A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 112 Tang Family

Inside the small hall of the Tang family mansion's veranda, the entire family sat together, surrounding He Sui'an and Xiang He.

Tang Jing first asked him about the trivial matters of the past years, while Xiang He sat to the side drinking tea. The chill he felt outside was dispelled, and he held the teacup in his hands to warm his fingertips.

February is still a few days away, and it's still quite cold.

"Who is Miss Xiang from? And is she also from Shuiyun City?"

Startled by the sudden question, Xiang He paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled, "Xiang Family Village, Shuiyun City, farmer."

Tang Jingxian said "Oh" first, and then asked, "How old are you? Who is in your family? Why did you come to the capital alone with Sui'an?"

Xiang He paused again, then replied, “I am sixteen years old. My parents are still alive and well, and my younger siblings are also healthy. I came to the capital... just to see how lively the city is. It just so happens that Sui'an has a carriage, so we traveled together.”

Upon hearing her name addressed, Tang Jingxian's face lit up with joy. "Miss Xiang and Sui'an are very close friends?"

Xiang He glanced at He Suian, "I think it's a good thing we're friends..."

The journey was harmonious, with everyone helping each other; they were truly great travel companions.

She thought it was normal, but the woman next to He Suian changed her expression for a moment, and quickly returned to normal, smiling brightly, "My cousin and Miss Xiang have been traveling together, so it's natural that they get along well."

"Of course, of course." Uncle Tang Chengde pushed the pastries on the table. "Please have some, young lady. You must be tired from traveling these past few days and haven't had any food yet. The kitchen is already preparing the food. Please wait a moment, young lady."

"It doesn't matter."

"Let's eat something first," He Suian pushed the pastries over a bit more. "You only ate one steamed bun this morning, so have something to eat first."

Having said all that, it would be too formal for Xiang He to refuse again, so she picked up a piece and started eating.

Sitting opposite, Tang Jingxian seemed quite satisfied and nodded. He exchanged glances with Tang Chengde, then picked up a teacup on the table to conceal his emotions.

Xiang He lowered her eyes and pretended not to see, but her eyes lit up after taking a bite. "This tastes pretty good, you should try it too."

"This is green rice cake, refreshing and not greasy."

"After eating so many sweet things, this is quite refreshing."

Watching the two of them share the same plate of rice cake and chat as if no one else was around, some felt happy while others felt sad.

Cousin Tang Yixue reached out and picked up a piece as well, saying, "Cousin, you've been away from home for so many years, and Aunt Guan's cooking skills have improved even more!"

"Yes, Aunt Guan's cooking skills have always been excellent."

Upon receiving a response, Tang Yixue immediately perked up, and the two began talking across Xiang He.

"Do you remember when we were little? We sneaked into the kitchen and ate all the snacks that Aunt Guan prepared for Father to have with his drinks!"

Tang Yixue's father, Tang Chengqian, glanced at her with a smile, "You keep bringing this up. Sui'an was tricked into drinking a sip of wine by you and slept for two days. Your maternal grandfather was so worried."

"Hehe, I just thought it was fun."

Tang Chengqian continued to laugh and scold, "You think it's funny, but it scared your grandfather to death back then."

"Alright, alright, it's all just kids' stuff, let's just talk about it."

"That's right, Father only wants to find me!"

They chatted and laughed, and Xiang He had already eaten several pieces. Tang Yixue was about to start a conversation with He Suian when He Suian reached out and put the plate a little further away, picked up a teacup and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Eat less, you'll feel bloated."

Xiang He tilted his head back and drank it all, then cleared the residue from his mouth. "I was greedy."

She only ate one meat bun this morning and didn't arrive in the capital until the afternoon. As soon as she arrived at the Tang family mansion, everyone started chatting, and she couldn't join in the conversation, so she could only eat.

The Tang family noticed He Sui'an's repeated care, and Tang Yixue pouted.

When she looked down, she noticed the large umbrella Xiang He had placed at her feet. It was the first time she had ever seen a black umbrella like this. Curious, she reached out and asked, "Why is this umbrella black?"

"Don't touch."

Just as Tang Yixue's fingertips made a slight touch, Xiang He promptly took away the large umbrella, and He Sui'an also reached out to hold it horizontally.

Such behavior was very strange, and given the difference in their expressions just now, Tang Yixue's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her face flushing red. "I... I was just curious..."

Xiang He placed the large umbrella to He Suian's side, a smile returning to her face. "This umbrella is very important to me, please don't take offense, Miss Tang."

Seeing her blush, He Sui'an withdrew his hand, saying, "This is something important to He Yatou, Yi Xue shouldn't touch it carelessly."

There was no blame in his words, but she could hear the hurt in his voice. "I...I didn't know either..."

Seeing that the little girl was about to cry, Xiang He could only gently comfort her, "It's alright, Miss Tang just didn't know, don't say anything more."

He didn't forget to glance at He Sui'an afterward.

He Suian felt innocent. She had said before that only the two of them could touch the big umbrella. If Tang Yixue were to touch it, who knew what unexpected things might happen.

The silent eye contact between the two made Tang Yixue feel awkward again.

The small hall fell silent for a moment, and the steward walked in from outside the door. "Grandmaster, dinner is ready."

Tang Jingxian immediately waved his hand and stood up. "Alright, alright, it's finally time for dinner. Miss Xiang, hurry up and come with the old man. You must be starving. You should eat more."

Xiang He picked up the large umbrella and stood up, following closely behind. "I'm really hungry. I haven't had home-cooked meals in a long time. Just thinking about it makes me extremely hungry."

"Alright, alright, then the young lady should eat more. Your mother-in-law is quite skilled in cooking, so just let her know if there's anything she wants to eat."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with Grandpa Tang."

"Oh, don't be so polite!"

Tang Jingxian was a talkative old man. During his short time in the front hall, he kept asking about Xiang He's family.

Why can't Xianghe be seen clearly?

This was treating her as He Suanxin's ideal woman. Although Xiang He answered truthfully, she was subtly revealing their relationship to avoid further misunderstanding.

Tang Jing knew what she meant, so he stopped dwelling on the matter and instead asked her about her interesting experiences in Shuiyun City.

Xiang He avoided the important issues and talked about trivial matters, but Tang Jingxian liked to listen.

Upon arriving at the front hall, a large round table was filled with people. The Tang family was thriving; even the eldest grandson had a child who was clamoring for his great-grandfather to hold him.

Everyone in the family was very curious about the girl's identity when they saw Xiang He.

This time, without the two of them having to say anything, Tang Jingxian had already revealed his identity.

Xiang He sat next to He Suian, memorizing the faces of the whole family, even repeating their names over and over, so as not to feel awkward if they met on the street and didn't greet each other.

As her gaze swept across Tang Yixue's face, she saw a fleeting resentment in her eyes. Judging from her expression just now, not only her family but even Xiang He could guess what was going on.

However, no one said it outright, and Xiang He certainly wouldn't say anything more.

She glanced at He Suian, who was also looking over at her, his eyes filled with confusion. "What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

"No……"

Seeing her eating with her head down, He Sui'an reached out to put food on her plate. Xiang He wanted to raise her hand to stop him, but suddenly felt that it would be too deliberate, so she let him put his hand down.

This action drew everyone's attention. Although no one said anything, Xiang He felt uneasy under their occasional glances...

Xiang He carefully protected her bowl, saying, "I can do it myself..."

"It's too far, I'll get it for you."

"...Thank you."