The Legend of Concubine's Daughter Minglan

Chapter 154

The firecrackers rumbled, snow decorated the bloom branches. There was a palpable spirit of joy in the whole capital city. At the night before the New Year's Eve of the Third Year of Chongde reign, the atmosphere on the dinner table was quite special. Old Madam Qin looked at the whole table of delicacies while saying sentimentally, "Alas, our family members are too few after all. Unlike your Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle, even their grandsons and granddaughters are able to fill two or even three tables."

Gu Tingcan turned around to look out of the window, showing her neck which was as pretty and long as the swan's, and then said nonchalantly, "That's right. How lively our New Year's Eve dinner used to be! Unlike this year, how can anyone have the mood of celebrating the New Year being in an empty room like this?"

Head lowered, Shao shi didn't say anything with a depressed look on her face while looking at Xian. Zhu shi touched her large belly with her eyebrows slightly wrinkled. Minglan played dumb by putting on a bashful look as if she didn't feel anything wrong while covering her mouth with her handkerchief from time to time.

Another person who didn't sense the weird atmosphere was Gu Tingwei. He chuckled, "I've said that we should invite a group of actors. Mother, you just wouldn't allow me to do that."

Zhu shi looked to Shao shi at once, feeling a bit restless. Old Madam Qin glared at her son and scolded, "Don't talk rubbish. Your Eldest Brother has only passed away less than nine months." Gu Tingwei then chuckled with a guilty look.

Gu Tingye remained a calm face and put down his chopsticks, "You are right. It really is a bit quiet. My dad should have more children."

The look on Old Madam Qin's face went stiff right away.

In an agricultural society, people embraced that more family members brought more fortune to the family. Especially at every festival, only a room full of people would be considered as a sign of prosperity for a family. The three men of Old Master Gu's generation had all got married at a young age. Right now, the elder grandsons and granddaughters of the Fourth and Fifth Master were even old enough to get married. On this point, the First Family did fall behind. At present, Gu Tingye and Gu Tingwei were the only two male adults in this family and Xian was the only boy. Now he was now sitting by a small round table with her two sisters with his nannie serving him.

This situation was caused by Old Master Gu's dereliction of duty. He had been obsessed with a piece of barren saline land which would never grow any plants no matter how much fertilizer he had applied or water he given. Nearly ten years, not a single grain had been reaped. When Gu Tingyu had been born, Gu Tingxuan and Gu Tingyang had already been old enough to run around. After two years, Gu Tingye had been born, followed by Gu Tingwei's birth five years later. As Gu Tingwei had been weaned, Gu Tingxuan had already started to get busy about his engagement.

The root cause of the First family losing at the starting line was that piece of barren land. In other words, it was like someone holding on to a post without doing any work and not let anyone else take over. Unfortunately, the barren land was the blood sister of Old Madam Qin who was sitting up right there.

There were too few people in the room and them sitting separately would give the place a more desolate visage. As a result, Old Madam Qin proposed that the male and female members of the first family should sit around the same table instead of eating separately as usual. The three daughters-in-law of her were supposed to serve her by putting some dishes in her bowl according to the custom. However, Zhu shi and Minglan were both pregnant and Shao shi was a poor widow. Then that custom was skipped.

After Gu Tingye had said that, the look on Old Madam Qin's face turned sullen at once. Everyone ate the meal with their heads lowered and the servants all kept their mouths shut. 'It's like eating in a prison. How funny is this!' Minlan was a bit amused by her own thought.