The west wind blows, the works of a humble daughter to be married off. A first-class noble's consort, a humble daughter to be married off. A first-class noble's consort, a humble daughter to be married off. Volume 1 Chapter 74: Record of Snatching Food

  Ruan's eyes were fixed on those two fox-fur coats with a scowl of discontent and resentment, her gaze was extremely gloomy.

  The personal maid Autumn Man who had been attending her saw this and carefully approached her and said a few words.

  Ruan's eyes lit up and she asked in a delighted whisper, "Is what you're saying really true?"

  Akane nodded firmly and said "Of course it's true, I saw it with my own eyes."

  After getting a definite answer, Ruan's heart suddenly felt much more at ease. Looking into Xia Ting's eyes, she also had a disdainful look, humph, just wait and see how you'll lose face later.

  When it was time for lunch, Jing Wangfei quietly instructed Li Mama to go to the kitchen to serve the meal.

  According to custom, on the first day of a new marriage, apart from giving respects and serving tea to the parents-in-law, the whole family also gathers together for a meal.

  Everyone also came to the big round table and sat down. Among the seated people, there were three more people, one was Xu Shi, the birth mother of Baili Chenxuan and Baili Luyao, another was Qi Niangniang, a concubine of Baili Chenxuan, because she had just given birth to the eldest granddaughter of the Wang family not long ago, so Jing Wangye also allowed her to sit at the table and have dinner together.

  The last one was Ruan Jinling, the legitimate younger sister of the Ruan family. She was a little girl about the same age as Bai Lianyue and Bai Lianchen. She wore a late mist purple silk shirt with cloud patterns, a gold wire ring pendant earrings, and a gold inlaid jade bracelet on her hand. Her attire was extremely luxurious, and her face was full of pride and arrogance.

  After seeing the dishes on the table, she actually wanted to reach out and grab them without regard for etiquette. It was only after Ruan Shi hastily stopped her that she put down her chopsticks with a look of dissatisfaction, muttering a few words under her breath.

  This Mrs. Xu was just a small concubine, not the side consort of King Jing, she wore a honey-yellow cloud smoke shirt, with elegant orchids embroidered on her skirt, her hair was high and adorned with a hollowed-out orchid pearl hairpin, as a whole, she could only be considered delicate and charming, but her words and deeds did not have the grandeur and nobility of King Jing's consort.

  This made Xia Ting's heart sink, and she couldn't help but feel some doubt. What exactly did this Mistress Xu rely on to become the king's concubine? The information her people had gathered only said that the Duke of Jing had one wife and one concubine, and not even a single servant girl besides them.

  Below the knee, there are only four sons and one daughter, including a son and a daughter who is the current Xuniang. She originally thought that this Xuniang might be exceptionally beautiful, which is why she became the only concubine of King Jing. However, today's encounter was greatly beyond her expectations, as the other party had no outstanding features.

  Although Xia Ting was very suspicious in her heart, she didn't show it and just secretly remembered it in her mind. She would ask Rong Jin again when she got back.

  In contrast to Xi Shi's elegant appearance, Bai Lichuan's concubine Ji Niang looked like a flower in bloom, not showing off at all, with an extremely demure and proper demeanor.

  Although Xia Ting Cong only glanced at her lightly, she still didn't put down her guard against this Ji Shi. That Ruan Shi knew at a glance that she wasn't someone easy to get along with, and it had already been a year since she got married, yet she still hadn't gotten pregnant. In such a situation, how could she tolerate a concubine giving birth to a child before her master did? If by chance the one born was a boy, who knows if in the future he wouldn't threaten her position. And this Ji Shi actually managed to get pregnant and give birth under her nose, it's clear that her abilities are not small.

  These ten months of pregnancy are not a short period of time. If there wasn't enough cleverness, how could one avoid Ruan Shi's secret plots?

  After silently sizing up these two people, Xia Ting had already gained some insight. Along with the quiet king's faint sentence "Let's have a meal."

  Everyone silently picked up their chopsticks. Ruan's sister, Ruan Jinling, was the first to take a dish closest to her without hesitation, and those that were farther away were left for the serving maids to fetch for her. The bowl was piled high, and after taking a bite, she would pick up another one from the bowl, typically eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot.

  Xia Ting's eyes narrowed slightly as she clicked her tongue, this child is really too unruly. She secretly glanced at King Jing, and saw that he also had a look of dissatisfaction on his face, but since the other party was just a child, he ultimately didn't explode in anger.

