Zhu Yanyi finished speaking and turned to the dining table, calling out, "Uncle, Aunt, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Sister, Brother-in-law, let’s eat quickly. Oh, don’t look over there, or they won’t be able to cry properly."
"Fourth Aunt, can tears really be used in medicine?" Yan Raoyue asked curiously.
"Yes, tears can be used in medicine. But there isn’t much of it, and different people produce different kinds of tears, so the medicine made from them varies too." Zhu Yanyi looked very serious, and everyone around her actually believed her.
"Then let’s ignore her. Let her cry properly and collect her tears," Yan Xixi said with a very serious face.
"Little Xi is right. Let’s ignore her and let her collect tears. We’ll eat first." Dora picked up a piece of steamed cured meat and gave it to Yan Xixi.
Zhu Yanyi noticed that the Yan family men were meat lovers. She glanced at Yan Aohan. Yan Aohan raised an eyebrow slightly but stopped eating only meat and started eating vegetables too.
Everyone knew Yan Aohan didn’t like vegetables. Seeing him eat them now, everyone at the table looked at him curiously.
"Fourth, you’re eating vegetables? Didn’t you dislike them?" the Old Madam asked curiously.
"I do dislike them," Yan Aohan admitted without hesitation. "But Ani said people shouldn’t only eat meat. Meat is too heavy, and vegetables have better nutrition. Most of what our bodies need is in vegetables. So I listen to my wife. I eat vegetables along with meat." Yan Aohan was very proud of listening to his wife.
The Old Madam nodded, then looked at the Old Master beside her. "You should eat more vegetables too."
"After I finish the braised pork, I’ll definitely eat vegetables." The Old Master reached for the braised pork with his chopsticks.
"I made a lot of medicinal meals recently. But Aohan couldn’t finish them all, so I shared them with people I know," Zhu Yanyi said, glancing at the Old Master.
The Old Master’s hand stopped. It wasn’t that she didn’t want the pork; she wanted Zhu Yanyi’s medicinal meals more. She hadn’t forgotten the delicious meals she made for her when she was hospitalized.
"Yanyi is right. Eating more vegetables is good for health. I’ll eat a piece of radish." The Old Master switched to eating radish.
Zhu Yanyi saw this, thought for a moment, then whispered something to Yan Aohan. Yan Aohan pondered for a moment and nodded slightly to Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi smiled and said, "Uncle, eat more vegetables. Tonight, I’ll cook personally for everyone to taste."
"So, you’re not leaving this afternoon?" The Old Madam’s eyes lit up.
"Does Aunt want me to leave?" Zhu Yanyi tilted her head.
"No. Leave after dinner," the Old Madam said directly.
Zhu Yanyi nodded with a smile. "Then I won’t leave. I’ll cook tonight for everyone to taste my skills. In the afternoon, the men can chat about their topics, and we’ll chat about ours."
"Good, good." The Old Madam was very satisfied with this arrangement.
While this side was happy, Guan Xiaoyue was in a mess. She looked at the two basins in front of her—one full of water, the other empty. Her mind was as empty as the basin. How did this happen? Why did she come to the Yan family? Why had she become someone else’s tear supplier?
After Zhu Yanyi and the others finished eating, they turned around and saw Guan Xiaoyue staring foolishly at the basins. They remembered there was still such a person. Everyone in the Yan family looked at each other and instinctively rubbed their foreheads. They had been eating and chatting, forgetting there was an uninvited guest nearby.
Everyone looked at each other and decided to get rid of this uninvited guest first.
"Cough, Xiaoyue, you’ve been here for a while. You see, we have guests," the Old Madam said kindly but with a clear meaning: so please go home.
Guan Xiaoyue held back her sadness. "Old Madam, it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about me."
"Xiaoyue, you can’t say that. We have a large family and many things to do," Lan Man said gently. After all, she was from the Guan family, so some face had to be given. So please stop lingering here.
"It’s fine. You do your business. I won’t disturb you." Guan Xiaoyue seemed determined to stay, refusing to leave. What kind of sticky candy was this?
"Have you finished crying?" Zhu Yanyi was also impressed. She hadn’t expected such a thick-skinned person in the world. She had opened her eyes today, so she asked directly.
Guan Xiaoyue was stunned. She looked at the empty basin. She hadn’t cried.
"You’re really something," Zhu Yanyi said calmly. "I originally thought you came to donate tears. But you didn’t cry. If you don’t want to cry, that’s fine. But why stay in someone’s house, watching them eat and listening to their private conversations?
You’re a person with dignity. Even if your Guan family and the Yan family have a relationship, it’s between the elders, not you. The Old Master and Old Madam are kind-hearted and don’t want to drive you away, but you can’t just stick to their house because of that. You’re a noble lady, yet you act worse than a country bumpkin."
Zhu Yanyi didn’t hold back. Only she could say this. She didn’t give anyone face. The Old Madam and others couldn’t say this, so Zhu Yanyi’s words saved them from embarrassment.
"Ani, remember this: some bad behaviors shouldn’t be learned, like this shameless behavior," Yan Aohan taught earnestly.
"Am I that kind of person?" Zhu Yanyi glanced at Yan Aohan with disdain. "Besides, wherever I go, who dares to call me shameless?"
"True." Yan Aohan nodded happily. With Zhu Yanyi’s status, wherever she went, she was only welcomed, never rejected.
"You… you weren’t forced to be matched by the authorities, were you? Why are you so harmonious?" Guan Xiaoyue couldn’t accept the interaction between Yan Aohan and Zhu Yanyi.
"Who told you we were forced?" Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly, then looked at Yan Aohan. "Is there such a rumor outside?"
Yan Aohan shook his head slightly. "How could there be? Everyone knows I decided on you when you were five and waited for you to grow up. Now that you’re grown, I naturally brought you into my home. How did it become forced matching? Someone must have an overly active imagination."
Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow, looking at Guan Xiaoyue. This guess might be true. "Could this really be your idea?"