Chapter 57: The Opponent (Part 1)

  Xiū Jiā ān. These three words make people think more.

  The family temple is for women from our clan to cultivate themselves. But where in the Tao family is such a person? There isn't one, so what's the point of having a family temple?

  Jinghua's face turned pale after hearing this, sitting on one side with a dull and lifeless expression, her mind was completely gone.

  The Tao family prepared some pastries and snacks, Mrs. Tao's intention was to let the children from several houses gather together, they were all close brothers and sisters and couldn't be estranged. As there were many things to settle, Mrs. Tao and Second Mistress sat for a while before going to discuss the ancestral worship ceremony in two days' time.

  Jinghua sat for a while and felt uneasy. No matter whether it was the maids, the old ladies or the young ladies from various rooms, they all looked at her with strange eyes. Only Sixth Miss targeted Jinghua, speaking ill of her in every possible way, but that was because Fourth Aunt had become pregnant again and had Old Madam's support behind her.

  No matter what Sixth Miss said, Rong Hua seemed to be neither angry nor annoyed, but instead made Sixth Miss lose interest for a while. Jing Hua saw Rong Hua like this and the knot in her heart also loosened a bit. She was upright and hadn't done anything wrong, and in the end, she would just serve those mud dolls, who were always easier to get along with than humans, so it would be peaceful.

  The two brothers, Tao Jingyuan and Tao Jingyun, who were a bit older, were chatting with their sisters on the side. Yao Hua was knowledgeable and reasonable, and she got along well with them. Qiu Ge from the third house also pulled in Hong Ge from the first house to join in the fun. The seventh young lady, Xiu Hua, had been staying in Yao Hua's room for a few days and had become even closer to her. She was laughing and chatting around Yao Hua. Yan Hua was even more forward, inserting herself into every conversation. The other two young ladies from the second house, Jiao Hua and Yue Hua, naturally couldn't leave this circle either. For the time being, only Jing Hua from the third house and Rong Hua from the first house were left out.

  Several people were getting more and more cheerful, Hongge came over to Ronghua's side to pick up the fruit, and slowly moved over. Jinxiu saw this and quickly went to add a cup of tea for Jinghua, then stood there talking to Jinghua's personal maid Qianer.

  Hong Ge finally had a chance, and whispered to Rong Hua: "Sister, I told Xia Tao to find you, why didn't you come? Are you angry with me?"

  Ronghua saw Hongge's anxious appearance, and a warm feeling arose in her heart. Many things that happened that night were only known to Ronghua later from Xiaotao's mouth.

  The mansion had been breached by thieves, and Hongge was worried about her, but she wasn't hiding in the flower house, so he wanted to come out and look for her. However, it wouldn't be good for him to say that he came looking for her, so he just insisted on going out. The mistress saw this and thought that Hongge had been frightened out of his wits, so she hastily ordered the servants to hold him back. But Hongge refused to give up, struggling for a while, after all, he was only a ten-year-old child, how could he compare with the strength of several adults?

  After his father returned to the government office, he learned about this matter and scolded Hongge severely. He also ordered someone to take good care of Hongge and make him study hard to develop his skills, so that he wouldn't bring shame when he went out in the future.

  "Dad is in a bad mood now, you'd better not go against him, or else you'll suffer again. I won't go see you, that's what it means."

  Hong Ge knew that Rong Hua was truly concerned about him, and the stone in his heart was finally put down.

  Tao Jingyuan brought up the topic of Hongge studying on the left wing, and after searching around, he found that the main person was actually with Eighth Miss. Hongge lowered his head to talk to Eighth Miss, but it's unknown what they were saying. Both of their faces had a smile, and the atmosphere seemed good. Tao Jingyuan felt somewhat puzzled - Eighth Miss was just an illegitimate daughter from a different household, so why did Hongge seem willing to get close to her?

  Tao Jingyuan was just about to call Hongge over to talk, when a servant came in and said: "There are guests at home, the master wants the young masters to go to the front."

  Tao Jingyuan stood up and asked, "Who's here?"

  "He said: 'It is Wu Mu Hou.'"

  Everyone present was shocked, and the young ladies all looked thoughtful. Tao Jingyuan, Tao Jingxuan, Hong Ge, and Qiu Ge were all busy letting the maids help them tidy up their clothes and hurriedly rushed to the front.

  A few people left, and this banquet naturally dispersed.

  Ronghua inadvertently raised her head, only to find that Yaohua was staring at her with a thoughtful expression. Yuan had vowed to be her lifelong good sister. She shared all her thoughts with Yaohua, and now, facing each other from afar, she finally saw her true nature.

  The Seventh Young Lady of the Second House, Xiu Hua, spoke with Yao Hua, and Yao Hua naturally shifted her gaze away.

  After hearing Wu Mu Hou, several young ladies were even more enthusiastic about Yao Hua, but Yao Hua just smiled and remained calm and composed as usual.

  Several young ladies were preparing to leave, when Chen's mother hastily came over and saw that all the young ladies were there, she let out a sigh of relief. "Young ladies, you should also get ready, the mistress said that you all need to go over and pay your respects too."

  When Chen Mama said this, almost everyone's eyes fell on Yao Hua, and the seventh and ninth ladies were even more envious.

  Madam Chen instructed a few maids, "Hurry up and attend to the young ladies, our noble guest won't be staying in the manor for long." She then personally accompanied Second Miss Yuahua out, while Second Miss's maid suddenly became busy.

  Everyone in the mansion is so tense about Yao Hua that others have a feeling of being neglected, feeling lost in their hearts, but still unwilling to give up.

