After Chen Xuan had picked out the books, she left because she had a lot of things to do and had to go back to feed her little girl. On the way, Chen Xuan handed Wei Nian a French book and said to him, "I picked it for you, Brother Nian."
Although Wei Nian promised Madam Wen that he would not tell his wife that Madam Wen was his wife's mother, he still had such a big thing in his heart. Even Wei Nian could not calm down immediately, but when he saw Chen Xuan reading to him with bright eyes, Wei Nian smiled, "Oh, you didn't forget Brother Nian even when you saw the book."
"What are you talking about? I've always remembered it." Chen Xuan sighed, "Madam is just like Mr. Rong, both are very capable people. She knows a lot of foreign languages, and she can speak fluently with the ambassadors from the embassy. It's very high-class and classy."
Wei Nian asked Chen Xuan, "Xuan'er, do you want to be someone like Madam Wen?"
"I want to be a scholar." Chen Xuan said, "Madam has her own abilities, but I still want to study. I envy Madam's confidence and knowledge. I think you can give it a try, Brother Anian."
"I'm still a long way from that."
"What are you afraid of? Brother Anian, you are also a very smart person."
Chen Xuan was talking to Anian with great interest, and also talked about helping Madam Wen prepare a banquet in two days. Chen Xuan said, "Let's go there early that day. Madam treats us so well, we must do our best."
Wei Nian naturally agreed.
In fact, even though she knew such a shocking secret, except for Wei Nian who was like a fool, Chen Xuan still lived her life as usual. Usually, she took care of the little girl, went to the store to do things, and asked Qin Shu about how to prepare for the banquet. Qin Shu heard that it was a banquet at the Wen Mansion, and discussed with Chen Xuan, "Can I go with you, my second sister-in-law?"
Thinking that Qin Shu and Madam Wen had always been on good terms, and that Chen Xuan had often attended cocktail parties with Qin Shu before, she agreed, "Why not? I don't really know how to prepare for this kind of banquet, Ah Shu, you have to teach me."
"It's not difficult. In fact, most banquets nowadays are Western-style buffets, where everyone just talks and chats together. Just prepare some Western-style pastries and drinks." Qin Shu used to attend such occasions often. She also had banquets at her own home. She explained the preparations for various Chinese and Western-style banquets to Chen Xuan in detail. Qin Shu said, "Sister-in-law, don't we have strawberries at home? Nowadays, banquets must have fruits. Nowadays, fruits like oranges, pears, and apples are not fresh. Bring some of our strawberries. They are freshly picked, delicious, and beautiful."
"That's what I said."
Chen Xuan was always fair in her work. She discussed with Qin Shu that since Madam Wen was holding the banquet at her own home, she probably only invited some familiar friends. Chen Xuan had seen the strawberries in advance and had agreed with her elder sister-in-law to set aside 20 kilograms. These strawberries would not let her elder sister-in-law suffer any loss. Chen Xuan bought them at the market price with her private money. However, she did not let Wei Jin know about the use of private money. Wei Jin was a quick-witted person who liked to complain about the smallest things. Chen Xuan just said that it was someone else who paid in advance.
Chen Xuan brought Qin Shu with her, and Madam Wen was also very happy. She smiled and said, "It's just right for you to help me."
Mrs. Wen said that she wanted Chen Xuan's help, but in fact, she was telling Chen Xuan how to prepare for the banquet, what food and wine to prepare, how to arrange the flower arrangements, and how to play some slow music records on the spot. As for more private banquets, some people would invite guests to play the piano and sing, but Mrs. Wen didn't have these. Mrs. Wen said, "In the past, those who sang operas were called actors and regarded as the lowest class. Now the status of star singers is different from before, even opera singers are quite popular. However, some wealthy families still pay great attention to these things and don't want their children to play the piano and sing outside. So don't be presumptuous to ask people to play. If there is such a need, it is better to invite singers."
Chen Xuan nodded and took note of it.
Qin Shu said, "Just like many celebrities in Shanghai are proud of being able to sing Kunqu opera, but even if they are willing to go on stage, it is mostly for charity and remuneration. No one is willing to really perform on stage to earn money."
Mrs. Wen smiled and said, "That's the truth."
Chen Xuan said, "Even now, not many children from good families go to sing and perform operas. Our old lady loves to watch Mei Lanfang and Ma Lianliang's operas so much that she calls them operas all the time."
After chatting for a while and having lunch at noon, Chen Xuan went back to pick strawberries and feed the little girl, and then brought the strawberries back. Mrs. Wen asked the driver to take Chen Xuan over, and Chen Xuan brought Wei Nian over with her. Wei Nian always felt a little uncomfortable every time he saw Mrs. Wen, but fortunately he was a person who could handle it, and he could still help with everything inside and outside, then he went upstairs to greet Mr. Wen, and privately asked Mrs. Wen which guests were coming. Mrs. Wen was very satisfied with Wei Nian's cleverness, and showed Wei Nian the list of guests in advance. Wei Nian saw that they were all celebrities in Beijing, and they were not restricted to the political and business circles. However, the list was much simpler than the guests at the last City Hall dance, which showed that the Wen couple must have a very good relationship.