  The dishes on the table were sumptuous, and Baili Rongjin first picked up her chopsticks to serve Xia Ting a portion of seafood mixed with tender lotus root. Xia Ting looked at the bowl where the tender lotus root and seafood were arranged together in a colorful pattern, and couldn't help but smile slightly as she happily took a bite.

  The dish is very refreshing and delicious, with a hint of spiciness, making it very appetizing.

  Baili Rongjin looked at Xia Ting's adorable appearance and asked softly, "Are you used to eating it? There are some chili peppers inside, which is a new spice I just bought. The flavor is better than when I put in Sichuan peppercorns."

  Xia Ting nodded slightly "It's quite delicious." This pepper was not unfamiliar to her at all, she just didn't expect the chef of the Wang Fu would think of using it as a substitute for Sichuan peppercorns, it seemed that this pepper was indeed very popular.

  She also reached out to help Baili Rongyin pick some willow and pine mushrooms, and the two of them seemed extremely intimate, causing others at the dinner table to glance over in surprise. Jing Wangye glanced over, then continued eating with his eyes cast down, but in the end still followed suit and picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle for Jing Wangfei.

  The quiet queen watched with satisfaction as the two people served each other dishes and occasionally spoke in a low voice, and she was also extremely delighted. This daughter-in-law seems to be someone who can take care of others, and is good to Jin'er too.

  The second master and the second lady exchanged a smile, while this Jing'er and his daughter-in-law got along extremely well, making them feel genuinely happy.

  Baili Qianfu's eyes were filled with envy, wondering if she would ever find a husband like her elder cousin, who was willing to lower himself to serve her food.

  Ruan Shi looked at the two of them, feeling a sour taste in her heart. She had married Ba Li Chen Xuan, a concubine's son, which could be considered a downward marriage. Although Ba Li Chen Xuan was quite fond of her, he had never served her dishes in front of others.

  Such a huge disparity made her extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden, why did Xia Ting, who was just the daughter of a fourth-rank official family, get to enjoy such treatment that she herself couldn't even get.

  The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, especially when she saw Xia Ting's smiling face as gentle as a spring breeze. What was there to be proud of? Her big brother was just a sickly person who might leave this world at any moment. When that time came, wouldn't she be left alone to guard her widowhood? This pride would eventually lead to her own tears in the future.

  Baili Rongqi and Baili Rongchen were both sitting to the left of Xia Tingting, and at this moment they saw their elder brother and sister-in-law happily chatting and laughing while eating, so they also blinked their bright big eyes with a very eager expression.

  Baili Rongqi was the first to stretch out his small, chubby hand and pulled on Xia Ting's sleeve, blinking his eyes as he waited for his elder sister-in-law to turn around.

  Xia Ting felt her sleeve being tugged and turned around in confusion to look at the little guy who was pulling on her sleeve, "What's wrong? Is the food not to your taste?"

  These two little guys stuck to her tightly, and when they sat down just now, they all wanted to sit next to her. Yun'er was also like them when she was young, always following behind her, so she also treated these two as younger brothers to spoil, and naturally they relied on each other.

  Bairong moved his small red mouth and said "Sister-in-law, help me get some dishes."

  Baili Rongchen also spoke up and said "Chen'er wants to go too."

  Xia Ting couldn't help but laugh and looked at them gently, saying "Alright, what do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."

  She didn't find these two little guys annoying. Yun'er was like them when she was young, staring at her with big round eyes and asking her to feed him snacks.

  Ba Li Rong Qi stretched out his chubby little hand and pointed to the table, "Qi wants to eat chicken nuggets and large shrimp."

  "Chen wants to eat chicken legs and pig trotters."

  Xia Ting leaned against their words, one hand rolled up the wide sleeves to avoid staining the dishes. She stretched out her chopsticks to pick up a few foods that the little ones had named.

  Just as I didn't want to grab the chicken leg anymore, I heard a soft shout "Don't move, that's mine."

  Xia Ting looked at the person who spoke, but it was Ruan Shi's sister, Ruan Jinling. The other party stared at her with wide eyes, with a proud and arrogant face "That chicken leg is mine, don't you dare touch it."

  Xia Ting looked into the bowl of her opponent, only to see two large chicken legs lying quietly inside. This couldn't help but make her feel a black line on her face, this child was too ill-mannered, there were already two chicken legs in the bowl, and he still wanted to grab the third one?

  Xia Ting didn't hesitate to grab the last chicken leg from the plate and put it in Baili Rongchen's bowl. She had no obligation to cater to his unreasonable demands. This kid was obviously spoiled, and she wasn't going to be one of them.

