Chapter 599, Opportunity
The housekeeper led Madam Zhu, Madam Zhu Si, and Zhu Qiyun directly to the main courtyard.
Mrs. Zhu knew that with her current status, she was no longer qualified to ask Mrs. Li to come out to greet her, so when she did not see Mrs. Li at the gate, she was only slightly disappointed and not too surprised.
But now the old lady of the Yan family is still alive, and when guests come to visit, she doesn't even bother to take them to meet them first. She immediately understood that Mrs. Li came here just to save face for both parties, and the smile on her face became a little forced.
Madam Zhu glanced at Madam Zhu Si. If they couldn't go to pay a visit to Old Madam Yan, it meant they couldn't meet anyone from the second branch of the Yan family, and the purpose of their visit would be ruined.
Mrs. Zhu Si also realized this, and her heart sank a little, but she did not show it on her face and still had a decent smile on her face.
Zhu Qiyun followed silently behind her elders, neither looking around nor feeling overly anxious. At this moment, she could only do her best and leave the rest to fate. At this moment, her every word and action displayed the grace and composure of a woman from an aristocratic family.
Soon, we arrived at the main courtyard.
Madam Li did not put on airs. When she heard the maid say that the guests had arrived, she came out of the room with a smile and met Madam Zhu and the other two in the yard.
After a few polite words, Mrs. Li took the three of them into the house.
"This is my niece. It was really thanks to her help on the Dragon Boat Festival." Mrs. Zhu pushed Zhu Qiyun out with a smile.
Zhu Qiyun stepped forward calmly and bowed to Madam Li in a very proper manner: "Qiyun pays her respects to Madam Li."
Madam Li smiled and looked at Zhu Qiyun, then quickly gestured for her to stand up. She smiled and said to Madam Zhu and Madam Zhu Si, "What a gentle and lovely girl."
Seeing that Madam Li had a favorable impression of her daughter, Mrs. Zhu Si felt a little relieved. She smiled and continued, "My little girl is far from being comparable to Miss Yan. She is truly a beautiful and talented person. When I saw her at Guankou Tower that day, I was truly amazed for quite a while."
A mother is always happy when someone praises her daughter. Mrs. Li became a little more talkative and talked about her own children with Mrs. Zhu and Mrs. Zhu Si. The atmosphere was quite good.
Zhu Qiyun sat aside with a faint smile. Although she looked calm, her heart had sunk to the bottom.
Although Madam Li was warm and considerate, she had no intention of taking them to meet the old lady of the Yan family, nor did she send anyone to ask the girls in the mansion to come out to meet the guests. It was obvious that she did not attach much importance to their arrival.
Just when Zhu Qiyun was feeling anxious, a maid came to report, "Madam, the eldest lady is here."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li's smile immediately brightened, and she said with a smile, "I just asked that girl to go tidy up the storeroom, so I couldn't greet you. Please don't blame me."
Mrs. Zhu Si said happily: "Madam, what are you talking about? We are the ones who are disturbing you by coming here without permission."
Madam Li smiled and shook her head, thinking to herself that this Fourth Madam Zhu was much better at talking than Madam Zhu and much easier to get along with.
Soon, the door curtain was lifted, and Daohua, wearing a light green dress, walked in with a smile.
Seeing Madam Zhu and Madam Zhu Si sitting in the room, he hurried forward and saluted: "Greetings to the two ladies. I beg your pardon for being late."
Mrs. Zhu Si quickly smiled and said, "Young lady, please stand up quickly."
Daohua smiled and asked the maid behind her to bring the chilled watermelon. Then she walked over to Zhu Qiyun and sat down. "How are you, Miss Zhu, since we parted on Dragon Boat Festival?"
Zhu Qiyun smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern. I'm fine. Miss Yan, just call me Qiyun."
Daohua said smoothly, "Okay, then don't call me Miss Yan anymore, just call me Yiyi."
