Zhang Mansion, lunch.
At the Eight Immortals Table, Zhang Mingli, the eldest son of the Zhang family, was the first to see Zhang Yao come in. He turned his head, his face pale from years of illness. Seeing Zhang Yao, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Second brother is here."
Zhang Yao bowed in return.
Zhang Yao's biological mother, Madam Jiang, was once a concubine who was not worthy of being on the stage. Now she was barely a concubine in the Zhang family. She stood one step behind Madam Zhang's chair, with a humble attitude.
It was not until Mrs. Zhang, the dignified person sitting in the main seat, glanced at her coldly with no expression that Mrs. Jiang carefully sat down at the edge of the round stool.
After sitting down, Mrs. Jiang talked about the good news of meeting the Qin family, and her words were full of praise for the Qin family.
"Don't talk while eating." Mrs. Zhang said in a low voice. She didn't even look at Mrs. Jiang. Her eyes fell on the exquisite stir-fried dish in front of her. Her face showed her alienation and dissatisfaction with the concubine and her son without any concealment.
Zhang Guogong was in his prime, but he had difficulty in having children. He had only two sons in his huge mansion.
At this moment, his gaze fell solemnly on Zhang Yao. "It's been a while since you came to the capital. When you meet, you must remember all the proper etiquette and decorum. Don't do anything that's not worthy of public appearances. Don't let your words and actions bring disgrace upon the Zhang Guogong Mansion."
Seeing that Zhang Yao was just listening with a smile and didn't respond, Madam Jiang became anxious and hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply to Duke Zhang. "Don't worry, Yao'er is very polite and sensible. During these days in Beijing, has he ever made any mistakes?" As she spoke, she turned to look at Zhang Yao. "Yao'er, tell your father that you will be careful and not let the elders worry."
She paused, then turned to Madam Zhang and lowered her voice, "Let your mother rest assured too."
Mrs. Zhang found the meal tasteless, and sitting at the table with the mother and son made her feel uncomfortable in her stomach.
If Jiang had not been aware of the current situation and was not so timid, if she had not glanced at her sick son out of the corner of her eye, if she had not been sensible... as the wife of the main wife, how could she allow a concubine of a dirty background to enter the house with a bastard's son?
Mrs. Zhang quickly put down her almost untouched bowl and chopsticks, "I'm full, Mingli, accompany me to the garden for a walk and some fresh air."
Zhang Mingli obediently stood up and took his leave from his father. Duke Zhang gently said to his legitimate wife and son, "Go ahead. The garden is beautiful. Be careful not to tire Mingli."
Duke Zhang then got up and left on the pretext of official business, leaving only Zhang Yao and Madam Jiang, mother and son, at the large eight-immortals table.
Mrs. Jiang heaved a sigh of relief when everyone left. She quickly picked up her silver chopsticks to pick up some dishes, and specifically picked out the shiny and fragrant meat dishes and piled them into Zhang Yao's bowl.
She knew that her son had a strong taste and liked to eat meat, but the dishes in this mansion had always been tailored to the light appetites of Duke Zhang and his wife, their family of three.
As she picked up the food, she grumbled distressedly, "Look at you. I told you to move back home sooner rather than later. You're always hanging out in restaurants. How can the food out there compare to the clean, nourishing food at home? Look at you, you've lost weight. Eat more. You're not strong. Your future wife can't just be attracted by your looks, right?"
She had barely eaten a grain of rice in front of Mrs. Zhang just now, and now she had no time to eat, just looking at her son.
"I'm not eating anymore. I have something else to do." Zhang Yao didn't look at the full plate of food that Mrs. Jiang had picked for him.
"Where are you going again?"
"Official business." Zhang Yao stood up, took the warm, wet handkerchief beside him, and slowly wiped his slender fingers.
Jiang looked at the untouched food in front of him and felt aggrieved. She was not a fool. She didn't know when a distance between her and her son had been created.
There was a look of helplessness on her still beautiful face. Zhang Yao's outstanding appearance was mostly inherited from her.
She couldn't help but remind him again, "You must pay more attention to this appointment. You are not young anymore. I am still waiting for you to get married and have a wife to give me some grandchildren."