  Ruan Jinling saw that the other party dared to ignore her words, snatched the chicken leg from the plate, and immediately threw down her chopsticks and shouted "Quickly return the chicken leg to me, you bad woman. Otherwise, I will ask my mother to deal with you."

  Everyone at the table suddenly furrowed their brows.

  Seeing the other person arguing non-stop, Xia Ting felt as if a row of crows flew over her head. Which idiot taught this extreme goods?

  Ruan Shi put down her chopsticks and coaxed her little sister, but Ruan Jinling stubbornly said "I want her to return the chicken leg to me."

  "Alright, alright, stop making a fuss, sister will give you the chicken leg right away."

  He said that and reached out with his chopsticks to snatch the chicken leg from Baili Rongchen's bowl, but was intercepted by Xia Tingcong halfway.

  "Big sister, what are you doing?" Mrs. Ruan said discontentedly. Didn't she see her little sister crying and throwing a tantrum? It was all because of this woman, who for no reason at all had to snatch away her little sister's chicken leg.

  Xia Ting's eyes narrowed and her expression turned cold. "This is a question I should be asking Er Ge and Mei. What are you doing, trying to snatch Chen'er's chicken leg?"

  This Ruan woman must be out of her mind, spoiling her younger sister is one thing, but she actually dares to bully Chen'er in front of everyone and take the chicken leg from his bowl. Does she think this is their own home?

  "Big sister, Ling'er is just a child. If she wants chicken legs, then give them to her. Is the household really lacking in food to this extent?"

  Xia Ting's face sank, and she suddenly flung away the other person's chopsticks. With a "ding" sound, Ruan Shi's chopsticks fell onto the plate, colliding with it and producing a crisp ringing sound.

  Everyone was stunned, and Ruan Shi did not expect Xia Ting Cong to make such a move. At that moment, she was also stunned there. Even Ruan Shi stopped crying and making a fuss.

  "You only saw Xia Ting's gaze, stern and sharp, looking at Ruan Shi. 'Are your eyes on top of your head? Didn't you see the two chicken legs lying properly in her bowl? If your eyes have a problem, please ask the doctor to come and take a look. The mansion certainly doesn't lack this kind of food, but as the second sister-in-law, you actually fought with Chen Er for food because of your own sister, is this the education of the Prime Minister's Mansion?"

  These words were spoken with great momentum, and instantly settled Ruan's family in place.

  After she came to her senses, her face looked unpleasant, but she couldn't think of anything to retort. She had no choice but to turn her head and say to the maid serving dishes beside her, "Go to the kitchen and bring another plate of chicken legs."

  She had just made a mistake, and was caught off guard by the other side. Usually, people would turn a blind eye to Ling's mischievous behavior, so she subconsciously thought of snatching the chicken leg back from Baili Rongchen's bowl.

  Unexpectedly, Xia Ting's harsh scolding actually brought up her family education. Now she has really lost face in front of her parents.

  The maid turned around and wanted to go out to the kitchen, but was stopped by Xia Ting's shout "Stop, you're not allowed to go."

  The maid was taken aback and looked at Xia Ting Cong and Ruan Shi with a difficult expression, clearly not expecting the new daughter-in-law to call out to her.

  Ruan Shi heard this and suddenly became furious, rushing towards Xia Ting and shouting "Elder sister, what do you mean by this?"

  Xia Ting's elegant hand swept past the hundred-mile-long shrimp, and she said slowly, "Is that what you heard? Haven't you seen that your sister has been spoiled by you? This kind of arrogant temperament, if not managed properly, is likely to cause chaos. As long as she is in the mansion for a day, this temperament cannot be indulged. After she finishes eating the food in her bowl, if she can still swallow other things, then go get her chicken legs."

  This child and Chen Er are like her own brothers, she has already started treating them as her own brothers. This will inadvertently make her brother suffer a bit, she is extremely protective of her younger siblings, how can she swallow this tone?

  Ruan Shi angrily said: "Elder sister, are you trying to starve our Ling'er?"

  "In the summer, a cold light flashed in her eyes. 'I think it's really time to invite the imperial physician to take a good look at your eyes. Can't you see that her bowl is piled high with food? You're short of food like this and yet you can say such things out loud. Think before you speak, or else you'll just be laughed at.'"

  Ruan's eyes widened in shock, almost choking on her own blood.

  At this time, King Jing opened his mouth and said to Baili Chenxuan, "You should take good care of your wife. She has no discipline at all." His tone was full of anger and dissatisfaction. This daughter-in-law was originally not considerate, and a few months ago she brought an even more inconsiderate younger sister. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was a child and a guest in his mansion, he wouldn't have bothered to argue with her. Unexpectedly, the other party became even more overbearing, actually competing with his son for food.

