"Brother Cheng." Zhu Shunyao greeted warmly. "Sister-in-law, I was just saying if you didn't come, I would have had to call you over."
"Call us for what?" Cheng Baokun said directly. "We would have come on our own."
Cheng Baokun patted Zhu Shunyao’s shoulder. He looked at the structure of the house, nodded slightly. To him, the house was built quite well, and it was suitable for Zhu Shunyao’s family to live in.
Chen Ailian said, "You two brothers can chat. I’ll take Cheng Xu and Cheng Chen to find Xinlian, An’ni, and Ani."
"Alright." Cheng Baokun nodded.
After Chen Ailian had Cheng Xu and Cheng Chen greet Zhu Shunyao, she led them to find Xie Xinlian. Xie Xinlian was tidying up the room. Since there were many people outside, she didn’t feel comfortable going out casually. Instead, she organized the room and prepared to host a few close female relatives.
"Xinlian." Chen Ailian entered.
"Sister-in-law, you’re here. Cheng Xu, Cheng Chen, if you see any good food later, just eat it. Don’t save it," Xie Xinlian greeted with a smile. She then pointed to Luo Wenhua beside her. "This is my aunt." She then introduced Chen Ailian to Luo Wenhua. "Aunt, this is Sister-in-law from the Cheng family. She is also An’ni and Ani’s godmother."
"Hello, Auntie." Chen Ailian greeted Luo Wenhua.
Luo Wenhua smiled. "Good, good, everyone is doing well." She looked at Cheng Xu and Cheng Chen. "Your two boys are handsome."
"Don’t laugh at me, Auntie. These two are troublemakers. An’ni and Ani are much better." Chen Ailian said, then looked around. "Where are An’ni and Ani?" Indeed, she couldn’t find Zhu Yanyi or Zhu Yanli in the room.
"I’m too big-bellied to greet people outside, so An’ni and Ani are greeting guests out there." Xie Xinlian didn’t seem worried at all that her two daughters were too young to host guests.
Zhu Yanyi and Zhu Yanli were indeed greeting guests. However, Zhu Yanyi was greeting her masters, while Zhu Yanli was greeting the children from the village.
The old masters, including Medicine Old Man, had come to the Zhu family purely for their disciple. No one present knew their true backgrounds, but their aura suggested they were extraordinary. Once people learned they were Zhu Yanyi’s masters, they respected them even more. Fortunately, the villagers were honest and simple. Even if they thought someone was impressive, they expressed it with sincere warmth, without any sycophantic behavior.
Of course, there was one sycophant: Zhu Xiangyao. But she wasn’t flattering the old masters. She was flattering Cheng Baokun. Zhu Xiangyao didn’t know who the old men were. She only heard they were from Zhuangyuan Village and taught Zhu Yanyi some knowledge. So, she privately assumed they were just retired elders. Unlike Cheng Baokun, if she could attach herself to Cheng Baokun, it would definitely benefit her. Therefore, she called out "Brother Baokun" enthusiastically, making Zhu Shunyao’s forehead veins almost burst.
Cheng Baokun gave Zhu Shunyao a glance, indicating not to worry, and told him not to interfere. Who was Cheng Baokun? Although he was just a small factory manager here, he had seen many people. Someone like Zhu Xiangyao wasn’t worth his attention.
Zhu Shunyao’s banquet was quite substantial. There was no lack of chicken, duck, fish, or meat. Six cold dishes and eight hot dishes. This was a very high-level arrangement for this era. Everyone ate until they were satisfied and left with glowing faces.