The house was filled with the clamor of young girls, as she watched the maid deliver food to their rooms time and again.
Mrs. Lai’s plump body couldn’t help but move; she walked briskly to the doorway and called out to the maid who was about to deliver food.
"You... who allowed you to waste so much food, such a ruinous thing!"
The maid, hearing Mrs. Lai’s voice, stopped in her tracks and lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.
"Why are you standing there like a fool, take the food back."
The maid could only nod and obey, returning the food to the storeroom.
Then, under Mrs. Lai’s watchful gaze, she went back to the ladies’ side.
Mrs. Lai did not go to her granddaughters’ rooms; with so many children there, she didn’t want to show her face, let alone hand out red envelopes!
Mrs. Lai’s loud voice outside the courtyard went unnoticed by others, perhaps because they were so engrossed in their fun.
The Ye sisters, surrounded by so many girls, also did not hear the noise from outside.
The maid returned to the room empty-handed and whispered into Ye Luoqi’s ear.
Ye Luoqi nodded, understanding her grandmother’s behavior all too well, and instructed the maid to serve tea to the sisters.
The girls in the room who had been eating felt thirsty after so much food and also found their throats dry from chatting.
Not willing to go home for a drink, they felt it was quite different to sip tea in the house of a wealthy family as the maid served them one by one.
Serving dozens of young girls, the maid could not bring dozens of cups.
Assuming the girls wouldn’t mind sharing, she gave a cup to one girl, then passed it to another after she finished, using only three to five cups in total.
The girls had eaten a lot and didn’t mind when no more food was offered; they kept chatting merrily.
Before they knew it, the morning had passed, and it was time for lunch. The guests from the Ye family didn’t presume to eat there, as the next day was New Year’s Day and many wouldn’t dine at another’s house.
They were all villagers, not distant guests. They bade farewell to their hosts, promising to chat more when they had free time.
The several dozens of young girls were called by the maid to join the ladies for lunch in the main hall.
This was not to suggest the young girls should also eat there; they autonomously went home for their meal.
After lunch, during the siesta time, normally the household, whether adults or children, would not be disturbed if they chose to nap.
But today, the first day of the New Year, was different. Mrs. Lai announced at the lunch table that there would be no napping.
Ye Shiqi did not understand why they couldn’t take a nap on New Year’s Day.
She didn’t ask then but went back to her room to inquire of her fourth sister.
Ye Fengqi, hearing Qing’s words, explained with a smile, "It’s been said since ancient times that you shouldn’t sleep on New Year’s Day, just as you shouldn’t swear or say the word ’death’..."
As Ye Fengqi spoke, she realized she had spoken out of turn and covered her mouth.
Ye Shiqi didn’t quite understand.
Ye Fengqi continued, "Legend has it that if you nap on New Year’s Day, the terraces will collapse and there will be mountain floods and land fissures!"
Ye Shiqi, after hearing her fourth sister’s words, felt this was completely superstitious. If there really were natural disasters or calamities, there was no avoiding them.
Ye Shiqi felt inwardly that rolling her eyes was unbecoming; although she kept quiet, her mind riffed with sarcasm at the superstitious belief.
Not needing a nap didn’t mean Ye Shiqi wanted to nap, but sitting around with nothing to do, she chose instead to lie down in bed.
Ye Fengqi, disallowed from taking a nap, didn’t dare to actually sleep and, fearing that Qing might fall asleep, kept talking from the adjacent bed.
The content of the conversation turned back to the morning’s events, deeming that corpulent woman detestable for how she and her sisters treated them.
"We bear them no grudge, so why must they aim at us specifically? Does scolding us make them happy, fattening them up more?"
Ye Fengqi’s words made the maid standing beside their beds snort.
Ye Shiqi..., reflecting on the morning’s episode, thought that, not knowing medical skills herself, seeing those two plump sisters wasn’t just due to a good life. Some people gain weight even from drinking plain water.
Such people are easy to nourish, while others have what is called ’false fat,’ which is actually an illness.
But in ancient times, when most people were thin, being fat was considered a sign of fortune, though being overly obese became a burden.