Shen Wan didn't know if her cousin had personally gone to Mianzhou to get the medicinal herbs in her previous life, but with her cousin personally going in this life, there was definitely no chance of failure.
Shen Wan felt deeply grateful to her cousin.
Soon, Master Yun and Master Yun the Second returned. Since Yun Qi was not there, they, as the elders, had to keep Xie Jingyan company.
After Xie Jingyan left, Shen Wan kept Old Madam Yun and the others company to chat and relieve their boredom.
As they chatted, Madam Yun remembered something and asked Shen Wan, "Will the Marquis of Pingyang's residence hold a grand birthday banquet for the Old Madam this year?"
The Yun family and the Pingyang Marquis's family are related by marriage. When the old lady celebrates her birthday, whether it's a grand celebration or a small one, the Yun family's birthday gifts will definitely be plentiful.
But if you hold a big celebration, you have to give a lot of gifts. With so many guests, you can't let the Yun family and the old lady lose face. But if you hold a small celebration, just for close friends and family to have a simple and lively time, then you don't need to prepare such extravagant birthday gifts.
A few months ago, when Madam Yun visited the Pingyang Marquis's residence, she heard Second Madam say that they were going to hold a grand banquet. However, just a few days ago, Shen Wan and Shen Ying got married on the same day, and there was a joyous celebration. Generally, they would not hold a large banquet in a row. At least three to five months would pass between banquets. Holding them too frequently would inevitably lead to gossip and make people suspect that the Pingyang Marquis's residence was taking the opportunity to make money.
The Yun family is so concerned about the old lady's birthday that Shen Wan has nothing to say. There's plenty of time to prepare birthday gifts after receiving the invitations. Is there really such a rush?
The Yun family treated the Pingyang Marquis's family as in-laws, but apart from her father and eldest brother, everyone else in the Pingyang Marquis's family treated the Yun family as easy targets.
Shen Wan was exhausted and said, "My second sister and I just got married, and my third sister will be getting married soon. Grandmother's birthday banquet is in the middle, so it definitely won't be a big event."
Unable to contain her curiosity, Yunrui asked, "The eldest young master of the Wu family is a cockfighting and dog-walking enthusiast. The Pingyang Marquis's mansion should know this better than anyone else. Why did they betroth the third young lady of the Chen family to him?"
She had been curious about this for a long time.
The Yun family was unaware of the Zhao family's questionable character, which is why they married their daughter off to the Pingyang Marquis's family, whom they knew well. Yun Rui couldn't understand why they would marry him off to them.
Shen Wan gestured for Yun Rui to come closer and whispered a few words in her ear. Yun Rui's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
Shen Wan only told Yun Rui, but the others could guess from Yun Rui's expression that something must have happened that forced her to marry.
Since the birthday banquet wasn't a large affair, preparing the birthday gifts was much easier. The Yun family's business spanned the entire Chu Kingdom, and they had countless guests coming and going. But the most difficult gift to give was to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence. They couldn't give a gift that was too obsequious and would lower the Yun family's status, yet they also had to let the old lady of the Marquis of Pingyang's residence know that the Yun family respected her. In short, what Madam Yun feared most was preparing a gift for the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.
However, when Madam Yun mentioned the old lady's birthday, it reminded Shen Wan that the old lady's birthday was approaching, and since she had already destroyed the "Hundred Longevity Painting," she hadn't yet decided what to give the old lady.
She needs to think carefully about what gift to give that won't cost money and that no one can find fault with.
After staying in the house for a while, Yun Mo and Yun Rui took Chen Wan to the garden to admire the flowers. They played in the garden for half an hour before returning. When they returned, they heard the maid report to Old Madam Yun, "The old master has already returned to the mansion and is currently playing chess with Prince Ling in the study."
Xie Jingyan and Grandpa Yun returned around lunchtime.
Grandpa Yun was all smiles, and Grandma Yun's face also lit up with a smile. "You're so happy, it seems you really enjoyed the game."
