Legend of Concubine's Daughter Minglan-Part Two

C202. The Ways of the World (123.2)

Though they had agreed on a small scale feast, Minglan still got a long list of the people they had to invite. Two days before the feast, she gave out a stack of paper. There was a large circle around which were many people's names being drawn on each of the paper. Obviously, the pictures were stimulation of the tables. Liao Yong's wife found the pictures a bit childish, but was also impressed by Minglan's subtle idea.

"I've already scheduled sufficient staffing. There were fifteen tables for male guests in outer yard, eight tables for female guests in inner yard and five spare tables. Madam, what do you think?" Liao Yong's wife reported that reverently with her head lowered, "We didn't set up a stage and only invited a few female performers and a group of musicals to stay in the outer yard in case the guests want to watch the play. Also, the places for the coaches and the horses, the dinning rooms for the servants of the guests, the people in charge of guiding the guests in the outer yard and calling the seats were also fixed..."

Minglan sat upright in front of the desk while checking the items on the menu and accounts, the expenditure and the personnel's names while giving advice and reminds softly. Hearing her organized words, the elder servants and the maids who stood in front of her didn't dare to make light of her immediately and answered all of her questions with honesty.

As the day of the feast got closer and closer, Minglan became more severe than before and put on a straight face all the time. Every day Gu Tingye got nothing to do after work, he liked to tease her. But she wasn't in the mood to respond him. After he had observed her for a few days, he said suspiciously, "You don't have confidence in yourself?"

Having stopped gritting her teeth, Minglan exhaled heavily and said in a bitter tone, "You are truly sharp sighted."

The situation now was quite special. An illegal daughter like Minglan normally wouldn't have the chance to learn about how to handle family matters, treat guests or attend social activities from their legal mothers from their childhood. Most illegal daughters were raised up in the inner yard and only studied how to do the needle work, read and write. After that, they would get married. Therefore, most of the men from the real prestigious families were not willing to marry an illegal daughter.

After all, an illegal daughter could never compare to a legal daughter in terms of their knowledge, talents and qualities. Of course, there were geniuses who became well-educated through self-study.

Minglan drooped her head while shedding tears secretly. It was so sad that... she was not a genius.

Old Madam Sheng did have taught Minglan about the family affairs for a while. However, Old Madam Sheng always held a free and easy attitude toward life. Much less over the past ten years, both of them had only wanted Minglan to be a wife of a man from a middle class rich family.

According to their assumption, the biggest event Minglan would need to handle in her married life would be a family meal with her sisters-in-law. And Minglan would only need to gossip with the girls in her own yard about their kids or their husbands' concubines.

And during the seesaw battle between Minglan and her mother-in-law, she, as an illegal daughter, would learn all the duties for a daughter-in-law after being criticized and reproached-- However, that was also impossible for Minglan.

It was like a man who had only wanted to be a workshop director in the countryside suddenly became the CEO of one of the top enterprises on the Forbes List. The reality was seriously divorced from his expectancy. However, the president of the company was a hands-off boss who didn't even offer any pre-employment training!

Damn it!

Although it was just a simple meal, the guests who would arrive tomorrow were all wealthy and respectable people. Some of them might come here only to find faults in her. Minglan had to brace herself up to prepare everything carefully. She had written down numerous plans. She kept pondering about the identities of each guest and how to treat them. Also, she needed someone to sort the tables, chairs, the vessels for wine and for dishes. The snacks and the tea should be available all the time during the meal. The kitchen fire should be guarded cautiously. After Minglan had checked if there was any omission in her plans with a few stewards over and over again, she finally felt a bit relieved in the last two days.