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墨書 Inktalez
The maid received instructions and stepped forward to serve the dishes, but Feng Hongrui's expression turned cold as he said in a deep voice:
"There are rules. How can we start eating before everyone has arrived? Besides, Feng Yinxiao and Yun Kexin have just returned."
The maid paused, retracting her hand and looking confusedly at the Duchess.
"Forget it, let's wait," Zhuo Min said reluctantly, frowning stiffly.
Beside her, Feng Yulu pouted in disdain: After several messages from the servants, they still hadn't shown up. Why should the entire Duke's residence wait for her alone? What kind of arrogance is this! What’s so special about the elder sister-in-law?
Feng Yinxiang wanted to complain further but was silenced by the stern look in Feng Hongrui's eyes. Finally, Mama Li entered the hall to report: "Duke, Duchess, Young Lord and his wife have arrived..."
Everyone's gaze shifted, their expressions varied. Yun Kexin pretended not to see and walked directly into the dining hall with Feng Yinxiao, nodding apologetically:
"Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt, I was chatting with Feng Yinxiao for a bit, so we arrived late. I’m truly sorry for delaying everyone’s meal."
Feng Yulu smiled gently but sarcastically remarked, "Elder brother, Sister-in-law, if you keep—" She intended to say "we all will be hungry," but it quickly changed to "Father and Mother don’t dare to start eating."
"It was my fault for talking to Yun Kexin," Feng Yinxiao calmly took all the blame. "Feng Yinxiao should apologize to Father, Mother, Uncle, and Aunt."
"Alright, alright, you two don’t need to be so polite," Feng Hongrui said with a warm smile. "We’ve just sat down; it hasn’t been long. Come on and eat."
"Xiao'er, Yun Kexin. You two stop being so formal," Zhuo Min chimed in with a wave of her hand and a smile. However, she felt uncomfortable seeing how affectionate Feng Yinxiao and his wife were with each other; it felt like a thorn in her eye. "Sit down quickly; the food will get cold soon."
Feng Yinxiao and Yun Kexin took their seats at the empty spots, with Feng Yinxiang sitting right next to Yun Kexin. He stared at his sister-in-law intently. This time he learned his lesson and turned to Feng Hongrui:
"Uncle, can I eat now?"
Feng Hongrui nodded calmly. Zhuo Min signaled the maid with her eyes to hurry up and serve dishes for the young master.
"Father, Mother, I want my sister-in-law to serve me meatballs. Is that okay?"
Feng Hongwen puffed out his cheeks and said, "Xiang'er, do not be rude."
Yang Yulan gently coaxed, "Xiang'er, be good. Mother will give you some meat. How about that?"
As she pretended to pick up chopsticks to serve food, Feng Yinxiao protested loudly, "I don't want that! I want my sister-in-law to serve me! I want my sister-in-law to serve me!"
Feng Hongrui frowned in disgust, while Zhuo Min looked on with disdain. In truth, they were both secretly enjoying the situation—giving this daughter-in-law a "warning" was not a bad idea; it would be interesting to see how she would handle it.
Feng Yinxiao had originally liked this cousin. He would often hug him and take him out to play when he returned home. However, today he felt nothing but aversion—he hadn’t expected that the seemingly clever and cute child could also be so unruly. What a disgrace! He wondered if Yun Kexin would regret marrying him after experiencing the "chaos" in the household.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her expression calm and serene, without any sign of anger at being insulted. Then came Yun Kexin's friendly voice: "Alright, Sister-in-law will serve little Xiang some meatballs..."
Feng Yinxiao smiled at this but then heard Feng Yulu sarcastically say, "Little Xiang must not be rude; how can you let Sister-in-law serve you? You wouldn't want to dirty her hands! Let your sister do it instead."
Feng Yulu quickly picked up a piece of meatball with her chopsticks and was about to place it in Feng Yinxiao's bowl when he suddenly pouted and said, "I don’t want my sister to serve me; your hands are dirty!"
He swatted at the meatball, causing it to fall into the sauce bowl. The meatball bounced out of the bowl and landed on Yun Kexin's lap, splattering sauce on her sleeve. Yun Kexin hurriedly stood up, and Feng Yinxiao flusteredly asked, "Hey, Yun Kexin, are you burned? This meatball just came out of the pot; it's very hot..." He inwardly blamed Uncle and Aunt for not keeping their child in check.
Feng Hongrui was thoroughly annoyed and shouted at Feng Hongwen and Yang Yulan, "Second Brother, Sister-in-law, how are you raising your daughter? Can't you manage her?"
Feng Hongwen had hoped that his elder brother would understand that the child was young and naive and would not make a fuss about it. He never expected to be scolded loudly in front of the servants. Hearing Feng Yinxiao muttering nearby about how unfortunate it was that this outfit's pattern was ruined but at least he wasn't burned... he felt completely disregarded. He immediately turned to scold the servants: "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and get Consort Jun a change of clothes..." He also shot a cold glance at the Yang family and said sternly, "Take Xiang'er away."
The Yang family left with dark expressions, ignoring Feng Yinxiao's cries as they dragged him out of the Dining Room while giving him a slap on the backside. The room was soon filled with Feng Yinxiao's desperate wails.
Feng Hongwen felt heartbroken for his son being punished but kept saying, "He deserves it! He's been too spoiled lately; that's why he's become so unruly. If we don't discipline him now, he'll only become more insufferable in the future..."
