Yun Chu personally took the Yun family in to celebrate his birthday.
Three people came from the Yun family, Mrs. Lin of the Yun family, Liu Qianqian, the eldest sister-in-law of the Yun family, and Yun Ran, the second young lady of the Yun family.
"I wish the old birthday star the sun and the moon to shine together, and he will never grow old in the spring and autumn." Mrs. Lin ordered people to present congratulatory gifts. "A small gift cannot be regarded as a sign of respect. It is just an expression of my heart."
The birthday gift was a large-bellied vase that was as tall as a person. The vase was filled with beautiful peony flowers and inlaid with gold threads. It was extremely valuable and cost at least five hundred taels of silver.
Yunchu felt a little sorry for the money, but she couldn't tell her mother clearly about many things. Talking too much would make her mother anxious and worried about her life.
The ladies around them could tell from this birthday gift that the Yun family and the Xie family had to continue to live together.
With the Yun family as their backers, the ladies were a little more attentive to Mrs. Xie.
The female relatives accompanied the old lady to talk in the flower hall, while the men were entertained by Xie Jingyu, and accompanied by Xie Zhongcheng and Xie Shi'an.
Not long after, the time for the birthday banquet arrived, and everyone took their seats according to their status and rank.
At this moment, the guard at the door suddenly shouted: "Marquis Xuanwu is here!"
Old lady Xie's face showed surprise.
Marquis Xuanwu, that is an honorable person that the Xie family has no access to. She did not send an invitation to the Marquis Xuanwu Mansion, so how could the young Marquis come?
Xie Jingyu's expression suddenly changed, and he raised his head uglyly and looked at the person who walked in.
Marquis Xuanwu just inherited the title handed down from his ancestors three years ago. He is only in his early twenties this year. He is dressed in silver clothes and holding a paper fan in his hand. He looks elegant.
"Juniors are here to wish the old lady a birthday." Qin Mingheng walked in, closed the paper fan, and presented a congratulatory gift, "This is a snow cream that is only available in the palace. Young women will make their skin look like snow when applied, and old people will remove wrinkles when applied. , I am here to wish the old lady a happy birthday and may she stay younger as she lives."
When she heard that it was something from the palace, the old lady's eyes lit up and she stood up hurriedly and said, "Marquis Xuanwu came all the way to celebrate his birthday. It's really a shame for me."
"What are you talking about, old lady? Mr. Xie and I are close friends, so it's appropriate to come here to celebrate your birthday." Qin Mingheng looked at Xie Jingyu, "Why does Mr. Xie not seem to welcome me?"
Xie Jingyu clenched his fists tightly and said, "The arrival of Marquis Xuanwu has made me, Xie Jiapengpi, proud. Please take a seat."
Marquis is a noble title, ranking above all officials, so Qin Mingheng's position is above the Yun family, next to the main family's Xie Mansion.
There was Xie Jingyu and a passage between Yun Chu and the young Marquis.
She didn't know if she was being careless, but she felt that the young marquis' eyes always seemed to be on her since he entered the door.
When she looked around, the young Marquis was talking to someone else, as if she was being distracted.
Just when she thought she was overthinking, Qin Mingheng suddenly looked at her: "I heard that Mrs. Xie is terminally ill. Is she feeling better?"
Everyone who came to the banquet would ask something. Yunchu didn't feel anything was wrong and was about to reply.
Xie Jingyu took the lead and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis. Zhuo Jing only felt cold occasionally, and it's not as serious as the rumors. He is in much better health now."
As the head of the host family, Xie Zhongcheng stood up and said: "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend my mother's birthday banquet. It would be disrespectful to prepare a small amount of wine today. If there is any lack of hospitality, please bear with me. Now, let’s raise a glass to celebrate!”
Everyone present raised their glasses at the same time.
But when the wine hit their lips, everyone's expressions changed. The birthday banquet was considered a big event. I wonder how the Xie family could prepare such an ordinary drink.
But guests do as they please, and they drink whatever the host prepares, so naturally they won't specifically ask for it.
