bookrandom Chapter 61 Grandmother's Birthday (2)
Chapter 61 Grandmother's Birthday (2)
Cheng Ying and He Mingfeng also strolled around the Prince's residence for a while before going inside. They chatted and drank tea in a very harmonious atmosphere. Cheng Ying looked at He Mingfeng and asked him with concern, "How have you been doing in the army camp lately?"
He Mingfeng picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and replied with a smile, "It's great! I can better understand the soldiers' lives there, and it's very interesting."
Cheng Ying nodded in relief and said with a smile, "That's good. As long as you're happy."
He Mingfeng put down his teacup, looked at Cheng Ying with tender eyes, and asked softly, "And you? How have you been lately?"
Cheng Ying felt the warmth in He Mingfeng's eyes, and a blush instantly rose to her cheeks. She shyly looked away and whispered, "It's fine..."
The two chatted back and forth, sharing their recent experiences and feelings. The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.
However, at the same time, Qin Yaoyao was not as relaxed and happy as they were. After returning from the front yard, she and He Yanxi went straight to He Yanxi's yard. As soon as they entered the room, before Qin Yaoyao could even speak, He Yanxi grabbed her tightly, shoved her against the door, and quickly sealed her lips with his.
This sudden action caught Qin Yaoyao off guard, but she quickly adapted to the passion. She wrapped her arms around He Yanxi's neck, responding to his kisses. Their breathing gradually quickened, and the surrounding air seemed to grow hotter.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but Qin Yaoyao felt like she was suffocating before she was finally released. She gasped for breath, her body limp, and could only lean weakly against He Yanxi's chest, saying coquettishly, "Brother Yanxi, I have no strength left."
He Yanxi smiled and asked softly, "So, do we still want to listen to what Lan Feng has to say?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Of course I want to hear it!" However, before she could finish speaking, her mouth was covered again.
He Yanxi smiled and said, "Since that's the case, then I'll have to punish you first." With that, he picked up Qin Yaoyao, turned around, and strode towards the bed.
Qin Yaoyao instinctively reached out and hugged his neck tightly, inwardly crying out in alarm, "Oh no! I'm doomed!" The thought filled her with fear and tension. Normally it would be fine, but with so many people in the house today, what if they saw them? It would be so embarrassing!
So Qin Yaoyao quickly begged for forgiveness, "Brother Yanxi, I know I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again, okay?"
He Yanxi remained unmoved, gently placing her on the bed, then flipping over and pressing himself against her. He looked down at Qin Yaoyao beneath him, his tone firm, and said, "It's too late." He then made a move to kiss her. Qin Yaoyao quickly stopped him, saying, "But there are people here today. If they see us, then..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted. He Yanxi said, "Don't worry, no one can come in without my permission, so you won't be seen." He then kissed her without hesitation. It was a long time before they separated. He Yanxi looked at the blushing Qin Yaoyao and tapped her nose, saying, "I'll let you off the hook for now. We'll deal with you properly after we're married." Although they had been intimate many times, they had never crossed the line. Qin Yaoyao was too shy to come out, completely covered up, even her head.
He Yanxi was worried that Qin Yaoyao would get bored, so he pulled her out and said, "Do you want to hear what Lan Feng said?" Qin Yaoyao nodded, and He Yanxi hugged her and told her what Lan Feng had said.
Qin Yaoyao's face lit up with a joyful smile. "Great! It seems he really is interested in our Qiuye." This made things much simpler. As long as they expressed their feelings for each other, everything would be fine. She secretly rejoiced at this unexpected discovery and looked forward to how things would develop.
He Yanxi smiled and said, "Alright, stop overthinking. Are you feeling a little hungry now? Why don't we go get something to eat together?" Qin Yaoyao nodded in agreement, and the two quickly got dressed and went outside, heading straight for the front yard, eventually arriving at the dining room.
Uncle Fu had already gone to arrange dinner. As soon as He Yanxi stepped into the restaurant, his gaze fell on He Mingfeng and Cheng Ying, who were leisurely sipping tea. Following them, Lan Feng and Qiu Ye also entered the restaurant. He Yanxi smiled and said, "Everyone, please sit down and enjoy your meal!" After everyone took their seats, they began to enjoy the sumptuous dinner.
After the meal, everyone went home.
