Chapter 18: A Slightly Tactful Approach
An Qingran was now sitting beside her parents, and as she wanted to relax for a while, she looked at her mother with a smile on her face, and did not speak, but only smiled foolishly.
Lian Jingyu stroked her long hair lovingly, "Ran'er, what's wrong?"
“I am happy,” replied An Qing Ran simply.
Lian Mu Han was about to say something else when the dishes came up, there was fish and meat, as well as meat and vegetables, which looked very sumptuous and steaming hot.
Especially Lian Jingyu and An Zhongtao, they looked at each other and before they could say anything, An Qinran said, "Huh, why is half of this fish missing? And this meatball is even missing half of its side?"
Everyone's eyes went to the two plates of food, and An Zhongtao asked the people around him in a deep voice, "What's going on? These are leftover dishes from noon, how can they be brought up for a banquet?"
An Zhongtao's voice was so sullen and angry that none of the servants dared to reply, all bowing their heads, trembling and not knowing what to do.
Lian Jingyu's face was expressionless as she looked at the table of dishes and was secretly shocked, but she didn't say anything and just quietly picked up her chopsticks.
An Qingran did the same, she said, "Today's dishes are really rich, you don't usually get to eat them!"picking up a few greens and eating them sweetly. Watching her happily eating these simple vegetables, anyone would think that the young girl suffered from hunger countless times.
"What the hell is going on? Bring the people from the kitchen here to answer!" An Zhongtao speaking with suppressed anger in his voice again, it was so rude that the Crown Prince was still here.
He didn't dare to be too angry yet, he just smiled at the crown prince saying: "I am not strict in governing my family, the crown prince won’t find faults for this ...... Come, tell the kitchen to make new ones up again ...... Ran'er, if you are hungry, wait for a while before eating ......"
An Zhongtao looked at An Qingran with a saddened look in his eyes, he obviously felt too sorry for his daughter.
And even more unexpectedly, today's Ran'er was behaving too strangely.
At this moment, Hong Mama stepped forward and said quietly, "This is the Second Lady's order, it has always been the Second Lady who has been in charge of the house, she has set many rules, the minions feel that it is not appropriate but they do not dare to express their opinions ......"
Mama's frightened words and submissive actions revived An Zhong Tao’s anger. Looking once again at the dishes still on the table and said to people: “Jin Rong used to manage the household thrifty. Just let her go back and reflect on her wrongs. It must be because these servants do not know how to adapt to change and acted improperly. Letting the crown prince see a joke! ……Hurry and bring us a proper meal!”
An Qingran was shocked to hear this. Lian Jinrong used leftovers to entertain guests, how did this become a virtue?
She secretly clenched her fist, she had just instructed Hong Mama to do this on purpose, just to let her father know that usually Yiniang herself enjoyed rare luxury delicacies in her yard. But she treated the other members of the household very harshly. However, her children and father would not enjoy such treatment!
So father knew nothing.
But she didn't think it would turn out to be a mistake. Did father really think like that?
She turned her head and saw An Zhongtao's ashen face, and knew that, on such an occasion, even ordinary people's families would feel ashamed of their dignity, let alone with the Crown Prince here.
He had just seen not only the family scandal of his concubine's calculations against his Mistress, but now, with the leftovers on the table, he really had mixed feelings in his heart, not knowing what to do.
Dongfang Jin saw this but laughed: "The Second Madam's frugality is indeed a virtue, this Crown Prince is deeply touched by it and will propose it to MuHou (Empress mother) when he goes back ......"
