Chapter 34 Resentment
Xie Zhaoye and Wang Shi were both somewhat surprised to see Xie Qingran.
However, he didn't say anything. Xie Zhaoye saw that Xie Hanyue's eyes were red and asked with some dissatisfaction, "Yue'er, what's wrong? Why are your eyes red? Did Xie Qingran bully you?"
"elder brother!"
Xie Hanyue became a little anxious and quickly put down her chopsticks.
"Brother, don't talk nonsense. My sister is very good to me, how could she bully me? I'm just happy to see my sister sitting here now. I'm happy."
"Actually, my sister should have been sitting here. It was I who took her place."
As Xie Hanyue spoke, tears streamed down her face.
"Xie Qingran!"
Xie Zhaoye suddenly slammed his chopsticks heavily on the table, his eyebrows furrowed tightly as he looked at Xie Qingran with displeasure.
"Do you have to be so disgusting?"
"Are you satisfied now that you see Yue'er sad? You really are from the countryside, heartless!"
Xie Qingran looked bewildered, her chopsticks frozen in mid-air, unsure whether to pick up food or put them down.
"How dare you! Xie Zhaoye, you've gone too far! How dare you speak to your sister like that?"
Xie Yankang slammed his hand on the table, looking at Xie Zhaoye with displeasure.
"Father, can't you see? This Xie Qingran is deliberately trying to make things difficult for us. She insists on showing up here at this time just to annoy us!"
Xie Zhaoye also lost his temper and started yelling at Xie Yankang.
Wang was furious that a perfectly good meal had turned into this mess, and she glared fiercely at Xie Qingran.
"Does my brother mean I can't eat with everyone? Or that I'm not worthy to eat with everyone?"
"Isn't there enough room for my bowls and chopsticks in this main courtyard?"
Xie Qingran silently placed her chopsticks on the table, looking at Xie Zhaoye expectantly, wanting an answer.
Xie Zhaoye was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xie Qingran with some confusion: "What nonsense are you talking about? That's not what I meant at all?"
"Then may I ask, elder brother, what exactly did I do wrong that you are so angry and reprimanding me?"
"Didn't I sit here and have a meal with everyone?"
In her last sentence, Xie Qingran's voice even trembled with a hint of tears, a mixture of grievance and confusion, and a forced show of strength.
She took a deep breath, forced back her tears in front of everyone, stood up, and gave a proper bow.
"It's all Qingran's fault for disturbing your meal."
Just as she bowed in greeting, tears streamed down her face, but she quickly wiped them away. Xie Qingran's wet eyes swept over everyone's faces before she turned and strode away.
"I……"
"I did not mean that."
Xie Zhaoye felt as if that tear was a steel needle, piercing his heart with both pain and bitterness.
"Sister must be angry with me to be like this. Brother, don't hold it against her. I'll go and coax her." Xie Hanyue said with red eyes, hurriedly tugging at Xie Zhaoye's sleeve.
In the past, Xie Zhaoye only felt that Xie Hanyue was extremely pitiful when she had tears in her eyes, but now, he felt a little annoyed.
He glanced at Xie Hanyue and still said to comfort her, "It's okay, it's not your fault, she's just overthinking it."
"That's enough, sit down and eat!"
Xie Yankang snorted in dissatisfaction, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating. But after taking two bites, he threw the chopsticks on the table, got up, and left.
Seeing this, Madam Wang frowned and glared at Xie Zhaoye with displeasure. She took a handkerchief and handed it to Xie Hanyue: "Yue'er, you didn't do anything wrong today. Eat your food properly."
"What about my sister?"
"I'll talk to her slowly and tell her to eat."
Madam Wang gently wiped away Xie Hanyue's tears, her eyes filled with doting affection.
Seeing this, Xie Zhaoye also felt that this mouthful of food was stuck in his chest, he couldn't swallow it or spit it out, he was just feeling uncomfortable.
Xie Qingran returned to her small courtyard and, in a good mood, ate an extra bowl of rice, clearly having a great appetite.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Hongshan knelt on the ground and recounted everything she had seen in detail. Then, her expression became somewhat complicated: "I thought that Miss Xie was a pitiful little girl who was being bullied, but I never expected her to be so capable?"
"If you don't have some skills, how can you survive in a den of tigers and wolves?"
"Would the nanny serving the Imperial Concubine really treat her well?"
Xiao Jue was not surprised. After all, he knew from their first meeting that Xie Qingran was no ordinary woman.
Hongshan raised an eyebrow and looked at Xiao Jue with surprise.
What man in the world doesn't want his future wife to be gentle and obedient? How did this cunning and ruthless woman catch the eye of his son?
"The young master is indeed different from ordinary people; even his way of judging people is different," Hongshan remarked sincerely.
Xiao Jue glanced at him and said calmly, "Has the invitation from the Prime Minister's residence been delivered?"
"It's been delivered. Is the young master going too?" Hongshan looked at Xiao Jue with some curiosity.
Since his injury, he has rarely gone out, and several times it has been for Xie Qingran, making it hard not to suspect that he has really fallen for Xie Qingran.
"Let's go quietly."
Xiao Jue replied calmly.
He wanted to see if Xie Qingran was truly capable of becoming the mistress of their Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, and he also wanted to see what Xie Qingran's attitude towards Qin Shi was like.
The next day, early morning.
Xie Qingran tidied herself up, making sure she looked pretty and delicate as Xie Yankang had requested. Xie Yankang was pleased to see her like this.
"You look so good dressed like this."
Xie Yankang smiled, and when he looked at Xie Qingran, there was even a hint of indescribable pride in his eyes.
Speaking of which, although Xie Qingran is Wang's daughter, she looks exactly like Xie Yankang, except that her face shape is like Wang's, so she is more delicate than Xie Yankang.
Seeing his daughter, who looked almost exactly like him, dressed up according to his wishes and took his words to heart, Xie Yankang was naturally overjoyed.
Moreover, he had secretly compared the two and found that Xie Qingran was only exceptionally affectionate with him, but remained cold and aloof towards others.
This unique intimacy made Xie Yankang feel incredibly proud.
Xie Zhaoye looked at the rosy-cheeked Xie Qingran and gave her a rare kind look: "You look so beautiful like this. You always dress so dullly, it's as if our Xie family has mistreated you!"
That's just how this person is; they never know how to speak properly.
Xie Qingran glanced at him but didn't say anything. She simply walked towards the carriage.
Xie Hanyue stood beside Wang Shi, her eyes filled with resentment, constantly fiddling with the handkerchief in her hand.
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