Chapter 427 - 421_1
The 28th of July arrived in the blink of an eye, and since Lin Yue had invited the young ladies from various households to participate in the banquet, she got up early to prepare. Only after ensuring that everything was in order, and that there were no oversights, did she breathe a sigh of relief. And with Aunt Chen supporting her, she felt quite at ease.
"Thank you, Aunt Chen, this is my first time handling such events, and I’m still not very familiar with it all. You’ve been a great help."
"Madam Lin, no need for politeness. This is as the Family Head wishes, and besides, I greatly admire you, Madam Lin. It pleases me to be able to help you," Aunt Chen replied.
Lin Yue knew that Aunt Chen coming over was Jiang Ziqi’s doing. Thus, after exchanging a few polite words and hearing what Aunt Chen had to say, she simply smiled without adding much more. Aunt Chen’s butler skills were not bad; she was very organized, and now that she was in charge of Jiang Ziqi’s inner courtyard, she had her ways to keep the servants in line. Indeed, she was capable, so Lin Yue felt relieved to delegate some tasks to her.
It was appropriate for someone like Aunt Chen to oversee the servants and organize things, but greeting and attending to guests was another matter. No household would assign a dishonorable aunt to do such tasks. It would be a loss of status. Therefore, the two Misses from the Jiang Family also came over. They joined Lin Yue at the main entrance to welcome the guests. After all, Lin Yue had only met some of them once and wasn’t familiar enough to remember everyone. The Jiang Family’s cousins had grown up in Capital City and often moved in these circles, which was perfect for introducing Lin Yue.
The earliest arrivals were Chen Ruyu and Zhang Peilan, who had arranged to come together. They were accompanied by a few young ladies from smaller households who sought to curry favor with Chen Ruyu and Zhang Peilan.
Upon noticing that the two Misses from the Jiang family were helping Lin Yue to host the guests, Chen Ruyu couldn’t hide her disdain. They were, after all, the Jiang Family’s cousins and here they were, eagerly fawning over a farm woman. Furthermore, when Zhang Peilan saw Miss Snow and Miss Blue, her first thought was that this farm woman must indeed have a close relationship with the Jiang Family. Anyone related to the Jiang Family was someone their Zhang Family must certainly strike down with all their might. It seemed her coming today had been the right choice.
Chen Ruyu had previously heard from a servant that Lin Yue’s family was renting their residence. Hence, seeing that Lin Yue’s house seemed not too small and was in a nice location, she wasn’t particularly impressed. Especially when she noticed the plaque above the mansion gate bearing the large characters "Zhao Residence," her face showed a barely concealed mockery. Indeed, she thought, such country folks had no sense, renting a house and even changing the plaque at the entrance. With the thought leading to sarcastic sentences spilling from her mouth, she said,
"Oh, this house doesn’t look too bad, does it? The monthly rent can’t be cheap, right? But there are things you don’t understand, Madam Lin. When you’re renting someone else’s property, you’re not supposed to change the plaque at the gate; it’s disrespectful to the owners. Besides, when the lease is up and you have to hand back the house, the plaque will have to be replaced. What’s the point if you’re just satisfying a whim for a few months, deluding yourself? After all, the house still belongs to someone else." Chen Ruyu deliberately raised her voice to ensure everyone could hear, intent on embarrassing Lin Yue.