The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 240 - 212. The Yu family girl with eyes but no pearls, and the Zhao family member pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger (asking for guaranteed monthly tickets)

As the You family members sized up the three under the eaves, Zhao Douan was similarly scrutinizing these western relatives.

He was not wearing an official robe, but rather a comparatively simple and elegant long robe that concealed the muscular contours of his body.

From the outside, he looked less like a martial artist or government officer and more like a scholar.

With his powdered face, he indeed fit the stereotype of a "pretty boy."

Beside him, You Jinhua and her daughter were also dressed to impress.

Her voluptuous and beautiful stepmother wore her favorite dark green printed long skirt made of Shu brocade bestowed by the palace, emanating extreme dignity and elegance.

Her black hair was styled into a married woman’s bun, adorned with a heavy golden hairpin, and on her hands placed in front of her, she wore jade bracelets that were part of an apology gift from the Dong family.

Paired with her fair and soft hands, she indeed had quite the air of a noblewoman from the Capital.

Standing next to her mother, Zhao Pan’s makeup was also stunning today.

The young girl’s slender waist was cinched with a jade belt, her smooth black hair carefully styled by You Jinhua into the appearance of an official’s daughter.

Her lovely oval face featured a high-bridged nose and eyelashes like brushes.

Her eyes were like autumn waters, her lips pale pink.

Because she had spent the past few months practicing the correct martial arts, although still amateurish, she had developed a soft and gentle girlish demeanor, mixed with a strikingly fierce quality.

It must be said that the looks of the Zhao family trio were quite striking.

In contrast, the visiting family of three appeared quite dull.

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The father and son were fine; after all, one had a rugged demeanor and the other was a scruffy-looking youth who didn’t care much about appearances.

But the glamorous Mrs. You was utterly overshadowed upon her arrival.

Though a dignified lady in her family’s local community, she immediately seemed petty and low-class compared to You Jinhua and her daughter.

You Zhande was also surprised but, being a worldly man, he took the lead, asking,

"Jinhua... is that you?"

With a hometown accent and an "earnest and heartfelt" call, You Jinhua’s sorrow from years of living in a foreign land immediately burst forth.

"Uncle..."

You Jinhua’s nostrils quivered, and she instinctively stepped forward quickly, tears shimmering in her eyes.

After so many years, her uncle in front of her seemed largely unchanged, just older.

At that moment, memories of the past exploded.

You Jinhua, gentle and family-loving, was nearly brought to tears.

The unpleasant memories of her girlhood seemed also to be washed away by time, greatly diminishing.

Her stepson and daughter didn’t understand why she behaved so warmly toward relatives who hadn’t treated her well.

But to You Jinhua, although her uncle’s family had indeed been harsh in fighting over family property in those days, blood was thicker than water.

Over the years, she had married far away in the Capital and outlived two husbands.

The hardships encountered during that time were not fit for outsiders.

People tend to romanticize the past, and You Jinhua did just that, her bitterness from over a decade ago having faded.

Hence, when she suddenly received a letter from home, even though she guessed that her relatives might have ulterior motives,

Whether for clinging or whatever reason,

being able to reunite with her kin during her lifetime,

was a great consolation to her.

However, You Jinhua was no longer the young girl of back then, and after briefly losing her composure, she respectfully greeted the two elders:

"Jinhua greets Uncle and Aunt."

You Zhande displayed a broad and delighted smile, while Mrs. You also squeezed out a warm yet insincere smile.

Playing the affectionate elder.

"This must be Luer?"

You Jinhua looked toward the boy of seventeen or eighteen, who was already as plump as a pig, curiously saying.

You Luer had been looking around since he entered, examining his surroundings.

When he saw the people, his gaze lingered on You Jinhua and her daughter, slightly dazed.

He glanced covertly at the chest of You Jinhua, his "cousin."

His eyes then stuck on the young girl Zhao Pan following behind.

Zhao Douan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a very subtle, somewhat chilly smile.

But he did not speak,

—Today, to let his stepmother hold her head high in front of her family, earning some respect,

he had decided to play the role of an "obedient and well-behaved" stepson.

Unless necessary, he would not spoil this hard-earned reunion for his stepmother.

"Yes, Luer, come pay your respects and greet your sister,"

You Zhande laughed heartily, urging his younger son.

The boy, plump as a pig, reluctantly bowed his head and called out:

"Cousin."

You Jinhua was overjoyed and then remembered something, turning to call Zhao Pan over.

She introduced her daughter and asked her to greet them.

Zhao Pan, with a stern face, was very resistant to these so-called relatives,

especially put off by the little fatty’s gaze.

But for her mother’s sake, she still politely performed the greetings:

"Great-Uncle, Great-Aunt…"

Zhao Douan smiled, having no intention of acknowledging two more elders.

He walked up to Zhao Pan’s side, merely nodding his head and saying,

"I heard a few days ago that Aunt’s elders were coming, unfortunately, we didn’t have time to prepare much, just a family meal, please come in and sit."

You Zhande then looked towards the day’s main "associate."

This small family head, who had traveled far and wide and was quite a character, displayed an aptly warm smile, praising,

"This must be Mr. Zhao’s eldest son, truly an imposing figure."

In his speech, there was no trace of condescension but rather some genuine respect.

Zhao Douan smiled as well, unsurprised, and immediately invited the You family into the hall.

The maids hurriedly served tea and snacks as both parties exchanged pleasantries and took their respective seats.

The chubby boy frowned as he entered, glanced around, and clutching his stomach, said,

"Isn’t dinner ready? I’m hungry."

