May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

The whole family didn't arrive until night fell.

The Marquis's mansion has three branches, which is said to be a large family, but the old lady is biased. She treats the eldest and second eldest sons as commoners, but only treats Pei Zeyu as a treasure. So for many years, the eldest and second eldest sons have lived in the west courtyard and never even go out through the main gate of the Marquis's mansion. They can only get together during festivals and the old lady's birthday banquet.

Wen Yuanshu was the mistress of the third branch of the family and was not very familiar with the other two branches. She only knew that the other two branches had their own businesses outside and that things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.

The courtyard had already been carefully decorated with various seasonal flowers and plants, with a large round table in the middle and the bright moon hanging overhead, creating a unique atmosphere.

"Aunt, do you think my arrangement is good? This way we can see the moon when we look up," Xie Qianjiao said, clinging to the old lady's arm in a sweet, cloying voice. "Holding a banquet under the moon would have a unique and special atmosphere, wouldn't you say?"

The old lady chuckled and said, "Excellent, excellent! It's been a lot of work for you!"

As the old lady spoke, she glanced thoughtfully at Wen Yuanshu, a sigh escaping her lips.

It's always my own niece who's the most considerate.

Wen Yuanshu had also held two birthday banquets for her, and it was clear that she had put a lot of effort into them. It was quite expensive, but they were not as innovative as Xie Qianjiao's.

Xie Qianjiao, believing herself to be superior to Wen Yuanshu, gave her a smug look. However, Wen Yuanshu was looking down, talking to Pei Xi, and didn't see her gaze.

It was already quite late. The old lady looked at the baskets of crabs on the table and her mouth watered. So she waved her hand and started eating, and everyone else followed suit.

It was Pei Xi's first time eating crab, and he didn't even know how to use the tools to dismantle it, so Wen Yuanshu taught him step by step.

It was at this moment that Wen Yuanshu realized how smart the child was.

If you can remember something you see, you can learn it quickly and easily.

No wonder even Mr. Mo was satisfied with him.

Wen Yuanshu wiped her hands and subconsciously looked toward a burst of giggles.

Pei Zeyu and Xie Qianjiao sat on either side of the old lady, just as they had done before.

Pei Zeyu was busy peeling crabs for the old lady and Xie Qianjiao, while Xie Qianjiao kept coaxing the old lady, making her laugh almost non-stop.

However, at such a large table, with a family of more than ten people sitting there, apart from the three of them enjoying themselves and Pei Zhicheng wolfing down his food, everyone else was extremely quiet. They were all focused on eating their own meals and spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing something, even the children.

It was supposed to be a birthday banquet, but the scene was strangely eerie.

Wen Yuanshu withdrew her gaze and noticed that Pei Xi's expression was a little strange: "What's wrong?"

Pei Xi tentatively chewed a couple of times, then frowned even more deeply: "Mother, why does the crab taste so fishy?"

The crab that Wen Yuanshu just dissected for him didn't taste like this at all.

"You bumpkin!" Pei Zhicheng, his mouth greasy from eating, spoke hastily before even swallowing his food. Tiny bits of crab meat smeared all over his mouth, making him look nauseous. "You can't even tell the difference between fishy and fragrant!"

Wild boars really can't eat fine bran!

Wen Yuanshu took the crab shell from Pei Xi, sniffed it carefully, and then threw it away: "Don't eat it."

It all stinks.

Pei Xi obediently took the handkerchief, wiped her hands, and picked up some food from the side to eat.

Noticing that Pei Xi kept glancing at the crabs, Wen Yuanshu chuckled and whispered, "We have fresh ones in our yard. If you haven't had enough, we'll make you more when we get back."

Pei Xi's eyes lit up.

Wen Yuanshu took him in and cared for him for several months. He finally grew up and looked much healthier. At this moment, his eyes were bright and he looked extremely handsome.

This is how a child should be.

Wen Yuanshu raised her hand and patted his head, then looked up at the old lady, a question slowly rising in her mind.

Eating crabs... won't kill someone?

However... Xie Qianjiao bought it, so if anything happens after eating it, it has nothing to do with her.

Wen Yuanshu was relieved.

But the facts told her that it really didn't.

But the scene will be very ugly.

Suddenly, the old lady cried out "Ouch!" and clutched her stomach, her face turning pale.

Everyone stopped eating and instinctively looked at her.

The old lady's face turned pale, and under everyone's gaze, she suddenly turned her head and began to vomit violently.

To make it easier to act cute and charming, Xie Qianjiao was practically sitting right next to the old lady, and now she was directly catching the old lady's vomit.

This is not over yet.

Amidst a series of vomiting sounds, a sudden "plop" followed, and an even more unpleasant odor spread.

Everyone turned blankly to look at Pei Zhicheng, whose face was ashen: ...

Wen Yuanshu frowned, pulled Pei Xi to her feet and moved away: "What are you all standing there for? Call a doctor!"

After a period of chaos, a doctor was finally summoned to administer acupuncture and medicine, and the condition of the old lady and Pei Zhicheng finally stabilized.

The old lady was quite old and cared a lot about certain things. She forced herself to stay awake and resist the effects of the medicine, refusing to sleep peacefully no matter what.

The third wife and Xie Qianjiao gathered together. Since the old lady refused to rest, they could not leave and could only wait.

After a while, Pei Zeyu returned with the doctor.

For some reason, Pei Zeyu looked at Xie Qianjiao with a strange gaze.

The old lady looked listless, but when she saw people come in, she still struggled to stretch her neck and ask, "What... what's wrong with me?"

She has always been in good health, how could this happen suddenly?

Could it be that she has some kind of chronic illness that just flared up tonight?

The doctor cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Don't worry, Madam, it's nothing serious. It's just that you ate too many crabs today. Crabs are inherently cold in nature, and they weren't very fresh, which caused your stomach upset. But don't worry, Madam, just follow my prescription and take it twice a day, and you'll be fine in three to five days."

The doctor paused for a moment, then added, "However, you should still eat less of the crabs that aren't fresh."

The doctor's expression was somewhat strange.

How could a noble family, after all, buy stale crabs?

That takes skill too.

The old lady was momentarily dazed upon hearing this, then turned to look at Xie Qianjiao.

The others also turned to look at Xie Qianjiao.

Tonight's birthday banquet was entirely organized by Xie Qianjiao.

"Ha, Miss Xie is truly filial!" Madam Pei said sarcastically. "It's one thing to eat a meal under the open sky, but even the crabs served were long gone. No one in our family has this kind of filial piety!"

Madam Pei quietly tugged at her, and she reluctantly stopped talking.

However, the old lady had already taken her words to heart.

In an instant, the unique idea she had praised earlier turned sour. The old lady glared at Xie Qianjiao as if she were an enemy: "Tell me! How exactly did you buy these crabs!"

After scolding Xie Qianjiao, the old lady glared at Wen Yuanshu: "And you too! You knew perfectly well that it was Qianjiao's first time managing the household, and there would always be things she didn't do, but you didn't give her any pointers! Now you're happy that I've ended up like this?!"