Hong Xiaoduo looked at the boy sitting opposite her and smiled at her. She thought to herself that this brat had a good attitude. But no matter how well he controlled his emotions or managed his expressions, the less he cried and made a fuss, the more heartbroken Hong Xiaoduo felt.
Grandpa Ye picked up his wine cup and stood up, and everyone else quickly picked up their wine and milk tea and stood up as well.
The old lady, upon seeing this, complained to the old man, telling him to just say a few key points and then sit down quickly.
The old man was deeply moved. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Hong Xiaoduo, Quan Jinghuai, and Feiyan, and then spoke a few words of care to Tian Shu and the others before being pulled down to sit by the old lady.
No one dared to laugh. They raised their cups to the old man, downing the small cups in one gulp and only taking a few sips of the large cups of milk tea as a response.
"We're all family here today, so let's skip the formalities and start eating. Don't be shy," Ye Ren'an said.
I said the words of thanks to Hong Xiaoduo that day, and I also said a lot to my son's teacher in the living room today.
Let's keep talking about those things at the dinner table.
It's not about saying a lot of words to show gratitude; it's about sincerity.
When entertaining distinguished guests, it's best to avoid empty talk and focus on ensuring they enjoy the food and drinks to their heart's content.
Hearing Ye Ren'an say that, everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
"Liangwen, Liangcheng, Tianxuan, take good care of your younger siblings. Don't just eat by yourselves." Ye Ren'an was worried that the little guests might not eat freely since it was their first time here, so he called on his sons.
"Uncle Ye, we don't need to be taken care of. Let the brothers eat their own food." Yao Guang said loudly to Ye Ren'an. She spotted the braised pork that had been turned to her, quickly grabbed a piece with her chopsticks, and took a bite. Her eyes narrowed instantly. Her second brother's cooking was so delicious. She had to eat more today.
The other children also picked up their chopsticks, took some food, and started eating.
Grandpa Ye and his wife, along with Ye Ren'an and his wife, and their eldest son Ye Liangwen, were quite shocked to see Tian Shu and the others eating so openly and without any restraint.
The children ate with relish, but not in a wolfing-down manner. Whether they were using chopsticks to pick up food, spoons to scoop soup, or peeling shrimp themselves, their movements were not overly refined, but rather so natural that it was a comforting sight.
In wealthy families, especially those of high status, people pay great attention to their appearance at the dining table. They are expected to be refined and elegant, chewing slowly and swallowing gently, and handling food with care without making a sound.
When guests are present, one cannot even gnaw on meat bones, as it is considered impolite, and making noise would be even more disrespectful.
They looked at their four children and grandchildren again; apart from Tianxuan, the other three seemed like outsiders.
Compared to them, the three children who were once their pride now seem somewhat disdainful.
Why are you holding onto this table so formally, with such a stiff posture? Are you not hungry? Is it not to your liking? Or do you simply have no appetite?
"Mom, look, Second Brother came home and brought back preserved vegetables." Someone spun the turntable, and a large plate of preserved vegetables and chicken feet was placed in front of Yao Guang. The little girl pointed at the dish and blurted out to Hong Xiaoduo.
Her tone carried a hint of grievance, sounding somewhat like she was complaining.
Isn't that right? My second brother always thought of bringing some dried plum vegetables home to cook for his family. Why didn't he think of cooking more dishes for them before he went home so they could eat slowly?
With the current temperature, and the dishes being made a little saltier, they won't spoil even after a few days! That way, we can eat less of the awful food my third brother makes!
After hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo suppressed a laugh and looked at Tianxuan.
"Little sister, your second brother is asking you, who pickled and dried these preserved mustard greens?" Tianxuan was neither annoyed nor embarrassed, and asked Yaoguang with a smile.
Yao Guang thought for a moment and whispered, "Second Brother, you pickled and dried them."
“Since I pickled and dried them myself, what’s wrong with me taking some home for my family to try? Is that not allowed?” Tianxuan asked with a smile.
The little girl replied rather hesitantly, "I didn't say it wasn't allowed."
After speaking, he realized that everyone was looking at him, and he felt that he seemed a little cowardly. Had he embarrassed his mother and master?
So the little girl blinked her big eyes, sat up straight, and straightened her back: "I'm just very surprised and can't believe it. Second brother, your father is a fourth-rank prefect, a high-ranking official."
Why did you bring this dried plum vegetable home of all things? Um, second brother, could you please tell our parents, uncles, and aunts what kind of pickled and dried plum vegetable it is?
Upon hearing Yao Guang's words, Tian Xuan's smile immediately froze, and Tian Shu and the others also became somewhat uneasy.
"Fourth brother, what ingredients are used to pickle and dry these delicious preserved vegetables?" Ye Liangxian asked curiously, not noticing the expression on his fourth brother's face, his curiosity piqued by his cute little sister.
Tianxuan looked at Hong Xiaoduo across from her and asked her with her eyes, "This little girl is causing trouble, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Hong Xiaoduo picked up her cup and drank her milk tea with a carefree expression. It smelled so good, and she didn't seem to care at all.
Helpless, Tianxuan looked to her master for help again. In this situation, her master should be more reliable than someone else, right?
But his master only gave him a half-smile before picking up his wine cup, showing no intention of intervening.
"Fourth brother, is the recipe for pickling and drying this vegetable a secret?" Ye Liangxian pressed, the more his brother refused to tell him, the more curious he became.
"Ahem, there's nothing I can't say. There are several main ingredients for pickling and drying vegetables, such as leafy greens, wild garlic, radish greens, and pickled mustard greens." Tianxuan cleared her throat and said, having nowhere else to turn for help, she could only find a solution herself.
Great, Third Brother! I promised to make you some kebabs tomorrow night, but I've changed my mind! You're not getting any!
"Huh? Second brother, you're so cunning! You actually thought you could get away with such a vague explanation?" Just when Tianxuan thought the matter was over and wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, Yaoguang spoke up again.
"Little girl, that's enough! Are you never going to stop?" Tianxuan warned her younger sister with a look, seeing that she was getting annoyed.
"Yaoguang, since your second brother doesn't dare to say it, why don't you tell us?" From the conversation between Yaoguang and Tianxuan, their tone, and their expressions, the adults had more or less guessed that the ingredients of this dried plum vegetable might not be anything good.
Logically, they should have tried to change the subject and help Tianxuan out of the predicament.
However, this little girl grew up with Tianxuan. They had always suffered hardship, hunger, and abuse, and they would huddle together for warmth on snowy days.
Even though they are not blood-related siblings, they are closer than blood-related siblings. It wouldn't be right to let this little girl suffer in order to protect Tianxuan.
So, following Yao Guang's words, the old lady asked...
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