“But that’s for my sister!” Shen Qiu hurriedly said.
Shen Xin waved his hand. “Have you ever seen your sister taking a fancy in that kind of brocade?”
Even though Shen Xin did not know anything about women, he knew that his daughter did not like those elegant materials. She just liked to wear gold and silver. The tackier, the better. Although he was displeased with her choice of jewelry, there was nothing he could do.
1
When Shen Qiu heard that, he felt that what his father said made sense. He lowered his head, saying softly, “I came back in a hurry this time and didn’t bring any gifts for my sister. I feel guilty just thinking about it.”
In fact, in the past, Shen Qiu and Shen Miao had a good relationship. The siblings supported each other and lived a happy life. However, later on, Shen Qiu went to war with Shen Xin every year and met with Shen Miao once a year. Later, Shen Miao’s temper became worse, and the siblings were estranged from each other. No matter how close Shen Qiu was to his sister, Shen Miao treated him indifferently.
1
Shen Qiu did not know the reason, but Shen Miao did. Shen Miao was young and would be easily affected by a few words. Looking at her brother, she naturally felt that he had snatched all the love from their parents and was unwilling to be close to him.
“Forget it.” Shen Xin patted the dust off his body and stood up. “Wake up the soldiers. We’ll continue on their way. In two hours, we have to return to the capital!”
2
… .
Soon, the birthday banquet was about to begin. All the madams and ladies were already seated, and there were more than ten tables. All the wives of the officials in the capital were here. Of course, everyone came not because of Old Madam Shen, but because of Shen Xin. Even so, the birthday banquet was still lively, just like in the past.
Shen Yue was wearing a pleated dress. The white color made her look extremely graceful and gentle. She was originally delicate and pretty. Today, she was specially dressed up, so she caught the attention of everyone. Now that Shen Qing and Shen Miao both had engaged, the ladies present looked at Shen Yue thoughtfully, thinking that if their son married Shen Yue, what benefit could she bring to their family.
After the men delivered the birthday gift, they were all on the other side, accompanied by the two brothers, Shen Gui and Shen Wan. Shen Gui and Shen Wan naturally would not give up this opportunity to win people over. They chatted and laughed happily.
Mr. Su held his wine glass and felt a headache coming on. His family had a good relationship with the Xie family, but the Shen family and the Xie family had always been at odds with each other. However, the Shen family had sent him an invitation. Mr. Su was a good person. Since they had sent him an invitation, he couldn’t turn down the invitation. He could only bite the bullet and come. In his heart, he was a little envious of his “sick” eldest son. At least he didn’t have to watch this group of old men with ulterior motives drink and test each other.
“Dad,” Su Minglang said. Today, he was also dressed up by his mother. Even so, he still looked like a chubby meatball. He tugged at Mr. Su’s sleeve. “I want to go out for a walk.”
“No, don’t go around,” Mr. Su instructed. Although his eldest son didn’t attend, his youngest son, who had always been uninterested in these things, insisted on coming. Mr. Su didn’t know why, but since Mrs. Su agreed, he had no choice but to bring this little burden along.