books44 Chapter 73 Birthday Banquet
Chapter 73 Birthday Banquet
The Huo family is undoubtedly one of the top wealthy families in Kyoto, with immense wealth and a large and prosperous family, especially its branch families. However, since the members are usually scattered all over the world and do not gather together, the old mansion is not usually very lively.
But this time the old lady was celebrating her 75th birthday. According to the Huo family rules, birthdays ending in 5 or 10 are considered major birthday celebrations.
Therefore, this time there were many guests, and nearly a hundred people from the main family and branch families were present, except for special circumstances where they really couldn't leave.
Even Jiang Qin's father-in-law, Huo Chengzheng, whom she had only met once in the past four years, rushed back from the military region early this time to celebrate her mother's birthday.
Perhaps it was because of the lively atmosphere, with the whole house filled with joy, that Jiang Qin, who had been in a rather calm mood, was also affected by the festive spirit as soon as the car stopped.
As soon as he got out of the car, the corners of his straight mouth involuntarily turned up.
Foreign guests haven't arrived yet; everyone coming in is from the Huo family. Jiang Qin doesn't need to be shy. She's caught up in the good mood and greets everyone with a smile, regardless of whether she knows them or not.
But once they left, they left very quickly.
Several times he left Horstley several meters behind.
Fortunately, Horstley was tall and had long legs, so even though he was left behind several times, he quickly caught up each time.
Therefore, others only saw it as Jiang Qin being shy, as there were too many people around and she was embarrassed to be with Huo Sili all the time.
After all, given Jiang Qin's and Huo Sili's identities, it's impossible that Jiang Qin would be the one giving Huo Sili the cold shoulder.
But as it turns out, when it comes to giving someone the cold shoulder, it doesn't discriminate based on status.
Because the reality is that I kept going into the elevator, preparing to go up to the third floor to see the old lady.
Today, from the moment Jiang Qin met Huo Sili until now, she has finally given him a proper look.
Realizing that she was looking at him and had been watching Jiang Qin the whole way, Huo Sili, who was already standing as straight as a pine tree, almost instantly straightened his body even more.
“Qin…”
He only managed to utter a single word with his thin lips slightly parted.
Jiang Qin's dark eyes suddenly met his. Her eyes were calm, but that calmness was sharper than a knife to him.
There were two cameras installed diagonally opposite each other inside the elevator car, and he happened to be standing in one of them.
She was facing him, with her back to the other camera, and standing close to him, using the height difference to prevent his camera from capturing her lip movements as she spoke.
"I'll cooperate with you to act out the deep affection between husband and wife later."
Jiang Qin looked at Huo Sili and spoke, her voice low and deliberate.
"But Mr. Huo, I hope you will be more mindful of your behavior later."
Huo Sili pursed his lips, then opened his mouth again, but before he could finish calling out "Qinqin," the elevator doors opened.
The old lady sat in her dining chair, smiling kindly and waving at them in an exceptionally gentle tone.
"Siliqinqin is here! Come and eat some noodles. It's Grandma's birthday, so you two should also have some longevity noodles. One bowl each. We specially asked the kitchen to make them for you. Make sure you finish them."
Jiang Qin quickly came out and approached the old lady, calling her "Grandma." Qiu Huilan smiled and held Jiang Qin's hand. The maid, Sister Wu, who was beside her, was very perceptive and immediately pulled out the dining chair next to the old lady.
"Second Young Madam, please."
The old lady smiled and said, "It's my own home, don't be shy, sit down and eat slowly."
Jiang Qin quickly agreed, "Okay, Grandma."
After greeting her granddaughter-in-law, the old lady turned her attention to her grandson, but her tone changed as soon as she spoke.
She was gentle and kind just now, but now she's more efficient and decisive.
"What are you still standing there for? Come over here, sit next to Qinqin, and eat your noodles!"
Huo Sili looked at the old lady, walked to Jiang Qin's side, smiled slightly, and gently replied with a "okay".
A maid quickly pulled out a dining chair, and Huo Sili glanced at Jiang Qin before sitting down and picking up his chopsticks.
There was no one else in the room at that moment.
After Huo Chengzheng finished seeing the old lady, he went to the banquet hall to greet the elders he hadn't seen in a long time. Yuan Lianqing naturally preferred to stay with her husband, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, rather than stay with her mother-in-law, who didn't like her.
Therefore, neither Huo Chengzheng nor Yuan Lianqing are here at this moment.
The three of them, grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter, ate noodles, quite content.
Jiang Qin, in particular, had been wondering if her parents-in-law would be there before she came up, and had mentally prepared herself for the worst.
Little did she know that she was overthinking things.
But even so, the uninvited guest was still impossible to guard against.
The three generations of a family were eating noodles when they were halfway through.
The elevator doors suddenly opened.
The old lady didn't greet Huo Chishen who had come over. She was followed by several servants and was pushed in by one of them with a smile.
"grandmother."
