She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 350 - 349: Heard the Cheese is Extremely Delicious

Chapter 350: Chapter 349: Heard the Cheese is Extremely Delicious

Lady Li and Xinger verbally agreed, stood up to put on their shoes, and got down from the bed. Ye Xinyan quickly followed suit. As they walked out of the room, they saw Lady Xu had already returned to the entrance of the kitchen. She and Lady Li caught up and said, "I’ll help Big Aunt carry the dishes."

Lady Xu stepped aside to let Lady Li enter the kitchen first, then looked at Ye Xinyan’s attire and said with a smile, "I can’t let you help, look at your clothes. If you enter the kitchen and go around once, who knows how many stains you might get. Better sit nicely inside the room. Helping with the bowls would be fine too; we will be setting the food for the ancestral offering shortly."

Ye Xinyan looked at Meizi and Xinger; weren’t the other girls also wearing new clothes?

Lady Xu called to Lady Li, "Having Chengzi’s wife to assist me in serving the dishes is enough. Meizi, go back to the room with your elder cousin."

Ye Xinyan smiled at Lady Li’s retreating figure and went to the main house hall with Meizi. They say it takes thirty years for a daughter-in-law to become a mother-in-law. A daughter-in-law’s true life begins when she marries into her husband’s family, and Chengzi’s wife is far from reaching those thirty years.

Though all daughters-in-law, the third branch’s daughter-in-law certainly had a better fate, sitting firmly by the table placed on the ground of the hall, just waiting for the bowls and dishes to be set up.

The two of them weren’t much older, but were indeed elders in status. Ye Xinyan, as a younger member of the family, found that the least harmful way to get along was to avoid any entanglement or interaction with them.

After entering, Ye Xinyan first paid respects to the grandfather and uncle generation seated at the table on the kang. Then she bowed to Madam Song, Lady Zhang, and Madam Pang, and proceeded to help Meizi arrange the bowls and chopsticks.

Since her own mother-in-law hadn’t said anything, Madam Pang and Lady Zhang naturally saw no issue with them sitting stately in the hall. They accepted Ye Xinyan’s greetings with ease, assuming their roles as senior family members rightfully.

By the time Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer returned, the dishes were starting to be served, and Lady Wang, who was setting up the offering table, realized that two of the third branch’s grandsons were missing. She turned to ask Lady Zhang, "Where are Congwen and Congwu? Why haven’t they appeared?"

Lady Zhang spoke with indifference, "They’re fine, they get to eat well only once a year; how could they miss it? They’ll be back soon; let’s start eating."

In only two sentences, Lady Wang almost choked, and upon seeing Madam Song’s unconcerned expression, Lady Wang, feeling helpless, called Qi Sanshun, "Sanshun, go quickly, bring back Congwen and Congwu."

Qi Sanshun, who had already sat down, was somewhat reluctant, loitering and unwilling to move until Qi Yougui spoke up from the kang, "We have to offer sacrifices to our ancestors before the meal. How can we proceed if everyone is not present? Sanshun, you are nimble; go find your brothers and bring them back."

Qi Yougui shot a reproachful glance at Qi Yourong. At his age, he still acted so improperly. On the New Year’s Eve dinner, he seemed utterly indifferent to whether his grandsons were present. Was this how to celebrate the New Year in the old house? Would he act the same if it was in his own home?

Sanshun indeed moved quickly, and in no time at all, he brought back Qi Congwen and his brother. Meanwhile, the Qi family’s offering table was also properly set up.

Ye Xinyan’s first New Year in Miyi County was spent in a rented small house; as people who were displaced with neither money nor extravagance, they only had a little meat Nanny Jin had managed to exchange and half a chicken, which they ate for their first New Year’s Eve meal after fleeing from home.

No matter what form the ancestral worship took, the ceremonies at Duke An’s Mansion had nothing to do with women, and naturally, Ye Xinyan had never witnessed one. Here, she actually got the chance to observe.