Only Qin Mingheng said: "Tsk, tsk, this is the first time I drink such a bland drink. Mr. Xie, your wine is just like you, too bland."
Xie Jingyu pursed his lips.
This Qin Mingheng was obviously looking for trouble, but due to his status, he couldn't drive the person out.
Yunchu also felt that Xuanwuhou seemed to be at odds with Xie Jingyu, but Xie Jingyu, a fifth-grade official, had no dealings with the Xungui family at all, so how could he offend Xuanwuhou?
However, this was not something she cared about. She sat in her seat, with a slight smile on her lips, and chatted with the ladies beside her.
At this time, the maids brought the dishes for the birthday banquet one by one.
Every table has the same dishes, four main dishes, four hot dishes, four cold dishes, and four fruit plates and snacks, which looks quite rich.
But Yunchu noticed that each dish was only filled with half a bowl. It was obvious that the people below were cutting corners.
Men may not pay attention to such trivial matters, but the ladies present are all heads of the family. How could they not see something fishy? They looked at each other and really didn't understand.
After all, the Xie family is a fifth-grade family. Although they come from a poor family, they should have some wealth after being an official for so many years. Why can't they even hold a decent birthday banquet.
Old lady Xie is starting to regret it now.
She shouldn't have left such a big event as a birthday banquet to Xie Ping, a girl who had not yet left the government.
Look at the eyes of those ladies, they are full of contempt and disdain, as if the Xie family is not worthy of being on the stage.
Xie Ping didn't dare to look at the old lady, she lowered her head and scolded He Xu bloody in her heart again.
"You don't know something." Yunchu said, "There is no rain in the south in the spring, which will lead to no harvest this autumn. There will definitely be a lot of refugees by then. The Xie family does not dare to be extravagant and wasteful in this birthday banquet, because it is a big birthday banquet. It can only allow the Xie family to earn some face, but if the money is used for disaster relief, it will definitely save dozens of lives. I think you all have a balance in your mind about whether face or human life is more important."
"Okay!" Qin Mingheng was the first to applaud, "Mrs. Xie is so concerned about the country and the people, it really makes us ashamed!"
The old lady really convinced her granddaughter-in-law, seeing that the birthday banquet was about to happen, but these words turned the Xie family's unhappiness into a blessing.
Even Marquis Xuanwu has applauded, now who dares to say that the Xie family's birthday banquet is not worthy of the spotlight?
Sure enough, the contempt in everyone's eyes faded a lot, and they smiled and said that the Xie family had great merits, and the old lady would definitely live a long and prosperous life.
The old lady picked up her chopsticks and said, "After chatting for so long, everyone must be hungry. Let's eat first."
The old lady took a bite of the crispy fish and couldn't help but admire it in her heart. It was indeed the Yun family's private dish. Even the dead fish could be made so delicious.
While she was sighing, a discordant sound came from below.
Qin Mingheng took a mouthful of meatballs and immediately vomited it. He said loudly: "I only knew that Mr. Xie was a doctor in the Ministry of Household Affairs. I never knew that Mr. Xie was actually a salt dealer."
The guests also started talking about it.
"This dish is too salty to eat."
"How can you be so salty that you can't hold it down even after drinking two cups of tea? You are deliberately salty to death."
"The cook of the Xie Mansion made such a big mistake, which shows that there is something wrong with the management of the back house. The head mistress is the eldest daughter of the Yun Mansion, so why can't she even take care of the house?"
"It's because Mrs. Xie has been ill recently. Look at her face. She probably hasn't recovered from her illness. How can she have the energy to take care of the affairs of the house? After all, it is the eldest daughter of the Xie family who has no talent for managing the family. The banquet was ruined."
"I heard that she was a concubine born out of a foreign wife. She took the title of the eldest daughter for nothing. How can she know how to manage a family?"
"Mrs. Xie helped to smooth things over just now. I see if this dish is salty, what else can I think of to say to smooth things over."
"..."