At this remark, the robust You Zhande’s expression changed slightly as he rebuked,

"How can you be so rude?"

Mrs. You, protective of her child, was somewhat reluctant,

"Why are you scolding our son?"

The atmosphere was somewhat tense, as You Jinhua instinctively looked towards her stepson, only to see Zhao Douan smiling and saying,

"No worries, it’s almost noon now. Miantao, go tell the cook to serve the dishes, and we can chat while eating."

Miantao responded and left.

A waiter from the Dingfeng Building, who had been waiting in the kitchen, expertly brought in the dishes of wine and meat that were prepared earlier.

Soon enough, there was a lavish and costly spread on the table.

You’s family was greatly surprised, and her heavily powdered face meant to hide her wrinkles twitched,

"My niece, this cannot be your cook’s handiwork..."

You Jinhua smiled and nodded,

"Fearing to slight uncle and auntie, my elder son hired a chef from a nearby restaurant."

No wonder... The family showed an expression of realization.

You sat by the table, sitting upright with a hint of disdain in her eyes,

"I thought as much. It looked like staff cooking, turns out to be hired, that must have cost quite a sum."

Though her tone sounded flattered,

She was actually filled with a sense of superiority...

For large families, hiring people to serve guests wasn’t as prestigious as having your own excellent cooks.

It wasn’t just about the taste of the dishes but also a display of the family’s wealth—

Only the wealthy households could afford to keep a team of cooks.

Hiring staff, undoubtedly seemed a bit demeaning.

Her remark, overtly and covertly, was comparing the strength of Zhao’s and You’s families.

Zhao Douan smiled and responded for his stepmother,

"It’s actually okay, not too costly."

What he didn’t explain was that he just had his servants give a word.

The shopkeeper of the well-known Dingfeng Building in the Capital personally led the whole kitchen team, bringing their ingredients to their doorstep.

For this, they didn’t hesitate to close the restaurant for a whole day.

And moreover, stubbornly refused to take a single copper coin, only requesting to show their respect to Mr. Zhao,

Hoping for just a bit of care in the future, they would be very grateful.

It wasn’t at all as You had imagined—a case of spending money to hire them.

"Hmm, this tableware has some character."

You Zhande had a keener eye and broader mentality than his wife.

He immediately noticed the exquisite pattern and craftsmanship of the porcelain, picked up a wine vessel to examine it, and exclaimed,

"Is this a seal from the imperial kilns of the previous dynasty?"

You also hurriedly looked and paused.

Imperial kilns were designated for the Royal Family; common people couldn’t even think of obtaining such, and the ones that entered the market were priced much higher than usual vessels.

Moreover, it was from imperial kilns of the previous dynasty… This meant, the set of tableware was at least six hundred years old...

It should be a rare treasure of incredible value.

An antique that should be kept in a collection.

It’s unimaginable that they would use it for dining.

"My, this imitation is quite exquisite, it really fools the eyes,"

You laughed lightly, pursing her thin lips and advised,

"But niece, truly wealthy families never use imitations.

For mere dining tableware, ordinary ones would suffice. Why bother getting a set of imitated antiques?

It’s just family here, but if outsiders who understand see it, they will surely laugh."

You Zhande, although finding his wife’s tone inappropriate, agreed with her opinion,

"Why mention this, Jinhua is just showing her hospitality with good intentions."

The couple categorically took these vessels to be fakes.

After all...

The Zhao family’s residence seemed too ordinary and modest to indicate wealth, making their assumption seem quite logical.

Zhao Douan, his stepmother, and his sister exchanged looks.

Their expressions somewhat odd, none vocalized a word.

You Jinhua acted as though she was fearful of chipping the tableware, knowing them to be genuine, indeed antiques from six hundred years ago.

Extremely valuable.

They were part of an apology gift from Grandmaster Dong, who had personally ordered his grandson, Dong elder, to deliver them to the Zhao family.

You Jinhua didn’t understand antiques.

But she knew, a gift sent by the Grandmaster himself couldn’t be fake.

So she stored them in a cabinet, absolutely refusing to use them for fear of causing damage.

This time, it was only at Zhao Douan’s insistent request that the servants took them out for use.

One reason was to support his stepmother’s standing.

Secondly… Zhao Douan was now in possession of tens of thousands in large funds, and with at least another ten thousand to come from future dividends, he wasn’t concerned about a set of porcelain.

It was only due to tight timing, otherwise he would have bought a new residence and moved.

"Hehe, you’re right, we didn’t consider thoroughly."

Zhao Douan, not bothering to explain, merely smiled, letting this family think what they liked.

You, feeling superior after comparing the two families twice, couldn’t help her pride swelling again.

Noticing the jewelry on You Jinhua, her discerning eye couldn’t spot any fakes, yet she advised,

"It’s just among family, why dress so formally with such a grand skirt of Shu silk?

Even if your elder son is capable, there couldn’t be much at home.

You shouldn’t wear it while dining; what if it gets dirty?

Niece, you’re a mother now, you should start acting as the lady of the Zhao family."

You Jinhua could only smile and nod, accepting her elder’s continuous guidance,

"Auntie is correct, our family is small, incomparable to mother’s large, populous clan."

Zhao Pan kept her head down eating, using it as an excuse to hide her smile.

She really wanted to say that the silky fabric bestowed by His Majesty to her elder brother had made more clothes than they could use.

Now, they were stacked in the rear room, worrying about moth damage, and moreover, such clothes were their common attire.

The You family came over, thinking themselves superior,

But little did they know, all their words and actions were merely exposing their own ignorance.

...

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