The next day was New Year's Eve, and Shen Zhixiu did not attend court. He got up early and went to the ancestral hall to prepare for the ancestral worship. Su Qingyu also had to busy herself with the trivial matters of the New Year at home.
Today the emperor is hosting a banquet for court officials of the second rank and above and dukes and earls, and Shen Zhixiu will enter the palace in the afternoon.
So the Shen family’s reunion dinner was prepared at noon.
Su Qingyu was busy that morning when Shen Zhao suddenly came to see her. He wanted to take Madam Chen back home to celebrate the New Year, but Su Qingyu dismissed him with a few words.
Chen Zhao knew she was being perfunctory, but he could do nothing about it. Without Su Qingyu's approval, he couldn't even enter the main gate of the manor, let alone bring her back home.
But during the New Year, he would feel uneasy if he didn't bring his mother back.
Undeterred, Shen Zhao went to find his father, Shen Zhiheng, who was in his study writing couplets for Xiangdong's yard. Xiangdong waited beside him, grinding ink and pouring tea.
When Shen Zhao entered the room, Shen Zhiheng coughed forcefully a few times, and a heavy muffled sound came from his chest.
"Father has such a severe cough, has he seen a doctor?" Shen Zhao said worriedly.
Shen Zhiheng waved his hand. "The doctor examined it but couldn't say anything. It's probably just the cold weather, and he caught a cold. It's nothing serious."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhao said no more and mentioned that he wanted to take his mother home for the New Year.
Shen Zhiheng lowered his eyelashes, pondered and said nothing.
But the movement of his hands stopped and he put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand.
Xiangdong was pouring tea when the kettle suddenly slipped out of her hand, splashing scalding water all over her hand.
A deep sense of heartache suddenly welled up between Shen Zhiheng's brows. He walked up to Xiangdong, held her wrist and looked at it carefully.
"Why is it so hot? Someone, call the court doctor over."
Chen Zhao looked at the scene before him, feeling uncomfortable. This was the first time he had seen his father like this. He didn't look like a middle-aged man in his forties. Instead, he looked like a young man in love, his heart and eyes filled with the woman before him.
But this woman is just a lowly concubine.
He was still standing there waiting for his father to reply, but his father had obviously ignored his presence.
While waiting for the court doctor to arrive, Shen Zhiheng had already sent someone to fetch some ice. He wrapped it in a handkerchief and gently wiped Xiangdong's wound.
Shen Zhao stood here, looking like an unnecessary outsider.
He tried to speak to attract Shen Zhiheng's attention.
"Father, regarding Mother's return home..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiangdong let out a sigh as if she was hurt.
While checking Xiangdong's injuries, Shen Zhiheng said impatiently, "Go discuss this with your Third Aunt. She's the one who makes the decisions at home now."
He didn't even give Chen Zhao a straight look.
Shen Zhao was disappointed and angry, but he didn't dare to say anything. He could only bow and leave, turning around and leaving the study.
Xiangdong looked past Shen Zhiheng and looked at Shen Zhao's back, with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
The eldest lady wants to go back home, but that is just a dream.
At noon, the reunion dinner was divided into three tables according to gender, age and social status. Since everyone was a close family, there was no need to use a screen to separate them.
Today is New Year's Eve, and all the formalities at the dinner table are waived. The whole family is having fun, and auspicious words are exchanged one after another.
Especially the younger ones from the first and second wives, their New Year greetings made the old lady smile from ear to ear.
When they were halfway through the meal, Shen Zhao suddenly spoke up, "Grandma, I want to ask for a favor on behalf of my mother. I want to bring her back tonight to celebrate the New Year's Eve."
Li Chaoyun, who was sitting at the same table with the old lady, twitched her eyebrows slightly. She had warned Shen Zhao not to talk about this during dinner. If he wanted to plead for mercy, he could wait until after the reunion dinner, when the grandparents and grandchildren could talk privately.
But Shen Zhao was anxious and couldn't hold his temper, so he finally said it.
Li Chaoyun sat in his chair, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally. Shen Zhao was of average ability, but he carried a certain arrogance and was not easily persuaded by others' opinions.
She felt more and more that she was not marrying a husband, but having a son.
You can't beat or scold him, you have to give him face and respect.
For Li Chaoyun, days like these were like years.
Shen Zhao's words brought everyone's laughter to an abrupt halt.
The old lady put down her chopsticks heavily. "On New Year's Day, do you have to bring up something unlucky like that?"
"This year, you guys won't let me, an old woman, live in peace."
When the old lady put down her chopsticks, everyone who dared to pick up food also put down their chopsticks.
Shen Zhiheng looked at Shen Zhao unhappily, "It's New Year's Day, can you please think before you speak?"
He smiled apologetically and walked up to the old lady, "Mother, calm down. He's just a child and doesn't understand."
Shen Zhixiu glanced at Shen Zhao, then looked at the old lady with a smile.
"Mother, the food on the table today is very much to my liking. Now that you put down your chopsticks, I'm going to miss out on this treat."
After saying that, he sighed, as if he was reluctant to leave the food on the table.
The old lady glared at him, then smiled. "Look at your lack of ability. Which other minister is as greedy as you?"
After saying that, she picked up the chopsticks and motioned Shen Zhiheng beside her to pick up a four-happiness meatball made of tofu for her.
Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the matter was over.
But because they were afraid that the old lady would get angry again, the younger generations did not dare to speak too rudely in the second half.
Shen Zhao didn't dare to say another word and ate his meal in fear.
Li Chaoyun became more and more disappointed. If Chen Zhao insisted on his own opinion and confronted the old lady, she would still look up to him.
If it were her, she would either keep it to herself or not. Having said it, she would have to get a result even if she got beaten up. But he was so good, neither up nor down, and just let it go.
After dinner, Shen Zhixiu went to the palace to attend the evening banquet.
Su Qingyu and Yang played mahjong with the old lady. They got along very well, and since they were both trying to cheer her up, the laughter in Qingyuan Residence continued throughout the afternoon.
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