"Mrs. Meng, Miss Meng, welcome!"
Upon their arrival, Lady Tang stood up and even bowed when they nodded!
Mrs. Meng was an official’s wife, though her husband held a relatively minor position, he was still the highest official in the county, and no one would dare to expect an official to bow.
They were Imperial Merchants, not officials, and the inner housewife had neither official rank nor title.
Mrs. Meng and her daughter sat together at seats offered to them, and after the Tang Family maid served them tea, Mrs. Meng took a sip of tea and then smiled at their host while presenting gifts to the star of today’s event.
She and her daughter had come to the banquet today, and Mrs. Meng had prepared gifts for the younger members.
She instructed a maid standing beside her to hand over the gifts, and Qiu Xia received them on behalf of the young Master.
Many people brought gifts today, but it was not customary to open them right then and there.
Those without invitations, along with those who had them, were all curious about what gifts others had brought.
No one opened their gifts, nor did anyone suggest that the hosts should open them.
Zhaojun also presented a gift to Shunyan and wanted to say quite a bit to this young boy.
Seeing that the boy received his gift as though it didn’t matter much, Zhaojun said to him,
"Shunyan, I specifically prepared this gift for you."
Shunyan nodded and replied, "Hmm, thank you!"
"Aren’t you going to open it to see?" Zhaojun did not want her painstakingly made gift to be disregarded and left with others unopened and unseen.
"Zhaojun, I’ll look at it alone later. Thank you again for your gift!"
"My gift doesn’t have a name on it, how will you know which one is mine?"
"Qiu Xia, make a note of which gift is from which family!"
No sooner had Shunyan spoken than Qiu Xia instructed a nearby maid to safeguard the gifts, and then she bowed to the young Master!
she said, "Young Master, we have already labeled the gifts with names and symbols of the families who sent them!"
"Hmm, well done!" Shunyan said to Qiu Xia, then shifted his gaze away from Zhaojun towards the entrance, wondering why the wet nurse and others hadn’t yet arrived.
Miss Meng showed such concern for her gift that many were curious about what this young girl had actually given.
Everyone exchanged gifts with careful attention, caring much about the gifts they offered. However, since the host family did not open them, comparisons were restrained!
Everyone believed their gifts were the best and most valuable, but when it truly came to wealth or capability, they all knew none could compare to the Tang Family.
Madam Tang subtly smiled, proud that her grandson, though still a child, could responsibly manage the receipt of so many gifts without opening them in front of others, a gesture that saved face for the guests.
Lady Tang was very curious what gift Miss Meng had given as she seemed to care so much.
Indeed, she was curious about each guest’s gift, but since her son had not allowed her to help manage them, knowing about the gifts was out of her hands.
Caring about her son’s interests, she did not interfere but let her son decide for himself.
Mrs. Meng noticed her daughter acting rather unusually. Such abnormal behavior, like being scrutinized as though one were a monkey, was not good for a reputation. Concerned for her daughter’s reputation, she discreetly grasped her daughter’s arm.
Zhaojun still wanted to insist on her point but was pulled back by her mother’s tug on her arm, stopping her from continuing.
She frowned in frustration, subtly stamped her embroidered shoe on the ground, and rolled her eyes at Shunyan, noticing his gaze was fixed towards the doorway!
With a cold snort, she thought, wasn’t Shunyan very indifferent towards the Ye family? She was determined to embarrass them later.
At that moment, the little pageboy, following the young Master’s orders, had already arranged for some of the gifts from the Ye family to be stored in the young Master’s private storeroom!
Although there were many gifts, presenting numerous vases and jars in front of so many guests in the sitting room was inappropriate.
The little pageboy was simply executing the young Master’s orders that anything sent by the Ye family, except for what was in Ru Mei’s hands, would be stored in his storeroom to be dealt with later.
Shiqi held a small jewelry box, merely for small jewelry. Another larger box, which her father carried, contained a carved likeness.