Chapter 478: Eliminating the Storm (Two Chapters in One)
November 29th was Old Lady Yan's birthday. Because of the imperial edict, although the Yan family did not plan a big celebration this time, many people came to celebrate her birthday on this day. Early in the morning, the Yan family was busy.
In the front yard, Yan Zhigao brought Yan Zhiyuan, Yan Zhiqiang, Yan Wenxiu and other younger generations to entertain the male relatives who came; in the backyard, Mrs. Li was responsible for welcoming the female relatives of each family, and Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Wu were responsible for tea and kitchen respectively.
Even Yan Siyu, who had returned home, had something to do. She brought Yang Xiujun, Yan Yihan and other girls to sit next to Old Lady Yan, and chatted and laughed with the ladies who came.
However, at the beginning of noon (11:00), the upper room of Songheyuan was already filled with women from various families.
The ladies were chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was very lively.
"The old lady is so lucky! These granddaughters are all so beautiful. I think in a few years, the Yan family's door will be broken down by those who come to propose marriage!"
Some ladies who were good at handling things pulled Yan Yihan and Yang Xiujun aside and praised them highly.
Old Madam Yan smiled and replied, "You ladies are too kind. The girls in my family are incomparable to the girls you brought with you. Look, one of them is as beautiful as a fairy. I can't even take my eyes off her."
There is a kind of person in this world who cannot stand others doing well and has no good judgment. Even when everyone is having a good time, she will jump out to break the happy atmosphere.
"Mrs. Yan, why don't you see Miss Yan? Today is your birthday, how could Miss Yan, your granddaughter, not be here?"
"Oh, by the way, a few days ago at the banquet at Master Chen's house, I heard someone say that Miss Yan was seen leaving in a hurry in a carriage. I wonder if it's true?"
"Leaving someone's banquet early is indeed rude. However, we all know that the family traditions and rules of Master Yan's family have always been extremely strict. Miss Yan left in a hurry. Could it be that something happened to her?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally bustling room suddenly became quiet.
Seeing the ladies of each family whispering to each other, discussing in low voices, or laughing with ambiguous smiles, Old Lady Yan could no longer maintain the smile on her face, and glanced coldly at Mrs. Xu who was speaking.
On the day of the Chen family banquet, Mrs. Chen hurriedly left the table with her people, which caused a lot of discussion among everyone. Later, no one knew who started it, but the rumor started that a girl had been kidnapped by criminals.
That day, the eldest son's wife, Mrs. Dong, and Mrs. Jiang all left the table one after another. Gradually, rumors spread that the girls who were kidnapped were from their families.
This Mrs. Xu chose to speak out the matter openly on an occasion like today, and even pointed directly at her rice flowers. Her intentions were truly vicious and sinister.
Seeing that Old Lady Yan's hands were shaking with anger and she looked like she wanted to argue, Yan Siyu quickly grabbed her hand and shook her head. The more she talked about this matter, the worse it would get. If they really started an argument, Yi Yi would be the one who would suffer.
"Oh, which lady is talking about me?"
At this moment, a clear, pleasant and cheerful girl's voice with a strong smile came from outside the house.
Everyone turned around and saw the felt curtain being lifted. A girl wearing red embroidered sheepskin boots and a red feather veil cloak with a white fox lining walked in with a smile.
Black eyes as bright as stars, a bright sweet smile, a pretty and lively face, and an extraordinary and otherworldly temperament, who else could it be but Yan Yiyi?
When they saw the person coming, the ladies and girls in the room fell silent.
Daohua glanced at everyone and waited for Dong Yuanyao to come in before pulling her and walking straight towards Old Lady Yan.
Seeing Daohua, Old Lady Yan's face immediately filled with smiles again: "You two girls, why did you come here just now? Why don't you hurry up and pay your respects to the ladies?"
Daohua and Dong Yuanyao first bowed to the old lady, and then bowed to the ladies of each family.
After Dong Yuanyao stood beside Madam Dong, Daohua smiled at everyone in the room and said, "Yiyi is late. Please don't blame me, ladies. I apologize here!"
After saying this, he knelt deeply.
"What are you talking about, kid? We all know you have a lot of family matters to deal with today, and we all understand." Mrs. Dong smiled and stood up to help the man up, then pulled the man up and said to the lady in the room.
"This child is very filial. Today is the old lady's birthday, and he insisted on making a birthday cake for her personally to celebrate her birthday. He got up early in the morning and worked hard. I wonder if we can even taste the cake?"
This explains why the rice flowers come late.
When everyone heard this, no matter what they thought in their hearts, they all praised Daohua for her filial piety.
