Chapter 509 I Promised You We Would Get Engaged
Lu Yingxue asked softly, "Ayi, why don't you leave?"
Zhong Yi took a deep breath, suppressed the disgust in his heart and said, "It's nothing, let's go."
Lu Yingxue was not rejected and moved closer.
The subtle, cool and sweet scent of the cassia tree wafted over from her body, making Zhong Yi purse his lips even tighter.
The two followed the old butler through the spacious living room and passed through a flower corridor before arriving at the restaurant.
The old butler pushed open the door of the restaurant. The long table was already decorated with flowers and decorations, which was very tasteful.
An old man with white hair and beard sat at the head of the long table. Although he was over 90 years old, he looked quite energetic. His face was full of wrinkles left by the years, but his deep sunken eyes looked particularly bright and spiritual.
This is the old lady of the Zhong family, the grandfather of Zhong Hongfei and the great-grandfather of Zhong Yi.
The entire imperial capital respectfully calls the Zhong family Old Lady; this is the pride of the times.
"sit."
His every word and action was full of aura, making it impossible for people to have any thoughts of rebellion in their hearts.
"Thank you, old lady."
Lu Yingxue sat down carefully, with just the right amount of flattery on her face.
Zhong Yi seems much more casual.
The old butler pressed the bell of the restaurant: "Serve the food."
Soon, the servants brought the fragrant dishes to the table one by one. After the old lady started eating, Zhong Yi and Lu Yingxue followed suit.
The restaurant was exceptionally quiet. The Zhong family believed in not talking while eating or sleeping, so there was not even the sound of dishes and chopsticks hitting the wall.
A quarter of an hour later.
The meal is finally finished.
The old lady put down her chopsticks, and the old housekeeper handed her a towel to wipe her lips. The servant made tea and placed it in front of everyone to relieve their greasy feeling.
The old lady of the Zhong family put the handkerchief aside and said, "Today is the first round of the needle testing competition. I heard that Yingxue's performance was unanimously praised by everyone. It's really good."
"Thank you for your compliment. I still have a lot of room for improvement." Lu Yingxue glanced at Zhong Yi and said hesitantly, "Grandma, I have a request."
The old lady's voice was a little deep and gloomy: "You said, we are a family sooner or later."
Lu Yingxue clenched her fists and spoke softly: "My father was appointed as a judge of the acupuncture competition in a critical moment, and I am a contestant. Whether it is avoiding suspicion or favoring me, it is unfair to other contestants. I heard that the old lady and Mr. Huang, the inheritor of the golden needle technique, are old friends, so I would like to ask you to invite Mr. Huang... I wonder if..."
Lu Yingxue couldn't figure out the old lady's temper, even though she had met her so many times.
"You want me to convince Huang Bingyi?"
"Yes. This will be good for my father, so he won't be in a dilemma. If Mr. Huang can be invited to the needle testing conference, many people will be happy."
Lu Yingxue felt more and more that this was a good idea!
Anyway, the ultimate goal of the Lu family is to win the championship of the needle testing conference, and she will serve as the vice president, not a temporary judge.
Old Lady Zhong glanced at Zhong Yi with a deep gaze, and seeing him leisurely drinking tea, she said, "You are a filial child. In order not to embarrass your father, you have come to me for help, and I will also fulfill your filial piety."
Lu Yingxue asked tentatively: "Did you agree?"
"Yes. I will call Huang Bingyi. He will not refuse for my sake. After all, he is only a judge, not a doctor, so it does not count as a violation of his oath."
"Thank you, old lady!"
Lu Yingxue's face was full of joy, and she felt more and more that Zhong Yi's idea was a good one.
Little did they know that he did this to prevent future troubles and to prevent Lu Bannong from making any moves at the critical moment.
"Let the housekeeper take you out for a walk first. Ayi and I have something to discuss." Old Mrs. Zhong spoke slowly, her tone casual but unyielding.
Lu Yingxue was very interested and quickly stood up and said, "I've heard that the Zhong family's greenhouse has cultivated a lot of new varieties of flowers. I want to go and see them."
The old housekeeper smiled and said, "Miss Lu, this way please."
"Thank you."
Lu Yingxue followed the old butler and left, and the heavy door of the restaurant slowly closed.
Very quiet.
The old lady sipped her tea and looked at Zhong Yi with her bright eyes: "Was it her idea to change the judges, or was it your idea?"
Zhong Yi smiled innocently: "The Lu family father and daughter want to save face, isn't this the first time you know this? Anyway, the Lu family has easy access to the champion of the needle testing competition, so why not earn some more fame. Besides, Lu Yingxue covets the golden needle technique, and Mr. Huang has never accepted any apprentices. If he can accept her as an apprentice... Lu Yingxue will be able to walk all over the Chinese medicine world."
Although Lu Yingxue is the successor of the Thirteen Ghost Needles, the Chinese medicine community does not require one to only have one master throughout one's life.
If she could combine the strengths of all schools, Lu Yingxue's future would be bright.
The old lady leaned back in her chair and pondered, "It sounds like it was her idea, and it will benefit her in many ways. But others don't know your origins, but I do... Zhong Yi, are you helping the Lu family or the girl from Haicheng?"
The look he gave seemed to be able to fathom people's hearts.
Zhong Yi did not avoid the question, but looked him in the eye and said frankly: "Anyone with a discerning eye can see that I am helping the Lu family."
Old Mrs. Zhong laughed in a deep voice: "Really? I'll make the call for you. If you want everything to go well, just agree to one thing I ask."
Zhong Yi's eyes turned colder: "What request?"
Old Mrs. Zhong said calmly, "After the needle test meeting, no matter whether Lu Yingxue wins the first prize or not, you two must get engaged and have some children as soon as possible."
Zhong Yi looked at him and asked this question seriously for the first time: "Why Lu Yingxue? Did you choose this fiancée for me?"
"The Zhong family needs a mistress. She always considers interests first. She has a good family background and a good reputation, and she is scheming. As long as the interests are sufficient, she is easy to control."
Zhong Yi lowered her eyes and whispered, "I agree to your engagement. Anyway, all you need is a tool to carry on the family line."
He hates profit-driven people the most, and feelings are always more stable than interests.
"You little brat, I didn't care about your nonsense before, but if you harm the interests of the Zhong family..." Old Lady Zhong's eyes seemed to be filled with penetrating coldness, "I can find you and train others."
Zhong Yi twitched his lips and asked, "Can you live that long?"
After he finished speaking, he walked away quickly. A porcelain plate broke behind him and the pieces flew all over the floor.
…
The golden crow falls to the west.
The night is shrouded in darkness, and the moonlight tonight is exceptionally clear and bright, as if the ground is covered with a layer of silver frost.
The Huo family's garden villa in the imperial capital.
Qiao Xi lazily leaned on the sofa in the bedroom, her face flushed. Sun Shao had urged her to drink a lot of medicinal wine that night, and after washing up, she put on a light nightgown and leaned on it to get rid of the alcohol.
There was a faint sound of water coming from the bathroom.
It was Huo Xingzhou taking a bath.
After a while, the sound of water stopped and the bathroom door was opened. The man came out casually wearing a bathrobe. Qiao Xi turned around and was stunned when she saw him.
Under the influence of alcohol, even his reactions were a few beats slower than usual, but he became much braver.
She stretched out her fair, delicate fingers to touch it.