Chapter 462: Quite Calculating

Entering the room, Qin Bi and Qin Lang took the main seats.

The children sat around, shouting and cheering, with various ingredients spread across the table.

There were several types of spiritual food; even the non-spiritual ingredients were excellent. Winter vegetables were hard to preserve, mostly radishes and cabbage, with few fresh greens available.

With just one glance, Qin Han's expression changed.

She had tricked her children into staying at the main courtyard of the fourth branch to dine with the adults, while Qin Bi and Qin Lang were here enjoying the delicacies.

Spiritual food was beneficial for cultivation. There were meat and vegetables, including various roasted breads Qin Han usually couldn't bear to buy for her children, plus cakes, sweets, spicy dishes, and a table full of other delicacies.

Qin Han was furious; her natal family was treating them poorly.

"I heard the nephews are all with Sister Qin Bi. I wanted to send Jiang Ren and her brother over to eat with you," Qin Han said, trying to suppress her anger to avoid being called unreasonable, and continued, "Mother and the others weren't invited, yet you are eating so well. I've never seen many of these cakes. Your table is a feast, while Jiang Ren and her brother are eating quite ordinary food."

Several duck legs had already been eaten, along with duck heads. A few were saved for Rong Juan, who was still asleep in bed, snoring softly. Everyone spoke in hushed tones.

Qin Han's words, both spoken and implied, complained that her children were being slighted.

Who was she blaming? She didn't know; she blamed everyone.

Qin Bi was eating sour pickled dried fruit as a snack. She had never tried it before, but the texture was surprisingly good. Regarding Qin Han's insinuations, Qin Bi smiled.

Eating the pickled fruit leisurely, Qin Bi could not empathize with Qin Han's dissatisfaction. Everyone knew how to make insinuations. Qin Bi said, "Rong Juan is sleeping. Too many people would make noise, so it's not good to call the children over."

Qin Bi did not know Qin Han's children; if they were very noisy, inviting them would only cause trouble.

So, even if she knew Qin Han had brought her children, she wouldn't have called them over. There was no plan for extra children to begin with; Qin Bi never intended to invite Qin Han's children.

Qin Han had no reason to be picky. Their relationship was merely average; inviting them to eat together would be difficult to manage.

Qin Han lowered her head. "Jiang Ren and her brother are not noisy."

Qin Bi pretended not to hear. Even if they weren't noisy, she wouldn't invite Jiang Ren and her brother. This wasn't about noise; Qin Bi found it annoying and lacked the patience to handle such trivial matters.

Qin Bi asked, "Didn't you play with Fu Bao?"

Given the relationship between Qin Han and Qin He, their children should have been close, inseparable, with deep sisterly bonds, potentially becoming good sisters even as they grew up, provided Fu Bao didn't look down on Jiang Ren's merchant family.

Seeming not to care whether Qin Han answered, Qin Bi said, "I heard Qin He hasn't left, and Fu Bao has come to the Marquis Manor. Jiang Ren and Fu Bao get along well, right? If Jiang Ren is full, she can go to the second branch to play with Fu Bao."

This was Jiang Ren's daily routine; she shouldn't be coming to her place.

The Marquis Manor had fallen on hard times in recent years. The courtyards were spacious, and although each branch was not wealthy, the large area meant that illegitimate daughters no longer lived with their concubine mothers but were given their own courtyards. Those living together did not necessarily have good relationships.

Jiang Ren said, "I want to play with little brother Rong Juan."

"Fu Bao is blessed," Qin Bi said with a light smile, emphasizing Fu Bao's good fortune. It was unnecessary for Jiang Ren to play with Rong Juan. Since their mothers had a poor relationship, the children wouldn't get along. Qin Bi casually advised, "Go play with Fu Bao. Rong Juan hasn't woken up yet."

Even after he woke up, there was Qin Lang and several close cousins. Rong Juan was not familiar with Jiang Ren.

