Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Chapter 307 Attending the Banquet at the Shen Residence (3)

"May I ask where Miss's ancestral home is?" A very abrupt voice rang in Xia Yu's ears.

Xia Yu looked up and saw that it was indeed the lady who had been staring at her ever since she came in.

This lady was the most simply dressed among the guests. Her silk dress, though worn, was faded and worn-out. It would be fine for everyday wear, but for a banquet, it seemed rather shabby.

She wore only a gilded comb in her hair and a pair of plain gold earrings. The bracelet on her wrist, though made of jade, was of a poor color, too youthful, and unsuitable for her age.

She noticed Xia Yu as soon as she entered the flower hall, and she looked at her at least a dozen times before she spoke to Xia Yu, her brows furrowed as if she was thinking about something.

It was quite impolite of her to ask about someone's ancestral home so bluntly, but although Xia Yu had lived in ancient times for a few years, she still retained some modern ideas. She wasn't angry at her way of speaking and smiled as she said...

"My hometown is Zhongzhou Prefecture."

"From Zhongzhou Prefecture? Or Ming'an County?" The lady seemed a little excited when she heard Xia Yu's words, and quickly asked another question.

"Hmm," Xia Yu said with a smile, not knowing why she was so excited.

Seeing Xia Yu nod, the lady became even more excited and took Xia Yu's hand, saying...

"My hometown is also Ming'an County, Zhongzhou Prefecture!"

Hearing her words, Xia Yu laughed and said, "I was wondering why you were so excited when you heard about my ancestral home. It turns out we're from the same hometown!"

As Xia Yu spoke, her smile became more genuine, and she grasped the woman's rough hand. It was a hand that had been used to manual labor; it seemed her family's circumstances were indeed difficult.

The woman then asked Xia Yu, "Do you have any relatives in Liujia Village?"

Xia Yu slightly widened her eyes as she looked at the woman, but still answered honestly.

"My maternal grandparents' family is from Liujia Village. And you, madam?"

Upon hearing Xia Yu's words, the woman clapped her hands happily and laughed, "That's right!"

Perhaps due to her excitement, she spoke rather loudly, instantly attracting the attention of many people. However, the excited woman ignored the disdainful looks and excitedly told Xia Yu...

“My family is from Liujia Village. Is your mother named Liu Xiaolan, and she married into Zhangjia Village?”

"Yes, my mother's name is Liu Xiaolan." Xia Yu nodded.

"Oh dear, I noticed you as soon as I came in. You look so much like your mother when she was little, but I really didn't expect Xiaolan's daughter to come to the capital. I secretly sized you up for a long time but didn't dare to speak to you. I just overheard you chatting with those young ladies, saying that your surname is Zhang and that your elders are not officials, so I dared to ask you. How is everything at home these days?"

"Yes, everything is fine at home, but I don't know how to address you, Auntie?" Since she had confirmed that the two were from the same hometown, Xia Yu stopped calling her "Madam" and directly addressed her as "Auntie".

"Look, I was so happy that I completely forgot about this. My surname is Gao, and my husband's surname is Zhang. My son, Zhang Haoran, works at the Court of State Ceremonial in the capital. After his father passed away, it was just my son and me at home, so I've settled down in the capital with him." She then looked at Xia Yu and smiled.

“I was your maternal grandparents’ family’s neighbor. Your mother used to call me aunt, but according to rural custom, you should call me grandmother. However, now that we’re in Beijing…”

Before she could finish speaking, Xia Yu gave her a junior's bow and addressed her as "Grandma Gao." This "Grandma" means grandmother.

"Hey, hey, get up, get up quickly." Gao happily helped Xia Yu up. She didn't expect Xia Yu to be willing to publicly acknowledge her as a poor relative. Taking advantage of the moment she helped Xia Yu up, she took Xia Yu's hand and put the jade bracelet from her arm onto Xia Yu's wrist.

"Mother-in-law, this won't do, I can't accept it." Xia Yu could tell that Gao's family wasn't wealthy, and if she gave her the bracelet, she would have nothing left.

Madam Gao pressed down on Xia Yu's hand, which was about to return the bracelet, and said, "This bracelet isn't worth much money, but it's a token of my affection. It's fate that we, mother and daughter, met in the capital, hundreds of miles from home. Besides, I shouldn't refuse a gift from an elder. If you don't want it, you're looking down on this poor old woman."

"Yes, Xiaxia thanks Grandma for the gift." Xia Yu gave Gao Shi another junior's bow before sitting down in the chair she had just been sitting in. Shen Luo noticed that Xia Xia had gained another relative in such a short time and found it interesting. He wanted to say something, but his good upbringing taught him that he shouldn't interrupt when his elders were speaking. So he quietly sat to the side, eating snacks and drinking tea.

Gao held Xia Yu's hand and sighed slightly.

“If Xiao Cui hadn’t been missing, we would really be relatives by now. Hao’er is still not giving up. He’s over twenty and still not married. He’s determined to find Cui’er.”

"Mother-in-law, is the Cui'er you're talking about my aunt?"

"Yes, it's your aunt. She's engaged to my Hao'er. All these years have passed, but my husband is so stubborn; he absolutely refuses to get married and insists on waiting for your aunt." He couldn't help but sigh again at this point.

"I don't think I'll ever have a grandson in this lifetime." After saying that, she realized that it wasn't appropriate to say that to Xia Yu. Didn't she mean that her aunt would never be found again?

She hurriedly tried to explain, "That's not what I meant, I meant..." Gao Shi explained halfway but couldn't continue, because in her subconscious, Xiao Cui was someone she could never find again.

If Aunt Liu really hadn't been found yet, Xia Yu would have been genuinely unhappy to hear Gao say that. But her aunt was currently doing well at home, and was even engaged, set to marry after next autumn's harvest.

Thinking it over, she felt it necessary to write a letter to her mother, to tell Liu Shi. Hundreds of miles away in the capital, her aunt's childhood sweetheart was still waiting patiently for her aunt's beloved. Whether or not to tell her aunt then was her mother's decision.

Knowing that the two families had this connection, Xia Yu and Gao Shi got along even better during their conversation.

The two women were chatting happily, which displeased some people in the room. In their eyes, Xia Yu and the poorly dressed woman should be cowering in a corner like quails, looking up at them with envious and humble eyes.

But now, instead of fawning over them, they're chatting happily on their own.

A richly dressed lady glanced at her maid when no one was looking, then looked in Xia Yu's direction. The maid nodded in understanding.

Xia Yu and Gao Shi were positioned near the entrance of the flower hall. Nineteen was standing in the shadows by the entrance. Her clothes were dark-colored, and she was holding her breath, so if you weren't looking closely, you wouldn't even notice that there was someone standing there. Besides, the flower hall was bustling with people right now.

Nineteen listened to the comments and gossip about her young mistress, her initial curiosity turning into disdain and contempt. She heard every word clearly.

Such banquets are usually the most prone to problems, and she had been subtly observing everyone's every move from the very beginning. She had clearly seen the subtle glances exchanged between the noblewoman and the maid earlier. She just didn't know whether that person was targeting her young mistress or that Madam Gao.

After all the guests had arrived, Mrs. Jiang, dressed in her finest attire, finally came late.