Their group’s appearance prompted much curiosity among those who didn’t recognize them, how could such ordinarily dressed individuals appear here?
While many people found it odd, the family found a vacant spot to sit, Mrs. Lai slightly turned her body, trying to attract attention and strike up a conversation with anyone nearby.
Although their arrival had garnered attention, no one paid heed to Mrs. Lai, for how could such a corpulent, old woman draw the eye?
Some people’s attention was drawn to Mrs. Li and the child in her arms, and even more gazes lingered on her five daughters.
A woman felt Mrs. Li looked somewhat familiar and envied her for her beautiful skin.
Every wealthy person maintains excellent skincare routines to gain more affection from their husbands, not to mention, they spend high prices on luxury ingredients like ginseng and bird’s nests.
Yet, this woman, seemingly of similar age to some of them, appeared to have far superior skin quality than the rest of the wealthy folk.
Similar in age to the five young girls, it was the skins of these girls that caught everyone’s eyes.
In their hearts, they wondered, from which wealthy family do these girls come to have such naturally beautiful skin?
Both young and old women place great importance on their figure and skin, for beauty cannot simply be bought with wealth.
"Three parts natural endowment, seven parts grooming," they didn’t believe such beautiful skin could be the result of mere grooming, as such excellent cosmetics did not exist in their county.
Aside from Mrs. Lai, the Ye family members were somewhat reluctant to be gawked at like monkeys—it wasn’t pleasant to be judged like commodities.
Feeling uncomfortable, they didn’t enjoy being appraised by others as though they were merchandise.
At that moment, someone came to their rescue.
"Wet nurse, Ru Mei, sisters, why don’t I take you for a tour?"
With Tang Shunyan’s presence and his resonant voice, everyone clearly understood that this family was of significance.
Being the wet nurse of today’s protagonist, many had heard of the Tang Family’s story. The older folks were more cognizant, and their initial curiosity turned into a desire to chat with them.
Among them were some gossip-hungry individuals, keen on snooping for news; anything they heard could become a different story when passed through their lips.
Younger girls, upon learning that these were only the daughters of a maid, felt envy mixed with condescension.
The notion of a farmer girl possessing such fine skin unsettled the Misses, and some harbored thoughts of stirring trouble, though no one dared act with Tang Shunyan present.
When Tang Shunyan extended an invitation, Mrs. Li felt it best not to stray from her young son. Perhaps it would be more convenient to visit the Young Master’s quarters with him, but she distrusted leaving Mrs. Lai behind.
Not even the presence of a maid could assure her; Mrs. Lai had an unnerving quality about her, and if she remained seated here, all would be well. But should she provoke some noble, who could afford such offense?
Those attending the gathering at the Tang residence were illustriously ranked. Mrs. Lai’s aspirations to climb the social ladder had been clear to Mrs. Li for some time.
"Young Master, perhaps the wet nurse should stay here."
"Wet nurse, why don’t you and Grandma Lai stay here, and I’ll take the Ru sisters to visit my quarters?"
Approaching six, Tang Shunyan was younger than Mrs. Li’s eldest daughter, who was ten, and it was generally inappropriate for them to visit a young boy’s quarters.
Being personally shown around by the host might be the only chance for her daughters to see such splendors.
Referring to her older girls, it wouldn’t be long before the eldest and the slightly younger ones could no longer venture out.
Mrs. Li watched her daughters, sitting here with them was dull. Parties were boring, especially when you’re seated with strangers, with no freedom to talk among your own people.
"Follow the young Master closely, don’t run off, you hear? And don’t go barging into others’ houses!"
All five sisters nodded agreement. Having come here, they were eager to see the inner workings of a wealthy household, curious and excited about everything.
Tang Shunyan promised to lead the Ru sisters on a safe visit and return them back safely.
The protagonist taking common girls to visit the Tang Family, specifically his own quarters, set the hearts of some young girls and boys aflutter, pestering their elders to join.
The elders indeed wanted their youngsters to befriend Tang Shunyan; they had yet to speak up!
Among these youngsters were friends from Tang Shunyan’s academy days.
Leading a group to tour his quarters and the Tang Family’s garden, more and more people began to follow behind him, including Meng Zhaojun amid the crowd.
Tang Shunyan glanced helplessly at the growing entourage but refrained from sending them away. Today was his day of joy; it wasn’t the time for ill temper.
He was usually gentle with people, which explained his circle of both male and female friends.
Given their youth, it was still acceptable for boys and girls to converse together.
These exchanges were limited to banquet settings; they were too young to partake in outings, and their families wouldn’t permit such behavior.
Among the crowd, Meng Zhaojun appeared inconspicuous, yet everyone made way for her, noticing her pale complexion. They offered nods and smiles but dared not engage her further.