Chapter 60

Chapter 60

...

A fragrant aroma wafted from the small courtyard.

Perhaps they had been waiting for a while.

Perhaps the modest lunch had not been enough.

The two young princes from the Baomu family felt hungry.

At the same time, they sensed that the aroma was a tad too intense.

Curious as to what kind of food it was.

The dining table had been moved to the center of the courtyard.

It was not an elaborately carved round table, but rather a makeshift one assembled from weathered wooden planks.

One of the table legs had once been broken and was later patched up.

The chairs were not intricately carved with backrests either, just bamboo chairs, wooden stools, and benches.

These furnishings seemed familiar to them.

Yet, sitting at such a table to dine, without any servants attending to them, no candlelight or lanterns, lit only by starlight, moonlight, and firelight, with fireflies providing illumination, was an altogether different experience.

From Little Jiang Yu's eyes, which shone brighter than the stars, one could tell that tonight's fare would surpass their usual fare at home.

Meng Shaoxia and He Chen fell into silence.

Jiang Feng had not agreed to either of them, saying he needed to consider it overnight.

Jiang Mianmian nestled in her elder brother's embrace.

She understood that these two young princes wanted to invite her brother to go with them.

But her brother had not agreed directly.

Jiang Mianmian frowned slightly. Although her brother stroked her head every day, she worried a little about him going bald. But if one day he stopped stroking her head, she would definitely feel strange.

From their demeanor, these two seemed to be at least good people with pleasant personalities. If her brother went with them, it would certainly be better than roaming the streets.

Jiang Mianmian hesitated.

In ancient times, travel by horse and carriage was slow and inconvenient. If her elder brother truly left, who knew when he would return or when they could see each other again?

So she obediently remained in her brother's embrace, her entire being pensive.

As if those two young princes had invited her instead of her brother.

At such a young age, she was already so thoughtful.

Of course, in the eyes of adults, she was just an extremely beautiful infant, wearing a dazed expression.

She resembled her father, Jiang Changtian, more and more, and grew more beautiful, seeming to glow.

Upon reaching the entrance, he paused, noticing the guests in the courtyard.

Qin Luoxia approached the doorway, brushing the dust off his clothes as she spoke, "Husband, Feng's good friends have come. Since they rarely visit, we saved dinner for you, and everyone is waiting."

Jiang Changtian entered, bowed, and said, "Excuse me for a moment."

He needed to wash up.

Meng Shaoxia and He Chen finally saw the father of Jiang Feng, Little Jiang Yu, and the youngest, Jiang Mianmian, who was carried in her brother's arms.

They had expected him to be like their mother – a sturdy woman. Instead, he seemed rather shy, barely looking at them when addressing them.

This was the demeanor of most people they encountered, so it was not unusual.

They had not anticipated the arrival of a slender young man.

In the dim courtyard, they could only discern his long hair, loose clothing, and thin frame, not as robust as Madam Qin.

Jiang Changtian returned to the room to wash up.

After some hesitation, he wiped off the makeup from his face.

He retied his hair.

When his father was alive, he too had been a well-pampered young master from a prominent clan. He knew what people of their standing preferred.

He slowly dried his hands.

Turning around, he stepped out of the room.

The old, ill-maintained door creaked noisily.

Jiang Changtian emerged, a gentle smile on his face.

"My apologies for the delay. Thank you for waiting."

"No delay, Father, we haven't been waiting long at all," Little Jiang Yu said excitedly.

Jiang Mianmian waved her arms too, babbling, "Eeyaayaayaaya" (Carry me, Father, carry me!)

Qin Luoxia beamed with pride, "This is my husband, he speaks so well."

Jiang Feng was also proud, "This is my father, no need to bow and scrape."

The whole family was lively and animated.

Yet Meng Shaoxia and He Chen grew uneasy.

They even stood up hurriedly in their fluster.

Feeling that remaining seated would be disrespectful.

"Please, be seated," Meng Shaoxia offered his small bamboo chair.

He Chen accidentally kicked over the small stool he had been sitting on.

...