Time flies, and soon it was time for Old Madam Qin's birthday banquet at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
That day, Qin Yaoyao got up exceptionally early. She couldn't wait for Banxia to dress her up carefully, and then she walked briskly and happily toward her grandmother's courtyard.
Songxiang Courtyard was the courtyard where her grandmother lived. Qin Yaoyao thought she was early enough, but when she arrived at the courtyard gate, she heard cheerful voices and hearty laughter coming from inside. She couldn't help but feel puzzled and quickened her pace to enter the courtyard.
Upon entering the courtyard, Qin Yaoyao was surprised to find the house filled with people. Seated at the head of the table was her kind-looking grandmother. Her gaze slowly swept over everyone, finally settling on Qin Yaoyao standing at the doorway.
Aunt Yao Wanxiang, with her sharp eyes, spotted Qin Yaoyao standing at the door immediately. She stood up with a smile and greeted her warmly, "Yaoyao, come in quickly!"
Qin Yaoyao snapped out of her daze and quickly bowed to the elders in the room to greet them. Then, she hurried to her grandmother and respectfully greeted her as well.
With a beaming smile, Grandma Qin beckoned Qin Yaoyao over. Qin Yaoyao was overjoyed and quickly ran to sit down next to her grandmother, affectionately hugging her arm and saying in a spoiled tone, "I thought I would be the first to come and wish Grandma a happy birthday! I didn't expect to be the last one."
The old lady chuckled, gently stroking Qin Yaoyao's head, and comforted her, "Silly child, don't worry, you're not late. Your older brothers and sisters haven't arrived yet!"
Qin Yaoyao said with a grin, "Since my older sister is married and lives outside, she's naturally not as fast-paced as I am, her younger sister who lives in the mansion!"
Her aunt patted her hand gently and comforted her tenderly, "It's alright, your cousins haven't arrived yet!"
Qin Yaoyao blinked and said mischievously, "Auntie is good at making me happy. My cousins came right after you, how could they not have greeted Grandmother? They're probably out strolling around with their sister-in-law right now!"
Auntie San couldn't help but laugh out loud and interjected, "You little rascal, you're so clever! Nothing can be hidden from you!"
Qin Yaoyao raised her chin and answered proudly, "Of course, I'm very smart!"
The room was immediately filled with laughter, and even the mother couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Alright, stop with your banter."
"Yaoyao, come here and see what good things your aunt brought you," the eldest aunt said with a smile. The third aunt wasn't to be outdone: "And here's something from your third aunt too!" The eldest aunt pulled out a string of warm red jade bracelets from her bosom; the jade was smooth and lustrous, its color vibrant, and it looked extremely precious. The third aunt, on the other hand, pulled out a crystal-clear jade hairpin; the hairpin was finely textured, its color warm and lustrous, clearly of superior quality.
Mother laughed and said, "You all just spoil her." Aunt retorted, "There are only a few maids in the family, and we have one for each of them." Third Aunt chimed in, "That's right, we have the eldest, second, and third maids too. We won't show favoritism, Second Sister-in-law, don't worry." Mother feigned anger and said, "Is that what I meant?" Everyone burst into laughter.
Just then, the eldest sister, second sister, and third sister and their husbands walked in together. Before they could even speak, their aunt jokingly said, "Oh, we were just talking about you, and here you are! Did you come because you heard the news?" The group quickly greeted their grandmother and then each of the elders before taking their seats.
At this moment, the eldest sister asked curiously, "Were you talking about us just now?" Before anyone else could answer, Qin Yaoyao greeted everyone with a smile, "Hello, sisters~" Then, she looked at the eldest sister and said with a charming smile, "Yes, I was just telling you that I missed you!"
The eldest sister affectionately tapped Qin Yaoyao's nose and laughed, "You have such a sweet tongue."
The second sister chimed in, teasingly saying, "That's right, our Yao Yao is the sweetest!"
Qin Yaoyao blinked, then playfully took her second sister's arm and said sweetly, "Hehe, thank you for the compliment, second sister! By the way, did you sisters bring me any gifts this time?"
The second sister smiled mysteriously and told Qin Yaoyao that the gift had been delivered to her yard. Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao's eyes lit up immediately, and she said excitedly, "Wow, really? Thank you, sisters! Actually, you didn't need to bring me a gift. I'm just happy that you came to see me."
The second sister gently pinched Qin Yaoyao's cheek and said tenderly, "Silly girl, this is a small token of our appreciation from your older sisters, please accept it."
