Ye Ren'an discussed it with his family and said that although the matter of the moldy disaster relief grain had not yet been investigated, Prince Mu had not restricted him in any way, and it would not affect the banquet for his benefactor, his son's master, and his son's half-siblings.
So, on the fifth day after Tianxuan returned to the Ye residence, a banquet was held at the residence, and Ye Ren'an personally came to welcome Hong Xiaoduo and her entourage into the residence.
Looking at the suddenly deserted courtyard, Lan Zechen felt a pang of sadness, as if he were an abandoned old man.
"Sect Master, since you think this place is not suitable for setting up a branch, when shall we set off back? Didn't Miss Hong and the others say that they will not leave this place until the matter of the moldy disaster relief grain is resolved?"
"If the matter remains unresolved, are you just going to stay here and waste your time with them?" Guard Liu tried to persuade his master, seeing that he was in a bad mood.
With such a large operation at home, are you just going to abandon it?
Don't you want the treasures your master cherishes in the secret room?
Guard Liu also enjoyed being with Lady Hong and her group, and they got along very well. However, he still had to offer some advice to his master.
"If you're tired of staying here, why don't you go back first?" Lan Zechen glanced at him and said expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, Guard Liu panicked and knelt down on one knee, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Master, I have overstepped my bounds. Please punish me."
Upon hearing this, Lan Zechen looked at Guard Liu, who was kneeling on one knee, thought for a moment seriously, and then sat up straight and said, "Go to the kitchen quickly and secretly dispose of the steamer of buns that Tianji made. When they come back, say that a beggar came to beg, no, say that an ascetic monk came to beg for alms. He only wants dry food and doesn't accept money, so you gave all the dry food to the monk."
Upon hearing this, Guard Liu was taken aback. Was this punishment for his slip of the tongue? Oh well, it was good that his master didn't send him away.
Watching the guard walk towards the kitchen, Lan Zechen muttered, "You can buy dry rations from the store outside for just a few dollars. Why do you have to make them yourself? You're not good at it. The steamed rations are hard, unleavened lumps that stick to your teeth and are choking. You could throw them and kill someone."
He used to be willing to throw away his pride and spend money to shamelessly eat three meals a day with Hong Xiaoduo and the others. However, after Tianxuan left, what kind of food did Tianji, who took over from Tianxuan, cook?
This forced him to get up before dawn every day, afraid that if he got up too late, he would be called to eat the inedible breakfast that Tianji made. He didn't dare to go back home at noon, and he would eat out in the evening before returning home, and he had to lie and say that he ran into an acquaintance outside, so he ate out.
This is the house he bought, but now he feels like he can't go home.
Several times he wanted to tell Hong Xiaoduo directly that he would not be dining with them anymore, but he would still pay the daily meal fee of fifty taels as usual.
But he couldn't bring himself to say it, afraid that Xiaoduo would think he was only good for sharing happiness and not for sharing hardship, and that he was disloyal.
He wasn't the kind of person to be disloyal. Seeing Xiaoduo and the other children eating such unpalatable food, he couldn't bear it. So he seized the opportunity just now to do what he could to help them secretly.
He had once tentatively told Hong Xiaoduo that he would take care of all three meals a day in Jiaozhou City, and that they would eat out or he would find a reliable and skilled chef to cook for them.
But Xiaoduo disagreed, saying that things were fine as they were, and that it would let the children know that life is a long journey with ups and downs, and that when conditions were good, they could eat and drink well.
Even in dire straits, one can still endure hardship.
She added that they weren't really eating coarse food anymore, and compared to many people who were starving and freezing, they were already doing very well.
Lan Zechen wanted to retort, "We're not really in a real predicament right now, are we? I want to ask her if she even knows what the word 'predicament' means."
Every little kid wears a jade pendant worth a thousand taels of silver, so why are they in a predicament?
It's just that the child with the best cooking skills left, and now no one knows how to cook anymore.
It's a small matter that can be solved by hiring a chef for a small fee if you don't want to eat out!
Well, that Prefect Ye is really honest. When he came, he invited him to the banquet, but he politely and symbolically declined. Prefect Ye then let it go. You are a dignified fourth-rank prefect, shouldn't you have some sincerity in inviting people?
If you don't want to invite him, you should just not bring it up. What kind of honest and upright official is he? He's just doing all this empty talk. Lan Zechen despised him to no end.
"Forget it, don't be angry. I'll have a sugar pill to sweeten myself up." Lan Zechen took out a porcelain jar, poured out two fragrant sugar pills, put one in his mouth, and after thinking for a moment, put the other one back into the porcelain jar.
Xiao Duo isn't a stingy person. If she says she can't eat too much, she must have her reasons, and we should listen to her.
Inside the Ye residence, Hong Xiaoduo and Quan Jinghuai were invited to sit in the seats of honor. Since the children called her "sister," Feiyan sat with them on either side.
Fearing that relatives might say something disrespectful to Hong Xiaoduo and the child's teacher, Ye Ren'an and his father decided not to invite any relatives or friends to today's banquet.
Logically speaking, on such occasions, several elders should be invited to help entertain the distinguished guest, as this shows respect and sincerity.
But when Ye Ren'an thought of what his third uncle had said that day at the restaurant, he dared not take the risk.
In the living room, Madam Xia and the old lady were chatting with Hong Xiaoduo and Feiyan, talking about the children. The old man and Ye Ren'an were talking to the children's teacher, while Ye Liangxian and his second brother Ye Liangcheng were in charge of entertaining Tian Shu and the others.
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