"Ignore her!" Zhou Chenyue snatched the wine from He Zhilan’s hand, downed it, then placed the empty glass back on the table and pulled He Zhilan away.
Undoubtedly, Gu En’s words had reached every guest in the living room. Everyone looked at He Zhilan with disdain.
Mrs. Lan sighed and shook her head, then walked over to Gu En, whispering, "If you keep humiliating people in front of the guests, just wait for your grandfather to come down. Let’s see if he’ll be angry with you."
Gu En stuck out her tongue at Mrs. Lan, playing the coquette, "Auntie, I just couldn’t tolerate it. You know how much I despise He. And look, she has the nerve to stay, even after I’ve humiliated her !"
"As a well-educated person, your loathing should be kept to yourself and not shown outwardly. Remember, you’re a daughter of the Gu Family, not some common shrew." Mrs. Lan’s tone grew stricter. She was genuinely worried that Gu En would cause a scene at the banquet, losing face for the Gu family. Not to mention, if old Mr. Gu found out, she would surely get an earful.
With each step that He Zhilan took alongside Zhou Chenyue, she felt numb, bracing herself to meet every scrutinizing gaze.
"Gu En is too much!" Zhou Chenyue, unable to hold back her anger, stared indignantly at Gu En who was still acting coquettish with Mrs. Lan. Seeing He Zhilan’s upset expression, she empathized and comforted, "He Zhilan, don’t take it to heart. Once it’s over, don’t think about it anymore."
The Zhou family was not always prestigious; they had climbed their way to the top over the years. Zhou Chenyue had also been laughed at and teased for her lack of manners when she first entered high society as a child, so at this moment, she could particularly understand He Zhilan’s feelings.
"It’s okay." He Zhilan put on a brave smile and shook her head. But saying it was okay didn’t make it so, especially after losing face in front of everyone. Moreover, she had come with the Zhou siblings, so her disgrace also reflected poorly on them.
Zhou Chenyue, none the wiser, stayed in a corner with He Zhilan waiting for the very busy Zhou Hongjin.
"Chenyue, do you know who in this room are members of the Gu and Lan families? Isn’t it old Master Gu’s birthday banquet today? Why haven’t we seen old Master Gu, or Grandma Gu, or even Gu En’s parents?" He Zhilan’s mind was in disarray. On one hand, Gu En’s mockery made her feel so ashamed that she could hardly raise her head in front of others. Adding to her embarrassment was the fact that she had yet to find her parents, and had thus disgraced them. On the other hand, the couplets she had seen in old Master Gu’s study had left her in a daze.
"Old Master Gu hasn’t been feeling well and has gone to recuperate in the countryside with Grandma Gu. But they have to do routine checks for blood pressure and blood sugar every day, so they should be upstairs doing that now. Uncle Gu is probably busier than anyone else, so if we haven’t seen him, that means he hasn’t made it back yet. Aunt Gu and Grandma Gu are likely busy in the kitchen. Old Master Gu and Grandma Gu both like quiet, so they only have one housekeeper. They’ve got guests at home now, so the two of them are busy preparing fruit in the kitchen."
Zhou Chenyue chuckled, "Are you surprised that Aunt Gu and Grandma Gu are actually doing chores? Well, let me tell you, Grandma Gu doesn’t really like socializing, so she just uses the task of washing fruit as an excuse to hide. Everyone knows that Aunt Gu and Grandma Gu, despite being daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, are actually like mother and daughter. So, Aunt Gu is in the kitchen to keep Grandma Gu company because she’s worried she might be bored alone. As for entertaining the guests, isn’t Aunt Lan out there doing