Shen Wan asked, "Did Grandfather win or lose?"
Grandpa Yun laughed and said, "Grandpa is old, how could he be a match for Prince Ling?"
Madam Yun retorted, "Twenty years ago, you were no match for Marquis Pingyang either."
Old Master Yun, "..."
Seeing the embarrassed look on Old Master Yun's face, everyone in the room was trying not to laugh.
Shen Wan walked to Xie Jingyan's side and whispered, "You even gave way to my eldest brother, why didn't you give way to my maternal grandfather?"
Xie Jingyan replied softly, "I let you win the game, but I didn't let your maternal grandfather win."
Shen Du is a bit older than him, so it's understandable that he lost. But Old Master Yun is quite old, so it would be really bad of him to lose. Besides, Old Master Yun's personality makes him unhappy.
Shen Wan bent over, and the two whispered to each other. To onlookers, it looked like they were whispering in each other's ears. Newlyweds, they were so sweet and loving that they had so much to say even though they had only been apart for a short while.
When Shen Wan straightened up, she saw everyone's knowing smiles. Although she knew that wasn't the case, Shen Wan's face still turned red.
When they sat down to eat, Shen Wan said to Xie Jingyan, "Don't put any food on my plate later."
She didn't want to be teased, not even with a look; she couldn't bear it.
Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What did you say?"
Shen Wan wanted to repeat it, but there were people all around, so she had to give up.
Once the food was on the table, Xie Jingyan put the food into Wanwan's bowl with his tongs, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
Shen Wan wanted to throw Xie Jingyan out the window to stop him from picking up food, but he picked up even more.
Seeing Shen Wan looking at him, Xie Jingyan said, "Didn't you ask me to put food on your plate?"
Ahhh!
She meant we weren't allowed to pick up food with our hands!
Shen Wan's face was burning hot. When she caught a glimpse of Xie Jingyan's upturned lips out of the corner of her eye, she knew that this bastard was doing it on purpose.
It would be fine at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, as it would not only please her father but also anger Shen Ying and Xie Jingyin. However, there's no need for that at the Yun family's residence.
Xie Jingyan served her food, and it wouldn't be right for Shen Wan not to serve him some. Shen Wan's gaze swept across the table and lingered on the mushrooms and greens. A smile curved the corners of Shen Wan's lips as she picked up two pieces of food and placed them in Xie Jingyan's bowl. "Husband, eat more."
Upon seeing this, Old Master Yun said, "Vegetables are not tasty, give Prince Ling more meat."
Shen Wan said, "My maternal grandfather loves to eat green vegetables the most."
Madam Yun immediately instructed the maid to move the vegetables in front of Xie Jingyan so that he could easily pick them up.
Xie Jingyan, "..."
He turned his head and saw Shen Wan's animated expression, which was incredibly vivid.
Xie Jingyan's heart stirred, and he grasped Shen Wan's hand, saying in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "It's not good to make everyone at the table accommodate your husband."
Shen Wan's face looked as if her rouge box had exploded, burning hot.
She was no match for him when it came to scheming; she ended up getting herself into his trap.
She couldn't pull her hand back, so she could only let him hold it. The others were fine, but Yun Mo and Yun Rui, who were sitting next to Shen Wan, were so embarrassed that their faces turned red, and their eyes were full of envy.
Shen Wan tried twice, but couldn't pull her hand back. She was both ashamed and annoyed. She gave Xie Jingyan a warning look, saying that if he didn't let go, she wouldn't be so polite.
Xie Jingyan pretended not to see it, and even provocatively rubbed Shen Wan's smooth hand with his fingertips. Then a pain shot through his thigh, making his forehead tremble. He then let go of Shen Wan's hand on the table and grabbed the hand that was messing around on his thigh instead.
The subtle interaction between the two went unnoticed by the people at the table, but the maidservant serving wine behind Shen Wan saw it all clearly.
Prince Ling is spoiling his cousin way too much.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
