Chapter 453: Attending the Banquet
Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Attending the Banquet
Following the success of the previous auction, Gu Kaiyuan and the others became even busier. Aside from their old acquaintances in Zhang County, Gu Kaiyuan suddenly felt like he had gained many new friends every time he went out.
Bai Suihe also received many invitations. Every day, she would take her child and visit the various estates.
Gu Xingyang had been going out for over ten consecutive days and was feeling a bit exhausted. Even though those ladies and older girls were very generous and friendly, showering her with all sorts of greeting gifts whenever they saw her, she still had to put on a charming act and be sweet in return. How could she not be tired?
Hearing her reason for not wanting to go out today, Bai Suihe blinked. "Baby, are you sure you don’t want to go out today? All those greeting gifts will be waving goodbye to you."
She had no idea who this girl took after. Despite being so little, she was already quite the little money-grubber. As soon as someone slipped her a gift, she would immediately put on her most charming act for them.
The moment she received it, she would mentally scream with joy, celebrating the fact that she had struck it rich once again. She completely forgot that her dear mother was also handing out gifts to others—sometimes even giving more than they received. After all, her family only had this one precious darling right now.
Gu Xingyang hesitated for a moment but still let out a yawn, acting a bit shamelessly. "Mother, I just don’t want to go out today. How about you stay home too? Find an excuse to decline. Socializing like this every day is really so boring."
Bai Suihe lightly patted her little bottom. "I only brought you out every day because I thought you enjoyed it. But since you’re not interested, I’ll decline some of the invitations as well. Instead of socializing with these people, I’d rather stay home in peace and quiet."
"Then you don’t have to go out today, Mother," Gu Xingyang said, blinking. "Let’s go back to the village."
Going back to the village would be great. They could head into the mountains. Compared to the county town, she much preferred the vast mountain ranges.
"Not today. I’ve already accepted the invitation, so I can’t back out now," Bai Suihe said, rubbing the girl’s head. "Since you don’t want to go, I’ll have Nanny Pang stay home and look after you."
Gu Kaiyuan was currently even busier than she was, leaving early and returning late every day. Other than leaving her with Nanny Pang, Bai Suihe didn’t feel at ease letting anyone else watch the child.
"Then go and come back quickly, Mother. Once I’ve had a good sleep, I’ll play with you."
"You said it wrong. It’s Mother playing with you," Bai Suihe corrected with a smile. Since the child wasn’t going, she had to head out a bit earlier. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have any good excuse for arriving late.
The people who invited her today were from a branch family of the Empress’s maiden family in the capital. Although the Empress was out of favor, her maiden family still had some profound background. Even though it was only a branch family that came, everyone still gave them plenty of face.
This family had booked an entire inn. It was said that the courtyard they had just purchased was still undergoing renovations. However, they were certainly impatient enough. They had barely arrived before they started sending out invitations far and wide. Anyone prominent and respectable in Zhang County was on their guest list.
"Mrs. Qian, Madam Li, Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Gu, right this way, please." As soon as Bai Suihe and the other ladies appeared at the entrance, several maids approached and clearly addressed each person by name.
Bai Suihe exchanged glances with the ladies and smiled, following behind the maids.
This newly arrived Gu Family was quite interesting. It seemed the head madam of the house had done her homework. Logically speaking, given her status, she didn’t need to go to such lengths. While they might not be prominent in the capital, they were still the Empress Dowager’s family—true imperial nobility. Who in Zhang County would dare deny them face?
The inn, along with the connected back courtyard, had been completely booked by the Gu Family. It was packed with the family members they had brought along. The main wife of this branch, along with her children, was staying in the inn’s back courtyard, which was originally the proprietor’s private residence.
As for the Shopkeeper, after receiving the Silver, he had temporarily moved out. He wouldn’t be able to move back until the Gu Family finished cleaning and renovating their own newly bought house.
As for any rumors about the Gu Family acting domineering, there were none. After all, it was a willing transaction. They had spent a large amount of Silver to rent this inn. The Shopkeeper was probably overjoyed. In just this short period, he had earned more than an entire year’s profit.
Their group was led into the back courtyard. The Shopkeeper had accumulated a decent amount of wealth, so the back area was actually a two-courtyard compound. Although it wasn’t particularly large, there was a small rear garden, which was being used to host the guests today.
Mrs. Qian looked around curiously. "I have to say, with the way the Liu Family’s courtyard has been revamped, I almost didn’t recognize it."
The inn’s Shopkeeper was surnamed Liu, and naturally, Mrs. Qian and the others had dealings with him in the past.
"Is there a big difference?" Bai Suihe asked. It was her first time here, so naturally, she didn’t know.
In the past, although the Gu Family had been relatively poor, their furnishings and arrangements had always shown a degree of taste. Additionally, since the Bai Family was originally a wealthy household, she had seen the most luxurious of setups. While the current garden had some elegant charm, it wasn’t enough to surprise her.
"In the past, Mrs. Liu was quite frugal," Mrs. Qian explained. "Even the basic furniture was rather old, and she couldn’t bear to replace it. But now, everything here has been swapped out completely. Even the flower pots along the side have all been replaced with new ones."
Mrs. Jiang chimed in, "Exactly. Honestly, this is how it should be arranged. Mrs. Liu used to be far too stingy. Whenever we visited her home as guests, we were terrified that eating an extra pastry might bankrupt her."
Madam Li covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "You’re going a bit too far with that. Imagine how heartbroken Mrs. Liu would be if she heard you. Be careful, or I might tattle on you in front of her next time."
"Go ahead and tell her," Mrs. Qian replied. "She’d probably just give you a long lecture on the virtues of thriftiness."
Bai Suihe also had some impression of the Mrs. Liu they were talking about. She had bumped into her at a banquet before. Even when attending social gatherings, she dressed rather simply, though she seemed like a sharp and capable person.
"Thriftiness is a good thing," Bai Suihe added, joining the conversation. "Next time, we really should ask Mrs. Liu for advice. As the saying goes, every little bit adds up. We might just be able to accumulate a nice stash of private savings."
The three ladies turned to stare at Bai Suihe in unison. If they hadn’t already entered the back courtyard, they would have loved to clap their hands and give her a round of applause for that comment.
Looking straight ahead without turning her gaze, Bai Suihe said in a perfectly serious tone, "There are quite a few people up ahead. We should mind our image."
The group instantly reined in their expressions, smoothed out their dresses, and followed along with proper decorum. Since they had no idea whether this Madam Gu would be easy to get along with, they decided it was best not to be the ones to stick their necks out during this first meeting.
They hadn’t arrived too early or too late. The relatively small back courtyard was already filled with people, making it feel quite crowded.
Bai Suihe wondered, "Did they miscalculate the numbers, or did a bunch of uninvited guests show up?"
"Are we late?" Mrs. Qian asked in astonishment. "That can’t be right. I even left a bit early today."
"That shouldn’t be the case," Bai Suihe replied. "When we got out of the carriage, there were still many carriages arriving behind us. They must have sent out a massive number of invitations."
It was just that this Madam Gu didn’t seem to have planned things out very well, forgetting that their current residence wasn’t very large. Today’s banquet was going to be quite interesting.