But when she looked at Wang Lengran, who had a stern look on her face, her stern and cold face made even a fool see the disgust and disgust in it.
What's more, there are a hall full of distinguished nobles and celebrities.
It was only because of Xie's upbringing and the mellow family tradition of not humiliating gentry scholars in public for six hundred years that he did not break out on the spot.
The banquet continued as planned.
It's just that tonight's birthday girl has already run away with others, so naturally the rest of the session is just a formality, with Xie Xue'e appeasing the guests and apologizing.
In front of the table, Wang Lengran was sitting on pins and needles, even though Xie Xue'e had never looked at her since she had stared coldly for a while.
But Wang Lengran still felt hot on his face as he sat among the guests who were famous in Jiangnan Road.
Losing face.
As things have developed to this point, the verbal reactions of the distinguished guests around have already pieced together the overall picture of the incident.
Wang Lengran didn't know that Xie Xue'e's pressure on Ouyang Rong was their own family matter.
From beginning to end, he was the only outsider jumping up and down.
Even Xie Xue'e just agreed to his proposal and took out Ouyang Rong's gifts and opened them in public, probably to help Ouyang Rong clear away the corruption suspicion of "giving expensive gifts"...
When I think of the fact that not long ago, he was a dignified governor of a state, but in the eyes of the old nobles who had seen tonight's incident of "Xie's suppression of his son-in-law", he looked like a clown.
Wang Lengran's face looked like an overripe rotten eggplant, with patches of blue and purple.
Master Sihui asked carefully: "Master Wang, are you okay?"
"No...it's okay."
"But why is your face so red..."
"Hahaha, I'm too greedy for the good wine tonight, I'm too greedy for the drink."
Wang Lengran forced a laugh twice and said haha.
"laugh."
There seemed to be a few disdainful sneers from the nobles coming from the dining table next door.
Wang Lengran's smile froze, a burst of energy and blood rushed to his head, his fists clenched and trembled, but he did not dare to turn around and look over there.
He even had to keep his smile unchanged.
Wang Lengran faintly heard the voice coming from behind, the voice of Uncle Qin, a veteran and noble man with deep connections in the army.
The old man told the younger generation around him in a calm tone not to invite some "miscellaneous people" from Jiangzhou to banquets and celebrations related to the Qin family in the future.
Master Sihui, Daochang Qin and other Jiangzhou celebrities who were sitting at the table with a certain "miscellaneous person" couldn't help but look at him sideways.
The person who was originally going to say a few words of relief quietly closed his mouth.
Afterwards, they calmly moved away from Wang Lengran, and some of them even turned their heads to look at the door, where a certain Jiang governor held the hand of the noble daughter of the Xie family and left.
By now, everyone can see the inner meaning of the dinner party held tonight by Madam Xie and Mr. Xie of Chen County:
In addition to supporting the daughter of the Xie family in accordance with tradition and routinely "humiliating" her own son-in-law in public, she is also implicitly supporting Ouyang Lianghan, the newly appointed son-in-law.
Perhaps the Xie family of Chen County would not interfere in Jiangzhou affairs, and would not take a clear-cut stand and get involved in the Liwei dispute.
But Ouyang Lianghan, as the new son-in-law of the Xie family, would not allow outsiders to insult him, especially in Jiangnan Road.
Even if in the unlikely event that he fails in the struggle, everyone should treat him a little less favorably and not be too desperate because of his status as the new son-in-law of this century-old family.
It's almost an upright declaration.
Of course, it also has the purpose of introducing Ouyang Lianghan to the old nobles of Jiangnan Province and attracting him into the circle.
Some circles are not something you can join if you have money or even power.
Let's not mention money. Look at Pei Shisanniang, a wealthy salt merchant. Isn't she still trying her best to please and befriend Ouyang Rong?
The seemingly glamorous power of officials such as the governor of Jiangxi also has a shelf life and cannot be held for a long time. They may lose power one day.
Therefore, tonight, the old nobles from all over Jiangnan Province, as well as Xie Xue'e, who represents the Xie family, can turn cold faces on Wang Lengran, the governor of Jiangzhou, who is a big official, and even sneer behind his back.
A circle similar to the nobles, just like old money, needs a kind of solidification of class that has completed a reasonable transformation. This is the long-term wealth, which is often said to be a noble man.
One of the most concise and efficient ways to achieve identity recognition is through blood or marriage...
At this moment, I was listening to Uncle Qin and other veteran nobles around me talk about and smile kindly towards a young man with fox-white fur.
Needless to say, in the future, the concierge of Lord Changshi's residence will inevitably have to carefully receive invitations to banquets from various princes and nobles, and the dress he wears for each banquet may have to be that of Lord Changshi.
Little troubles for adults.
Daochang Qin and other local celebrities in Jiangzhou were somewhat envious.
These are the glorious benefits of marrying a noble woman with the fifth surname. This does not include the added honor to the family name, etc. There will be various invisible gains for the rest of your life, which will bring face bonus to the individual and the family.
