"Second Master?" Laogui's expression changed, and he quickly gave him a deep bow and said respectfully: "Laogui, I would like to say hello to Second Master!"
After saying that, he pointed to Liu Ruyi and Uncle Fu beside him and said to the man: "Second Master, these are the guests invited by the eldest lady, do you think?"
"Hmph!" The man whom Lao Gui called "Second Master" snorted, and walked away without even looking at Liu Ruyi and the others. You could faintly hear him cursing a few words before leaving.
, "What do women know?"
Liu Ruyi's face was expressionless, as if nothing had happened. She just glanced at Lao Gui with some confusion.
Lao Gui obviously understood what Liu Ruyi meant, so he pulled Liu Ruyi a few steps forward. When they reached a spacious area in the hall, Lao Gui pulled Liu Ruyi to a corner where no one was around and explained in a low voice: "Liu Ruyi
Young Master, I made you laugh! This man is the second head of the Xiao Mansion, and he has always been at odds with the eldest lady. He came here from Jining Mansion specifically for today’s dinner!"
Liu Ruyi nodded thoughtfully and said with a smile: "Haha, I really trouble old uncle today! Just go and do your work, I can do it by myself here!"
Lao Gui was just a servant of the Xiao family. He was different from a guest like Liu Ruyi. He still had many things to do. Naturally, he could not stay with Liu Ruyi for too long. At this time, he saw how considerate Liu Ruyi was and quickly
He bowed his hands and said with a smile: "In that case, I'll take my leave first! I'll stay later. When I'm done with my work, I'll definitely have a few more drinks with Mr. Liu!"
"Haha, definitely, definitely!" Liu Ruyi returned the favor with a smile.
After Lao Gui left, Liu Ruyi winked at Uncle Fu, and the two of them found a very inconspicuous seat in the corner of the hall and sat down.
At this time, many people had gathered in the huge hall, but most of these people were local gentry and merchants. The real dignitaries were still in the inner hall further inside. Before the banquet started, the two groups were
What cannot be brought together is the difference between power and money.
Glancing at the crowd in the outer hall, Liu Ruyi found many familiar faces, such as the head of the Liu family in Jinan, the head of the Xue family in Pingyuan, Zhang Laocai, the chief executive of Lubei Trading Company, and even Jiyang Qi
However, Liu Ruyi did not find anyone from the Zhangqiu Liu family. Thinking about it, a small and powerful family like the Zhangqiu Liu family might not have the eyes of the wealthy Xiao family.
But this is the best, and it saves Liu Ruyi a lot of trouble!
After sitting in the outer hall for a while and drinking a few glasses of water and wine, the second head of the Xiao family came out from the inner hall. He clasped his fists in his hands, bowed deeply to everyone, smiled slightly, and said: "Dear friends,
, distinguished guests, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to the banquet of Xiao Mansion! On behalf of the head of the Xiao family, my eldest brother Xiao Mowen, on behalf of the Xiao family, I would like to toast all my friends! Come on, Xiao will do it first.
Out of respect!"
After that, he took the wine glass handed by the servant on the side, signaled to everyone, then tilted his neck and drank the wine in the glass cleanly!
"Second Master Xiao is indeed a happy man! A good man!"
"Haha, I'd like to give you a drink!"
"Second Master is indeed a hero from Shandong!"
"..."
Seeing the respectful attitude of everyone in the hall, the second head of the Xiao family burst into laughter. He bowed to everyone and said "dare not". However, there was no way he could hide the look of amusement between his eyebrows!
Liu Ruyi sneered, but her evaluation of him suddenly fell to the bottom, "I thought you were a person, but I didn't expect you were just an arrogant person!"
"Everyone, everyone! When we came here, the Xiao family had already invited everyone from 'Yao Yue Lou', Chun Yu Slave, to entertain all our friends! Now, everyone in Chun has finished dressing up and will be on stage soon, and the banquet will also be held.
Let's start right away. Everyone, please follow me, and we'll talk about it inside!" After the second head of the Xiao family finished speaking, he winked at the two young men beside him. The two understood and quickly opened the door leading to the inner corridor.
The curtain was opened, and he stood at the door of the corridor with his hands clasped, respecting everyone.
"We actually invited everyone to come. The Xiao family is really making a big deal this time!"
"That's right, I haven't experienced the grace of everyone in the spring for a month. Haha, I really miss you so much in my heart!"
"Quick, quick! Brother, hurry up and leave. I have to hurry in and grab a seat near the front!"
Wine and delicacies are obviously not as powerful as the beauty's appeal. When everyone heard that "Chun Yu Slave" was in the inner hall, they all acted like wild beasts in heat. They had long forgotten their previous reserve and rushed towards the inner hall.
go.
"Chun Yu slave?" Liu Ruyi said the name softly, but a playful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth!
This name is known to everyone in the 26 counties in the four prefectures of Jinan Prefecture!
Although Liu Ruyi was cowardly and ignorant in his previous life, he had illusions about him. Liu Ruyi's eldest brother Liu Jianwu once insisted on marrying her. Although neither brother got what they wanted in the end,
Even such a trivial matter can later become one of the sources of conflict between brothers. It is really ridiculous!
At this time, most of the crowd had already poured into the inner hall, and only Liu Ruyi and Uncle Fu were left in the open space in the outer hall.
Seeing that Liu Ruyi was still meditating with her eyes closed, Uncle Fu couldn't help but gently pulled Liu Ruyi's skirt and whispered: "Young Master, it's time for us to go in!"
"Oh?" Liu Ruyi glanced around, nodded to Uncle Fu, and walked towards the corridor.
