Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The round building had seven rooms, which were fully occupied.

Today is the fifteenth, the monthly family gathering at the Round House.

An hour before dinner, there were already voices in the courtyard of the round building.

Liu Wenying was staring at the soup on the stove in the small kitchen when Ling'er came to report that the second and third masters of the Pei family had arrived one after the other.

She wiped her hands and went out to greet them.

From afar, Pei Yaojun and Pei Zeyu could be seen standing under the peach tree.

The tree is now taller than the eaves, with lush foliage and pink peach buds. In another half month, it will be in full bloom.

Pei Zeyu wore a moon-white robe, looking as elegant as an orchid or a jade mountain.

Pei Yaojun wore a crimson brocade robe with narrow sleeves and a belt.

The two were a few steps apart, talking about something, but they seemed to be getting along quite well.

Liu Wenying stopped and turned back, not wanting to disturb their conversation any longer.

When the sun set on the treetops, everyone had arrived.

Xue Bi and Lu Ye arrived second, followed by Pei Dingxuan, who arrived a step later.

Xiao Yiheng arrived the latest, but brought the most people with him.

He brought four eunuchs with food boxes, each containing newly produced snacks from the imperial kitchen.

When Xiao Yiheng placed the food box in front of Liu Wenying, everyone's expressions were different.

Pei Yaojun snorted, "What kind of snacks can't be eaten after a meal? If you're full before the meal, how can you enjoy Yingying's cooking and soup?"

Pei Zeyu glanced at the pastries in the food box and reminded him, "No matter how delicious the glutinous rice is, you should eat less of it to avoid indigestion."

Pei Dingxuan also moved the food box around, saying, "The table isn't big, it takes up too much space."

Xiao Yiheng was both amused and exasperated; he was being ostracized simply for bringing a few extra snacks.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Yiheng caught sight of a green shadow and said aggrievedly, "Wenying, they're all bullying me."

"Who dares to challenge His Majesty?" Liu Wenying had just arrived and was quite surprised to hear this.

"Last time you came to the palace, didn't you say the pastries were delicious? So I brought a few extra portions, but they didn't like them and even moved the food boxes away."

He explained the whole story in a few words, but there was a suspicion that he had embellished it; otherwise, the three masters of the Pei family wouldn't have looked at Liu Wenying with such hesitation.

Liu Wenying smiled and said, "How about we eat first? We can have pastries after that?"

When she spoke, no one else objected.

As the dishes were served one by one, everyone tacitly made room for Liu Wenying.

As soon as she sat down, the empty seats on either side became hotly contested.

Pei Zeyu, who was usually quiet, suddenly moved and sat to Liu Wenying's right.

Before anyone could react, he had already picked up the teapot, poured her a cup of tea, and then naturally set out the bowls and chopsticks for her.

Pei Yaojun was a step too late, but he still managed to grab a spot on the left thanks to his exceptional skills.

Xue Bi and Lu Ye then sat down in turn. To Xue Bi's left sat Luo Luo and Ji Chuan, so that it would be convenient to take care of them.

Xiao Yiheng and Pei Dingxuan, minding their own business, did not want to compete and sat in the remaining two seats.

Although they couldn't sit next to Liu Wenying, at least they were at a round table, so they could look at each other face to face when picking up food.

The family dinner began, and everyone started eating in a lively atmosphere.

Until after several rounds of drinks and several dishes were served.

On the surface, they were chatting and laughing, but if you didn't look at the food piled higher and higher in Liu Wenying's bowl...

"Eating more fish is good for Wenying's health."

Pei Zeyu picked up a piece of steamed sea bass with his chopsticks, carefully removed the small bones, and placed it in her bowl.

"Where will you get the strength from just eating fish? You should eat more venison."

Pei Yaojun moved the smoked venison to the edge of her bowl, saying meaningfully, "I heard it's smoked venison transported from the north, and it's even more nourishing than the venison from the capital."

"Braised venison and lotus seeds are perfect for this time of year."