  The queen was also extremely dissatisfied, and just now she almost wanted to speak out to teach that Ruan Shi a lesson. However, seeing her daughter-in-law take action first, she didn't open her mouth. These two sisters of the Ruan family are really unruly, and her son has been spoiled by her since childhood. Now, they actually dare to openly grab things from her son, do they not put this queen in their eyes at all?

  Baili Chuanxun's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he hastily replied, "Yes, I understand."

  He was also furious with his wife, and if it weren't for the fact that she was the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, he wouldn't have married her in the first place.

  Ruan Shi's face turned pale as soon as she heard Jing Wangye's words. After meeting Baili Chenxuan's gloomy gaze again, she became even more limp and didn't dare to make another sound.

  The two old men were equally dissatisfied, casting a glance at Ruan Shi and Ruan Jinling. How did the Chancellor's Mansion teach their daughters to be so unruly? They even staged a food grab on the big table, without being embarrassed about losing face.

  The two madams smiled and each handed a pair of chopsticks to Baili Rongqi and Baili Rongchen, but in their hearts they couldn't help but mutter: How did these two nephews end up marrying such wives, it's truly an unfortunate event for the family.

  Baili Qianfu also scooped some dishes into the bowls of her two younger male cousins, and looked at Xia Ting's eyes which were full of surprise. Big sister was really awesome just now!

  Xia Ting rubbed Ba Li Rong Chen's round head and said with a smile, "Eat quickly."

  Baili Rongchen's eyes lit up as he happily gnawed on a chicken leg. His sister-in-law was really good to him.

  Ruan Jinling saw that her sister was no longer helping her out, and the chicken leg had also been snatched away by someone else. Suddenly, she shouted loudly: "Don't eat it! Don't eat it! Give me back my chicken leg!"

  Bairong Chen is not afraid of her now, he has long been disgusted with Erjie's sister, who always grabs food from him and his brother. Now that Dajie is here, he is not afraid at all.

  Thinking of this, Baili Rongchen was even more delighted and started gnawing on the chicken leg in his hand, not caring about anyone else at all.

  Xia Ting coldly swept a glance at Ruan Jinling, who was still making a ruckus, and said in a low voice, "If you dare to make another sound, I'll have the servants send you back to your room. You won't be eating this meal either."

  Ruan Jinling was so frightened that she shrieked: "You dare! I'll tell my mother, let her deal with you, you wicked woman!"

  It's really not shedding tears without seeing a coffin. Xia Tingli immediately spoke out and said, "Someone, send Miss Ruan back to her room."

  The maids in the hall looked at each other in dismay, unsure of what to do.

  Baili Rongjin, who was sitting next to Xia Ting, suddenly put down his chopsticks and said in a low voice, "Didn't you hear the princess's orders? What is the use of keeping such servants in the palace?"

  He didn't speak up just now, only because he saw that Ning'er had already taken the initiative to attack the other party. He suppressed the anger in his heart, Qi'er and Chen'er have always been his treasured younger brothers. Someone actually dared to snatch their things, if the other party wasn't a child, he would have driven him out of the Jing Wang Fu long ago.

  The maids rushed forward in unison and held up Ruan Jinling, taking her out of the hall.

  Ruan's wife was startled and hastily said, "Elder sister, Ling'er hasn't eaten her fill yet." At this point, she didn't dare to argue with Xia Ting again, and could only speak in a low and humble tone.

  Xia Ting carefully peeled the shrimp shells in her bowl, saying leisurely, "I think she's eaten enough, this shout is truly full of energy, even if she goes hungry for a few days, it won't be a big deal. After all, it's just a simple lunch."

  After finishing, the peeled shrimp was dipped in some soy sauce and placed separately into Baili Rongchen's and Baili Rongqi's bowls.

  Baili Yongqi was delighted to bite into the big shrimp, her eyes shining brightly. Her brother really hadn't lied to them, and his wife had been good to them too. She didn't even mind that they were fat, but instead took care of them.

  The Queen's heart was even more satisfied with Xia Ting, this daughter-in-law was indeed a good one, and Jin'er had not misjudged her.

  Ruan's face was ashen, she wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. She could only lower her head, bite her lip and eat, her heart growing more and more resentful of Xia Tingying.

  Ji Yiniang remained silent from start to finish, quiet as if she were an invisible person. However, a hint of ridicule flickered in her eyes as they swept past Ruan Shi.

  Lunch passed in a state of different thoughts among everyone.

  Digression

  Everyone, this is 5,000 words, and there will be another chapter around 12 o'clock.