While the rules at the Ye family's dining table don't strictly prohibit talking while eating, this is the first time I've ever seen someone asking so many questions and talking non-stop like this.
This atmosphere, however, made everyone feel very warm.
Of course, the whole family was finally reunited.
However, the atmosphere remained quite normal when Tianxuan recounted the unruly and unreasonable rich young ladies and arrogant and domineering sons of officials they encountered along the way.
When Tianxuan casually recounted the bandits and pirates they encountered along the way, the atmosphere at the dinner table changed instantly. Fear, lingering apprehension, and relief were the changing emotions they experienced.
Of the entire family, the one who was most shocked was Ye Ren'an, who should have been the most composed.
Ye Ren'an had seen the official proclamation from the imperial court regarding the suppression of the pirate Yu Baoshan, nicknamed the "King of Hell at Sea," in Haixia Town.
The hero mentioned above was General Mu, the local garrison commander, who, together with local officials and with the help of unnamed figures from the martial arts world, successfully wiped out the pirates who had plagued the local fishermen for many years.
Unexpectedly, the martial arts figure whose name was not to be revealed was actually the master of Miss Hong and her son.
Moreover, based on the details my son just described, the main contributor was none other than Hong Xiao Niangzi.
What General Mu and the local government did was merely a cleanup operation to eliminate the remaining pirates who no longer had a leader.
People in the martial arts world generally dislike having anything to do with the imperial court, just as government officials dislike dealing with people in the martial arts world.
Therefore, even though he already knew the detailed inside story of the suppression of the pirates, Ye Ren'an did not think that General Mu was taking credit for the victory, but rather that this was just a superficial act to appease the imperial court.
"Then, General Mu and the local government must have given some reward, right?" Ye Ren'an asked tentatively.
Upon hearing her father's question, Tianxuan looked over, gave a smile, and said, "Well, I don't know about that."
At the time, my mother and master specifically instructed me that what General Mu gave me must be kept a secret and not told to anyone.
Although her father was family, not an outsider, Tianxuan subconsciously felt that she couldn't be honest with him about this matter.
Ye Ren'an, who rose to the rank of fourth-grade prefect through his own abilities, could hardly fail to realize that his son was not telling the truth.
However, he did not feel disappointed. On the contrary, he felt proud and honored to have such a son. At such a young age, he knew the importance and urgency of things and knew what to say and what not to say. This son, Na Hong Xiao Niangzi and his master are really good, even more outstanding than the three children he taught.
"Hmm, come on, try the steamed fish made by our chef. It tastes even better than the ones in big restaurants outside." Ye Ren'an said, while putting a piece of fish belly meat on his son's plate.
"Thank you, Father." Tianxuan thanked him again. Under her father's expectant gaze, she quickly took a bite, and her resolve to cook a meal for her family became even stronger.
Seeing her second and third sons watching their father serve food to their fourth brother, Xia glanced at her husband, picked up the serving chopsticks, and also served food to her two sons.
She naturally wanted to pamper her youngest son, whom she had just found, but now that she felt at ease, she knew she couldn't neglect her other three sons. She didn't need to worry about the eldest, but she still had to consider the feelings of the two younger ones.
"Jun'er, no, Tianxuan, do your other brothers and sisters also have the same jade pendant around their waist?" Old Master Ye asked, remembering the question.
I originally planned to ask in a few days when I was closer to my grandson, but now that I see the child is getting along well with his family, I'm asking now.
I didn't mean anything by it, but I still find it hard to believe. Our family's heirloom jade pendant is so casually given to every child by Miss Hong and her family. A pendant of this quality would cost at least a thousand taels of silver, and they just let such young children wear it so casually.
“Yes, there are seven pieces in total,” Tianxuan quickly replied.
"Fourth brother, your mother is really rich and so generous to you all," Ye Liangxian said admiringly.
Hmm, I'm also a little envious.
It wasn't because he didn't have the valuable jade pendant on him, but rather because, as the son of a fourth-rank prefect, even if his family was wealthy, he wouldn't dare to be so ostentatious.
People of their status also face many restrictions and lack of freedom.
The fabrics for the robes that my mother bought for everyone, the accessories at the waist, and the hairpins in the hair buns were not bought randomly; the quality could not be too bad nor too good.
On the other hand, look at the fourth brother and his friends who followed Hong Xiao Niangzi; they were so carefree.
After hearing her third brother's words, Tianxuan immediately smiled and shook her head to correct him, "This jade pendant wasn't bought for us by Mother. It was given to us as a New Year's gift by Uncle Jiang this year when we were celebrating the New Year in Yaozhen. Mother discovered that the only son of the wealthy merchant Uncle Jiang was not his biological son. She helped him find his biological son and exposed the conspiracy of that concubine and the steward in the mansion. Afterwards, Uncle Jiang gave each of us a jade pendant as a New Year's gift, and each of us also received ten 10-tael silver ingots."
Not only that, Uncle Jiang also recognized my mother as his sworn sister, erected a longevity tablet for her in his mansion, gave her tokens of the Jiang Family Business, allowing her to withdraw money at will, and even gave her a percentage of the business's profits—I didn't pay attention, I've forgotten.
After Tianxuan finished speaking, he continued eating. Although the cooks in the manor were not as good as him, it did not affect his appetite.
The other people at the table, however, had little interest in the food in front of them.
“No wonder it’s the wealthy Jiang family in Yaozhen,” Ye Ren’an said.
A longevity tablet? Isn't that a bit too exaggerated? Old Master Ye thought to himself.
"Tianxuan, what exactly happened at the Jiang family? Could you tell your grandmother about it?" Old Madam Ye couldn't contain her gossip.
Tianxuan quickly shoveled the food into her stomach, put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and then told her grandmother as much detail as she knew about what had happened in the Jiang family.
It was only Old Madam Ye who asked the question out of curiosity, but everyone listened attentively.
Isn't this more exciting than what storytellers in teahouses tell or what's written in vernacular novels?
After hearing this, everyone wore an incredulous expression, even Prefect Ye, who had encountered all sorts of cases over the years, had the same look on his face.
Even though I've seen many of the ugliest things in the world, I still couldn't calm down after hearing my son's account of this incident.
As expected, greedy people have no bottom line!
"Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, and three brothers, I'll cook for you all tomorrow at noon, okay?" Tianxuan said.
"No need, we have a cook at home... Ah, of course, Tianxuan, if you don't mind the trouble, that would be great." Old Master Ye blurted out his objection, but then, receiving warning glances from the whole family, he quickly changed his mind...
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