Chapter 557: Mutton Soup (8)
Chopped spring onions were floating on the surface of the thick, milky white soup as steam billowed up from the fish-patterned claypot. It looked extremely tasty, giving He Ying the urge to taste it for herself.
He Ying thought that she had made herself more than clear. Anyone with the slightest bit of brains would definitely invite her to have a taste immediately.
Unfortunately, she was up against the ‘strange’ couple of He Sanlang and Chu Lian!
Chu Lian took a pause in drinking her soup to shoot a look at Xiyan behind her.
Xiyan blinked in surprise before she caught her master’s intentions.
She was all smiles as she explained to He Ying, “If I might reply to Eldest Madam, this is mutton soup. Our Third Young Madam made this herself with a special recipe. It’s completely different from the mutton soup available in the markets now. Not only is it fresh to the taste and thick in texture, it doesn’t have the usual odour of meat that you might find in normal mutton soup. It’s a perfect complement to any dish. Even Third Young Master has never tried such a marvellous delicacy before…”
Xiyan did her utmost best to describe how delicious the mutton soup was, but what was missing from her words was any hint of an invite for He Ying and her daughter to taste the soup.
Eldest Madam and Miss Pan were already starving. Xiyan’s descriptions only added to the fire of hunger in their bellies, yet they weren’t able to have any taste of the feast before them. Eldest Madam almost flipped the table in her frustration.
However, they didn’t have any other choice. If Chu Lian refused to take the initiative to give them some, they weren’t so shameless as to take it without asking.
Eldest Madam chuckled with an ugly grimace.
Meanwhile, Chu Lian was enjoying their interactions with a touch of schadenfreude. They had clearly come without any good intentions, so they could dream on if they wanted to eat any of the mutton soup she had made!
Although she had failed at getting any of the delicacies before her and was on the verge of spitting up blood from frustration, Eldest Madam wasn’t going to give up without getting what she had come for.
She bore with the hunger gnawing at her belly and said, “I heard that you attended your sister’s coming-of-age ceremony today, but why are you back so early? Don’t most ceremonies end in the late afternoon? Unless—” He Ying dragged out the word, adding on another layer of meaning in her tone, “Unless you’ve somehow gotten into a spot of unpleasantness with your sisters back at home?”
Even though Chu Lian had indeed run into some trouble at the Ying Estate, especially with the second branch, she couldn’t badmouth House Ying in front of others, since it was her maiden house. It would only reflect badly on her instead.
Eldest Madam had chosen her words well. She had planted a nice trap for Chu Lian.
This time, no matter what Chu Lian answered, she would be at a disadvantage.
It seemed like even Eldest Madam had her moments of wit.
Before Chu Lian could reply, He Changdi had already spoken up, “Aunt, since Grandmother has entrusted Guilin Restaurant to you to manage, you should know what your priorities are. I’m the one who told Lian’er to return home earlier today. Are you going to question me for the reason?”
He Ying was stunned speechless by He Sanlang’s words. She hadn’t thought that the taciturn He Changdi would pick this moment to speak up and defend Chu Lian. He hadn’t been like this back when Miaozhen had almost miscarried.
Despite the anger in her heart, He Ying didn’t have any measures to deal with He Changdi, whose status was greater than everyone in the entire Jing’an Estate.
With her little bit of intelligence, she was still able to surmise that the one person she couldn’t afford to offend in the estate was He Sanlang. If she ever did so, she and her daughter wouldn’t be able to continue having the sweet lives they had now.
What a pity that she hadn’t realised that offending his wife was a far greater offence in He Changdi’s eyes, compared to offending him.
“Sanlang, what are you saying! I’m only asking because I care about you two!”
He Changdi shot a cold glare at her and remained silent.
Thus, He Ying had no choice but to abandon this line of conversation. The gears in her head turned. Since she had already lowered herself to come to Songtao Court, she couldn’t possibly leave without getting something in return!
“Sanlang, since you mentioned Guilin Restaurant, I’ll be honest with you. There have been some problems with Guilin Restaurant. I was wondering if you would be able to help your dear aunt a little. I’m doing this for the good of our estate after all. Think about it, if our public coffers grow richer, then your third branch will have more to spend as well, won’t it?”
Since He Changdi had already taken over the conversation, Chu Lian let him continue talking to Eldest Madam without any interruption.
Now that He Ying had mentioned Guilin Restaurant, her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know how He Changdi was going to reply to her.
It would be impossible for her to continue helping Guilin Restaurant to earn money. Even if He Sanlang agreed to it on her behalf, she would reject him on the spot.
As her thoughts were wandering, He Changdi finally replied, “Has your age caught up to you, Aunt? Or is your memory going bad? Have you forgotten what Lian’er said when she returned Guilin Restaurant?”
He Ying froze up completely. He Changdi hadn’t left a single shred of dignity for her in his words! She was still his senior family member after all! As well as his only aunt!
However, He Changdi couldn’t be bothered with their feelings. His expression darkened and became even more frostier than before, “It’s getting late. Since you’re helping Grandmother with managing the household, you must have plenty on your plate. It’s about time for dinner too. Why don’t you head back to Qingxi Hall first, Aunt? You should spend more time with Grandmother.”
He Ying didn’t think that He Changdi would chase her out with such frank words. Her eyes were still widened from her shock when Chu Lian’s handmaids, Wenqing and Wenlan, moved over to her side and ‘invited’ her to leave with smiles on their faces.
Thus, He Ying and her daughter unwillingly left Songtao Court.
It wasn’t until they were far away from the accursed place that He Ying let out an indignant stream of rants that she had been keeping in.
