For G.o.d's sake, Old Madam asked this completely out of her concern for the guest and the consideration of the relations.h.i.+p between Xu Family and Sheng Family.

But the words somehow offended Senior Master Sheng. Senior Master was extending his arms to let Old Madam Ming fasten the clothes band for him, and hearing the words, his countenance turned gloomy and groaned, "You're a woman. What's the meaning of inquiring so much?!"

"Wasn't I afraid that we weren't thoughtful enough for that child?" Old Madam Ming found the blame unjust. Because she was the second wife, naturally she was inferior to the first wife. Especially that the first wife died of giving birth to a child for Sheng Family, which made Senior Master Sheng guilty until then, moreover, Sheng Lanci alone was even more competent than all the four children she had given birth to, so she knew that she had no power and never dared to go against Senior Master Sheng.

However, though Senor Master Sheng wasn't as respectful to her as to his first wife, he had never meant to embarra.s.s her.

But today, counting in that time when Xu Baomo helped her out at the gate, it was the second time that he accused her. What did she do wrong?

While she didn't notice that Senior Master Sheng seemingly turned back crossly, but he was actually covering up the diffident expression on his face and pretended to be commanding, "Don't be too close to him! Just a junior, and if you respected him as if he were your own seniors, what will be the sense of our Sheng Family's dignity?"

"Xu Baoting is still alive. Your friends.h.i.+p has lasted for so many years. Young Lord Xu, out of respect for his grandfather, came to our house and kowtowed to every senior!" Old Madam Ming, seeing his behaviors, didn't dare to ask anymore and only muttered in heart, "When the people of your generation all pa.s.s away, with the gap of social status, which member in our family dare to treat the n.o.ble Young Lord as a junior?"

The old couple didn't have a very harmonious conversation, while for Sheng Family's eldest branch, the father and daughter failed to conduct a smooth conversation, either.

Sheng Lanci said painfully, "Sweetheart, your grandfather's back already, and it will be his birthday in three days! But your mother is still at Feng's mansion! Think about it, if at the birthday banquet people ask about that, how awkward is it going to be? So, sweetheart, do me a favor and go to Feng Family with me today. We have to get your mother back, OK?"

"I won't go!" Sheng Weiqiao smirked coldly, "It was you who annoyed mother but not me! If someone needs to go, it should be you. Is there anything doing with me?!"

"Your grandfather loves you so deeply!" Sheng Lanci wheedled hopefully, "Think about it. If at his birthday banquet, the wife of his eldest son was absent, though he wouldn't say anything, how couldn't he feel sad and disappointed deep down inside? Can you bear to see that your grandfather, so aged as he is, still suffers from sorrow?"

Sheng Weiqiao raised her chin and kept her smirk, "Why's it my mother's fault? It was you who insisted on getting Sheng Shuihe back at that moment, wasn't it? If someone has to bear the blame for disappointing grandfather, you'll need to go and explain it to my grandfather by yourself. Don't nag at me and my mother!"

He wasn't able to deal with such a daughter!

Sheng Lanci suppressed his sense of being wronged and left Zhuying Mini Villa in frustration.

Seeing her father's upset figure, Sheng Weiqiao felt a momentary sympathy and was to call him to stop. But Sheng Shuihe and her mother who might be depressed in Feng's Mansion occurred to her. Her lips s.h.i.+vered, finally, she turned her head away without saying anything.

But still, she felt down and stayed in Zhuying Mini Villa for two consecutive days without going anywhere. Senior Master Sheng was originally in the army and had a straightforward character, so the redundant etiquette was what he resisted the most. Therefore, in Sheng Family, aside from during festivals, they were not demanded to make greetings.

The day before Senior Master's birthday, Sheng Lanci still hadn't taken Madam Feng back.

Sheng Weiqiao felt even more vexed, and when she was setting up to make some trouble for Sheng Shuihe in order to release her anger, Shen Jiuniang came for a visit, flirting her fan with woven inset gold thread, "Yo, little fairy, you're here?"

"Little Jiuniang, so here you are?" Sheng Weiqiao glanced at her lazily and said in surprise, "Why do you dress so formally today?"

