Chapter 34: Banquet Invitation
When Yuan Shu returned home, she saw Shi Bin and Shi Lu sitting on opposite sides of the sofa. They ignored each other, like two stone lions guarding the door of a monastery.
"What are you two doing? Are you pretending to be stone lions to welcome me?" Yuan Shu was amused. After she changed her shoes, she sat on the chaise longue beside them.
Shi Bin looked at Yuan Shu with a mixed expression. Without saying anything, he turned around and went upstairs.
Seeing this, Shi Lu also wanted to leave, but he was suddenly stopped by Yuan Shu. "Shi Lu, don"t leave yet. I have something to ask you."
Shi Lu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Yuan Shu as he said calmly, "I don"t think I have any information you need."
"No, you do." Yuan Shu said firmly, "I think you know who the Shi family is on good terms with in the upper-cla.s.s circle, who they are at odds with, and which families are comparable to us, right?"
Two hours later, Shi Lu sat on the sofa with a listless look in his eyes.
Yuan Shu wanted this information in detail, so he had been chattering non-stop for two hours about the family"s connections. Now, he felt like a stranded fish that was about to die on the riverbank.
He looked at Yuan Shu, who was arranging a pile of paper filled with words, and said tiredly, "What"s the use of this information? You"re not planning to kiss up to these families, are you?"
"Of course not. It"s useful information to me." Yuan Shu was in a good mood after getting what she wanted, so she didn"t care that Shi Lu"s tone was rude. She tidied up the paper and walked upstairs.
"It"s been hard on you today. Rest early. Good night."
As Shi Lu stared at her back, he smiled weakly and picked up a piece of paper that had been left at the foot of the table. The words on it were written in standard cursive and her handwriting was beautiful.
"It"s not tough. My life is tough."
The next day, almost everyone in the upper-cla.s.s circle received an exquisite invitation letter from the Shi family, which invited them to the Shi family"s ancestral home for a banquet on the twentieth.
Attending a banquet at the Shi Clan"s ancestral home wasn"t a small matter. It was equivalent to the Shi Clan approving of their ident.i.ties and wanting to befriend them.
For a moment, everyone in the upper-cla.s.s circle was discussing this matter and wanted to show off their invitations. In the end, after the people from the various large families exchanged information, they realized that everyone in the circle had been invited, except for the Jiang family and the Xu family.
The Jiang family, the Xu family, and the Tan family had always been at odds with the Shi family and were compet.i.tors.
However, everyone knew that Tan Jing had visited the Shi family a few days ago and the Shi family even brought him a box of fruits before he left. The Shi family had also invited the Tan family to this banquet. Was the Shi family trying to befriend the Tan family?
Their discussions didn"t reach Yuan Shu"s ears. She was still doing what she should be doing every day. However, these days, the other Madams had invited her out to shop more often. She had also invited a few Madams who were conducive to the Shi family"s business development.
This was the same as before. The women of the various families also needed to contact each other to obtain some news.
The meeting was set in the afternoon. After lunch, Yuan Shu told the maid to pack some fruits and snacks, then send them to Shi Bin and Shi Lu.
"Send food to the two young masters?" The maid who received the order was somewhat puzzled.
Although the family"s relationship had improved a lot these days, it didn"t seem to have reached this stage, right? Besides, the two young masters were already adults, so it was unnecessary.
"Yes, send it to them." Yuan Shu"s expression was normal as she went upstairs to choose the clothes she would wear when she went out later.
The maid didn"t dare to question Yuan Shu"s order. She hurriedly packed the snacks and fruits Yuan Shu had ordered and asked the driver to bring her to deliver them to the two young masters.
When they got into the car, the maid suddenly realized that the servants in the family had gradually become very respectful of Yuan Shu"s decisions.
She asked the driver, "Did you notice that Madam has changed a lot recently?"
When she said that, the driver suddenly realized it as well. In the past, Yuan Shu wasn"t concerned about her family at all and did whatever she wanted every day. Now, she suddenly acted like a different person. Had she suddenly matured because of her husband"s disappearance?
The driver thought for a moment and said, "That seems to be the case. Madam seems to have become a different person. She"s becoming like those madams in television dramas."