Those four pairs of chopsticks.
They belonged to Xie Chengxiao, Xie Manyu, Pei Yu, and Gu Qinghuai.
When all four pairs of chopsticks paused in front of her bowl, everyone's eyes landed on her in unison.
Bai Liuyue remained unhurried and calm.
With natural grace, she brought her bowl forward.
She spoke,
"This must be delicious, thank you everyone."
Her originally empty bowl was instantly piled high with cold tossed sand leeks.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before Xie Zhenning took the initiative to speak, saying,
"Hahaha, if it's delicious, eat more. I'll have the kitchen make it again tomorrow."
"Thank you, Marshal," Bai Liuyue nodded slightly.
The expressions on Bai Baozhu and her brother's faces turned extremely ugly.
What was going on?
Pei Yu was one thing, but why were Xie Chengxiao, Xie Manyu, and even the family doctor Gu Qinghuai treating Bai Liuyue so well?
The meal was eaten with mixed feelings.
...
To be honest, Bai Liuyue always felt that Bai Baozhu and her brother had not yet unleashed their ultimate move.
The earlier stages were merely their probing and contempt toward her.
In two days, it would be the birthday of the manor's Second Concubine, Lan Yingniang.
Originally, they only wanted to hold a small celebration, but Xie Manyu mentioned that last year, her father and brother were away fighting a war, leaving her alone to celebrate her mother's birthday.
Therefore, this time, they had to host a proper banquet no matter what.
Xie Chengxiao expressed his agreement.
And his plan to publish a divorce notice in the newspaper had also hit the pause button; he still held a great deal of respect for this Second Concubine.
With the birthday banquet approaching, if he published the notice in the newspaper these next few days, he feared that the main characters on the day of the banquet would no longer be Lan Yingniang, but rather him, the Young Marshal Xie, and the Bai siblings who were still residing in the Marshal's Manor.
"How is it? Does it look good?"
Xie Manyu held up a fragrant sachet she had embroidered herself, handing it to Bai Liuyue to look at, and said,
"This is the birthday gift I'm giving to my mother. It took me half a month to sew it."
Bai Liuyue had never said she wanted to be friends with this eldest miss.
Xie Manyu hadn't claimed to treat her as a confidante either, but over the past few days, she would occasionally and seemingly unintentionally appear in front of her, saying hello or chatting about the weather.
If it were just to maintain a friendly exchange,
Bai Liuyue should have spoken against her conscience and said, 'It looks great!'
Looking at the sachet in front of her, the stitches were very thick, and the embroidered lines on it were simply too unbearable to look at.
Therefore, she told the truth, saying:
"It shows a lot of effort, but it's ugly!"
The corners of Xie Manyu's lips, which had just begun to curve up, stopped halfway, and she immediately lowered her eyes in dismay.
She let out a sigh.
"Right? You think it's ugly too, don't you?"
"I thought I was the only one who felt that way. I even wondered if my aesthetic standards were just too high."
"So it turns out it really is very ugly, boohoo..."
A helpless smile appeared on the corners of Bai Liuyue's lips.
Could this be the highest realm of deception?
Fooling oneself first.
Eldest Miss Xie, where did you get the confidence to think that your aesthetic standards were too high?
Meeting her confused gaze,
Xie Manyu pouted and said, "But Nanny Wu said it looked quite nice."
Bai Liuyue: "Nanny Wu was just comforting you."
She couldn't exactly say to your face, 'Miss, the sachet you embroidered is really ugly.'
Xie Manyu paused, then added, "Bai Baozhu accidentally saw me embroidering the sachet and also said it was very impressive."
Bai Liuyue sighed:
"My cousin has always felt that women of the new Republic don't need to learn needlework. She thinks sewing and embroidery are a form of exploitation against women."
"So, what she embroiders is probably even worse than yours."
Xie Manyu let out a long, woeful sigh.
Alright, so they were all just comforting her.
However, she still felt a little bit curious.
"What about you? I heard that last time you embroidered the epaulets on my brother's military jacket, the time I accidentally misunderstood you."
"What do you think? Are sewing and embroidery an exploitation of women?"
Bai Liuyue hadn't expected this eldest miss to discuss such deep philosophy with her today.
Her tone was straightforward as she stated,
"Unlike my cousin, I never attended a girls' school, nor did I study abroad."
"Setting aside whether it's exploitation or not, I think knowing how to sew and embroider is a skill.
When your clothes tear, you can fix them yourself right away, instead of having to go out and find a tailor shop."
"It's a very practical life skill. To me, as long as learning it is useful, that's enough."
"There are no grand, complicated principles behind it."
Xie Manyu nodded thoughtfully and said in a low voice,
"Previously, when my mother told me to learn embroidery, I rebelled for half a year."
"Thinking about it now, it seems to make some sense. If I had studied seriously back then, instead of slacking off, I wouldn't have embroidered it to look like this."
As she spoke, she picked up her sachet again, a distressed look on her face.
Bai Liuyue comforted her,
"Actually, it's not that ugly, just a little bit ugly, but at least its functionality is still fully intact."
"Look, you can still stuff herbs and spices inside. It can fulfill its function as a sachet."
Xie Manyu wanted to cry even more.
How was it just a little bit ugly?
It was really ugly.
"Oh, right! Your embroidery skills must be pretty good. Could you help me salvage this?"
Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared at Bai Liuyue with a face full of anticipation.
"No."
Bai Liuyue's refusal was very decisive.
"Why?" Xie Manyu felt a bit disappointed and couldn't help but ask.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bai Liuyue caught a glimpse of the hem of Bai Baozhu's clothes not far away. The corners of her lips curled up as she said,
"Xie Manyu, I wonder if you've ever read any miscellaneous novels?"
"Miscellaneous novels?"
"Yes. The kind about love, hate, and revenge in large, noble households. They say that a sachet is the best prop for murder, arson, and framing someone," Bai Liuyue said with a half-smile.
"Ah?" Xie Manyu didn't react immediately.
However, she wasn't stupid either. After a moment, she came back to her senses and said,
"You mean to say that if I let the sachet pass through your hands, there might be a problem with what's inside."
Bai Liuyue nodded:
"Yes, Detective Xie. So to avoid those unnecessary troubles, why don't you change the gift you're giving to the Second Concubine?"
Xie Manyu scratched her head.
She looked at the woman in front of her with some astonishment.
Why wasn't she playing by the usual rules?
"Shouldn't you be saying that no matter how ugly this sachet I embroidered is, it was made with my own hands, and my mother would be happy if I gave it to her?"
Xie Manyu twitched the corners of her lips.
A hint of a smile flashed through Bai Liuyue's eyes.
"That sounds a lot like my cousin's style."
"But if you want my advice, I would tell you to go to a department store or a Western goods shop to buy a special or uncommon gift."
"As for the sachet you embroidered yourself, why must you choose a birthday to give it? Once you gradually improve your skills and the patterns you embroider become more detailed, you can give it to her on any ordinary day whenever you feel like it. Wouldn't that be better?"
Hearing this, it was as if a door to a new world had opened for Xie Manyu.
She couldn't help but nod her head and said,
"That makes sense!"
After saying that, she couldn't help but look up at Bai Liuyue, her tone carrying a trace of amazement,
"Bai Liuyue, are you really a well-bred young lady who was locked up at home since childhood, never stepping out of the front gate or the second door?"
"Why do I feel like some of your ideas are even more modern than mine, and even more interesting?"
