Finally, it was Lanyin who set down her chopsticks.
Lanyin hadn’t expected the grandmother and grandson to argue over a zongzi. While she was surprised, she also found it somewhat amusing.
Yet it also felt warm.
This was what a family should be like—arguing, bickering, and making a fuss, rather than sitting together with masks on.
She looked at the grandmother and grandson beside her, then called over Qiuran, who was standing nearby, unsure of what to do. After whispering a few words to her and seeing Qiuran nod and run off, Lanyin thought for a moment and decided to speak to Qi Yubai first. “Today is the Dragon Boat Festival after all. Since Grandmother Qi wants to eat, Brother Yubai, why not let her have a little more?”
Seeing that she now had an ally, Old Lady Qi’s previously stormy expression immediately cleared. She clung to Lanyin’s arm, lifted her chin, and said to Qi Yubai, “See? Even Yinyin is on my side. You’re just a little stickler, even controlling what I eat.”
Qi Yubai’s lips pressed into a thin line, his dark brows tinged with helplessness. Yet he knew Lanyin wasn’t the type to indulge the elderly at the expense of their health. Recalling the whispered exchange between her and Qiuran earlier, he decided not to say more for now. Instead, he watched Lanyin, curious to see how she would resolve this.
Just then, Qiuran returned with something.
Under the young man’s gaze, Lanyin turned back to Old Lady Qi and said, “Brother Yubai is just concerned about you. Zongzi are hard to digest, and if you eat too much, you’ll be the one feeling uncomfortable later…” Seeing the old lady purse her lips but not resist too much, she continued softly, “I’ve asked Qiuran to slice each zongzi into pieces. You can try a little of whichever one you like.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the old lady’s eyes lit up, fixed on Qiuran. Seeing her like this, Lanyin’s eyes curved with a smile, but she added, “But only a little. If you eat too much and feel unwell later, I’ll have to join Brother Yubai in making sure you take your medicine.”
She knew that at this age, the old lady was no longer driven by gluttony. If she were truly allowed to eat every zongzi and finish them all, she wouldn’t be able to. She just wanted to try a bit of everything.
At times like this, if you didn’t let her eat, she would surely get upset.
It was better to go along with her temper.
Lanyin had used this same method to coax her own grandmother back in Jinling. She hadn’t expected to use the same trick on Grandmother Qi now, and it worked just as well.
Old Lady Qi looked at Lanyin, seeing her gentle and soft expression, seemingly easy to persuade, yet her attitude was as firm as her grandson’s. As she looked, she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “The two of you, one a strict master, the other a strict mistress, both love to control people.”
Her tone was resigned, but her eyes sparkled with amusement, clearly happy to be cared for in this way.
Over there, Qiuran had already used cotton thread to slice the zongzi into pieces. Old Lady Qi, no longer paying attention to the two of them, eagerly picked up a small piece of honey date zongzi and began to eat it slowly. As the fragrance of glutinous rice spread in her mouth, her eyes gradually curved into a smile.
With her wish fulfilled, the old lady happily ate her zongzi on the side. However, Lanyin’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat at the old lady’s remark about “the strict master and mistress.” She instinctively glanced at Qi Yubai across the table. Seeing that his expression remained calm and unchanged, as if the comment hadn’t affected him at all, she quietly let out a sigh of relief. Still, she made a mental note to find a time when Qi Yubai wasn’t around to talk to Old Lady Qi about this. While it was fine now since Qi Yubai didn’t have anyone he liked, if he did in the future, such remarks could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Though if Qi Yubai really did have someone he loved, she probably wouldn’t stay so close to the Qi family anymore.
She always knew how to avoid awkward situations.
“Yinyin, try this meat zongzi too. That brat may be strict, but he sure knows how to make delicious food,” Old Lady Qi said, unaware of Lanyin’s thoughts. After satisfying her own cravings, she also picked up a piece for Lanyin.
Lanyin snapped out of her thoughts and softly replied, “Alright,” before lowering her head to eat.
She didn’t usually like meat zongzi, as she found the fatty bits nauseating. However, the meat zongzi Qi Yubai had made suited her taste perfectly—balanced in fat and lean, neither too dry nor too greasy.
She couldn’t help but eat two pieces.