The above is especially true for a poor scholar.
A certain Jiangzhou governor also understood this, and his feelings of envy and regret were beyond words. After a while, as soon as the banquet was over, he felt restless and hurriedly said goodbye and left this humiliating hall.
Since then, the Jiangzhou governor's reputation has been tarnished in the circle of distinguished nobles and nobles in Jiangnan. Even the attitude of Jiangzhou's elite circles towards him may have become subtle...
No one paid attention to Wang Lengran's back as he left the scene dejectedly.
Xie Xue'e kept smiling and stood at the door of Xunyang Tower, sending away the distinguished guests attending the banquet in the cool river breeze.
All I could see was the dark night on the horizon, suddenly covered with silver snakes.
Boom——!
The thunder came belatedly.
Water drops hit the eaves above everyone's heads in front of the door.
The sound of rain outside the building changed from sparse to frequent and loud.
A little bit of rain blown by the river wind hit the hems of Xie Xue'e and Uncle Qin who were about to leave.
"Thank you, little lady, please come back. I've worked hard tonight to help my niece...it's raining."
Uncle Qin took the umbrella handed by the junior, turned around and said with a smile:
"The gift from your son-in-law is quite unpredictable."
Mentioning someone and a gift, Xie Xue'e's mouth twitched, helplessly:
"Tonight, I made Uncle Qin laugh."
"No, no." Uncle Qin waved his hands heartily, turned to look at the rain curtain hanging from the eaves, and sighed:
"Well, it's great to be young. Flowers will bloom again and no one will be young again."
After saying that, the tall old man took the junior entourage and left under an umbrella. Before leaving, he did not forget to say a smile and tease the lady:
"It will rain a little today, and my wife will get married, hahahaha."
Xie Xue'e laughed and shook her head.
After the guests finished leaving, she turned her head and looked at the rain curtain, frowning slightly.
"Speaking of which, did you achieve your goal tonight, or did you fail? Well, why did it end up like this? It didn't scare that kid at all."
The noble lady Bu Yao had a complicated look on her face.
Tonight, she and Mrs. Xie were clearly going to support Seventeenth Mother and show off her rich and noble wealth, in order to wake up a certain stupid person.
But now it seems that Yu Mu's head has been awakened, but this awakening is too complete. He does not treat her and everyone as outsiders at all, and directly takes away the seventeenth mother in public. This progress is too fast.
Yes, although it’s not impossible...
But in the end, the stall was lost and she had to stay and clean it up.
Although Seventeenth Mother's expression at that time seemed to be very happy, Xie Xue'e certainly knew that her niece must be satisfied with tonight with her silly look.
But as her sister-in-law, she felt a little unhappy... This guy didn't follow her script at all.
Xie Xue'e couldn't help but turn her head and look at the rain curtain in front of her that was getting heavier and heavier and gradually became hazy and foggy. She frowned and muttered:
"Let her eat? But it's windy and rainy outside. Where is this kid going to take my seventeenth mother?"
…
After leaving the hall on the first floor filled with heaters, I just walked out of the door and felt the river breeze blowing on my face, refreshing and refreshing.
But Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang intertwined their fingers, and the hands they held together became tighter and tighter.
The two held each other tightly, afraid of losing each other for a moment.
Ouyang Rong strode forward, leading her forward.
Xie Lingjiang held a precious oil-paper umbrella in one arm and followed step by step. His face was a little dazed and his pink cheeks were getting hotter.
The scattered passers-by around them stopped curiously and looked at this strange man and woman.
Ouyang Rong didn't care at all about the gazes around him and moved forward without squinting.
He didn't know where he was going. He just wanted to lead his little junior sister out. After going out, he didn't even know the direction and plunged into the beautiful night beside the Xunyang River.
Ouyang Rong felt that the palms of his hands were covered with sweat. He didn't know whether it was his junior sister's sweat or his own sweat.
Her bare hands were like catkins, soft, moist and warm, like a piece of warm Hetian jade that could squeeze out water, which made his heart flutter, and he couldn't help but squeeze it...and then squeeze it again.
The stunning little girl behind her seemed to have realized something. She noticed the gazes of passers-by and her cheeks turned red. Fortunately, the night covered her face, otherwise she would have been too embarrassed to see people.
Ouyang Rong felt the little junior sister's hand behind him retract with slight force, and struggled symbolically.
He still didn't let go, and even held it tighter.
Finally, walking to a deserted path, Xie Lingjiang's weak voice came:
"Please let go and I'll tie up the hem of your skirt so it won't get in the way when you walk. Wait... we'll hold hands later."
When it comes to the last word "holding hands", she is as weak as a mosquito.
Ouyang Rong stopped and turned around. Xie Lingjiang had no time to brake and ran into his arms.
Ouyang Rong took advantage of the situation and held her shoulders. Just when he was about to look into her eyes and speak, Xie Lingjiang immediately knelt down and tied the hem of her skirt in a panic.