The wind whispered softly, and Yun Kexin waited for the clouds to change their attire before returning to the dining hall, where the Feng family continued their meal.
However, this lunch was destined to be unappetizing, tasting like wax. After a while, Yun Kexin noticed that Yang Yulan and Feng Yinxiang had not yet arrived, so she smiled and said, "Everyone eat first; I will go call Aunt and Brother Xiang."
Feng Yinxiao declined, suggesting that a maid could deliver the message, which displeased Feng Hongwen. In contrast, Feng Hongrui looked on with admiration and instructed the maid behind him, "Miao Yu, please go call Sister-in-law and my nephew."
Miao Yu complied and left.
Moments later, Yang entered with her son and took her original seat.
"Brother Xiang, this is what Sister-in-law has served you," Yun Kexin said with a smile as she placed a meatball into Feng Yinxiang's bowl. "Eat quickly; meatballs taste best when hot."
Yun Kexin expected Yang to respond with sarcastic remarks or veiled criticisms but was surprised when Yang changed her tone from the earlier reprimand of Feng Yinxiang to one full of smiles directed at Yun Kexin:
"That won't do; this is something for the maid to do. However, since you are so thoughtful, Aunt will accept it on behalf of Xiang'er," she said while turning to use her chopsticks to pick up meatballs for Feng Yinxiang. "Xiang'er, be good and open your mouth. Also, don't forget to thank Sister-in-law."
Feng Yinxiang had just been crying, his eyebrows and nose still slightly red. Initially fearful of Yang, he saw his mother smiling warmly and instantly brightened up. He sweetly said "Thank you, Cousin," to Yun Kexin before taking a bite of the meatball and enjoying it heartily.
Yun Kexin smiled as she carefully observed Feng Yinxiang: he bore no resemblance to his mother Yang but looked quite like his father Feng Hongwen—narrow forehead, light brows, a slightly yellow complexion, and a good spirit. His clear eyes revealed a hint of cunning typical of children; aside from being mischievous, he seemed innocent at heart.
What puzzled Yun Kexin was that during the meal, Yang Yulan appeared indifferent towards her precious son while Aunt Zhuo Min frequently cast affectionate glances at Feng Yinxiang. She kept calling for servants to feed him, serve him dishes, and ladle soup. Meanwhile, Feng Hongrui maintained an aloof demeanor and even showed signs of disdain at times, creating a sense of role reversal.
After the meal, as the servants cleared the tableware, Feng Yinfai coldly bid farewell but was stopped by the Duchess Zhuo Min: "Fei'er, wait a moment."
"What is it, Mother?" Feng Yinfai paused and asked respectfully.
"You are already sixteen; it's time for you to consider marriage," Zhuo Min said with charm that seemed almost boastful. "Look at this—both the Chang'an Marquisate and Jining Marquisate have sent matchmakers multiple times to propose. Why haven't you shown any reaction?"
Feng Yinfai replied impatiently: "The daughter of the Chang'an Marquisate looks like a 'persimmon cake'; no man would find her appealing. The third sister of the Jining Marquisate is too spoiled and arrogant; no man could endure her. As for the Fourth Sister of the State of Yue King—she's not bad but seems a bit weak and inexperienced; Mother can consider her."
"Look at you being so picky," Feng Hongrui interjected half-jokingly yet with concern. "You are so outstanding yourself; do you have no flaws? It's fine if you want to choose your own marriage partner, but you must let your parents know."
"Father," Feng Yinfai said with a rare smile, looking up at the couple Feng Yinxiao and his wife. "Elder Brother also chose his own marriage, and his judgment is remarkable. Just look at Sister-in-law, gentle and virtuous, both talented and beautiful."
Yun Kexin returned a faint smile, pondering to herself that Feng Yinfai was quite opinionated. Although born a bastard, he gave off an impression of being competitive and unwilling to fall behind. Now that his mother Zhuo Min had been legitimized, he had transformed from a bastard into a legitimate son, which surely added to his confidence.
Feng Hongrui seemed quite pleased with Feng Yinfai's words and said with a smile, "If Fei'er wants to follow in Elder Brother's footsteps, as parents we certainly won't stop you. It just depends on whether you have the same fortune as he does."
Yun Kexin smiled lightly and lowered her eyelids as Feng Yinxiao held her hand under the table.
Zhuo Min scoffed, while Feng Hongwen showed a mocking expression, and Yang Yulan remained oblivious.
"Father, Mother, I have already expressed my intentions," Feng Yinfai withdrew his gaze and said humbly, "Yue Wang still meets my expectations; you can decide based on the actual situation."
Feng Yinfai's unusual obedience pleased Zhuo Min greatly. She had been feeling displeased due to the Duke praising the couple of Feng Yinxiao excessively, but now it felt as if a sudden rain had extinguished her inner fire.
"Fei'er has truly grown up; he understands the difficulties of his parents," Zhuo Min said with a smile so bright she nearly danced with joy—she had painstakingly selected three families that could rival the Duke of E's status to ensure her son wouldn't fall behind Feng Yinxiao. She had previously worried that Feng Yinfai might be dissatisfied, but now everything was going so smoothly. Thus, Zhuo Min seized the opportunity and said, "Alright then, I will choose a day to start making arrangements." She then turned to Feng Hongrui with a cheerful expression and asked, "Duke, what do you think? If there are no objections, I will send someone to inform the matchmaker for the State of Yue King..."
Feng Hongrui nodded lightly and replied, "As long as my wife decides." (To be continued)
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