Seeing them enjoy the food, Qi Yubai didn’t say anything more. Instead, he called a maid over and instructed her to prepare a pot of hawthorn tea to aid digestion and cut through the greasiness.
Sure enough, the zongzi turned out to be quite rich, but thanks to the timely arrival of the hawthorn tea Qi Yubai had ordered, the greasy aftertaste was quickly alleviated.
Earlier, it was Old Lady Qi who had been dissatisfied with only eating one zongzi. Now, it was also Old Lady Qi who rubbed her stomach, frowned, and declared, “I won’t eat this again in the future.”
Lanyin couldn’t help but smile at the old lady’s childlike demeanor. Yet, thinking about how her own grandmother, who should have been enjoying her retirement at home, was now on her way to the capital during the Dragon Boat Festival, Lanyin’s brows furrowed again.
“What’s wrong?”
Qi Yubai noticed her furrowed brows and paused in the middle of pouring tea, his voice growing deeper.
“Hmm?”
Old Lady Qi also caught on and asked, “What’s the matter?” When she saw Lanyin’s slightly knitted brows, she grew concerned as well. “What’s going on?” she asked, holding Lanyin’s hand.
Lanyin didn’t hide it and told her about her grandmother’s journey to the capital.
“Grandmother used to love zongzi the most, but now…” Lanyin said softly.
Old Lady Qi hadn’t expected her old friend to be so restless, but it made sense. If she were in her old friend’s shoes, she would probably be eager to fly over too. She comforted Lanyin, “Compared to these things, what your grandmother cares about most is whether you’re doing well now.”
“If need be, once she arrives, we can always celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival again with her.”
“And we’ll have your brother make more zongzi.”
She coaxed Lanyin gently.
The sadness in Lanyin’s heart gradually dissipated. Looking at the old lady, she couldn’t help but smile. “How can we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival twice? Besides, Brother Yubai is busy…”
“It’s fine.”
Qi Yubai looked at Lanyin and said, “I’m not busy.”
“He doesn’t have much going on at the Dali Temple right now. Besides, your grandmother is coming all this way, so of course, we should welcome her properly,” Old Lady Qi chimed in, genuinely eager to see her old friend again. She was so excited that she even set aside her usual concerns about Qi Yubai’s affairs, holding Lanyin’s hand and saying, “It’s been so many years since I last saw your grandmother. I thought I’d never get the chance again, but now it’s happening.”
Hearing this, Lanyin’s brows furrowed, and for a moment, she forgot about her conversation with Qi Yubai. She clasped Old Lady Qi’s hand firmly and said, “You and Grandmother will both live long, healthy lives.”
Old Lady Qi found this amusing. Who in this world could truly live to a hundred? It was just a wishful thought of the living. But she didn’t want to upset Lanyin, so she didn’t say more. Instead, she patted Lanyin’s hand gently and continued, “Once your grandmother arrives in Bianjing, I’ll make sure she stays for a while. We’ll take her around the city and show her everything.”
She then asked Lanyin, “Did your grandmother say when she’ll arrive?”
Lanyin shook her head. “I received a letter a few days ago saying she’s already on her way. From Jinling to Bianjing, traveling by water will take at least half a month. I’ve already sent people to keep an eye on the docks. If there’s any news of Grandmother, the servants will report it immediately.”
“I’ll have the Water Patrol keep an eye out too. If there’s any news about Madam Wang, they’ll let you know.”
Qi Yubai’s voice came from beside her. Lanyin instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she met Qi Yubai’s dark phoenix eyes, she remembered his words from before and thought about how this concerned her grandmother’s safety. In the end, she didn’t refuse. She nodded at him and thanked him sincerely, “Thank you, Brother Yubai.”
As they spoke.
Nanny Wei finally returned. She had gone to the kitchen earlier to instruct the servants to prepare lunch. Now that they had mostly finished eating, she had the remaining zongzi cleared away and replaced with the day’s lunch dishes on the dining table.
With the zongzi as a starter.
The lunch wasn’t as heavy as usual, with only a few light dishes and a soup.
The dishes were refreshing and appetizing: artemisia greens, honey-glazed cherries, lotus root fish wraps, and a soup called “Jade Cicada Soup.” Despite its name, the soup was a proper fish soup, with the fish slices cut as thin as cicada wings, resembling white jade, hence the name.