Seeing that her daughter had a good conversation with the eldest daughter of the Yan family, Mrs. Zhu Si breathed a sigh of relief again and smiled as she asked the maid to take out the prepared gifts.
Looking at the gifts brought by Mrs. Zhu Si, Mrs. Li's eyelids couldn't help but twitch, and even Mrs. Zhu's eyes flashed with surprise.
Too expensive!
Mrs. Zhu Si said with gratitude, "My daughter Qiyun wore the older girl's clothes that day, and now it's not easy to return them. This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."
Madam Li came back to her senses from her shock and shook her head, saying, "It's too valuable. We can't accept it."
Mrs. Zhu Si hurriedly said that it was not a valuable thing, then looked at Mrs. Zhu, hoping that she would help speak up.
Mrs. Zhu looked at the rare copy and felt a little annoyed. The fourth room actually had such a good thing, but had never revealed anything about it before.
Being angry, he ignored Mrs. Zhu Si's request for help.
Mrs. Zhu Si had no choice but to persuade Mrs. Li to accept it herself.
Daohua glanced at the gifts with labels on them, including gifts for people from the second and third rooms. Her eyes flashed and she turned to look at Zhu Qiyun. Seeing her hands tangled together, she thought of her current situation and her second brother's marriage proposals. After a moment's thought, she understood why Mrs. Zhu Si would send such an expensive gift.
Seeing the nervousness in Zhu Qiyun's eyes, Daohua sighed inwardly and said to Madam Li with a smile, "Mother, Grandma should be taking a nap."
Madam Li glanced at her daughter in surprise. She had never planned to take the Zhu family to see the old lady, but since her daughter had brought it up, she didn't want to let her down. She smiled and said, "If you two don't mind the trouble, come with me to see the old lady."
Mrs. Zhu Si said happily: "Madam, what are you talking about? As the younger generation, we should go and pay our respects to the old lady."
Looking at the happy-looking Madam Zhu Si, Madam Li seemed to understand the purpose of their visit and quickly turned her gaze to Zhu Qiyun.
This girl looks pretty good, but my second brother and his wife may not like her.
While she was thinking, Mrs. Li had already stood up with a smile and went out with Mrs. Zhu and Mrs. Zhu Si.
Daohua quickly pulled Zhu Qiyun up and followed.
On the way, Zhu Qiyun looked at the rice flowers with a hesitant look, but in the end she said nothing.
Daohua didn't say anything. She sympathized with Zhu Qiyun's situation, but she would not interfere in the affairs of the second house. Now she was just given a chance. Whether her second uncle and second aunt would like her depended on herself.
Soon, the group arrived at the old lady's yard.
The old lady met Mrs. Zhu and the other two very warmly, and praised Zhu Qiyun generously for her dignified and proper demeanor.
Knowing that there were guests coming to the old lady's place, Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Wu arrived soon.
Seeing Sun, Mrs. Zhu Si immediately perked up, and even Zhu Qiyun secretly straightened her back.
Seeing the mother and daughter like this, Mrs. Li became more certain of her guess.
However, she didn't know much about the Zhu family's situation and didn't speak rashly.
Mrs. Zhu Si was also a capable person. When everyone was chatting, she calmly shifted the topic to the Zhu family and focused on the situation of their branch.
"My master passed away four years ago, and Qiyun stayed at home in mourning, so she hardly ever came out to attend banquets or anything like that in recent years."
"My master was the vice-president of Wangyue Academy and dedicated his life to teaching students. My unpromising son passed the examination at the age of ten. Unfortunately, due to the grief over his father's death, he has been in poor health for the past two years and has been unable to continue taking the exam."
"My master loves his children very much. He prepared a generous dowry for Qiyun early on. He has been teaching all his life and has accumulated tens of thousands of books and many calligraphy and paintings. He said that when his daughter gets married, he will give half of it as a dowry."
Hearing this, Sun's eyes lit up. From the moment Mrs. Zhu Si turned the topic to Zhu Qiyun, she understood that this man had taken a fancy to her son.
(End of this chapter)
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