Since the cousins were not close to begin with, it was best to keep it that way. There was no need to change anything. Besides, Qin Bi and Jiang Mo had discussed a betrothal, and Qin Han was very sensitive about it; who couldn't see that?

Since she was sensitive, ordinary interactions were best.

The time when Qin Han and Qin Bi should have had the best relationship had passed. It was during Qin Bi's quarrel with He Yan, or when Qin He provoked Qin Bi. If Qin Han had ever treated Qin Bi like a sister in any of those instances, they wouldn't have drifted so far apart.

Once relationships grow distant, it is hard to reconcile them.

Of course, Qin Han might not even intend to reconcile.

Previously, when Qin Han was already married to Jiang Mo and had Jiang Ren, she still looked at Qin Bi with suspicion every time, as if terrified Qin Bi might have something going on with Jiang Mo. This was like a thorn in Qin Han's heart; how could she let it go?

By pushing Jiang Ren toward Fu Bao, Qin Bi wasn't necessarily showing dislike, but she certainly didn't show affection. Jiang Shi saw this and realized the relationship between Qin Bi and Qin Han was just like that.

She had originally wanted to bring the two closer, but seeing the situation now, Jiang Shi abandoned the idea.

Jiang Shi asked the children with a forced smile, "Haven't you eaten enough yet?"

"Not full," Qin Su said, gnawing on spicy spiritual duck meat.

Jiang Shi looked; more than half the dishes remained on the table, so they would definitely continue eating.

Qin Han asked Jiang Ren, "Are you full?"

This was a very calculating remark. Whoever among Jiang Shi, Qin Bi, or Qin Lang answered, as long as they invited Jiang Ren and her brother to sit down, Qin Han's goal would be achieved. Whether Jiang Ren was full or not didn't matter.

Even if full, one could eat more; these were all delicious things.

Jiang Ren hesitated. She was very full, yet she still wanted to eat.

The table was filled with delicacies, and Jiang Ren secretly swallowed her saliva.

Jiang Shi did not respond. This was Qin Bi's courtyard. Qin Bi was no longer an unmarried illegitimate daughter of the Marquis Manor; she had married high. Jiang Shi had to give Qin Bi face, even though this was within the fourth branch of the Marquis Manor.

Qin Lang also looked at Qin Bi. Qin Bi stood up and went to the bedside to check if the child had woken.

Rong Juan stirred. Qin Bi smiled, picked up the child, and said, "Rong Juan."

Rong Juan nestled in Qin Bi's arms, no longer sleeping. Just waking up, he was lazy. Qin Bi held him while a maid poured warm water. Qin Bi wrung out a towel and gently wiped the child's face; the child's skin was tender.

"So handsome," Qin Bi said, unsure how to praise him properly.

Rong Juan smiled. Qin Bi carried him to the table and sat him down. Several spicy duck legs, wings, and heads had been saved for the child. Qin Bi first picked up a spicy duck leg for the child to eat.

Seeing the plate of spicy spiritual duck meat made Qin Han uncomfortable. She felt slighted, and since no one invited Jiang Ren and her brother to sit down, Qin Han didn't want to embarrass herself further. She took her children and left.

Jiang Ren and her brother looked back repeatedly, wanting to play and eat with everyone. This table was too lively, but no one called them back, so they left with pouting lips.

Jiang Shi sighed, but Qin Bi didn't even lift her eyes.

For Jiang Ren and her brother, Qin Bi felt no affection. Unlike the children of Qin Tang and Qin Xun, whom Qin Bi constantly worried about, even if Jiang Ren and her brother looked pitiful, so what? Qin Bi remained indifferent.

"Why did you bring Qin Han?" Qin Lang asked Jiang Shi.

"She and Qin Bi are in the same courtyard," Jiang Shi said helplessly. "Besides, she was coming to her own courtyard after eating; could I stop her? And you, why did you buy so many delicious things from your cousin?"

Not inviting Qin Han's children to this table made the natal family seem biased.

Actually, Qin Tang and his brother truly had no such thought; they were just afraid Qin Han would overthink it.