"Also, when you meet your eldest brother, you should take the initiative to greet him. Never let him greet you first. Be polite."
Jiang was truly worried sick. Her son was exceptional in every way, except for his troubled marriage. A few years ago, he had his eye on a perfect match: the daughter of a wealthy family, with all the right qualities. But the girl was unlucky. After the engagement, she was raped. The perpetrator remains unknown. A good girl, her innocence ruined, was found drowned while pregnant.
It's really the work of a thief.
Zhang Yao went out first, and Mrs. Jiang quietly pulled Ah Fu over and interrogated him.
Ah Fu just looked up at the sky and said that he would take a good look at it.
Mrs. Jiang looked at Ah Fu's sneaky look and poked his forehead in annoyance. Then she turned around and took out a few snacks that Ah Fu liked to eat from her sleeve and stuffed them into his hand.
Ah Fu had been with Zhang Yao for so long that he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice. Jiang Shi remembered this. Ah Fu's eyes lit up, and he devoured the snacks in a few mouthfuls, making Jiang Shi both angry and amused. "You kid, why are you still like a child, eating like a wolf and without manners?" Ah Fu was the one she had picked up and raised with Zhang Yao.
"Now that we've arrived in Beijing, we must observe proper etiquette and behave respectfully. We absolutely must not let others laugh at us."
Ah Fu nodded as he ate. Madam Jiang pinched Ah Fu's cheeks, which were chubby from eating. "Go back and follow your master. This marriage can't be delayed any longer."
Ah Fu pocketed the remaining snacks and ran away.
In the study, Zhang Yao was not reading.
He lay on his back on the couch by the window, with a book covering his face, half of which was hidden, revealing only his high nose bridge and a pair of tightly closed eyes with narrow corners.
Official business was just an excuse to satisfy my mother.
Ah Fu slid in and pulled out some warm snacks from his arms. "Master, something to eat? Or, how about I go to Linjianglou and order some food for you?"
I'm afraid no one sitting there could eat the lunch comfortably at the Zhang Mansion.
The Duke Zhang's mansion was huge. He had a wife and numerous concubines, but he had few children. The reason was that when he was young, he was too extravagant and played too much, which damaged his health. When he realized that he only had his eldest son, Zhang Mingli, he devoted all his energy to nurturing him carefully. However, Zhang Mingli had health problems and might die at any time.
Under such circumstances, if this son died, then Duke Zhang would be without descendants. At this time, Duke Zhang remembered that there was a woman in the countryside who had said that she had given birth to his son. Zhang Yao was then considered as a candidate to continue the incense and was taken back to the capital.
But who would have thought that Zhang Mingli, who was about to die at any time, could still be alive and survive. In fact, in the past two or three years, his health has shown some inexplicable signs of improvement.
Zhang Yao turned over and casually placed the back of his hand on his forehead, "Eat it yourself."
Ah Fu didn't know what he was thinking, but he was definitely in a bad mood. After all, being constantly urged to go see a man would be annoying. But when had the master ever been frustrated in a meeting? What girl hadn't been attracted to him? His appearance was the perfect example of a gentle man that young ladies would love.
Ah Fu was chewing the cake, muttering to himself that it was obviously he who should be worrying about his lifelong affairs.
--
"Madam Zhangguo and Madam Jiang will come together then." said Mrs. Zhou.
Wen Tang said "hmm", then asked about the relationship between the fifth lady and the young master of the Yang family.
Mrs. Zhou curled her lips, thinking that Zhao's recent coldness towards the eldest lady was most likely due to this matter. "She's upset that the fifth girl picked up what the fourth girl had left over, and she's feeling unhappy. But she doesn't think about the fact that no matter what happened in the past, as long as it's a good marriage for her daughter, it's a blessing."
"The date for the visit has been set. No matter how unhappy she is, she has to go and see it first." Wen Tang said.
Mrs. Zhou stopped talking about these boring things and turned to talk to Wen Tang about Yuanbao. Yuanbao was a capable little guy. In the past few days, he learned to stand up when he saw people. When he folded his two little paws together, he looked like he was bowing to people!