After Wei Nian silently memorized it in his heart, he asked Chen Xuan to take a look at it together so that Chen Xuan could have an idea.
Mrs. Wen asked Amang to call Wen Yaying and ask her to come over earlier if she was free. But Wen Yaying was nowhere to be found. Mrs. Wen was helpless and said, "I asked Amang to call her the day before yesterday to tell her that we were going to have a dinner party at home today and she should come over earlier."
Chen Xuan felt that it was not easy for Madam Wen to be a stepmother. She could only comfort Madam Wen, "Miss Wen might be in trouble." Chen Xuan felt that this was false. She whispered to Madam Wen, "Madam, you are so busy every day. Do the important things first and we can talk about these things later."
Madam Wen said, "That's right."
You can imagine the scene that Wen Yaying saw when she came over. Wei Nian followed Mr. Wen and greeted the guests. Chen Xuan and Mrs. Wen greeted the guests in the banquet hall. Fortunately, Wen Yaying came with Rong Yang today, so Rong Yang held her back. Rong Yang whispered, "Don't make a fool of yourself in this kind of occasion."
Wen Yaying's teeth were clattering, and she stood directly in front of Chen Xuan. Fortunately, Chen Xuan knew her temper as a young lady, and thought that Madam Wen was giving her advice with good intentions, so she couldn't make things difficult for Madam Wen. Chen Xuan quickly made way for Madam Wen and greeted Rong Yang happily, "Mr. Rong, you are here, let's talk inside." This was in Rong Mansion, and when Wen Yaying came over, Chen Xuan went inside with Rong Yang.
Rong Yang was thankful that Chen Xuan had such a good temper. After Rong Yang greeted Mr. Wen, he went in with Chen Xuan. Rong Yang said, "You guys came really early today."
"I came here early in the morning. Madam asked me to come and help." Chen Xuan whispered, "I know Madam has good intentions to help me."
Rong Yang said seriously, "You have a good temper, and you deserve to be treated like this."
Chen Xuan tilted her head and smiled, a little shyly.
In Rong Yang's opinion, Chen Xuan is a woman with very traditional female characteristics. She is always shy when she is praised. Rong Yang is naturally more familiar with the visitor, and quietly introduces Chen Xuan to her. After the visitor greets Mrs. Wen, Rong Yang takes Chen Xuan to greet her. Qin Shu also has his own social life.
When most of the guests had arrived, Rong Yang let Chen Xuan learn to talk to others by herself. Qin Shu came to Rong Yang, took a bite of a cookie, and said to Rong Yang, "Aunt Wen called the eldest lady several times to ask her to come earlier, but she couldn't find her. She had to come so late, and she was not happy to see the second sister-in-law and the lady together. If she came earlier, it would not be someone else's turn." He thought that Wen Yaying was jealous that Chen Xuan stood beside the lady Wen and took advantage of the Wen family. From Qin Shu's point of view, if you didn't ask to come earlier, this is your family's banquet, and you are not happy when others come. What kind of temper is this
Rong Yang said, "Go eat your cookies."
Qin Shu wrinkled his nose, shook his head, and went to talk to Mrs. Wen.
Chen Xuan has always been familiar with Mrs. Chu, and Professor Chu is also very familiar with her. Mrs. Chu introduced Chen Xuan to Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Jin. Although Mrs. Chu is an old-fashioned woman, Professor Chu has a high status. Mrs. Chu's circle is full of wives of top professors in the cultural world. Chen Xuan loves to get along with knowledgeable people. Although the ladies are new and old, Chen Xuan can still say a few words to them.
Chen Xuan was a little surprised to see Ms. Chen again. Ms. Chen came with Commander Miao. Commander Miao was wearing casual clothes today. Although he was not very elegant, he had a kind of military spirit that ordinary people did not have. Ms. Chen and Wen Yaying had a very good relationship. When the two of them talked, Wen Yaying had a little smile on her face. Finally, she was not as if everyone owed her fifty dollars.
Because they were all friends of the Wen couple, none of them had conflicting political views. Whether they were familiar with each other or not, they were all savvy in social circles and could always get along harmoniously.
Chen Xuan was not the type to be in the limelight. It was mainly because Wei Nian was like a butterfly in a flower that bothered Wen Yaying. It was not Wei Nian's fault. A smart man like Wei Nian would never steal the limelight in such an occasion. It was mainly because Wei Nian was born with a handsome appearance. Even among a room full of prominent people, he was the kind of appearance that could not be ignored. In addition, Wei Nian was born sociable. Wen Yaying could see Wei Nian using her father and her cousin's influence to make connections with others. As for Chen Xuan, Wen Yaying liked her more when she saw her with those old-fashioned women with bound feet. She thought Chen Xuan was just hanging out with the country bumpkins.
