NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 60
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A fragrant aroma wafted from the small courtyard.
Perhaps they had been waiting for a while.
Perhaps the modest lunch had not been enough.
The two young princes from the Baomu family felt hungry.
At the same time, they sensed that the aroma was a tad too intense.
Curious as to what kind of food it was.
The dining table had been moved to the center of the courtyard.
It was not an elaborately carved round table, but rather a makeshift one assembled from weathered wooden planks.
One of the table legs had once been broken and was later patched up.
The chairs were not intricately carved with backrests either, just bamboo chairs, wooden stools, and benches.
These furnishings seemed familiar to them.
Yet, sitting at such a table to dine, without any servants attending to them, no candlelight or lanterns, lit only by starlight, moonlight, and firelight, with fireflies providing illumination, was an altogether different experience.
From Little Jiang Yu's eyes, which shone brighter than the stars, one could tell that tonight's fare would surpass their usual fare at home.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen fell into silence.
Jiang Feng had not agreed to either of them, saying he needed to consider it overnight.
Jiang Mianmian nestled in her elder brother's embrace.
She understood that these two young princes wanted to invite her brother to go with them.
But her brother had not agreed directly.
Jiang Mianmian frowned slightly. Although her brother stroked her head every day, she worried a little about him going bald. But if one day he stopped stroking her head, she would definitely feel strange.
From their demeanor, these two seemed to be at least good people with pleasant personalities. If her brother went with them, it would certainly be better than roaming the streets.
Jiang Mianmian hesitated.
In ancient times, travel by horse and carriage was slow and inconvenient. If her elder brother truly left, who knew when he would return or when they could see each other again?
So she obediently remained in her brother's embrace, her entire being pensive.
As if those two young princes had invited her instead of her brother.
At such a young age, she was already so thoughtful.
Of course, in the eyes of adults, she was just an extremely beautiful infant, wearing a dazed expression.
She resembled her father, Jiang Changtian, more and more, and grew more beautiful, seeming to glow.
Their family had no doubts, for her father was indeed very beautiful.
Qin Luoxia favored the youngest, Mianmian, the most in her heart, because she resembled her husband the most.
She felt she was not good-looking.
It was better for their children to resemble her husband.
There were not enough bowls and plates on the table, some of which Little Jiang Yu had borrowed from the village down the mountain.
In the center was an earthen pot, the only one owned by Mianmian's family.
The whole family had not started eating, waiting for their father.
Even though Little Jiang Yu had swallowed his saliva many times, he did not touch the food on the table, obediently waiting for their father.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen waited together with them.
They had politely suggested waiting, but this family truly intended to wait.
It was a novel experience.
Waiting for someone to eat.
Waiting for the head of the family, a very important person.
It seemed that this family was extremely impoverished, and this meal that made Jiang Feng's sister drool was not actually abundant.
Each person had a bowl of rice, not pure white rice, but mixed with millet and some coarse grains, though mostly fine grains.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen would not have noticed this detail ordinarily, only realizing it from the colorful appearance of the rice.
In the center was a large earthen pot, smelling very fragrant, which was the main dish for tonight – venison stewed with wild vegetables, quite a rarity that even they had never tasted.
Beside it were a plate of wild scallions, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a plate of jerky (which nearly broke He Chen's tooth).
That was it.
Even their bodyguards likely ate better than this.
The servants in their households definitely had better provisions than this.
Their clans would never stoop to skimping on servants' meals.
Yet faced with this meager table, Jiang Feng's family seemed as excited as if encountering delicacies from the mountains and the sea.
Even Little Jiang Yu scooped rice with reverence.
As if counting every grain of rice.
Despite this, they all maintained decorum and good manners.
They did not sneak any bites, earnestly waiting.
Waiting for the head of the family to return.
Jiang Changtian, who was often away from home earning a living, finally returned under the starry sky.
Upon reaching the entrance, he paused, noticing the guests in the courtyard.
Qin Luoxia approached the doorway, brushing the dust off his clothes as she spoke, "Husband, Feng's good friends have come. Since they rarely visit, we saved dinner for you, and everyone is waiting."
Jiang Changtian entered, bowed, and said, "Excuse me for a moment."
He needed to wash up.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen finally saw the father of Jiang Feng, Little Jiang Yu, and the youngest, Jiang Mianmian, who was carried in her brother's arms.
They had expected him to be like their mother – a sturdy woman. Instead, he seemed rather shy, barely looking at them when addressing them.
This was the demeanor of most people they encountered, so it was not unusual.
They had not anticipated the arrival of a slender young man.
In the dim courtyard, they could only discern his long hair, loose clothing, and thin frame, not as robust as Madam Qin.
Jiang Changtian returned to the room to wash up.
After some hesitation, he wiped off the makeup from his face.
He retied his hair.
When his father was alive, he too had been a well-pampered young master from a prominent clan. He knew what people of their standing preferred.
He slowly dried his hands.
Turning around, he stepped out of the room.
The old, ill-maintained door creaked noisily.
Jiang Changtian emerged, a gentle smile on his face.
"My apologies for the delay. Thank you for waiting."
"No delay, Father, we haven't been waiting long at all," Little Jiang Yu said excitedly.
Jiang Mianmian waved her arms too, babbling, "Eeyaayaayaaya" (Carry me, Father, carry me!)
Qin Luoxia beamed with pride, "This is my husband, he speaks so well."
Jiang Feng was also proud, "This is my father, no need to bow and scrape."
The whole family was lively and animated.
Yet Meng Shaoxia and He Chen grew uneasy.
They even stood up hurriedly in their fluster.
Feeling that remaining seated would be disrespectful.
"Please, be seated," Meng Shaoxia offered his small bamboo chair.
He Chen accidentally kicked over the small stool he had been sitting on.
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