have the second daughter-in-law and a few maids to accompany me here. There is nothing for you to do. Just take care of yourself."