Wen Yaying hated such cunning and opportunistic people the most. When she heard Wei Nian addressing the Dean of Peking University Business School and President of the Peking Industry and Commerce Association as Uncle Jin, she held a glass of red wine and walked up to him in a graceful manner, "Are Mr. Wei and Uncle Jin relatives?"
Wei Nian's smile remained unchanged, "Uncle Wen said Uncle Jin is not an outsider, so I shouldn't be too rigid."
Wen Yaying's lips curled up into a smile, and she said in a tone that sounded like a joke but also serious, "You always call my dad uncle. At first, I thought you were one of my dad's nephews."
No matter how good Wei Nian's manners were, he felt embarrassed when faced with Wen Yaying's sabotage. This was originally a family banquet of the Wen family, and the guests were all acquaintances, and the banquet hall was not very big. Chen Xuan was immediately unhappy when she heard this. She thought about why Wen Yaying was like a mad dog, and Brother Nian didn't bother her. Wei Nian smiled, and said to Wen Yaying affectionately, "I didn't call you Sister Wen because I was afraid that you girls don't like to be called old. Oh, I have to apologize to you in front of Uncle Jin. Sister, please forgive me this time."
Wei Nian is really a talent. He swallowed the glass of red wine that Wen Yaying had provoked, and all the wine went to Wei Nian. If this hadn't happened at the Wen family, Wei Nian would have slapped Wen Yaying twice. Chen Xuan had seen Wen Yaying making things difficult for her brother Anian, and then she saw Wen Yaying pouring a glass of red wine on her brother Anian's face. Chen Xuan thought, Brother Anian, this is retribution from your previous life!
However, seeing that her brother Anian's face had turned blue, Chen Xuan hurried over in her small leather shoes to wipe Anian's face. Madam Wen had already grasped Wen Yaying's wrist and whispered, "Yaying, you are so rude!"
Wen Yaying was completely irritated by Wei Nian's word "big sister". Moreover, she had a deep prejudice against Madam Wen. Her life in Peking was not satisfactory. Now new grudges and old hatreds broke out at the same time. Wen Yaying only wanted to have fun and completely ignored reason. In fact, she had always been worried that Madam Wen would let Chen Xuan enter the Wen family. If she was worried about this, Madam Wen and Chen Xuan should never recognize each other. It would be best to be friends like now. But Wen Yaying was so irritated by Wei Nian that she lost her mind. When Madam Wen said that she was rude, she sneered, "How you want to honor your ex-husband's daughter is your business! But this is the Wen Mansion! It is rude to let someone with the surname Chen be the protagonist of the Wen family dinner!"
As soon as Wen Yaying said this, she immediately became the protagonist of the dinner.
Whether it was Wei Nian, Rong Yang, or other guests at the banquet, they all looked at Wen Yaying. Chen Xuan was even more stunned. She didn't understand what Wen Yaying meant. She didn't realize for a moment that the person Wen Yaying was talking about was her! She just felt that the atmosphere of the banquet was stagnant for a moment. Chen Xuan just looked at Madam Wen worriedly, thinking that although Madam Wen was not Wen Yaying's biological mother, Wen Yaying's behavior was too embarrassing for Madam Wen.
If Madam Wen couldn't even handle such a small occasion, she wouldn't have come this far.
Mrs. Wen gently released Wen Yaying's hand, walked to the front of the banquet, and sighed, "All those who came today are friends of Old Wen and me. What Yaying said is that this is the Wen family mansion. When I married Old Wen, I never said that I was married for the first time. I had been married before, but because my ex-husband passed away, I became single again. Old Wen was the same. He reunited with me several years after his ex-wife passed away. He had a daughter with his ex-wife before me, Yaying. I also had a daughter with my ex-husband before him. Old Wen knew all these things before he proposed to me. I know everything clearly, and I have not concealed anything. Yaying is my stepdaughter, my daughter, and from a legal and moral perspective, she is also Lao Wen's stepdaughter. When I left my hometown, my daughter stayed in my ex-husband's family to be raised. We haven't seen each other for many years, and I don't even know how to recognize her. She has grown up so well, has her own ideals and pursuits, and is far more outstanding than I was back then. Lao Wen and I can't stay in Peking for long, so I want to introduce her to our friends. She likes to study and likes to interact with outstanding elders. So, we prepared today's dinner."
Mrs. Wen looked at Chen Xuan expectantly, "Ah Xuan, come here and formally meet your Uncle Wen. You have your own father, and Old Wen is my remarried husband, so you can just call him uncle. Old Wen and I are both very democratic, and Yaying never calls me mom, she prefers to call me madam. You can address me as you like."
Chen Xuan was completely confused. Didn’t her mother pass away a long time ago
That’s what her second uncle and second aunt told her!
Chen Xuan was so confused that she didn't know how to react. Fortunately, Wei Nian was not confused! Just because Wen Yaying had just splashed red wine on his face, he couldn't ruin Mrs. Wen's place. Wei Nian held Chen Xuan's cold hand, looked at her helpless expression, nodded slightly, quietly scratched Chen Xuan's palm, asked her to relax, and took Chen Xuan to Mrs. Wen.
The author has something to say: ps: Good night!