In the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion, dinner was served early.
There were not many people at the table. Only Lady Lu, Lu Huaizhou, Lu Qingyu and Jiang Fuying were present.
Looking at the full table of dishes, Jiang Fuying couldn't help feeling a bit confused.
Before she married into the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion, she had learned that the mansion had not been divided into separate households and there were three branches in total.
Logically speaking, for her first proper dinner in the mansion as a new bride, the second and third branches should have shown up. But at this moment...
Jiang Fuying thought for a while and tried to put it as tactfully as possible: "Is it a bit... wasteful for just the four of us to have so many dishes for dinner?"
Lu Huaizhou immediately understood the implication of her words.
Before Lady Lu could answer, he immediately picked up a chopstick of food for her and whispered in her ear to explain.
"I invited the other two branches, but they said they were busy. Mother didn't want to force them."
With just this short sentence, Jiang Fuying immediately understood.
The second and third branches of the Lu family were definitely not easy to deal with!
However, since this dinner was精心 prepared by Lady Lu, it was really inappropriate to discuss this now, so she sensibly stopped asking.
"Fuying, eat more."
Lady Lu kept picking up food for her. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Fuying's bowl was piled up like a small mountain.
She tightly held her chopsticks, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
She didn't want to reject the elder's kindness, but how could she finish so much food in the bowl?
Just when she was at a loss and struggling whether to force herself to finish it all at once, a pair of big hands with distinct knuckles reached in front of her.
Lu Huaizhou had a smile on his lips and deliberately put on a sad look: "Mother, how could you only pick up food for Fuying and ignore me? Where is there a mother like you who shows partiality?"
Although he was complaining on his lips, his hands didn't stop at all. He actively transferred the food from Jiang Fuying's bowl to his own.
"I understand now. With Fuying, you've got a new little daughter. She's your real child, while I'm the one you picked up from the roadside."
Seeing his actions, Jiang Fuying stared at him in surprise.
In her previous life in the Marquis of Pingning's Mansion, not to mention eating the food she left behind, even dining at the same table with her, Pei Qing'an would always have a cold face and show extreme disgust towards her.
But this playboy young master...
She gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered.
"Young master, these are the leftovers from me. You..."
Lu Huaizhou looked calm and replied in a voice that only they could hear.
"You don't have to worry. I just can't bear to see food wasted." His hands didn't stop, and he was so meticulous that he even picked up a grain of rice on the edge of the bowl: "Every grain is the fruit of hard work. Since you can't finish it, I should share some of it for you."
Somewhere in her heart seemed to be strongly touched.
While being touched, Jiang Fuying added another impression of him: this playboy young master was far more considerate than he appeared on the surface.
Of course, Lady Lu didn't just prepare this dinner.
After dinner, Lady Lu specifically told the nanny beside her: "Nanny Hu, bring up the gift I prepared for Fuying."
"Yes."
A moment later, Nanny Hu appeared in front of Jiang Fuying, holding a golden silk nanmu box.
When the box was opened, there was a pair of jade bracelets that were green and transparent.
Jiang Fuying had been the mistress of a family for ten years in her previous life. She could tell at a glance that the quality and luster of these jade bracelets were excellent. They were definitely not ordinary items!
"Fuying, these are the jade bracelets left by Huaizhou's grandmother, the old lady, for her daughter - in - law." Lady Lu introduced them to her with a smile: "When I married into the Lu family back then, the old lady passed the jade bracelets on to me. Now that you've married Huaizhou, I'll pass these jade bracelets on to you."
Lady Lu said it lightly, but Jiang Fuying was extremely panicked.
These jade bracelets were the heirlooms of the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion. As a new bride who had come through a replacement marriage, she really couldn't take them, either emotionally or rationally!
So she politely declined: "Mother, these heirloom jade bracelets are too precious. I can't accept them..."
Lady Lu felt even more pity for her and imagined a big drama in her mind.
Fuying was shy. She had married her son who had a bad reputation outside out of helplessness. She must have suffered a great deal of grievance...
Thinking of this, she glared at Lu Huaizhou.
The latter looked helpless.
Lu Huaizhou knew that his mother thought he was not good enough for Miss Jiang again and wanted to compensate Miss Jiang even more.
He looked up at the heirloom jade bracelets in the box and hesitated for two seconds.
He couldn't go against his mother's kindness, and he had to show his due respect for Miss Jiang.
After some thought, he simply picked up the pair of jade bracelets. Under Jiang Fuying's surprised gaze, he carefully handed the jade bracelets to her hand.
"Please roll up your sleeve, madam."
A puzzled light flashed in her autumn - water - like eyes.
Lu Huaizhou winked at her, clearly meaning: Mother is still watching. Please cooperate, Miss Jiang.
Jiang Fuying suddenly understood.
Right. Lady Lu was looking at them happily. They still had to act out the drama of an affectionate couple.
So she rolled up her sleeve as he said and watched him... put the jade bracelets on her wrist with his own hands.
The moment the warmth of his fingertips and the coldness of the jade bracelets touched her wrist at the same time, she trembled like an electric shock.
After Lu Huaizhou put the jade bracelets on for her, he calmly sat back in his seat, but whispered in her ear.
"Family members don't stand on ceremony. Since mother has given the heirloom jade bracelets to you, they'll be yours from now on."
Jiang Fuying looked at the jade bracelets on her wrist and then looked up at him, trying to find evidence that he was joking on his face.
But unfortunately, he looked serious and solemn.
Jiang Fuying thought that her ten - year experience as the mistress of a family was enough for her to face all kinds of grand occasions without changing her expression. But at this moment, her heart beating as fast as a drum made her a bit at a loss.
Just at this moment, Lu Qingyu took out a brocade box like a magic trick.
"Sister - in - law, I also prepared a gift for you."
The jade bracelets on her wrist carried a burst of heat, spreading all over Jiang Fuying's body.
They made her feel the warmth and cherish that she had never experienced in her previous life.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. She suddenly thought of the scene in her previous life after she returned to her natal family from the Pei family.
Pei Qing'an used the excuse of being busy with official business and didn't accompany her back to her natal family.
Seeing her return to the mansion alone, the Marchioness of Pingning was quite unhappy and scolded her in front of all the servants in the mansion: "Madam Jiang, you can't even win your husband's heart. How can you be worthy of being the young mistress of our Marquis of Pingning's Mansion!"
"Qing'an is busy with official business. If he's not available, you can just wait for him. But you insisted on going back to your natal family alone. Aren't you deliberately ruining the reputation of our Marquis of Pingning's Mansion!"
At that time, she held back her tears and couldn't defend herself.
Pei Qing'an hated her so much that he could leave her alone on their wedding night. How could he put down his official business to accompany her back to her natal family?
Apart from going back to her natal family alone, what other choice did she have?
"Is the gift I prepared not to your liking, sister - in - law? Then I'll go and change one today..."
Lu Qingyu's voice pulled her back to reality.
She quietly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and replied with a smile: "I like the gift you prepared, third sister."
It wasn't just the gift. Lady Lu, Lu Qingyu, and even Lu Huaizhou, her nominal husband, were all a thousand times better than in her previous life. She liked them all.