Lanting

Kapitel 104

Mrs. Su smiled and said, "Madam, you are so blessed. Everyone in Lu Family Fort praises Madam's virtue. She has given you two grandsons. Which mother-in-law is not envious? Their eyes are practically turning into rabbits."

Madam Cai laughed heartily, "Your mouth is getting better and better at talking. But I, an old woman, enjoy listening. Bo'an only did one smart thing in his life, which was marrying this wife."

Grandma Cai blushed and said, "Mother, what are you saying?"

Looking at her virtuous daughter-in-law, Madam Cai liked her more and more, and said with a smile, "Daughter-in-law, I want to thank you for raising my two grandsons to be so sensible and for keeping the house so well-organized. Bo'an is truly blessed to have married you."

Grandma Cai was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

Madam Cai quickly comforted her, "Alright, alright, I won't praise you anymore. If I keep praising you, you dare crawl under the table and let me see."

The women laughed.

Madam Cai looked at Yang Xueli with a beaming smile and exclaimed, "Look at her, Xueli is getting more and more beautiful, like the moon in the sky shining brightly. How could such a wonderful child not be mine?"

Grandma Cai laughed and said, "Mother, you're doing your old tricks again."

Laughter erupted.

Madam Cai then looked at Zhou Yanhua, Zhao Yu, and He Yunya with a smile and said, "With so many beautiful girls in the house all of a sudden, how come Zhonghe hasn't taken a fancy to one of them?"

Zhou Yanhua lowered her head, lost in thought; Zhao Yu bit her red lips, her face beaming with shy joy; He Yunya held a cup of fragrant tea and smiled gently, but remained silent.

Yang Xueli laughed and said, "Mother, look at you. It's not that Second Brother is interested in her or not; these things also depend on fate."

Madam Cai sighed, "Don't talk to me about fate. That brat always uses that word to brush me off. He's not bad-looking, so why isn't any girl willing to marry him? Does he have a girl he likes?"

Grandma Cai replied cautiously, "I'm not sure. My husband is busy and hasn't had time to ask him."

As Kiyomi Tsuki, who was eating porridge under the table, overheard this, Cai Zhonghe's voice unexpectedly echoed in her mind: "I've fallen in love with a girl. Her smile is the most radiant and beautiful in the world. Her beautiful eyes can make the most precious gems pale in comparison. I can't say her name. I like her, no, I should say I love her. I love her so much that I can never say her name."

A strange pang of sorrow gripped Qing Jian Yue's heart. She thought to herself, "Love really is a huge hassle. Even someone as handsome and charming as my brother can't get out of it. I'd rather die than get involved in this stuff." But then, the thought of Lu Qing Cheng immediately made Qing Jian Yue dejected.

Suddenly, a report came from outside: "Second Master, Miss Bijing has arrived."

The bamboo curtain was lifted, and Cai Zhonghe strode in, followed by the trembling, beautiful girl who kept saying, "There's a monster! There's a monster!"

"You must be seeing things. What kind of monster is this?" Cai Zhonghe spotted a fox tail swaying under the curtain, his heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed the beautiful girl and pulled her away, whispering, "Bijing, is it under the table?"

The newcomer, Ms. Cai Bijing, mustered all her courage and glanced at the table again before nodding frantically.

Cai Zhonghe understood what was going on and whispered, "You mustn't shout it out, it will frighten Mother."

Bi Jing nodded obediently.

"Why didn't you two come over here? What were you whispering about?" Madam Cai put down her teacup.

Cai Zhonghe helped Bijing up and said with a smile, "Mother, Bijing said this hall is decorated very elegantly. I told her that the hall was decorated by my sister-in-law."

Bijing stammered, "Mother, sister-in-law."

Madam Cai asked in surprise, "Bijing, are you shivering? Are you sick?"

Bi Jing shook her head frantically, saying, "No, no."

"You still say you're not alright, but your face has turned pale." Madam Cai asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? You are the daughter I finally recognized, the apple of my eye. Tell me what's wrong, don't worry me."

Bijing said urgently, "Mother, no, no, really no."

Grandma Cai moved over, grabbed her hand and squeezed it, exclaiming in surprise, "Bijing, your hands are so cold, and you said you weren't sick."

Cai Zhonghe had a sudden inspiration and exclaimed, "It must be because it's too shady here, so Bijing can't stand it. Why don't we move to another room to sit?"

Grandma Cai was displeased and said reproachfully, "Second Uncle, there are two stoves in this room. If you think two stoves are not warm enough, I will have the servants bring in two more stoves."

"No need, no need," Cai Zhonghe said with a smile. "Sister-in-law, please don't be angry. I just said it offhand."

He Yunya had such sharp eyes; she immediately noticed Cai Zhonghe's odd behavior. Following the direction Cai Zhonghe was glancing in, she quickly found a small section of a fox's tail peeking out from under the table. She suppressed a laugh and showed it to Zhou Yanhua and Zhao Yu, who both couldn't help but chuckle.

Mrs. Su called out, "What's going on, you three laughing so furtively?"

Yang Xueli also shouted, "Look at the three of you laughing like you've heard a joke. Tell us about it!"

The three women suppressed their laughter and remained silent. Cai Zhonghe knew in his heart that they must have discovered it. He glanced helplessly at the fox tail swaying under the table, thinking to himself: Qing Jianyue, you brat, what are you doing crawling under the table for no reason? If Mother sees this, it will leave a bad impression.

"What is it?" Madam Cai turned around, and as she did so, she suddenly noticed a large, fluffy tail wagging under the tablecloth. Madam Cai exclaimed, "Oh dear, what's that under there?"

Mrs. Su and Yang Xueli looked over, and upon seeing it, the two women burst into laughter.

Miss Bijing, however, was convinced that a monster was hiding below. She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she cried out, "A monster! It's a monster!"

Madam Cai was startled. "A monster?"

Grandma Cai laughed beside her and said, "There's no monster. Mother, don't be afraid, it's alright. Second Uncle, what are you standing there for?"

Cai Zhonghe sighed, walked to the table, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted, "Qing Jianyue, crawl out here!"

Clang, clang—

An empty porcelain flower jar rolled out, followed by a "squeak" as the white fox slid out, stepping on a fruit pit. It plopped down on the ground, then jumped up again, wagged its tail at Madam Cai, blinked its golden eyes, and gave her a fawning smile.

Madam Cai was taken aback. "A vixen!"

The tablecloth was slowly lifted, and Kiyomi Tsuki poked her head out with a spoon in her mouth. Suddenly, she realized that she was being watched by more than a dozen pairs of eyes, and she was so frightened that she shrank back like a turtle.

“Jianyue, if you don’t come out soon, I’m going to drag you out,” Cai Zhonghe threatened.

Kiyoshi had no choice but to crawl out from under the table, scratching his head shyly and awkwardly. The white fox ran to his feet and squatted down, proudly raising its head to show its fox king demeanor to Madam Cai, whom it was meeting for the first time.