Mu Qingyang, the head of the Mu Mansion, is very busy on weekdays and often returns home late at night. Therefore, dinner in the Mu Mansion is often served in their own courtyards. It is rare for everyone to gather in the dining room to eat.
On this day, Mu Qingyang returned home early. Lin and Xia were sitting on both sides of him. On the other side of Lin was the fourth lady, Meng, followed by Jiang and Liu, who had recently entered the house in the past few years.
Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Liu are all in their twenties. Mrs. Jiang comes from a scholarly family, while Mrs. Liu is the daughter of a merchant. Both of them were brought into the house by Mu Qingyang after they met while doing business outside.
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Mu Qingyang didn't have many children. In addition to Liu Yun and Yu Chen, the legitimate children, there were also Lin's children Lan Xi and Hong Jing, Xia's daughter Jin Han, the fourth wife Meng's daughters Siya and Jiang.
Madam Liu and Madam Liu had become pregnant a few years after they entered the palace, but unfortunately they both had miscarriages before full term, and no other lady had ever been pregnant since then.
Among the daughters, Lan Xi is the most outstanding. She is proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is known as the most talented girl in Linyang City, so she is the most favored by Mu Qingyang. Liuyun is eccentric, Jinhan is introverted, elegant and vulgar, no wonder
Mu Qingyang loves Lan Xi the most.
Liu Yun was the last one to arrive. As soon as she stepped into the dining room, countless eyes were cast towards her, with different expressions. However, Liu Yun looked at no one indifferently and walked straight towards Mu Qingyang. Then he blessed himself slightly.
"Dad, my daughter is late."
Such decency and courtesy surprised everyone.
"Let's take a seat." Mu Qingyang waved her hand, and Liu Yun sat next to Yu Chen, and the servants began to serve the dishes.
Ms. Lin was not yet forty, but she was well-kept and radiant. She covered her mouth with a smile and said: "Everyone happens to be here today. Let's try these new dishes in the kitchen. This is the main part of the old lady's birthday banquet."
Eighteen dishes.”
Mu Qingyang glanced at Mrs. Lin beside her and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your hard work, Ruyu."
"What did the master say? I can't even be happy that I can organize a birthday banquet for the old lady." Mrs. Lin smiled at Mu Qingyang, with anticipation in her eyes, as if she was inviting something, Mu Qingyang looked towards
She nodded slightly, then lowered her head shyly.
Mrs. Xia didn't say anything, but Ms. Liu, who was sitting at the end, couldn't help raising her eyebrows and mocking her, "My sister is so busy, I feel so sorry for you."
"Poor talk." Mu Qingyang was very fond of the Liu family. Among the concubines, she was the only one who was outspoken. After seeing so many dignified and generous ladies, such a woman with a bit of coquettishness and shrewdness was somewhat attractive.
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Mrs. Lin's expression was stagnant, and just as she was about to speak, the steward of the kitchen had already led a group of servants to serve the dishes. He stood beside them and introduced them, "These are three fresh scallops, prawns with hibiscus, money spinning silk, and phoenix spreading its wings.
Golden cake duck tongue, snow-yue mutton, bergamot golden roll, pearl mandarin fish, mandarin duck fish and dates..."
Liu Yun looked at the exquisite dishes in front of him and suddenly remembered some things from his previous life. Mrs. Lin also prepared for her grandmother's birthday banquet in this way, trying her best to present the most luxurious delicacies from the mountains and seas, and also invited retired members of the palace.
The old imperial chef was in charge, and he did all kinds of tricks to please the old lady.
Who would have thought that the old lady was a vegetarian and had always been thrifty. When she saw such a rare and exotic beast on the dining table, she felt extremely hateful. However, she prevented the guests from getting angry. Mrs. Lin did not take any credit, but gave all the credit to her.
Liuyun, Liuyun didn't know the meaning of it, and even went to the old lady to ask for credit. Since then, the old lady's original sympathy for Liuyun who lost his biological mother prematurely disappeared.
Now that I think about it, if the old lady had some sympathy for Liu Yun and was willing to come to save her life, she might not have died. But Liu Yun couldn't guess whether Lin did it on purpose or found out.
It was only because of the old lady's displeasure that Liu Yun temporarily pushed the matter onto Liu Yun. Later, Liu Yun was treated coldly by the old lady and complained to Mrs. Lin. Lin even reassured her that the old lady had always been like this and told her not to worry about it.
Now that I think about it, she has really acted as a shield many times.
"Why don't the eldest lady move her chopsticks? Don't you like eating?" Mrs. Lin squinted her eyes and smiled warmly at her, "Is it your fault that you haven't recovered from your illness yet? I'm too anxious. You should wait until the eldest lady gets better.
Try these dishes.”
These words are strange. At first glance, it sounds like Liuyun is the one who calls the shots in Mu Mansion.
Mu Qingyang's expression changed as expected. Mrs. Xia glanced at Mrs. Lin without leaving any trace. Yuchen frowned and looked at Liuyun worriedly. If Liuyun accepted it casually at this time, it would definitely arouse her father's resentment.
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But this time, Liu Yun smiled and said, "Whatever the second aunt said, as long as dad likes it, Liu Yun will naturally like it."
"Liu Yun's mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter." Xia licked her lips at Mu Qingyang, and Mu Qingyang also smiled, dispelling the awkward atmosphere.
"But daddy can't eat this Xueyue mutton." After Liu Yun finished speaking, he glanced at Wan Qing beside him. Wan Qing immediately walked over and moved the plate away. Mu Qingyang looked at her daughter in surprise.
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"Why can't dad eat Xueyue mutton?" Meng's daughter Siya asked curiously.
"Aunt Xia mentioned yesterday that my father's liver fire has been excessive recently. I asked Qianlan specifically. Qianlan said that the deficiency of liver fire is caused by staying up late and being busy. He should avoid eating hot foods and eat more vegetarian and light foods. This is
Isn't Xueyue mutton the most popular dish?" Finally, she said to the kitchen steward, "You are responsible for my father's diet. You should pay more attention. Don't take money and do nothing. Let this lady know.
, keep it for you so you can’t eat it and carry it around.”
Such false and true words surprised everyone at the table. Such a domineering and overbearing attitude was clearly the eldest lady, but how could their overbearing eldest lady say such well-organized words? It was really surprising.
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"Yes, I understand." The kitchen steward immediately bowed his head and nodded in agreement.
"The eldest lady has grown up and knows how to care about the master's health." Xia's voice was still soft, ringing in Mu Qingyang's ears, making Mu Qingyang's expression soften a bit.
Suspicion flashed in Mrs. Lin's eyes, but she suppressed it secretly. She also laughed and said, "Yes, the eldest lady is sensible. If Madam is alive, she will be very happy."
When Mu Qingyang mentioned his deceased wife, he was slightly absent-minded. After a while, he nodded, "Yes, Liu Yun has grown up."
After that, everyone at the table returned their attention to the delicious food on the table, but no one remembered that today was a test dish, prepared for the birthday banquet in the near future.
Liuyun smiled without leaving a trace, that's fine. This table of luxurious delicacies is a good weapon. How can anyone find anything wrong with it?
But what she didn't notice was that the slight smile on her lips was caught by Yu Chen beside her. Her taciturn younger brother glanced at her and immediately looked away, with a strange color flashing in his eyes.