Amidst her happiness, a tinge of gratitude and guilt welled up in her heart.
Once again, she had dragged his reputation through the mud.
Counting carefully, since their marriage, she had owed him quite a few favors that remained unpaid.
She curtsied to him and said solemnly, "My lord, thank you..."
Just as the word "thank" left her lips, Lu Huaizhou changed the subject again.
"Miss Jiang, have you ever heard a saying?"
Jiang Fuying was quite puzzled. "What saying?"
"Only delicious food can relieve a thousand sorrows." He beamed with excitement. "If one meal isn't enough, then have two!"
Jiang Fuying was amused by his expression and tone, and the smile on her lips grew wider.
"My lord seems to have quite a research on delicious food?" she asked with a smile.
Lu Huaizhou took her sleeve and said, "Whether I have research or not is hard to say, but I know that lunch is almost ready."
"Eat your fill, drink your fill, and worry about nothing. Miss Jiang, stop fretting."
...
On the other side, in the Pingning Marquis Mansion.
Lord Jiang and Lady An specially sent Lady An's personal maid to deliver birthday gifts to Jiang Fuyue.
"Second Miss, the master and the mistress wish you peace, joy, and smooth sailing." Compliments poured out of the maid's mouth like water.
Jiang Fuyue smiled like a flower, looking contentedly at the birthday gifts piled up in front of her.
She knew that even after she got married, her father and mother still doted on her!
Although she and Jiang Fuying were born on the same day, her father and mother favored her more.
In both her past and present lives, on their birthdays, Jiang Fuying always had nothing in her hands, not a single gift!
But she was different. Every year, her father and mother prepared all kinds of birthday gifts for her. Any one of them alone would make Jiang Fuying envious for a long time!
Seeing her satisfied, the maid took out a wooden box from her sleeve and said respectfully, "Second Miss, the master and the mistress were worried that you might have a lot of things to take care of in the Pingning Marquis Mansion and that your private savings might not be enough, so they also prepared an extra one - thousand - tael silver note as a birthday gift for you."
Jiang Fuyue smiled even more smugly.
Look!
Her father and mother gave all their favor to her. What could Jiang Fuying use to compete with her!
"Please tell my father and mother on my behalf when you return to the mansion: Fuyue is grateful to father and mother!"
"Yes."
As soon as the maid left, Jiang Fuyue waved her hand and excitedly ordered, "Chunhua, Qiuyue, quickly take all these birthday gifts to the warehouse!"
Qiuyue was very puzzled. "Miss, don't you want to take a look at these birthday gifts yourself?"
"What's the hurry to look now?" Jiang Fuyue curled her lips. "You can look at these birthday gifts sooner or later."
"But right now they're in the way here."
"If we don't put them in the warehouse quickly, there won't be any room to put the birthday gifts Qing'an gives me later."
In the past, on her birthdays, Qing'an would carefully prepare all kinds of birthday gifts and surprises for her, and make the promise of "seeing each other every year" to her.
And this birthday was the first one she celebrated after successfully marrying Qing'an in her two lives.
She believed that Qing'an would surely prepare an unparalleled birthday gift for her this year!
Jiang Fuyue was full of hope and silently recalled the birthday gifts from the past in her heart.
In her past life, even after Qing'an married Jiang Fuying, he would abandon Jiang Fuying on her birthday, go to the outskirts of the capital in person to pick nine hundred and ninety - nine peonies, and grandly place them in front of her, tenderly telling her, "Fuyue, in this life, I only wish to be with you forever."
Just thinking about it, a happy blush appeared on her face.
She had a hunch that the surprise on her birthday this year would be unforgettable for her!
Time ticked by. Jiang Fuyue waited and waited. It was not until lunchtime that she saw Nanny Liu come to deliver a message.
"Madam, the mistress and the marquis invite you to the dining hall for lunch."
Jiang Fuyue's face lit up.
She knew that Qing'an must have carefully prepared a surprise for her!
"Okay, I'll go right away."
She got up in a hurry but staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Nanny Liu immediately frowned. "Madam, how could you be so reckless? Where are the rules the mistress taught you?"
The joy on Jiang Fuyue's face gradually faded. She bit her lip tightly, annoyed.
Wasn't it just that she was a bit unsteady on her feet?
Why did a mere nanny have to lecture her?
Of course, she only dared to complain silently in her heart. In action, she still followed Nanny Liu to the dining hall.
The closer she got to the dining hall, the faster her heart beat.
She seemed to have already seen Qing'an ordering people to prepare a table of her favorite dishes and then showing her those surprises...
"Bang!"
The door of the dining hall opened, and what came into Jiang Fuyue's sight was a table of the most ordinary dishes.
The Pingning Marquis's wife and Pei Qing'an were sitting around the table, already having lunch.
Seeing her come, Pei Qing'an just explained indifferently, "Mother is old and needs to eat on time. We've waited for you for a long time, so you don't need to serve the dishes."
The happy smile on Jiang Fuyue's lips shattered into pieces.
The birthday star is the most important on their birthday! It was her birthday today, yet they still expected her to serve the dishes?
Pei Qing'an didn't pay attention to her expression. Instead, he said to the Pingning Marquis's wife, "Mother, I have some business with my colleagues, so I won't be back for dinner."
"Your career is the most important." The Pingning Marquis's wife gave a meaningful look at Jiang Fuyue, whose face had turned pale, and nodded. "Since you won't be back for dinner, I'll tell the kitchen to cook fewer dishes."
Completely ignored, Jiang Fuyue was unsteady on her feet but still held a glimmer of hope.
Maybe Qing'an was just joking with her and wanted to give her a special surprise by using the method of "first suppressing and then promoting"?
Thinking like this, she summoned up all her courage and asked with a forced smile, "Qing'an, do you know what day it is today?"
Pei Qing'an glanced at her sideways, looking displeased. "What's there to ask? Isn't it your birthday today?"
The flame of expectation was reignited. Jiang Fuyue couldn't help but ask further, "Qing'an, then my birthday gift this year..."
As soon as these words were spoken, they stepped firmly on Pei Qing'an's sore spot.
"How vulgar!"
"As my wife, do you really lack such a birthday gift?"
"But in previous years you..."
"You said it was in previous years!" Pei Qing'an slammed the chopsticks on the table and casually threw a brocade box at her. "This is your birthday gift this year!"
Jiang Fuyue tried her best to reach out to catch it, but the brocade box fell to the ground too quickly.
"Bang!"
The brocade box hit the ground, and the lid was opened by the force.
A very plain, monotonous, and even shabby jade hairpin appeared in front of her.
Jiang Fuyue recognized it at a glance: this was the most ordinary jade hairpin in the Treasure Pavilion, worth no more than two taels of silver.
And this was the birthday gift Qing'an gave her?!
Her whole heart sank to the bottom, and the icy coldness spread through her limbs and bones.
"Qing'an, I..."
Pei Qing'an didn't even spare her half a glance. He put down his chopsticks and said, "Mother, I'm done eating. I'll go back to my room first."
When passing by her, he paused for a few seconds.
"You'd better take care of yourself."