She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 360 - 359 Let’s Get Busy

Chapter 360: Chapter 359 Let’s Get Busy

Lady Wang hummed noncommittally and chose not to say more, quietly heading towards the main house.

During the past few years, when the household was struggling, the third branch family took advantage of everything. Now, things had gotten much better, and she wasn’t about to quarrel with the old man during the New Year celebrations and spoil the festivities for everyone.

However, if their circumstances continued to improve, they would have to be wary of the third branch family. She wouldn’t let her own fortunes rise only for the third branch family’s demands to escalate as well.

Lady Wang thought about how today Qi Yourong and Qi Younian had brought up the cheese. Everyone in the village knew that the dairy farm and cheese were Sixth Master Rong’s businesses, and it was said that the cheese was sent directly into the capital. But today, the youngest had opened his mouth and asked for everyone to taste that cheese. It was evident that his appetite was growing.

Other families in the second branch had servants, skilled old woman servants, and guards; they naturally could discipline the third branch family and prevent them from coveting others’ property too boldly. However, their own situation was different—if the third branch family kept eyeing their assets, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were harassed to death or stripped of everything.

When the family entered the main hall, they indeed saw Qi Yourong and Madam Song still tidying up the meal remains—the picked-over vegetables, the empty dishes and bowls, and their own wrapped-up leftovers were in disarray on the table, rendering the hall a complete mess.

Qi Yourong was probably accustomed to such a scene, or perhaps she just had a thick skin; seeing the members of the main house return, she showed no embarrassment and greeted them nonchalantly, "Has the second brother left? Really, taking away so many good dishes, how are we supposed to celebrate the New Year?"

Lady Wang, feeling irritated, cast a sidelong glance at Qi Yougui, and thought, This is your youngest brother, knowing full well the good food was gone. Why still have the audacity to pick through what’s left? Isn’t this in effect hindering the main house from celebrating the New Year? At least the second branch family took what belonged to them, but what they’re taking are the main house’s provisions for the New Year.

Lady Wang pointed to the dishes and soup that the third branch family had set aside and asked Madam Song, "These are left for us, right?"

Madam Song modestly offered, "Look, sister-in-law, we really didn’t have any food prepared at home. If you think it’s not enough, would you like to... take some from here to keep?"

"No need, my family is poor and we’re not picky eaters, as long as we have enough to fill our stomachs," Lady Wang replied indifferently and then called out to Lady Xu and Lady Han, "It’s already this late; there’s no time to cook a new meal. Let’s gather these leftovers, heat them up again, and make do for this meal."

"Yes, yes, making do for now is fine too," Madam Song tentatively said, "Sister-in-law, you must have prepared dumplings, eating them at Zi Hour is also nice—it’s all good food after all."

Lady Wang’s face immediately darkened as she said, "Sister-in-law has seen for herself, the New Year’s Eve dinner was bountiful so we didn’t prepare many dumplings, just for the sake of tradition. It was supposed to be a good meal, a feast I, an old woman, couldn’t have dreamed of in over a decade. Yet, it was ruined by your grandson’s single comment. You’d better go home and find out who said those words to him or if it’s your household that keeps mentioning such things, allowing him to overhear."

Upon hearing that, Madam Song’s face fell; not only were there no dumplings for her to take, but she was also being scolded, "It’s not only you who missed out on a good meal, we were delayed too. It was just a child’s comment, who knew they would be so petty as to take it seriously, like a child that eats dirt."

Lady Wang scoffed, "Just a child’s comment? Didn’t Lady Zhang just say it wasn’t her who had Qi Jiaer drink the swill? Let her find out who talked. Are Lady Zhang’s words also just a child’s?"

Madam Song stiffened her neck and said, "She was just frightened and spoke without thinking, you can’t take it seriously."

With a "thump," Lady Wang threw the plate in her hand onto the table and, after a silent moment observing Madam Song, said with a stern face, "Sister-in-law, that’s quite enough. Take your things and go home. Even if my old man doesn’t know any better and is willing to treat you well, can’t you at least give him a sliver of dignity?

Just like you said about the Second Branch family, taking everything, how can you celebrate New Year’s? After all, those are their belongings; you’ve taken all the food from my house, how is my family supposed to celebrate New Year’s!"

Qi Yourong didn’t feel his family was at fault at all and quite indignantly spoke up for his wife, "Big brother, look at our sister-in-law, she’s looking down on us. Just because I’m a bit poorer, to be looked down upon by my own sister-in-law, are we even brothers anymore?"

Qi Yougui looked at the several plates of food that Qi Yourong packed up, then at the sparse soup and dishes left on his own table, and the restrained expressions of his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, and suddenly asked, "Third brother, do you think it’s better to be brothers with you, or with Younian?"

Caught off guard by the question, Qi Yourong’s first thought was, if his big brother didn’t act as his brother anymore, where would he go to scrounge for food, drink, and items, and during the spring planting and autumn harvest, who would help him?

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Madam Song quickly tugged at his sleeve and cautiously said, "Big brother, don’t take him seriously, you know how he is, he’s confused. We’ll be leaving now, we still have to check on Dongzi’s wife, she cried out so miserably earlier, we still don’t know how she’s doing, and if things go badly, we might need to find a doctor. Ah, what an unfortunate situation for the New Year." Then signaling with her eyes, she, along with Qi Yourong and Qi Liang, picked up the packed bowls and plates of food and went home.

Watching Qi Yourong and his party quickly leave, Lady Wang sat down on a nearby stool, waved her hand weakly, and said to her two daughters-in-law, "I don’t have the heart to prepare any food now; just warm up whatever soup and dishes are left and eat whatever you like."

The mood in the room was varied – the eagerly anticipated New Year’s Eve dinner had turned out like this.

Having kept quiet the whole time, Lady Xu suddenly laughed and said, "Alright, mother and father, why don’t you sit on the kang bed first? Our family is doing well this year, so we should at least enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner, so we can make further progress next year. We’ll go and make arrangements; you sit and rest awhile, dinner will be ready in a moment."

After that, she beckoned Lady Han, Lady Li, and the two daughters to the kitchen.

When there were no more outsiders in the house, Lady Wang got on the kang, sat facing Qi Yougui at the kang table, and their two sons and Qi Cheng also got on and sat down, but everyone was silent and said nothing.

Lady Wang watched her two granddaughters clean up the table, feeling relieved. Well, if everyone celebrates New Year’s separately in the future, that’s fine too. It’s less trouble and stress and no more anger.

From now on, at most they would invite the Second and Third Branch families over for a meal after the third day of the New Year. By then it would be different – it would be the main house inviting the brothers to eat, not the main house obliged to cater for the Third Branch.

As Lady Wang became more relaxed, she could indulge in some idle chatter. The mood wasn’t overly festive, but it gradually became more peaceful.

What Lady Wang and Qi Yougui hadn’t expected was that, in a short while, the daughters-in-law and children would come beaming, carrying eight steaming bowls of freshly made dishes to the