Lanyin wasn’t very hungry anymore.
But Old Lady Qi insisted she try the Jade Cicada Soup, saying it was the Qi family chef’s specialty. Not wanting to disappoint her, Lanyin ladled a small bowl and sipped it slowly.
During the meal, Lanyin and Old Lady Qi continued their conversation, while Qi Yubai quietly served them dishes. However, today he seemed to notice that Lanyin wasn’t eating much, so he only added a few honey-glazed cherries to her plate to stimulate her appetite.
Lanyin noticed his thoughtfulness and gave him a grateful smile. She was about to tell him not to serve her anymore when someone arrived from outside. It was the Qi family steward, Uncle Cheng, who had come to find Qi Yubai.
A court official like Qi Yubai could never truly be idle, even on the Dragon Boat Festival. Early in the morning, many people had already come to Qi Manor to deliver gifts. For the gifts sent by other officials, Steward Cheng could handle them at his discretion. However, this time, the visitors were from the Prime Minister Pang’s household. Officially, Prime Minister Pang held great power and influence; personally, he was also Qi Yubai’s mentor. Steward Cheng naturally did not dare to overstep his bounds and thus went to inform Qi Yubai to handle the matter himself.
When Old Madam Qi heard that the Pang family had sent someone over, she set down her chopsticks and said to Qi Yubai, “Go and take a look. Also, have the kitchen pack some of the zongzi you made earlier—the ones that haven’t been cooked yet—and send them to your teacher.”
“Yes.”
Qi Yubai responded. As he got up, he glanced at Lanyin once more and said, “I’ll be back soon,” before heading out.
Lanyin watched his departing figure, frowning slightly as she thought about how he couldn’t even finish a meal before being called away for affairs. She couldn’t help but remark, “Elder Brother really works hard.”
“Who doesn’t think so?” Old Madam Qi sighed in agreement. “His parents passed early, and with no siblings to help him, he has to handle everything himself.” As she spoke, she suddenly glanced at Lanyin and sighed meaningfully. “If only he had someone by his side to share his burdens, perhaps his days wouldn’t be so difficult.”
Lanyin caught the implied meaning behind her words and responded with a composed smile, “Rest assured, Elder Brother will certainly find a good wife in the future who will help him.”
Old Madam Qi’s heart stirred. She asked, “Don’t you think he’s too cold and aloof, not the kind of person one would find likable?”
Having spent so much time with Qi Yubai, Lanyin naturally didn’t find him cold or distant. If he truly were that way, would he have helped her so many times? He was someone who was outwardly indifferent but inwardly warm, just not good at expressing himself. As for whether he was likable…
Liking someone had always been an inexplicable thing.
If you liked them, you would like them no matter what.
If you didn’t, you wouldn’t even bother exchanging a single word.
But she firmly believed that Qi Yubai was the type of person who could be liked. As long as someone spent time with him, they would surely be drawn to him.
So without even thinking, she softly replied, “Of course. Elder Brother only seems reserved, but he actually has a good heart. Anyone who gets to know him will surely come to like him, so you don’t have to worry.”
Hearing these words, Old Madam Qi felt reassured.
Her biggest concern had been that Lanyin wouldn’t like Yubai. But now, from the way she spoke of him, at the very least, her impression of him was good. The most pressing matter now was breaking through Lanyin’s inner resistance to marriage. But this wasn’t something that could be rushed. No matter how eager she was for a granddaughter-in-law, it wasn’t the right time to bring this up to Lanyin.
Fortunately, her old friend would be arriving soon, and Lanyin had always listened to that old friend’s advice. If her friend spoke up, Lanyin might reconsider her future.
Thinking of this, Old Madam Qi couldn’t help but smile broadly.
She didn’t press the matter further, only continued piling food into Lanyin’s bowl, saying, “Eat more. You’re too thin.”
Lanyin had no idea what had suddenly made her so happy or why she was acting so enthusiastic. She could only stare at the small mountain of food in her bowl with a troubled expression.
This was… a lot.
She suddenly hoped Qi Yubai would return soon. If he were here, he would definitely know what she was thinking—and he would certainly be able to stop Grandmother Qi.