Xu Lian'er's mouth twitched, feeling that her sister was especially off today, but she couldn't care less. If Xu Wan, that seductive fox, stayed any longer, she would go mad.
So she stood up and hurried to find Minister Xu, but just as she was about to leave, Chen Yunyu immediately looked over.
Both sisters were startled.
Xu Lian'er quickly pulled Xu Wan up as well, saying, "Sister, you should come with me."
Otherwise, leaving her alone here would just give them another chance to be together.
Xu Wan, as if seeing a savior, nodded repeatedly, "Great idea, my dear sister!"
Xu Lian'er: "..."
Had she been driven mad by that rebellious son in the Marquis's manor?
Otherwise, why was she suddenly so affectionate with her?
"Hurry, sister, I'm in a bit of a rush," Xu Wan urged, dragging Xu Lian'er out.
Xu Lian'er: "???"
Who exactly was in a rush here!
But it was rare for these half-sisters to be on the same page, so they went together to ask Minister Xu to let Xu Wan leave.
Minister Xu, if not for the sake of face, didn't want to see Xu Wan's disobedient face any longer. But since Xu Lian'er had already come up with a reason, he quickly waved his hand and let Xu Wan go.
In the main hall, the food was already served.
The little devil, Zong Jincheng, hadn't even picked up his chopsticks when he was told they had to go home. He stood up with a start, feeling utterly absurd, and said to Chen Yunyu, "You're not even letting us eat? You're really something."
Chen Yunyu: "??"
Who said you couldn't eat?
What does this have to do with me??
But he couldn't bother arguing with Zong Jincheng at the moment and quickly went out to ask what was going on. He heard that Xu Wan was feeling unwell and immediately became anxious, "What's wrong? Sister-in-law was fine just now."
Xu Lian'er's face darkened further, feeling that her new husband's concern for Xu Wan was excessive.
But she forced herself to suppress her jealousy and softly explained, "Sister caught a chill yesterday and came today just to support us. Now she's really feeling unwell, so I spoke to Father, and we'll invite her to the manor another day."
Chen Yunyu pondered, "Sister-in-law has worked hard. Alright, we'll invite her to Duke Jin's Manor another day and make up for today's lack of hospitality."
Xu Lian'er's heart burned with anger. She wished she could never let Chen Yunyu see Xu Wan again, but her husband wanted to invite Xu Wan to Duke Jin's Manor. Why? That was her home, and she didn't want Xu Wan there!
Xu Lian'er outwardly complied but inwardly vowed to take control of Duke Jin's Manor as soon as possible and never let Xu Wan set foot in her home again!
Meanwhile, Zong Jincheng was still making a fuss, but Zong Wenxiu covered his mouth and dragged him out, muffling his protests, leaving only his arms flailing in the air.
Once stuffed into the carriage, Zong Jincheng finally regained his freedom and howled, "This is outrageous! The food was on the table, and they wouldn't let us eat. How rude!"
He had finally managed to annoy that pretentious Chen Yunyu, but he didn't even get to see him lose his appetite. It was so unsatisfying!
Zong Wenxiu quickly explained, "These people are all strange. It's better not to eat with them. Our Marquis's manor has better food anyway."
Zong Jincheng then replied, "True, our Marquis's manor's cooking is the best in the capital. The Xu family's food is just so-so."
Xu Wan sat in the carriage for a while before she felt safe again, only to realize she had been acting like she was fleeing for her life. When she turned her head, she heard Zong Jincheng's comment and instinctively replied, "It really is just so-so, not tasty."
Zong Jincheng was a bit surprised. This woman actually agreed with him.
How unexpected.
Was the sun rising from the west today?
He lifted the carriage curtain to look outside...
Oh, never mind.
"Gurgle..." Someone's stomach suddenly growled.
The carriage fell silent for a moment before all three of them burst into laughter.
Xu Wan teased, "Looks like we won't make it back to the Marquis's manor for lunch."
Zong Wenxiu scratched his head sheepishly. He thought it was his brother's stomach that had growled, no wonder he was so annoyed earlier.
Xu Wan instructed the outside, "Cui Zhi, find a nearby restaurant. We'll eat there."
"Yes, Madam."
Zuixiang House.
As they walked in, Zong Jincheng was still muttering, "I’m warning you, a meal here costs at least dozens of taels. It's very expensive."
Since Xu Wan had cut off all his funds, he hadn't been to such a place in months.
And now he was very sensitive about money. Just thinking about how many copper coins it would convert into made it feel like an enormous expense.
Xu Wan smiled, "Expensive or not, it's my treat. I don’t want to starve two delicate little children to death."
"Haha..." Zong Wenxiu laughed.
Zong Jincheng stuck his tongue out at her and bounced inside.
"Ah, Young Master Zong is here! Please, come in!"
Zong Jincheng, the infamous spendthrift of the capital, was recognized by the owners of every high-end restaurant. As soon as he entered, he was spotted, and the waiter hurried to serve him properly.
Xu Wan secretly clicked her tongue. This kid really could get by on his face anywhere. Fortunately, Steward Liu had already informed these establishments that they wouldn’t cover any debts, or else they really wouldn’t be able to stop that brat.
"Young Master Zong, Madam Zong, I’ll take you to the best private room."
Xu Wan waved her hand, "No need, just find us a table by the window."
"Of course."
The three of them went up to the second floor, where the window seat offered a view of the street below. The weather in May was already slightly warm, and the breeze was comfortably cool.
"Braised carp, roasted lamb, five-flavored goose, sliced perch, pickled winter melon..."
Zong Jincheng didn’t even need to look at the menu, rattling off dish names one after another. The waiter's smile grew wider and wider, until his eyes were nearly shut.
Zong Wenxiu watched in awe, while Xu Wan idly observed the young master's performance.
When it came to food, no child could resist. Although the Marquis's manor's chef was also excellent, Zong Jincheng was clearly much happier eating out. His round little face beamed with joy, so heartwarming that it made one’s heart melt like a pool of spring water, wanting to give him the best things in the world.
Xu Wan had never been a mother before, and this was the first time she had felt this way. She silently sighed to herself, "They say a doting mother spoils the child, but what mother wouldn’t want to lovingly pamper her child?"
But her moment of maternal affection didn’t last long before Xu Wan couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted, "Alright, that’s enough. We can’t possibly finish all that."
In the blink of an eye, the little rascal had already ordered ten dishes.
Xu Wan watched the waiter happily rush off to place the order, her mouth twitching. That little devil was really too good at charming people. She hadn’t kept an eye on him for just a moment, and he had already gone wild.
Xu Wan tried to salvage the situation, "Ten dishes. Let’s try to finish them. If we can’t, we’ll take the leftovers back to the Marquis's manor and eat them tonight."
Zong Jincheng: "!!!"
Completely incomprehensible!
The little devil stood up from the table and protested loudly, "Who takes leftovers home after eating out!"
