Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 531 - 276 Eavesdropping_2

Chapter 531: Chapter 276 Eavesdropping_2

The Pan family men were amused and took their seats to receive the greetings. Despite having finished their bows, the performers extended their hands, expecting a welcome gift. The men, not having prepared any presents in advance, couldn’t help but laugh as they took off their own accessories and handed them over.

But the show was far from over. They pushed two of the men off their seats and took their places, pointing at Brother Jie, Yi Gege, and Brother Wei, chattering away.

Qian Yixiu, with a smile, translated, "They’re asking the three younger brothers to come and pay their respects."

Brother Jie and Yi Gege, who already adored them, happily pulled Brother Wei along to bow to the performers. They, in turn, re-gifted the presents they had just received, giving one to each of the brothers. The rest they tucked into their own purses.

This monkey performance left the Pan family men dumbstruck, shaking their heads and sighing, "These two monkeys are truly cunning."

Old Great-grandpa Pan looked at these two extraordinary monkeys, and then at Pan Yue’s three exceptional children. His gaze toward Qian Sangui and Qian Manjiang softened even more. He had heard about Pan Yue’s rescue by a tiger in the mountains, and seeing that the Qian family’s monkeys were so clever, he was convinced that the Qian family must be extraordinary.

Afterward, Pan Yang led Lady Wu and others, including Monkey Brother and Monkey Sister, in a palanquin to the back courtyard. Brother Jie and his two brothers also insisted on following; they enjoyed the company of Monkey Brother and Monkey Sister.

The Pan estate was much larger than the Qian family’s, with lush greenery and endless flowers decorating countless pavilions and towers, all beautifully and grandly adorned.

About a quarter of an hour later, the palanquin stopped in front of a large compound with vermillion doors and powdered walls—this was Crane Year Hall, where Old Madam Pan resided.

As soon as Lady Wu and the others alighted from the palanquin, Lady Pan, along with Second Madam, Lady Wong, and Third Madam, Lady Li, hurried forward to greet them with a deep curtsy and kindly guided them through the Drooping Flower Gate.

Qian Yixiu, having heard Sister Zeng talk about the customs of the Capital City, knew that the Pan family was treating the Qian family with exceptional regard today. Far from being negligent, they were exceeding the normal etiquette between in-laws; they were treating the Qian family like benefactors. From this, it was clear that the Pan family was commendable. With her own family struggling to gain a foothold in the social circles of the Capital City, having such a well-established aristocratic family as allies was beneficial.

Crane Year Hall was an expansive quadrangle filled with fine trees and rare flowers—there’s no need to give a detailed description. They entered the grand hall of the main house, walking past a twelve-panel rosewood screen with bird and flower motifs, to see a white-haired old lady, supported by a beautiful woman, coming forward to greet them. Upon seeing Pan Yue, she embraced her and started to weep, sobbing, "Yueyue, Yueyue, after so many years, you’ve finally returned, allowing this old woman to see you before I die..."

After being consoled, they went on to exchange courtesies.

This time, Monkey Brother and Monkey Sister were not left out; they too came to pay their respects and received gifts. Their playful antics added a touch of joy to the emotional reunion, drawing continuous laughter from the ladies and children.

Second Madam, Ding, and Third Madam, Xia, each held onto Pan Yue, crying and begging her to visit her maternal home more often when she was free.

Apart from the fourth and fifth daughters, Pan Yuantong and Pan Yuanting, who were unmarried, the married daughters, Grand-aunt Pan Yuanfeng and Grand-aunt Pan Yuanyu, had also brought their children back to their maternal home.

Qian Yixiu knew that Pan Yuanfeng was Pan Yue’s half-sister, and she was also Uncle Liang’s mother-in-law, two years younger than Pan Yue. Although she was not as beautiful as Pan Yue, she had delicate features and a graceful demeanor. However, even the heavy makeup couldn’t hide the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes; she looked more like an older sister to her mother rather than a younger one.

Today, Pan Yuanfeng was dressed particularly splendidly, with a large gold hairpin featuring five phoenixes clasping pearls in her hair, a gold forehead ornament inlaid with olivine, a bright red gold-embroidered Jacquard silk embroidered coat, a pale red scattered flower horse-face skirt with tassels of multicolored silk knotted in a palace tapestry style at the hem.

Qian Yixiu had to suppress a laugh; this was certainly the attire of someone going to meet the Empress Dowager.

Pan Yuanfeng had deliberately dressed this way today. When she learned that her legally-born sister, who was rumored to be dead but was actually alive albeit mentally challenged and married to a country man, she imagined how miserable Pan Yue’s life must have been. Despite hearing rumors that Pan Yue seemed to be living well, she didn’t believe them at all.

Today, she was determined to outshine Pan Yue, who had always been superior in the past. What did it matter that she was the daughter of the Elder Princess? She still ended up married to a country man. What if she herself was born to a concubine? She was still married to the legitimate heir of an aristocratic family.

Outdoing her legally-born sister was the greatest wish of her childhood. But the moment she laid eyes on Pan Yue, she knew she had lost again.