Chapter 5 Booked (2)

"Let me have a look at our Yiyi, you've become even more beautiful. Did you miss Grandma? Because Grandma surely missed our treasure dearly." Yiyi's grandmother was also very delighted to see her little granddaughter.

In fact, Qin Yiyi's grandparents doted on her a lot. Compared to Grandma, Grandpa was more affectionate towards his daughter and consequently showed a bit of favoritism toward this granddaughter. It was just that Grandpa was too stern, and she hadn't understood his kindness in the past, which had hurt the old man's feelings. Watching Grandpa, who approached subtly and did not know how to express his feelings, Yiyi did not skimp on her smile.

When Hua Wence saw his little granddaughter smiling at him, his heart melted into a puddle. The two old ladies exchanged a few more words, and then everyone took their seats.

It was certain that Yiyi would be held by Old Master Qin and seated in the place of honor. Ever since Yiyi had arrived, all rules of etiquette ceased to exist in Old Master Qin's eyes. Otherwise, even if she were the guest of honor, she would be expected to be held by her grandmother and seated at the women's table. She couldn't eat now, having just finished her milk, so she wasn't delaying Old Master Qin from eating; otherwise, he would certainly have to busy himself feeding her.

Old Master Qin sat in the place of honor, flanked by Meng Huaizu and the Ji Family's patriarch, Ji Changxiu, whose daughter home was the Meng Family's eldest son's wife. Hua Wence sat next to Meng Huaizu.

The eldest son of the Meng family patriarch, Meng Boping, had married Ji Lingyun. The patriarch had an open-minded approach regarding his son not following in his footsteps, but he had even greater expectations for his grandson, and Meng Shihao was Meng Boping's son.

The rest were elders from the big courtyard—Wei Family, Shen Family, and three small households of the Li Family compound.

This way, there were eight seats at one table. Now, not counting Yiyi, who was being held, there was still one seat empty.

Usually, even for a small full-moon celebration like this, no one could casually join the table of honor. It could be said that whoever took that empty seat today would definitely be speculated to be rising in rank, but currently, no suitable candidate was apparent. If it had been in the past, the seat would have remained vacant, but today was different, all because the great leader of the Meng Family had other ideas.

"Old Qin," Meng's patriarch said with a suggestive tone, "today is not such a formal occasion. Since we have a little one here, why don't we call another to accompany our Little Princess?"

Old Master Qin wasn't usually concerned with these matters. Given his dominant nature, nobody could say anything if he was not pleased. But the old fox had to make his intentions clear, and now, like it or not, Qin had to call someone. After all, they were old friends, and no matter how they fought in private, he couldn't let Meng lose face in front of these people. That old rascal knew exactly how to play Qin. Just you wait until I get my hands on you! Old Master Qin thought angrily.

Still, he spoke up with his resonating, booming voice, "Old Meng, you have someone in mind, don't you, haha." This old rascal, everyone can see what you are up to. Luckily, my granddaughter is still young, and in the future, she'd better stay away from your family. My precious granddaughter is so pure and adorable; it won't do for your family of foxes to bully her. Little did Old Master Qin know, it was not yet certain who would bully whom in the future.

"Hahaha, look at what you're saying. We're all elderly here, and a small child definitely won't feel at ease," Meng's patriarch replied.

The rest of the tables were observing this side. With such commotion, how could they not overhear? They all regretted in their hearts for not bringing their own children, thinking that whoever got to sit at that table today, even if a marriage didn't result from it, leveraging the relationship for a promotion wasn't out of the question. Indeed, he was a famously cunning old fox from the military, looking far into the future.

Following Meng Huaizu's gaze, Old Master Qin looked over to a table where the children were seated. Today, only the Meng and Hua Families had brought children, and the oldest among them was precisely this old fox Meng's eldest grandson. That boy didn't seem to have the same cunning as the old man; he was polite and gentle, and Old Master Qin quite liked him too. But when it came to sweet-talking his granddaughter, that was another matter entirely.

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He glanced at Meng Huaizu, "You old coot, getting a bargain and still playing coy, asking me to speak up, not happening."

The Meng patriarch waited and waited, but since nobody broached the subject, he chuckled dryly. He knew he had to fight for his own benefits.

With a smile, he turned to his grandson and said, "Shihao, out of all the children here today, you're the oldest. So you get, ahem, a little advantage, come and keep your little sister company." He was about to say "endure a little hardship," but if Qin Guosheng heard that, he'd likely go berserk, and Meng would never be allowed near the Little Princess again. Thankfully, he caught himself just in time.

Meng Shihao also adored the little tot, with her fair, tender skin, looking as beautiful as a doll, and what mattered most was that she had just smiled at him.

He rose respectfully, "Excuse me, grandfathers, Shihao is going to be impolite."

Just as he lifted his leg, his cousin Meng Shichen spoke up, "Grandfather, I'd like to take my cousin's place." The young lad kept a straight face as he spoke, without a hint of asking for permission. Not as gentle and courteous as Meng Shihao, he came off quite assertive, yet it made him stand out with an uncommon aristocratic air.

Everyone looked at the boy, quiet and composed, who managed to stand out in such an environment, thinking he would achieve great things in the future.

Meng Huaizu had a soft spot for this grandson who had only returned to his side last year. The child always appeared indifferent and didn't like to interact with others. Despite his young age, Meng didn't expect the boy to consider his feelings, always putting the boy's will first. He hadn't thought of him just now, either. However, it seemed he was quite fond of the Little Princess, and being closer in age to her was even better, much better, haha.

He glanced at Meng Shihao, who showed obvious surprise upon hearing his little cousin's words, but quickly regained his composure, and with a light smile, he said, "Grandfather, it looks like my cousin likes Yiyi a lot. Let him keep her company, is that okay?" He expressed his stance and still displayed the proper courtesy.

Meng Huaizu nodded in satisfaction, waving cheerfully at Meng Shichen, "Come on over, Shichen."

Everyone had made their arrangements, and while it was supposed to be about keeping me company, no one asked for my opinion, Qin Yiyi was unhappy with the switch from Meng Shihao to Meng Shichen.

A seat beside Ji Family's elder had cleared up for Meng Shichen. The young man took his place at the table, but not next to the little one as he would have preferred, which made his expression grow colder. He glanced over from time to time, but seeing the little one's beautiful eyes closed made him even more dissatisfied.

Little children are prone to become sleepy, and Qin Yiyi had fallen asleep.

The young man's table manners were impeccable, and despite the graceful way he ate, his pace was rather swift. After wiping his mouth, he sat up straight, intently watching Qin Yiyi. The unusual behavior even made the elder Meng admire Qin Yiyi's charm.

Qin Guosheng hadn't eaten much himself. Although he kept chatting away, he kept a close eye on his granddaughter. Seeing his little darling hadn't opened her eyes for quite a while, he knew she must have really fallen asleep and cautiously got up to head towards Grandmother Qin's table.

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