"Madam," in the blink of an eye, Cui Zhu ran back again, whispering, "Master and madam haven’t had lunch yet. Madam said to send lunch over to them later..."
Startled, Mrs. Wang looked up at the Western clock on the wall subconsciously, her heart ached and anger rose as she frowned, "What kind of life is this!" Waving Cui Zhu away, she hurriedly instructed the maids, "Quick, tell the kitchen to rush some dishes that the elder miss loves and send them over!"
Before long, Shi Lian came over. Mrs. Wang, feeling sorry for her own daughter, didn’t have the patience to deal with her and dismissed her in a few words, and Shi Lian obediently retreated without much ado.
Just as Shi Lian left, Sang Wan arrived, seeing only her mother-in-law Mrs. Wang in the hall. After greeting and inquiring about her well-being, she laughed and said, "Mother, didn’t you say that my elder sister came back? Why didn’t I see her?"
"Oh," Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "she’s exhausted from a day’s journey and has gone to rest! You go busy yourself, there’s no rush to see her tonight! Right, tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes; all of you come over for dinner tonight. And also, tell someone to inform Fengju to come back early tonight!"
"Yes, mother!" Sang Wan smiled in response, then asked, "May I know what dishes my elder sister and her husband like, so I can instruct the kitchen to prepare?"
Mrs. Wang, delighted by Sang Wan’s consideration for her daughter, laughed and said, "The sisters in the kitchen already know! Just give them the instructions! Off you go!"
"Alright, I’ll go down first!" Having heard this, Sang Wan didn’t inquire further and smiled as she took her leave.
Even though Sang Wan hurried over and didn’t see Shi Yumei, if it had been the usual, Sang Wan would have minded a bit: since they had asked for her presence, shouldn’t Shi Yumei at least wait to greet her before resting, even if she was tired? But Sang Wan felt that this was probably her mother-in-law’s doing.
Mrs. Wang often acted capriciously, calling her to come and meet someone, but then sending her daughter to rest at the same time. Sang Wan believed her mother-in-law could do such a thing.
Hence, it never crossed Sang Wan’s mind that Shi Yumei deliberately wanted to slight her; she completely misunderstood the situation.
It just so happened that Mrs. Li was out delivering festival gifts today and wasn’t around to offer advice, so Sang Wan dismissed the matter even more from her mind.
"It seems that your family doesn’t welcome us too much. I think we’ll just stay for one night and leave tomorrow!" In the guest room, Ren Zhixian, feeling undervalued and disrespected, said to his wife with a cold face and a huff.
"Go back?" Shi Yumei scoffed, "Where else can we go back to? If you have somewhere to go, go by yourself, as for me, I’m not leaving!"
"You! Nonsensical!" Ren Zhixian snorted and swept away, but the force in his tone almost entirely faded away.
Soon, the meal was served. Shi Yumei joyfully picked up the chopsticks and exclaimed, "Ah! My mother knows what I love; all my favorite dishes are here!" and praised, "Mmm, so delicious, it’s been so long since I’ve tasted such authentic drunken chicken!"
Looking at it, Ren Zhixian saw braised prawns, eight treasure tofu, drunken chicken, stir-fried eel strips, and a big bowl of West Lake beef soup sprinkled with fragrant coriander – indeed, all were his wife’s favorites. His own preferred cured meats, steamed fish, and fresh bamboo shoots were not even included!
Ren Zhixian couldn’t help but hum with disapproval, his face expressionless as he silently stewed in his anger.
"Hey Master, come and have your meal! The dishes will not taste good once they’re cold!" Shi Yumei looked up and called out.
Ren Zhixian really wanted to refuse out of spite but was helplessly enticed by the irresistible fragrance of the food. With hunger raging in his belly like a wildfire, it felt as if his insides were hollowed out, so he grudgingly joined the meal without much of a stand, his face stoic.
After instructing the kitchen, Sang Wan sent someone to inform Shi Fengju. Having delegated her tasks, she then began to ponder over her outfit for the evening.
Even though her elder sister and brother-in-law were not outsiders, they were still considered guests, and since Mrs. Wang valued appearances the most, Sang Wan would not dare to be negligent. Yet, she felt it inappropriate to dress too formally since they were close relatives—that would seem too distant. She pondered over her choice of clothing and accessories with great care.
Once Mrs. Li returned, Sang Wan sought her approval on the selected outfit: a not-too-new golden-red dual-tone brocade outer coat with apricot-hued base featuring folded branch and flower patterns, an orange-edged tunic in yellow-gold with sixteen pleats, Hunan style, along with vermillion gilt and jade jewelry, and a final touch of a gold hairpin featuring a bird holding a pearl in its beak.
"This should do, our family’s elder miss is not an outsider!" Upon seeing it, Mrs. Li nodded and said with a smile.