Xiao Yiheng calmly replied, scooping up a spoonful of lotus seed stewed pork ribs with a silver spoon and placing it on the empty plate in front of her.

With the three of them setting an example, the others also picked up the dishes in front of them.

Before long, Liu Wenying's bowl was filled with steamed sea bass, smoked venison, lotus seed and pork ribs, honey-glazed ham, eight-treasure duck, braised prawns...

Each dish represents a person's sentiments.

Not only that, every time he served Liu Wenying a dish, he would casually glance at the others.

It didn't look like they were eating; it looked more like they were playing chess.

This meal is inedible.

"Don't just keep putting food on my plate, you should eat more too."

After saying that, she personally picked up her chopsticks and served food to everyone.

This wasn't the first time for such a family dinner, and Liu Wenying, with her experience in serving water, knew how to handle it.

The undercurrents were temporarily calmed down. After finishing his meal, Pei Yaojun leaned back in his chair and looked at Pei Dingxuan.

"Speaking of which, the peach tree I saw in the yard seems to have been planted by my elder brother and Yingying together?"

The table fell silent for a moment.

Pei Dingxuan paused slightly in his cupped hand, then resumed his normal posture, took a sip, and said calmly, "Yes."

"How many years have you been growing it?"

Instead of answering, Pei Dingxuan asked, "What does Third Brother want to say?"

Pei Yaojun clicked his tongue twice. "That tree is really your prized possession, brother. Can't I even ask it a few questions? I just think the soil and water aren't good, so it's growing slowly. I'm thinking of watering it sometime, maybe it will grow faster."

Given Master Pei's personality, he wouldn't be so eager to help others or meddle in other people's business.

The watering he mentioned probably meant pouring hot water.

Liu Wenying's heart tightened, and she turned to look at him: "Third Master..."

"No need for you to worry, Third Brother, I'll take care of it." Pei Dingxuan deftly deflected the question.

The two of them, one a mountain, the other a fire, remain unmoved even as the wildfire rages.

But now that Pei Yaojun has spoken, he won't give up easily.

He was about to speak when Pei Dingxuan interrupted him.

"If the peach tree dies, I can plant another one. As long as people live, there will always be trees."

That peach tree certainly held an extremely important place in his heart, but at the same time he also clearly saw that people were far more important than external things.

Pei Yaojun's smile froze on his lips.

"What are you saying, brother? I was just trying to water your tree, how could I possibly kill it?"

The atmosphere eased temporarily, and Liu Wenying buried her head in her rice.

Everyone present understood that the peach tree was a clue, and what lay beneath it was the unbroken connection between her and Pei Dingxuan.

Pei Yaojun's act of watering the plants was feigned; his true intention was jealousy.

Pei Dingxuan's claim of planting more trees was a pretense; his true intention was to refuse to yield.

Xue Bi suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.

"I have an idea. Why don't we have someone bring over more peach trees and plant them right next to each other? It'll be more lively with two trees growing together than with just one."

Pei Zeyu chimed in, "Two trees aren't enough! It would be best if each of us had one, and the yard would become a peach orchard."

After saying that, he looked at Liu Wenying and asked, "Wenying, what do you think?"

Liu Wenying suddenly looked up, "Ah, I have no objection, of course you can!"

As long as they don't argue or make a fuss, what's a few trees? She wouldn't mind if the round building were turned into a forest.

Having received Liu Wenying's confirmation, Xiao Yiheng and Lu Ye also joined in, and everyone started talking about the intricacies of tree planting.

The family banquet continued, and after Liu Wenying finished eating, she went to check on Jichuan's meal.

Jichuan is good at everything, except he's picky about food. He won't touch vegetables and eats very little meat.

She patiently and gently coaxed him.

Luo Luo has been able to feed herself for a long time, but she is not an easy child to deal with, as she scoots her little body off the chair.

Its two short legs couldn't reach the ground, and its body twisted and turned, just like a slippery little mudfish.

Luo Luo only ate a few bites before sneaking away.

Just as Liu Wenying was about to intervene, she saw Xue Bi put down his cup and wave to her, indicating that he would handle it himself.

…………