Chapter 012: Grandmother's Dog

Mrs. Qi glanced at her when she heard the words, with a smile that was hard to interpret, and it was unclear what she was thinking. After a while, she spoke, "Xiao Wu has finally grown up." Then she added, "Shanhu, divide the things into two portions for the sixth and seventh young ladies."

Shanhu responded and walked behind Mrs. Taiwei, calling out "Fifth Miss," and took the eggs and sent them to the sixth and seventh young ladies sitting opposite her.

A whole egg was taken out of its shell and rolled round and round in a small porcelain dish.

There was no knife on the table, so Shanhu used a spoon as a makeshift blade, blocking the path of the egg with one hand and pressing down on the center of the egg with the other. With a little effort, she could cut the egg in half.

But just as she was about to exert force, Mrs. Qi spoke again, instructing, "Give the sixth young lady a little more."

Upon hearing this, the sixth Miss, Qi Zhi, couldn't help but reveal a hint of satisfaction on her small face.

She was only ten years old this year, far less deep and thoughtful than her half-sister Qi Mo, but she couldn't help but reveal her satisfaction, glancing sideways at the little seventh Miss.

The little seventh Miss, being clueless, remained oblivious, just looking at the egg in Shanhu's hand as usual.

It didn't matter if she had less, as long as there was some, it was good enough.

Her face was full of anticipation, her eyes eager, even making Shanhu hesitate for a moment.

But Mrs. Qi had spoken, and Shanhu had to do as she was told. She moved the spoon in her hand to the other end of the egg. Then, with a sharp movement, the edge of the finely polished silver spoon flashed coldly, and it cut down like a knife.

In an instant, one egg became two pieces.

The yolk emerged, a fresh and beautiful color.

The little seventh Miss's eyes lit up, and the sixth Miss's eyes also began to shine.

Shanhu handed a small dish to each of them, smiling and saying, "Sixth Miss, seventh Miss, please enjoy."

The little seventh Miss smiled, nodded, and tasted the egg that only Qi Mo could usually eat. But after just one bite, she frowned and then looked around in confusion.

Mrs. Taiwei couldn't help but smile quietly.

The little seventh Miss was so naive, she didn't understand how to hide her thoughts at all.

The taste of this egg was just the same as a regular boiled egg, what could be different? No matter how delicious it was, it was just the taste of an egg.

The little seventh Miss took another bite, her confusion on her face not diminishing but increasing, eventually turning into disappointment.

She absentmindedly finished the remaining small piece of egg white and then continued to eat her stir-fried mustard greens as usual.

After the meal, her disappointment became even more pronounced. Mrs. Taiwei wanted to remind her, but it was inconvenient to speak across the crowded table, so she could only watch the little girl pout slowly.

Mrs. Taiwei couldn't help but smile wryly. Finally, when the grandmother finished her meal and asked everyone to leave, she called out to her as they were leaving, "Little Seventh!"

The little seventh Miss turned to look when she heard the call, and then she shouted, "Fifth Sister," startling Mrs. Taiwei, who hurriedly went up to cover her mouth, "Speak softly! Be careful, if you report to your grandmother, you'll be punished for making a commotion!"

The little seventh Miss widened her eyes and blinked at Mrs. Taiwei, nodding slowly.

Mrs. Taiwei held her chubby hand and walked quickly outside, whispering, "Did you eat enough just now?"

"Not really," the little seventh Miss shook her head, "Fifth Sister, did you get beaten yesterday?"

The incident had caused a stir, and everyone in the mansion knew about it, including this little girl.

Mrs. Taiwei had nothing to hide from her, so she answered truthfully, "Yes, I was beaten a few times with Mrs. Shen's cane."

When the little seventh Miss heard the words "Mrs. Shen," she took a sharp breath and asked anxiously, "Does it hurt, Fifth Sister? Did you apply medicine?" She held Mrs. Taiwei's hand tightly, her eyes full of concern.

Mrs. Taiwei almost said something but swallowed her words, "It doesn't hurt, how could it hurt, it's just a few hits, and it doesn't hurt afterwards."

The little seventh Miss let out a long sigh of relief.

The two sisters walked hand in hand outside the Minghe Hall.

But before they could leave, a large yellow-backed dog suddenly rushed out from the side. With long limbs, erect ears, and sleek fur, it looked like a pampered and noble creature.

Mrs. Taiwei was momentarily stunned before she remembered that this was the dog "Afuo" that her grandmother raised.

Her grandmother couldn't stand others raising cats or walking birds, but she loved to raise dogs herself.

She had grown up in the countryside and lived in a poor and humble home. Her father was obsessed with the imperial examinations but had not achieved success for a long time, and they lived a very frugal life. As the only daughter, she had no siblings to talk to, and the only companion she had was a domesticated mongrel.

It wasn't until she was around eleven years old that her father finally succeeded in the examinations and became a high-ranking official.

So the family began to receive a salary, and her father brought her and her mother to live with him, and she never returned to the countryside again.

Naturally, the dog she raised was left behind in her memories.

Perhaps out of guilt, she later started raising dogs again.

But she refused to raise the popular breeds that others loved, and always chose dogs like Afuo. Common, with a yellow back and a sharp mouth, and a very ordinary appearance.

In truth, it didn't quite match her status as an old lady.

When she left her hometown and moved with her father's family, she had been trying to rid herself of her rustic origins. She hated her peasant background, changed her accent, and learned manners, making every effort to become a lady of the official family.

It was also fated that once her father entered the officialdom, he rose steadily and had a successful career in the capital.

She became a true lady of the official family.

However, she embarrassed herself the first time she was invited to a banquet.

Even though she didn't mention it, even though she changed her accent and every trace of a country girl, her rural background had long been known.

Some people looked down on her.

Those who were willing to approach her and were willing to be close to her inevitably couldn't help asking her about her rural past. She didn't want to talk about it, and after hearing it too many times, she couldn't help but look frosty, so over time, the gatherings always ended in estrangement.

As the number of such incidents increased, even the people who used to invite her to events disappeared.

Her mother was very worried, fearing that this would affect her reputation in the long run, and then affect her marriage prospects.

At that time, Qi Lao Furen, who was still young, didn't care at all.

Her father only had one child, and he was not interested in the affairs of men and women or in having more children. It was unlikely that he would take a concubine in the future. His legitimate eldest daughter naturally became the apple of his eye. Her father, known for his integrity, was steadily rising, and everyone said that he was likely to enter the cabinet in the future.

Many people wanted to marry her.

The invitations to the events would soon flock to her again.

She was very clear about it and had calculated everything.

After she married into the Jingning Earl's mansion at the age of eighteen, no one mentioned the word "rural" again.

However, Taiwei looked at the large dog named Afu outside the corridor and couldn't help but think, her grandmother yearned to leave behind the past, but isn't Afu's existence a trace of the past?