Among them, only Mrs. Xu, who had just spoken, had a somewhat stiff expression. Just when she was about to say something, Daohua walked over and spoke first.
"Who is this lady?"
Mrs. Xu was stunned for a moment because she didn't expect Daohua to come directly to her.
Seeing her like this, Daohua smiled brightly: "As soon as I walked into the yard, I heard Madam's voice talking about me. I thought it was some familiar aunt. I never thought it was Yiyi's fault. I didn't even know Madam's family."
The ladies and girls in the room all watched with great interest.
Old Lady Yan laughed and scolded, "You girl, how rude! That's the wife of Xu Tongzhi."
Daohua immediately said "Oh" and said, "Don't blame me, Madam Xu. We don't visit each other often, so it's inevitable that we're a little unfamiliar. It's hard for Madam Xu to miss Yiyi so much. We should visit each other more often in the future, and then something as embarrassing as today won't happen."
"Oh, by the way, Madam Xu, you seemed to be saying that I left Master Chen's banquet early in my carriage. Is that true?"
Madam Xu's face froze. She really didn't expect the eldest daughter of the Yan family to bring up this matter. She nodded awkwardly, "I heard it from someone."
Daohua raised an eyebrow: "Who told you that?"
Madam Xu: "I just overheard it by chance, I can't remember it." Then she looked up at Daohua and asked with a smile, "Miss Yan happened to be here, I wanted to ask, is this true?"
Daohua smiled and nodded: "It's true, I did leave in a carriage that day."
Seeing Madam Xu's eyes widen, Daohua continued to laugh and said, "Why, that person only told you that I left and didn't tell anyone else?" Before she could say anything, he continued, "It wasn't just me who left that day. Miss Jiang, Miss Chen, and Miss Dong also left."
Mrs. Xu's face froze. She dared to pull the Yan family, but she didn't dare to confront the Jiang family, Chen family, and Dong family who had backers.
The smile on Daohua's face faded a little. "Since Madam Xu is so interested in what happened that day, when Madam Jiang and Madam Chen arrive later, I'll ask them to explain to you what happened in detail."
Madam Xu's expression changed, and she quickly shook her head: "No, no."
Daohua sneered, "Yes, why not." Then, she glanced around at the other people in the room and said, "Look, you've piqued the interest of all the ladies and girls. If you don't give an explanation, it would be such a bummer."
As soon as these words were spoken, coughs broke out in the room, and many ladies looked around awkwardly.
Daohua smiled, but her eyes were a little cold. She looked at Madam Xu again and said, "Madam Xu is right. It is really rude to leave someone else's party early. If we don't explain it clearly and it gets out, people will think we are frivolous."
Mrs. Xu's face was a little stiff: "Really, it's not necessary. It's not a big deal."
Daohua sneered out loud, "Madam Xu, if it's not a big deal, then why did you just mention me in front of all the ladies and girls? Don't you know how much trouble you'll stir up for my Yan family with your words?"
Mrs. Xu was completely stunned, staring blankly at the torn face of Daohua in front of her.
The others present also looked surprised and surprised.
Daohua's smile remained unchanged, but her aura grew stronger. "Madam Xu, your inconsistent attitude will make people think too much. What's the matter? Do you look down on my Yan family, or do you have a problem with my Yan family?"
Mrs. Xu's throat tightened. She hadn't expected to be pushed so far by a little girl that she couldn't resist. "What are you saying, Miss Yan? I have no opinion about your family at all."
Daohua pressed on: "You have no problem with my family, but you have a problem with me? Otherwise, you can't just say something that would seriously damage someone else's reputation."
"I"
Seeing Madam Xu unable to hold on, the ladies of the other families looked away with contempt on their faces.
It's so shameful that the mistress of a family was frightened by a little girl.
but
Having said that, the eldest daughter of the Yan family is really amazing.
Just when Mrs. Xu didn't know what to do, Mrs. Li arrived with Mrs. Jiang, Jiang Wanying, Old Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Chen, and Chen Jiarou.
"Hey, why isn't everyone talking?"
Mrs. Li pretended not to know what was happening in the room and asked with a smile.
Daohua hurried over and took Madam Li's arm. "It's Madam Xu. She wants to know why Miss Jiang and I left in a carriage on the day of Mr. Chen's banquet."
Feeling Madam Jiang's sharp gaze sweeping over her, Madam Xu shuddered and stood up hurriedly: "No, I was just talking casually. It was originally just a small matter, but Miss Yan insisted on explaining it."
Mrs. Chen looked around the room and saw that almost all the high-ranking officials and their wives in Ningmen Mansion were there. She didn't want the incident to become a big deal and damage her daughter's reputation, so she said, "Yes, it's just a small matter. There's no need to make a fuss about it."