The offering was simple, much less complicated than Ye Xinyan had imagined. The offerings had been set up. Incense was lit, and all the male members of the family, except for the less-than-three-year-old Qi Conghui, each took their turn to follow Qi Yougui in bowing and offering incense. After uttering a few good words to the ancestors, the family head Qi Yougui ended the ceremony.

Although Qi Yougui’s speech was brief, it was extremely sincere and heartfelt. If he and his second brother were living well, it must have been with the support of their ancestors, so naturally, they should offer more and express more gratitude.

Ye Xinyan, who was watching from the periphery, had a clear view. Qi Yourong obviously did not agree with Qi Yougui’s muttering. After Qi Yougui had spoken a few sentences, Qi Yourong rolled his eyes several times, following Qi Yougui through the entire process with great reluctance.

As soon as the formation broke up, Qi Yourong couldn’t wait to get onto the heated brick bed. The table on the bed was already set with food, just waiting for the men who were performing the ancestor worship to come down and start the meal.

Qi Yourong picked up his chopsticks, eagerly staring at Qi Yougui, while also sweeping glances over the dishes on the table.

From the dishes on the table, it was obvious that the second son’s family was now different from before. There were many dishes Qi Yourong had only heard about, and even if they had some of these dishes in good years, they couldn’t eat their fill. Now, looking at the fine food on the table, Qi Yourong estimated that even with so many people letting loose, they probably couldn’t finish so much.

Qi Yougui continued the topic from the ancestor worship, saying, "I’ve lived for decades and never dreamed that our family could live so well. We owe it to our ancestors’ care and the blessings brought by Younian and Ye Zi."

Qi Yourong was very impatient with his older brother’s words, anxious as he watched the good food and couldn’t eat.

"Big brother, in this cold weather, the dishes will get cold if we delay any longer," Qi Yourong said.

Qi Yougui glanced at the three crowded tables on the bed and floor, and smiled as he said, "Indeed, look at me, just preoccupied with my sentiment. Come, come, let’s eat."

Qi Yougui was the first to move his chopsticks, signaling the start of the meal.

Qi Yourong, unable to wait any longer, went straight for the braised lion’s head he had his eye on. He earnestly picked one up for himself, took a big bite, and nodded his head in satisfaction while chewing enthusiastically.

After swallowing the lion’s head, he clinked glasses with Qi Yougui and Qi Younian, then took a sip of alcohol, and subsequently grabbed two pieces of Dongpo pork and put them in his bowl. When reaching for the pork, he nearly got into a chopstick battle with his own son, Qi Liang.

The people at the two tables on the floor also started to use their chopsticks. The women and children of the main house were watched by Lady Wang and ate with more propriety. Led by Madam Song from the third house, the two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren, each one not wanting to be left behind, hurriedly vied to put meat into their bowls.

Lady Wang kept reminding them that there was more food in the kitchen, there was no need to rush, and that it tasted better to eat slowly, but that didn’t slow anyone down.

Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer made eye contact, pulled faces at each other, and shared a chicken wing tip that Ye Xinyan had given to them.

After savoring a good bite, Qi Yourong finally freed his mouth and asked Qi Younian, "I heard that the cheese from the second brother’s place is exceptionally delicious. Why didn’t you bring some on such an important occasion like New Year’s Eve, to let the adults and children taste it?"

Ye Xinyan quietly gave Qi Jiaer a vegetable meat roll, whispering, "Eat some vegetables too, they won’t cause indigestion."

Nanny Liu couldn’t help but roll her eyes to the side. Really, such grand ideas, thinking that cheese was something to just casually let the adults and children taste? Normally, even when their own family ate it, it was to taste the differences in flavor from cheese at various stages of fermentation, using experimental small cheeses. And here he was, casually suggesting to let the adults and children taste it as if it was his own family’s business?

Qi Yougui frowned slightly, gently rebuking, "We’re just ordinary folks, barely able to ensure our daily bread. Being able to enjoy such rich food is all thanks to what your second brother’s family provided. How can you still have so much to say?"