  The second lady Wang personally took the few ladies from the second house to collect and prepare, the seventh lady, ninth lady, and eleventh lady saw their mother had come, immediately happily followed.

  Ronghua and Xinghua also returned to the house, Xinghua didn't have the mind to dress up, seeing Ronghua sitting on the side drinking tea calmly, couldn't help but feel anxious, and said to Jinxiu beside her: "Don't you hurry up and get some clothes ready for your young lady?"

  Ronghua didn't say anything, and Jinxiu also didn't know what to do for the best. Should she dress up or not? Which clothes should she wear that would be suitable?

  Although Wu Mu Hou is a relative from the third wife Liao's side, he is also an outsider. Letting him meet the young ladies of the house... The main focus is on Yao Hua, and they are just supporting characters. No matter how well she dresses up, the first wife will make sure to dress Yao Hua meticulously, who can surpass that?

  She did this, and the final result would only bring vigilance from Madame. Ronghua glanced at Jinxiu, who had just returned from Madame's side and hadn't even had a chance to talk to her yet. At the banquet earlier, Jinxiu and Muxin had said something to each other, and Muxin, who usually loved to take charge, didn't come over to help her pick out clothes with enthusiasm.

  The appearance of these two girls made her more cautious.

  After all, it's a distinguished guest coming to the door, and the etiquette must be thorough. The clothes can't be too casual either. Ronghua let Mugun choose two not-too-eye-catching jackets, and Jinghua chose a Xiang-colored embroidered jacket with a crossed collar. Mugun handed over the silver-red twisted branch pattern jacket in his hand to Ronghua. Red is always eye-catching and flamboyant, her skin was originally fair, wearing red will be even more delicate and charming. In private, there are often old ladies saying that men all like delicate women, but it seems not necessarily so.

  Ronghua had Mugun take that onion-yellow satin jacket and lotus-colored plain skirt with a wide border, and also chose several pieces of jewelry. They looked both elegant and understated, not too showy. Only then did she lead Jinxiu, Mugun, and Qian'er to the main wife's quarters.

  When they arrived at the entrance of the main courtyard, Ronghua, Jinghua and several ladies from the second house waited until Yaohua arrived before entering together. The ladies went forward to choose their seats, with Ronghua and Jinghua sitting in the farthest place from the main seat. Yanhua arrived a bit later, wearing a pomegranate-red stone lotus jacket and a pomegranate-red palace flower on her head, looking around for a good position, getting annoyed and stubbornly walking to Ninth Lady's side, staring at Ninth Lady.

  Miss Jiū originally also looked at Yan Hua with a hard gaze, but still couldn't help but yield, standing up and saying: "Sister, please sit here!"

  Yan Hua was suddenly delighted.

  The elder lady and second lady Tao Wang spoke, glanced at Yan Hua, a look of displeasure on her face, but couldn't quarrel with her at this time.

  Ronghua looked at Yohua beside the madam, and Yohua was indeed wearing red, light pink robes with a peach-red embroidered silk jacket on top. Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a peach-shaped design, tied up with a peach-red satin ribbon of the same color as the jacket. The overall effect was luxurious yet not tacky, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

  Although Yanhua and Yaohua's clothes clashed in color, Yanhua couldn't compare with Yaohua's elegance.

  The lady nodded in satisfaction to Chen's mother, and the second sister Yao Hua was a talented and beautiful woman who would catch anyone's eye. The young master would probably fall for her at first sight, and then she would let Liao's family take over and settle the matter.

  The sound of footsteps came from outside, and the young ladies in the house all sat quietly looking towards the door. The little maid lifted the curtain, and Wu Mu Hou walked in. He wore a blue robe with a right lapel and a wide belt made of blue satin around his waist, on which only a piece of white jade was hung. His attire was simple and elegant, adding to his solemnity. There was no smile on his handsome face, especially those eyes that were even more gloomy and unfathomable, making it difficult for people to grasp. The light in his eyes suddenly became brighter when he looked at someone, making them feel a little intimidated.

  The young lady in the house, who had been gazing at him with fervent eyes, suddenly looked away, lowering her head. Rong Hua was only slightly distracted, no wonder people outside would say that this Wu Mu Houye was a fierce and powerful man, with deep-set eyes and thin lips, just like an angry Vajra, in her heart she couldn't help but compare the ugly Vajra statue in the temple to Wu Mu Hou, and her mouth involuntarily curled up into a slight smile.

  This comparison was actually an insult to him.

  Everyone came to their senses and bustled about, paying their respects. The Marquis of Wu Mu naturally blocked the way, and this time he had come to formally thank the Tao family. The old lady invited the marquis to take a seat in the upper hall, and said a few more words. From start to finish, the old lady's face was filled with an excited expression that she couldn't hide. Yao Hua sat beside the old lady, who would occasionally glance at her, as if trying to draw the Marquis of Wu Mu's gaze towards Yao Hua. Yao Hua also sat quietly, a gentle smile on her face.

  The tea had just been served when Wu Mu Hou stood up and bid farewell. The old lady couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she didn't dare to speak out to persuade him to stay.

  The crowd stood up and saw him off, until the figure of Wu Mu Hou disappeared from sight. The atmosphere in the house only returned to normal then. Ninth Miss kept patting her chest, as if Yan Hua had also calmed down a lot.

  This young master is indeed not ordinary, facing this full hall of beauties, those clear and cold eyes didn't stay on anyone, even the one closest to him, Yao Hua was no exception.

  To put it bluntly, as soon as a man appears on the scene, he has to spend time figuring things out.

  Today is Valentine's Day, how can there be no man, right!!!!!

  Thank you classmates for Valentine's Day roses, I also spent Valentine's Day.