Mrs. Zhou gestured as she spoke.
The two of them talked happily, and Wen Tang couldn't help but smile sincerely. His eyebrows were curved, his eyes were shining, and his smile was sweet and innocent.
"What are you talking about? You look so happy." The deep male voice suddenly came from behind, which scared Mrs. Zhou. Qin Gong walked in and saw Mrs. Zhou's frightened look as if she had seen a ghost, and he couldn't help but frowning slightly.
Realizing that it was the master who had returned for lunch, Mrs. Zhou quickly suppressed her smile and resumed her usual cautious demeanor. She then said respectfully, "Master, you're back. Would you like to serve the meal now?"
Qin Gong did not answer, his eyes fell on Wen Tang first. He had just walked in and said something, which not only startled Mrs. Zhou, but also seemed to be frightened. When she saw him, her smile faded in an instant.
Qin Gong pursed his lips, glanced at the smile that had returned to her lips, and said nothing.
Wen Tang asked someone to serve tea, but Qin Gong did not take it.
Qin Gong was silent for a while, then he lifted his robe and sat down in the main seat. Then he looked at Wen Tang who was standing there, "Did I scare you by coming in suddenly just now?"
Qin Gong has always been busy with official duties and rarely returns home for lunch. He would only come back occasionally, and usually ask people around him to come back in advance to inform her. His sudden and silent return today was indeed unexpected, which surprised her a little, but not to the point of frightening her.
Wen Tang handed the teacup to him and said, "Nothing serious. It's just that Master came back so suddenly without informing me. I was a little surprised."
"You can't come back without informing someone in advance?" Qin Gong didn't touch the tea she handed him.
This was a stinging remark. Wen Tang had just been chatting and laughing with Mrs. Zhou, but now that he had disrupted things, most of his good mood had disappeared.
Why is this guy even more difficult to deal with during the day? At night, he just keeps silent and buries his head, but in broad daylight he knows how to talk and find fault.
Fortunately, Wen Tang had her own way of dealing with him. She raised her eyes and looked at Qin Gong with a smile. Seeing that he seemed to be avoiding her gaze, she wanted to sit down on the chair next to him. However, Qin Gong seemed to be deliberately trying to compete with her today. When she approached, he quietly moved away an inch, leaving Wen Tang's hand that wanted to hold his arm empty.
Wen Tang looked up at him again and asked, "Master, is your nose feeling better?"
Wen Tang was trying to show concern, but when Qin Gong heard this, he raised his hand to cover his nose. When he didn't feel the familiar warmth from last night, he lowered his head and glanced at her coldly with an unfriendly look.
"Master?" Wen Tang gently tugged at his sleeve.
"It's broad daylight, don't push me." Qin Gong stood up suddenly and said, "Let's go eat."
Lunch was dull. With Qin Gong, such an iceberg, around, Wen Tang naturally couldn't chat and laugh with Mrs. Zhou standing beside him as usual.
There was only the slight clinking of dishes and chopsticks on the dining table.
After finishing his meal, Qin Gong went to the study.
He sat behind his desk, picked up the file he had not finished reading in the morning and continued to review it. He picked up his pen to make comments. After he finished, he put down his pen and pinched his slightly furrowed brows.
After dinner, Qin Gong did not go to see the two children. Now he just wanted to bypass Wen Tang and go to see the two children.
He stood up, but before he took a step, his keen ears caught the sound of the study door being gently pushed open.
The door curtain moved slightly, and a corner of delicate pink fabric appeared timidly at the door.
Qin Gong's gaze froze for a moment, then he retracted it as if nothing had happened, returning to his chair. He had just admonished her last night to dress appropriately at home, and she had forgotten it after just one night, even going so far as to change into this outfit.
He shifted his gaze and glanced over. The pink color stopped behind the door curtain, swaying slightly, as if hesitating whether to come in.
Qin Gong looked at it quietly for a moment before picking up the file on the desk that had already been processed. His eyes fell on the lines of text. Without raising his head, he uttered a single word in a deep voice, "Enter."