Chapter 72: Minor Expert at Domestic Strife
That night, Yu Xiaoxiao didn"t end up going with Gu Xinglang to the Big Stone Bridge"s night market for street food because Old Madam sent word that the family was to have a meal together. Seeing Gu Xinglang"s gaze on her face, Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. If we"re not eating out, then we"re not eating out. As long as there"s food, I"m fine with it.
Old Madam had been even unhappier after learning of Gu Xinglang and Yu Xiaoxiao"s original plans, which was why she brought up the family dinner. Actually, her motive was to chill Yu Xiaoxiao"s heart, but she never expected Her Royal Highness to come in a good mood and eat her fill. In fact, she seemed to have eaten the most out of everyone.
The old patriarch was quite pleased to see Yu Xiaoxiao eat. That"s how it should be! Enjoying your food like Her Royal Highness is the true way to eat! Being refined and gentle while chewing each mouthful ten times before swallowing were the manners of a poor and pedantic scholar. Military types like them should drink large bowls of wine and big mouthfuls of meat to truly relish a meal. He was so happy he even ate an extra bowl himself.
In contrast, Old Madam didn"t even manage to finish half a bowl.
Yu Xiaoxiao saw Old Madam"s chopsticks stop and asked with concern, "Grandma, are you full?"
Old Madam replied, "When someone gets older, they can"t eat as much as before."
Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at the old patriarch who was eating generous mouthfuls of meat.
Old Madam glanced over as well, then said, "An old woman like me won"t compete with a man, ah. Women should have a woman"s appet.i.te."
"Grandmother," Gu Xingnuo called out. Princess Linglong had already downed three bowls of rice. Weren"t her words accusing the princess of being unfeminine? Gu Xingnuo gave Old Madam a disapproving look. Do you need to make these attacks at a family dinner?
"Are you full?" Gu Xinglang asked Yu Xiaoxiao quietly. He didn"t want to fight outright with Old Madam when he could just take Yu Xiaoxiao away. There was a little kitchen in their own courtyard so they could eat there if needed.
There were still dishes left on the table, so Yu Xiaoxiao could hardly leave. She shook her head at Gu Xinglang and then told Old Madam, "Half a bowl is too little. If people can"t eat, then it won"t be long before they die–:"
"Huff!" Gu Xingnuo choked. Now it was Yu Xiaoxiao"s turn to get a disapproving look. Old Madam might be stubborn, but you can just ignore her. Why are you cursing her to die in the next breath?
Lady Xu and Lady Sun both lowered their heads to take care of Gu Xun and Gu Jin. Gu Xinglang quietly tugged at Yu Xiaoxiao"s hand. He trusted his wife had no ill intentions, but was just bad at talking. Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at him, then turned back to Old Madam. "I know that plenty of girls want willowy figures, but what do you need that for at your age, grandma? Look at w.a.n.g momo. She talks about losing weight everyday, but she gets fat after drinking a single sip of water. Fate decides whether you"re chubby or thin, so you might as well eat when it"s time to eat."
"…." said w.a.n.g momo. She was standing right by the door, but still suffered a blow to her pysche.
Old Madam grew unwell all over. Amongst the n.o.ble old ladies in the capital, her figure was the best of them all. Compared to her youth, she was only slightly tubbier, but what did this princess claim? That she was skimping on food to lose weight? If such ruinous words spread, she wouldn"t have any face to greet the world after this!
"Grandma, let me tell you—"
"Princess," Third Young Master Gu quickly shook his head at her to tell her to stop.
"This concerns the body," Yu Xiaoxiao insisted. "We can"t just not care if grandma"s not eating her meals. Where"s your sense of filial piety?"
Gu Xinglang wiped his hands over his face. That"s a big hat to wear.
"Also, what did I tell you call me?" Yu Xiaoxiao"s thoughts always leapt from one topic to the next.
Gu Xinglang gave a start, but he couldn"t find the strength to speak in front of his family.
"Xiaoxiao!" Gu Jin"s little hands slapped the table as he spoke in his Third Uncle"s place.
Six-year-old Gu Xun smiled at Gu Xinglang as well as he rubbed his cheek. "Oh, Third Uncle"s being shy!"
Gu Xinglang"s face was visibly red.
Gu Xingnuo only found it amusing. "Is this another one of the princess"s names?"
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. "Eldest brother and sister-in-law can call me this in the future too. As for princess or whatever, that"s too formal for us as a family."
Gu Xingnuo looked at his uneasy brother and felt like joking. "Princess, I"m afraid if I call you that, Gu Xinglang will be unhappy."
Yu Xiaoxiao hadn"t gotten a chance to ask why before Old Madam lifted her china bowl and banged it soundly against the table. She insulted me first, then started jesting about? Although Old Madam"s gaze on Yu Xiaoxiao was calm, she felt more guarded against the girl. Without a word, the princess made me lose a round, then joked around without a care with her husband and brother-in-law. How many days has Gu Xun and Gu Jin known Yu Linglong? Yet they"re already so close with her. Ah, the skilled methods of those palace women! Old Madam thought as she stroked the edge of the table.
Yu Xiaoxiao was oblivious to the fact that her sentences had already painted her as a little court intrigue expert in Old Madam"s heart. She looked bewilderedly at the blue flower-patterned bowl in Old Madam"s hands and asked, "Are you not eating because you think this bowl is too ugly?" Isn"t this old lady too spoiled? In the apocalypse we had to nibble on hardtack for our meals. Does she need to go on a hunger strike?
Old Madam replied, "How could I be so picky?"
"Oh," Yu Xiaoxiao said. "Then did your hands tremble? This bowl looks very pretty, I bet one of them costs a lot of money."
Old Madam was so furious that she began to shake. She hadn"t done anything against the other yet, but the princess was already fretting over money? "Your Royal Highness, isn"t the tableware in the palace hundreds of times more exquisite than our Gu Estate"s?" she shot barbs at Yu Xiaoxiao. An imperial princess like you distressing over a bowl? Such thin skin. Aren"t you afraid of others laughing at you?
Yu Xiaoxiao replied, "Grandma likes the tableware from the palace? I brought a lot of it back with me. I"ll give you a set later." She"d all but cleared out all of Resplendence Palace before she left, so Yu Xiaoxiao didn"t mind gifting some imperial tableware.
But Old Madam only felt that Yu Xiaoxiao was not only a court intrigue expert, but a malicious woman who killed without even drawing blood! Let me use the imperial tableware? How many people in this world dare to touch that? She"s simply asking for my life!
Gu Xinglang quietly peeled a bowl full of and delivered it in front of Yu Xiaoxiao. "Xiaoxiao, eat shrimp while it"s hot." What else could make his wife spare the old lady besides food right now? Third Young Master Gu didn"t dare to face his grandmother as he focused on his wife, who had buried her head to chow down.