Qin Yaoyao nodded gratefully, her eyes filled with happiness.
However, the third sister suddenly grinned mischievously and said, "In that case, let's take the gifts back."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao quickly grabbed her third sister's hand and said in a coquettish tone, "No, please, third sister is the best. Please don't take the gift back, okay?"
Seeing Qin Yaoyao's nervous expression, the third sister couldn't help but laugh and teased, "Haha, look how anxious you are! I was just joking. But if we really take the gifts back, will you kick us out too?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao immediately shook her head and said earnestly, "How could that be? No matter if there are gifts or not, I will not send my sister away. I really like my family."
Hearing Qin Yaoyao's words, the sisters were filled with emotion and warmth. They all expressed that they would come back to visit Qin Yaoyao often in the future, and that the family would never be separated.
When the aunt and uncle saw that the sisters had arrived, they took out the gifts they had prepared for them and handed them to them, saying, "These are gifts we prepared especially for you. The materials are all the same, only the patterns are different. See if you like them?"
After the sisters accepted the gifts and thanked their elders, they opened them and found that the gifts were prepared according to their individual preferences, so they all expressed that they liked them very much.
At this moment, my sister-in-law came over and told everyone that the banquet was ready and they could go out. Hearing this, my mother stood up, straightened her clothes, and then said to my grandmother, "Mother, the banquet is ready, let's go out now!" After saying that, she turned to my aunt and uncle and said, "Let's go to the front to greet the guests!" My aunt and uncle nodded in agreement.
Then, the mother said to the grandmother, "Mother, we'll call you when the banquet starts. Please rest for a while." The grandmother smiled and nodded, saying, "You all go ahead and do your work! These maids are enough to keep me company."
The mother then left with her eldest aunt and third aunt. The four Qin sisters stayed with their grandmother, keeping her company and relieving her boredom.
Time flew by, and the banquet began in the blink of an eye. Qin Yaoyao and her three sisters accompanied their grandmother out of the room and into the banquet hall. The grandmother sat in the main seat, and the family members came forward in order of seniority and age to toast her and offer their blessings.
Everyone presented their grandmother with precious and exquisite gifts to express their love and respect. These gifts were not only priceless but also things that the grandmother cherished. She happily accepted each gift and thanked everyone.
After the family members presented their gifts, it was the guests' turn to offer their congratulatory gifts. Prior to this, the Empress Dowager had sent her trusted old nanny with generous gifts to offer birthday wishes, which greatly pleased the grandmother. She knew the Empress Dowager had always remembered her, and this sentiment deeply moved her. In addition, the Emperor and Empress also sent gifts to express their congratulations on her grandmother's birthday.
The entire banquet hall was filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere, with people laughing and chatting non-stop.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside, followed by a maid's announcement: "The Prince of Zhenbei and the Fifth Prince have arrived—"
Everyone stood up and looked towards the door. They saw Prince Zhenbei, He Yanxi, and the Fifth Prince, He Mingfeng, walking side-by-side, followed by a young woman, Cheng Ying. All three were dressed in fine, luxurious robes; the man exuded an air of grandeur, while the woman was elegant and charming, a sight to behold.
The Prince of Zhenbei and the Fifth Prince entered the hall, first bowing to Old Madam Qin to wish her a happy birthday, and then presenting their respective precious gifts. Afterwards, they took their seats in order of rank and status.
The banquet was segregated by gender, with an exquisite screen separating the two. Although the screen obscured the view, one could still vaguely see what was happening on the other side. Cheng Ying and Qin Yaoyao sat at the same table. Qin Yaoyao smiled and said to Cheng Ying, "Why did you two come together? Did he go to the General's Mansion to pick you up?"
Cheng Ying blushed and quickly glanced at the male guests to make sure He Mingfeng hadn't heard her before whispering, "Don't talk nonsense. I just ran into the Prince and the Fifth Prince on the way, so I came along."
Qin Yaoyao smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and deliberately asked, "Really? Then why do I feel like you're blushing? Are you feeling guilty?"
Cheng Ying blushed even more after hearing her words, and said reproachfully, "If you keep saying that, I'll get angry!" As she spoke, she gently patted Qin Yaoyao's hand.
Qin Yaoyao knew when to stop teasing Cheng Ying and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Today is Grandmother's birthday banquet, we should celebrate happily." Cheng Ying smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course, silly Yaoyao."