Chapter 175 -

Chapter 175: Chapter

The commotion had grown so loud that the entire main hall seemed to shake with the shouting and arguing. An Yulan, Bai Wenxiu, and Bai Shishi were still struggling with Xiuying, while Madame Liu and Madame Bai tried desperately to separate them. Madame Chen, who had just come out of the kitchen, had joined the fight without even bothering to ask what had happened.

Just then, Master Bai entered the main hall alongside Bai Wenliang and Third Uncle Bai Chenghao.

The moment Master Bai saw the chaos, his expression darkened.

"ENOUGH!"

His thunderous voice cut through the hall.

Everyone froze.

Madame Chen released her grip on Xiuying, while An Yulan and her sisters quickly stepped away. Xiuying, whose hair was now a complete mess, straightened her clothes and glared at the three girls with an expression that promised she was far from finished with them.

Before Master Bai could say another word, Bai Wenxiu and Bai Shishi rushed toward their father, nearly knocking into him in their hurry.

"Father!" Bai Shishi cried, pointing an accusing finger at Xiuying. "Look at what she did to us! She deliberately poured hot tea on us!"

"Yes, Father!" Bai Wenxiu added, holding up her reddened hand. "We were just sitting here peacefully when she suddenly attacked us. Look at our clothes! She has ruined our new dresses!"

An Yulan quickly joined in, her eyes shining with tears she had managed to summon at an impressive speed.

"Father-in-law, you must do something about this. Xiuying has become increasingly unruly. How can she behave so viciously toward her own family?"

Second Uncle Bai Chengbang immediately stood up.

"Enough with your accusations!" he snapped, stepping in front of his daughter. "I saw what happened. Those three have been provoking Xiuying since they arrived. They insulted her, mocked her, and brought up matters that should never have been mentioned at this table. What did you expect her to do? Sit there and let them humiliate her?"

Madame Chen’s expression turned ugly.

"Chengbang, are you seriously defending your daughter’s behavior? She poured boiling tea on three people! Look at what she has done to my daughters!"

"And what about what your daughters did to mine?" Madame Liu shot back, standing beside her husband. "Or do you expect everyone to tolerate their insults simply because you are their mother?"

"Madame Liu!" Madame Chen shouted.

"Madame Chen!" Madame Liu shouted back.

"That’s enough!"

Master Bai struck his walking stick against the floor, making everyone fall silent again.

He looked around the room, his eyes moving from the three girls in their soaked dresses to Xiuying’s disheveled appearance, then to the two women who were still glaring at each other.

"Can this family not manage to have one peaceful breakfast without an argument?" he demanded. "Every morning, there is shouting, fighting, and accusations. Are you all children? And you three!" He turned toward An Yulan, Wenxiu, and Shishi. "Go and sit down. Chengbang, take your seat as well. Madame Chen, control your temper!"

Madame Chen pressed her lips together, clearly dissatisfied, but she eventually turned away and returned to her seat. An Yulan and her sisters exchanged angry looks with Xiuying before reluctantly sitting down.

Second Uncle Bai Chengbang was still displeased, but Madame Liu tugged gently at his sleeve, urging him to leave the matter alone for now. He gave the other women one last glare before sitting down.

At the table, Rulan and Meiling exchanged a quick glance.

They had both been watching the entire performance with growing amusement, and now they quietly leaned toward each other.

"Father is beginning to sound like Grandmother," Meiling whispered, struggling to suppress her laughter.

Rulan lowered her head, hiding the small smile tugging at her lips. "At this rate, he might as well take over her wooden staff."

Meiling nearly choked on her food.

Unfortunately, their amusement did not escape Yimei, who was sitting nearby. She lowered her eyes to her plate, hiding her own smile as she listened to the sisters whisper.

[Host,] Nine remarked cheerfully inside her head, [I believe the Bai family should consider serving breakfast with protective helmets. The food isn’t the only thing being thrown around here.]

Yimei calmly picked up her chopsticks.

At least the breakfast was delicious.

Master Bai finally took his seat and glanced around the table.

"Now, can we eat in peace?"

Nobody answered.

But judging by the murderous looks still being exchanged across the table, Yimei suspected that peace was going to be a rather ambitious request.

Madame Bai brought out an imperial pastry and placed it over for Master Bai, who smiled and nodded at her. She was literally the only sensible woman alongside all the chaotic women in this family. Sigh.

"New Year is approaching," Master Bai said, breaking the heavy silence. "Even if we are no longer at the main Bai estate, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate New Year properly. Everyone should be on their best behavior. We will have a wonderful feast, even if it’s small, and blow firecrackers. You girls can also go to the festival in town, and we will return to celebrate the New Year together as a family."

Hearing that, everyone looked at each other. Bai Shu smiled warmly at her mother, thrilled about the festival part.

"That is very good, Brother," Second Uncle Chengbang said softly. "Too bad Mother won’t be here to celebrate with us."

"Actually, Brother... concerning that, Elder Brother has a message to pass to all of us," Third Uncle Chenghao spoke up, smiling as he faced Master Bai.

Everyone at the table paused, even Zhengyu, who usually looked like he was being forced to sit among them looked up at his father to hear what he had to say.

"Well, this morning Mr. Shen brought a message to us from Mother all the way from the city," Master Bai explained, setting his tea cup down. "She says she misses us dearly. Even though she doesn’t regret her decision in sending us here, she says it is still the family tradition to always celebrate the New Year together. Seeing that Madame Zhao is also with child, it is a double celebration. So, she will be coming in four days’ time on New Year’s Eve, to celebrate with us."

Master Bai’s announcement instantly brightened the mood for some.

"That is wonderful! I’ve missed Grandma a lot!" An Yulan said, her face lighting up as Meiling nodded in agreement. "Me too!"

PING!

A sharp, red sound echoed clearly in Yimei’s head.

Yimei took a slow sip of her tea, hiding her amused smirk behind the rim of the cup. Lie detected. An Yulan didn’t miss Old Madame Bai at all; she was just putting on a fake show of filial piety to look good in front of Master Bai.

Nearby, Bai Shishi and Bai Wenxiu rolled their eyes dramatically at An Yulan’s performance, not caring a single bit about Old Madame Bai. They just wanted to go back to their old, luxurious lives already. By this time of year, they would normally be attending glamorous banquets and parties, yet here they were stuck in the countryside.

"The most important thing," Master Bai added, his tone carrying a heavy, hopeful weight, "is that if we all behave well, Mother might finally forgive us and end all this exile."

PING!

The red sound chimed in Yimei’s mind once again.

Another lie, Yimei noted with a cool grin. Master Bai didn’t genuinely believe Old Madame Bai was coming out of motherly forgiveness, he knew very well the stern old woman was coming to inspect them and make sure they were suffering properly under her strict discipline.

[HOST! THIS DINING TABLE IS A FULL-BLOWN FESTIVAL OF LIES!] Nine snickered inside her mind. [Your new skill is hitting the jackpot today! Everyone is wearing a mask!]

Yimei glanced sideways at Zhengyu, who casually placed another piece of tender meat onto her plate, completely unbothered by the grand family reunion news.