Chapter 459 - 457 Settlement
Duke An saw this was getting nowhere and said to Maternal Aunt Liu in a detached tone, "Alright, if you’re told to go, then go. Don’t waste time." He then turned to Madam Yin and said, "You too, don’t concern yourself with so many trivial matters. Just make sure the three children eat properly."
Only then did Madam Yin realize that there were still two young children at the dining table. She hurriedly turned her attention toward them.
Indeed, she saw the two little ones, especially Qi Jiaer, whose glossy eyes were constantly shifting among the adults, seemingly oblivious to the piece of vegetable that had fallen from his chopsticks.
Madam Yin, her face flushed with embarrassment, quickly attempted to cover up by smiling at the two children, "Brother Shun, Brother Jia, don’t just sit there watching. Eat your food. Didn’t we say that after a good meal we were going to set off firecrackers? Auntie has prepared lots of little ones just for you, all suitable for children to light."
Sitting below Ye Hongyang, Ye Heng and Ye Yi, no longer young, one sixteen and the other thirteen, were naturally aware of the undercurrents swirling beneath the surface of the dinner table. Seeing their own mother being edged out and chastised made them feel terrible. Yet there was their grandfather, whom they had always feared since they were young, at the table, and neither dared to speak in defense of their mother. Even their angry glares directed toward Ye Xinyan, Qi Jiaer, and Qi Sanshun were evasive of Duke An, for fear of their grandfather’s reprimand.
Maternal Aunt Liu stood behind Ye Hongyang with a heart full of grievances while attending to his dining needs.
By now, Madam Yin held no feelings toward Ye Hongyang, completely ignoring the Duke’s Heir Apparent as long as he didn’t cause her any trouble.
With Maternal Aunt Liu no longer behind her, the discomfort she had felt was gone, and she devoted herself to attending to the three children’s meal. She even unprecedentedly complained about Ye Xinyan occupying space beside her and, disregarding etiquette, made Ye Xinyan and Qi Jiaer switch places to facilitate serving Qi Jiaer food.