Xie Ling Jiang lowered her head and blushed. The man's breath that hit her face just now made her heart beat fast. She almost thought that the senior brother was going to kiss her domineeringly.
But after shyly ducking down to avoid it, Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt regretful in his heart. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
She raised her head with a guilty conscience and was about to explain, but saw her senior brother also squatting down and pulling out the skirt knife from his waist.
The young man in fox white fur lowered his head and cut off the hem of the stunning little girl's long skirt that was touching the floor.
But he didn't throw it away as Xie Lingjiang expected. He rolled up the skirt of his dress, which he regarded as a treasure, and stuffed it into his arms.
Stand up again and pull her up again.
"Okay." Ouyang Rong calmly sheathed his sword.
Xie Lingjiang: "..."
Ouyang Rong asked: "Feeling distressed?"
Xie Lingjiang shook his head, then smiled and looked at the confused him with bright eyes.
Ouyang Rong asked blankly:
"What are you laughing at?"
Xie Lingjiang turned his gaze away and mustered up the courage to curse: "You are really stupid."
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and smiled. Thinking back carefully, he was indeed a straight man in doing things, purely based on intuition.
Ouyang Rong suddenly said: "But doesn't someone just like elm heads?"
A certain "Old Love Talk Assassin" smiled and extended his palm, tilting his head slightly to signal her.
"snort."
Xie Lingjiang silently raised his hand halfway, shrank back, raised his face, puffed up his cheeks and asked:
"Let me tell you first, what is our relationship now?"
Ouyang Rong raised his palm, gently lifted up a few strands of hair hanging down her forehead, and rolled it behind her delicate right ear.
Then his two fingers couldn't help but pinch Xie Lingjiang's round and round chin, which was so fleshy.
The young man with fox-white fur didn't say anything, but carefully combed her hair and looked at her with gentle eyes.
Everything is left unsaid.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt a surge of sweetness in his heart, the sweetness that comes after all the hardships.
She took the initiative to grab his palm.
"where are we going?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a while: "Go back to Huaiye Lane first. I was walking in a hurry just now and forgot to call the carriage, but now I'm halfway there, so I might as well walk back."
"Okay." Xie Lingjiang said immediately.
Ouyang Rong held her hand and continued to walk on the road, but after only taking a few steps, thunder suddenly sounded above his head.
Immediately, it rained heavily.
"Oops, why is it raining?"
"Where's the umbrella?"
"oh!"
An oil-paper umbrella was opened, and the two of them were huddled under the umbrella, shoulder to shoulder.
She holds the umbrella handle in her left hand.
In his right hand he holds catkins and an umbrella handle.
Ouyang Rong quietly turned aside and gave up half of his shoulder space.
A certain delicate figure under the umbrella moved quietly and gave up half of her shoulder.
As a result, this "no tacit understanding" of humility caused both of them to get half wet.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and suddenly a strong river wind mixed with rain swept towards the two of them. The bamboo oil-paper umbrella rattled, and the ribs became difficult to hold and began to bend.
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang were immediately soaked to the skin.
The latter cried out sweetly, but Ouyang Rong suddenly laughed and looked up at the rain: "Hahaha, using an umbrella is just like not using one at all, forget it."
He threw the oil-paper umbrella worth eight thousand taels into the wind and rain.
Hold the important people around you and run forward.
"Yeah, my umbrella!" Xie Lingjiang turned around, his beautiful eyes widening.
"You're so stupid. Stop holding an umbrella. Let's go quickly and find a place to hide from the rain."
In the wind and rain, he continued to say loudly:
"If you like it, I will make an umbrella for you every day to protect you from wind and rain."
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and shouted loudly amidst the thunder and rain:
"Okay! This is what you said, Ouyang Lianghan, you can't lie to me!"
After a pause, the stunning little girl turned her wet pretty face and said seriously:
"Also, you are not allowed to default on my longevity noodles."
Ouyang Rong nodded helplessly: "Okay, okay!"
The stern-faced Xie Lingjiang suddenly broke into a smile, the corners of her lips curled up sweetly, and she followed him forward very obediently.
Wherever the eldest brother goes, she will follow him, and she is not afraid of getting wet in the rain.
After a while, the two of them turned a street and suddenly saw a temple standing in front of them in the rain. The lamps were dazzling and the temple door was not closed.
Ouyang Rong turned around and said, "We can't go back to Huaiye Lane in time. Let's go to the temple to take shelter from the rain and warm up the fire. This kind of temple in the city should have a guesthouse for the donors to stay overnight."
"good."
The two hurriedly ran away, knowing that it would be faster if they let go and each ran his own way, but they clumsily held hands.
After a while, I finally rushed into the temple.
After a while, several monks who were keeping vigil in the main hall of the temple saw two wet figures rushing into the main hall from the rain curtain.
This pair of handsome men and women looked at each other as if there was no one else around. They both put their hands on their knees and panted. When they saw each other soaked in water, they both smiled stupidly.
Several monks were stunned for a moment.
Let’s call the next chapter a short story after the rain.