As soon as these words were spoken, Old Lady Chen and Chen Jiarou knew that they were in trouble.
Sure enough, the two saw that the Yan family mother and daughter's eyes fell on their daughter-in-law (mother) at the same time.
Madam Li looked at Madam Chen with a forced smile: "Madam Chen, you are wrong. Three people can make a tiger. A little gossip can ruin a person."
"That day, my Yiyi left with Miss Chen in a carriage. Madam Chen, as the host, you should come forward and explain clearly."
Mrs. Dong also stood up at the right time and said, "Yes, I've heard some gossip these past few days. Although rumors stop at the wise, there aren't many wise men in this world. Most of them are just people who like to watch the fun. Now that things have come to this, and the girls are here, it's better to explain it clearly."
Seeing that everyone in the room was looking at her, Mrs. Chen became a little nervous and looked at Old Lady Chen for help.
Old Mrs. Chen sighed. Her granddaughter had already told them that the Jiang family would come forward to explain today, but her daughter-in-law was smart enough to interrupt. Now, she was put in an awkward position.
Jiang Wanying was very uncomfortable with the strange stares from everyone, and she didn't want to cause any more trouble. After thinking for a moment, she stood up and said, "This matter started because of me, so I'll tell you about it."
"I was feeling a little unwell that day, so Miss Chen took me for a walk in the backyard. Unexpectedly, my condition worsened midway through the walk, and I needed medication to alleviate it. It just so happened that I didn't have any medicine with me that day."
"My illness came on very quickly. There were few people in the backyard. Miss Chen and I had sent away all the maids around us. Miss Chen couldn't support me. It was at this time that I met Miss Yan and Miss Dong. With their help, I was able to return home safely and take the medicine."
"Who would have thought that such a small matter would lead to rumors?"
Mrs. Jiang looked at her daughter with heartache. Although her daughter's frail health was no secret, she was still very angry when she heard it said so openly.
It's all the Chen family's fault. The three families had kept the secret secret, but something went wrong with the Chen family and the news leaked out. Thinking of this, Mrs. Jiang glared at Mrs. Chen fiercely.
Of course, the Dong family and the Yan family are not good people either. If they really wanted to know what was best for them, they shouldn't have her daughter come forward to pretend to be sick and explain.
Daohua noticed Mrs. Jiang's expression, but ignored it. She just smiled faintly and said, "Yes, it's just a trivial matter of going home to take medicine. How could there be such rumors?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Jiang looked at Mrs. Xu coldly again. If it weren't for these gossipers, there wouldn't be so much trouble.
Madam Li glanced at her daughter and followed up on her words, "Maybe Madam Chen was too anxious that day, which led to misunderstanding."
Daohua smiled and said, "Yes, the guest is not feeling well, so how can the host not be anxious? But it may cause misunderstandings." As she spoke, she chuckled a few times.
A mistress of the house who is not calm and steady when encountering things not only fails to solve the problem, but makes things develop in a worse direction. How much of a failure must this person and this family be!
The ladies of each family heard the subtext in Daohua's words, and they all glanced at Mrs. Chen and the other two secretly, and secretly considered in their hearts whether it was necessary to continue to associate with the Chen family.
Seeing that the discussion was almost over, Madam Sun walked in with a smile and said, "The banquet is ready. Everyone, please go out and take your seats."
The ladies were just trying to ease the awkwardness and immediately stood up: "I've heard that Lord Yan's dishes are the freshest. We must have a good meal today."
Madam Li smiled and said, "Everyone, feel free to eat as much as you can. If you're not full, you can come back next time."
"Okay, then we won't be polite."
The atmosphere became joyful again.
Daohua was helping to greet everyone and walked at the end. Unexpectedly, Old Lady Chen also deliberately slowed down her pace and came closer: "Miss Yan is very articulate."
Daohua turned to look at Old Lady Chen and said with a bright smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Old Lady. However, I'm pretty dumb and can only take advantage of verbal attacks. I can't compare to Miss Chen, who knows how to shirk responsibility whenever something goes wrong and doesn't get involved in any dirty talk. That's what's really impressive."
Old Madam Chen's face darkened. "Girls should be gentle and quiet. If you are too aggressive, you might suffer greatly in the future."
Daohua sneered and said, "Isn't this something that you, Old Madam Chen, have to worry about? My grandmother, parents, master, and brother will worry about my future. Old Madam Chen, don't always focus on other people's affairs. If you have some free time, you should teach your own family how to behave in society."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
(End of this chapter)
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