When Huo Chishen spoke, his voice was very gentle, like a refined gentleman, as he looked up at the old lady sitting in the dining chair.
Qiu Huilan paused in her eating.
Beside her, Jiang Qin and Huo Sili also stopped eating at the same time.
Jiang Qin is the daughter-in-law of the Huo family. Although she will most likely become the matriarch in the future, the current situation makes her the easiest target for criticism.
Jiang Qin was well aware that she had to be more polite than the actual members of the Huo family—when she met someone, especially someone of a higher generation, she had to greet them politely.
Therefore, upon seeing Huo Chishen, Jiang Qin naturally smiled and greeted him, "Big Brother."
Beside him, Horst's grip on the chopsticks suddenly tightened. In an instant, his eyes darkened.
Beside the old lady, in his wheelchair, Huo Chishen smiled and returned the greeting, nodding slightly to Jiang Qin.
At that moment, the old lady seemed to realize something.
He smiled kindly at Huo Chishen.
"Chi Shen is here."
However, compared to the old lady's smile at Jiang Qin and Huo Sili earlier, this smile seemed to be missing something when viewed by the maids who had been by the old lady's side for many years.
What's missing? I can't quite put my finger on it right now, but I guess it's a lack of intimacy.
The old butler, Zhou Fu, stood to the side. Qiu Huilan glanced at Zhou Fu, whose eyesight was excellent. He immediately greeted her with a smile and said to Huo Chishen.
"Young Master, have you had breakfast yet? If not, I'll have the kitchen send over some of your favorite breakfast items."
The old lady insisted on having Zhou Fu and Huo Chishen say these few words, and the meaning couldn't be clearer.
She didn't want Huo Chishen to stay here.
But Huo Chishen replied, "I ate a little. I got up early and didn't have much of an appetite, so I'll have to trouble Uncle Zhou."
Zhou Fu's smile froze for a moment, but it quickly returned to a beaming smile.
"No trouble at all, young master, please wait a moment, I'll have them bring breakfast over right away."
Jiang Qin naturally learned about the conflict between the two brothers that she was unaware of over the past few days.
Therefore, when Huo Chishen arrived, Jiang Qin greeted him at the dining table and then buried her head in her noodles.
I'm afraid that a spark might fall on her and she'll be inexplicably drawn into the vortex of the brothers' rivalry.
Fortunately, she ate the noodles at a reasonable pace.
"Grandma, I'm going to the restroom."
Before Huo Chishen's breakfast arrived, Jiang Qin quickly made an excuse and got off the table.
When people have urgent needs, the excuse is old-fashioned but most effective.
However, Jiang Qin was about to enter the elevator and go downstairs.
The old lady called out to her, "Hey, Qinqin, there's a restroom on this floor, you don't need to go downstairs."
She also called her Sister Wu and said considerately, "Take the second young mistress over there."
Jiang Qin's fleeting thought of temporarily running away was extinguished. She forced a well-behaved smile and said, "...Okay, thank you, Grandma."
Qiu Huilan smiled kindly and gently patted Jiang Qin's arm, "No need to thank me, we're family, go ahead."
Jiang Qin smiled and nodded, then followed Sister Wu to the restroom.
I had just left when the elevator doors opened.
The food cart was pushed in to serve Huo Chishen's favorite breakfast.
There were several dishes and bowls, and I glanced at a few of them.
Huo Sili's eyes darkened instantly.
Huo Chishen was helped to sit down in a dining chair by the maid.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, Huo Sili's voice rang out.
"When did my brother start liking flaky pastries?"
Huo Chishen glanced at the pastries on his plate and smiled.
“I’ve always loved to eat. What, does Sili like to eat too? Just take some if you want. There’s so much for me to eat all by myself.”
"Uncle Zhou is very thorough in his work," Huo Sili replied.
Zhou Fu, who was standing against the wall, wished he were a mute goldfish at that moment.
Huo Chishen smiled and said nothing more.
The old lady glanced at Huo Chishen, then looked at Huo Sili.
"Eat if you want, help yourself."
But Huo Sili didn't pick up the clip until Jiang Qin returned to her seat.
Huo Sili picked up a piece of pastry with his chopsticks and brought it to her lips, looking at her tenderly.
"What a coincidence, my older brother also loves these pastries."
Jiang Qin's eyelids twitched. She glanced at Huo Chishen at an angle, then at Su Dian, who was right in front of her.
Just then, the old lady looked over.
Jiang Qin finally opened her mouth and took a bite of the pastry that Huo Sili had placed between her fingers.
She likes pastries because they tend to be dry, but she never eats them dry. Instead, she eats them with a hot drink, or if circumstances don't allow for them to be eaten dry, she eats them slowly and leisurely.
But with Horsley sitting there, the old lady would glance over every now and then, and Horsley's older brother was sitting opposite her.
Jiang Qin couldn't maintain that nonchalant attitude; she just wanted to finish eating as soon as possible.
But he insisted on taking a second bite, and Huo Sili's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly moved.
Jiang Qin's eyes widened suddenly.