The second head of the Xiao family watched Liu Ruyi approaching slowly and snorted with disdain. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and said to Liu Ruyi: "Boy, I don't care where you are from? There is a saying you have to remember!
The eldest lady of the Xiao family is not something a poor scholar like you can reach! Humph!"
Liu Ruyi smiled softly and ignored the expressions of the second head of the Xiao family. She just nodded slightly and walked straight towards the depths of the corridor.
"Hey! You little bastard, you don't even care about your own weight! The toad actually wants to eat the swan meat!"
Even though Liu Ruyi had walked more than ten steps away, the vicious voice of the second head of the Xiao family still reached Liu Ruyi's ears on the wind.
"Young Master, this guy is so arrogant! I went to argue with him!" Uncle Fu looked at Liu Ruyi's livid face and couldn't help but rush to the second head of the Xiao family to let him have a taste of his old fists.
.
Liu Ruyi grabbed Fu Bo's body, and a smile suddenly appeared on his cold face, "It doesn't matter, Fu Bo! He will cry sometimes!"
…………
The corridor was winding and long. Liu Ruyi walked hundreds of steps before he saw a magnificent building in front of him. Dozens of Tsing Yi servants were waiting at the door, leading the distinguished guests to walk inside.
This should be the core venue tonight. Liu Ruyi didn't dare to tell anyone, so she blended in with the crowd and quietly entered the inner hall.
As soon as he stepped into the inner hall, he was greeted by a luxurious aura. Even though Liu Ruyi came from a later generation and was used to big scenes, she was still secretly stunned by it.
The entire hall is not too big, about four to five hundred square meters. It is surrounded by dozens of exquisite carved wooden pillars supporting the structure of the entire hall. In the middle of the hall, a simple high platform has been built, with vaguely placed
Through the transparent and graceful gauze curtain, you can faintly see several charming figures inside.
Under the feet are all luxurious Persian carpets, with four red ribbons spreading out around the central high platform. Come to think of it, there must be some other games behind!
Walking further inside, nearly a hundred exquisite small tables are arranged neatly in the shape of "hui", and next to each small table is a pretty maid.
Xiang, I'm afraid it will cost a thousand taels of silver!
Closest to the center of the high platform, there are several large and luxurious tables, which are already full of people, all of whom are Shandong's smartest people. Although Liu Ruyi does not understand antiques, the colors emanating from the large tables are still...
Liu Ruyi recognized it at a glance. They were all made of Hainan huanghuali wood!
'It is indeed a century-old brand! Just for tonight's show, I am afraid that no other restaurant in the entire Jinan Prefecture can match it! I'm afraid that in the capital, this is the same show for the emperor's relatives, right? But then again, this
Is the Xiao family really engaged in cloth and satin business? How come it has such appeal? How can it bring these big names together?" Liu Ruyi became even more curious about the background of the Xiao family.
At this time, a pretty maid came forward, bowed to Liu Ruyi, and said respectfully: "Master, please show me your invitation, so that I can lead you to your seat."
"Invitation?" Liu Ruyi was slightly startled, glanced at her doubtfully, and said with a smile: "I was invited by the eldest lady of the Xiao family, and I don't have an invitation. Girl, do you see?"
At this point, Liu Ruyi had no other choice but to pull up Xiao Zixin's tiger skin and make a banner. Otherwise, it would be very bad if he was kicked out.
The maid looked troubled, thought for a moment, and said softly: "Master, wait a moment, I will go and ask for instructions!" After saying that, she turned around and ran away not far away.
Soon, the maid ran back again. She smiled slightly, revealing two cute dimples at the corners of her mouth, "Master, please come with me!"
Liu Ruyi nodded and followed her until she walked to a small table in the corner of the hall.
"Master, this is a spare seat specially prepared by the Xiao family. Master, please sit down and let me know if you need anything!" After the maid finished speaking, she quietly stepped aside.
Liu Ruyi smiled apologetically at her, then stopped talking and quietly observed the people around her.
Mr. Jia has not shown up until now. This matter itself is very strange, and Liu Ruyi suddenly felt a bad premonition in his heart.
"Uncle Fu, please pay close attention and notify me as soon as Mr. Jia shows up!" Liu Ruyi ordered in a low voice.
Uncle Fu is a servant, and there is no place for him to sit here, so he has been standing behind Liu Ruyi, and his field of vision is much wider than that of Liu Ruyi who is sitting on the soft couch.
"Young Master, don't worry! Even if that guy turns into ashes, I can still find him!"
After a while, another person was led by another maid to the seat next to Liu Ruyi.
This man is tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a high nose bridge, and hard lines on his face, full of masculinity! He is wearing an emerald green embroidered brocade robe, with a red ribbon on his head and a girdle around his waist.
An exquisite jade belt, but with red silk thread trimmed on his collar and cuffs, it seems a bit nondescript at first glance, but it makes him a little more chic and elegant in addition to being masculine!
He sat carelessly on the soft couch next to him, and at the end, he pinched the maid's plump buttocks. The maid screamed in surprise and hurriedly retreated a few steps away, but he did not make any further moves.
, just laughing out loud!
"This guy is quite interesting!" Liu Ruyi glanced at him, then withdrew her gaze, and carefully considered her next plan.
However, after teasing the maid, the man next to him seemed to suddenly be interested in Liu Ruyi. He turned around, stared at Liu Ruyi for a while, and said jokingly: "Brother, you, it seems
Are you worried?"
"Huh?" Liu Ruyi snorted and couldn't help but frown!