Shen Jiuniang was in a white blouse embroidered with prunus mume and a long skirt in the form of phoenix's tail. On her waist hanged a five-colored pendant with cl.u.s.tered pearls and a pair of jade pendants in the likeness of carp. In her chignon, there was a pair of green pins embellished with pearls suspended on chains, also some begonishaped ornaments and another jade pin in the form of a flower. She was covered by jewelries and gems.

It was the first time that Sheng Weiqiao saw this cousin who had been quite impatient about dressing in such formal attire. Especially for the pair of gourd-shaped earrings under her ears, which were made of the yaqoot stones from the remote Daqin country. Furthermore, it was the most famous Zhaodianhong among all kinds of red yaqoot stone, the color of which was as red as the blood, which gave her white and soft skin even more purity and taintless complexion.

Sheng Weiqiao recognized that the earrings were one of the best things given to her aunt Sheng Lanxin when she got married. Sheng Lanxin loved them so much that she wouldn't put on them unless for an occasion as important as Senior Master Sheng's birthday. So, it was reasonable that she'd brought them here this time, but why did she give them to Shen Jiuniang?

She didn't hold back her question.

Hearing that, Shen Jiuniang flushed. After several gasps, she gave her a push out of temper and countered, "Don't put it as if you've never peeked your mother's cosmetic case!"

"Never!" Sheng Weiqiao said innocently, "My mother always lets me take anything I want!"

It was true. Madam Feng was from an extraordinarily wealthy family, and she had been used to the luxuries since young, so she didn't care about any pearls or jade. Let alone her daughter just borrowed them, even Weiqiao took them away directly she wouldn't mind at all.

Of course, if Sheng Weiqiao dared to touch the celebrities' calligraphies or ancient paintings collected by her with great commitment, Madam Feng would surely roll her sleeves and teach her a lesson….

Shen Jiuniang also knew about that, and she rolled her eyes, "In that sense, I just took a pair of earrings from my mother randomly. Don't let it out!"

The last sentence had reflected her diffidence more or less. Sheng Lanxin, though always on good terms with Madam Feng as sisters-in-law, they had different hobbies. Sheng Lanxin cherished this pair of earrings so much that the maids weren't allowed to even touch them. Even for her daughter, if she dared to take it without any information, Sheng Lanxin would surely give her a lesson.

"Which benefit will you give me?" Sheng Weiqiao certainly wasn't intended to report to her aunt. Hearing that, she just said in a teasing way, "Without benefit, I'll have to remind my aunt then! After all, she was so kind to me all the time!"

"So malicious of you!" Shen Jiuniang hit her head with the fan and said with displeasure, "Am I unkind to you as a cousin? You've been calling me Little Jiuniang for so many years but I've never fussed over it. You'll see if you had anyone else as a cousin! They'll pinch your mouth! So ignorant of the hierarchy!"

But still, she said, "You don't like Cousin Shuihe who had come back not long ago, right? How about I go to see him with you, and see if we could cause him some trouble?"

Sheng Weiqiao clapped and said, "I had been thinking about it before you came!"

"But he's now with the Young Lord Xu. If we haven't gotten a good idea, we'd better stay still after we arrive there." Shen Jiuniang was trying to fake a normal tone, but still, the back of her neck blushed. She hurried to cover half of her face with the fan, pretending to appreciate the surface of the fan, and whispered, "In… in case that we leave any bad impression on Young Lord Xu and lose Sheng Family's face!"

"He's with the Young Lord Xu?" Sheng Weiqiao wasn't crafty and she didn't notice that her cousin's intention wasn't on Sheng Shuihe. Hearing that, she still focused on Sheng Shuihe, confused, "How so?"

"Think about it, a person as cultivated as Young Lord Xu, even knowing that he's the son of a mistress, wouldn't embarra.s.s him." Shen Jiuniang feared that she wasn't willing to go. Since in no case would she step forward and chat up alone, she hastened to say, "I fear that he'll make use of this chance to mislead the Young Lord, like to say something bad of you and your mother…."

"How dare he!" Sheng Weiqiao was exasperated instantly and rose, "Let's go now!"