Chapter 17 (Cake (Part 1)…)

Dongdong talked about his birthday.

The Jiang family was thinking about this too.

His birthday was on September 15th, which meant he would officially turn five.

Zhou Zhaoqin, who was about the same age, would also be five. The Third Prince wanted to find a study partner for his son and saw it as a chance to build alliances with ministers. He didn’t want to pick children from families that were already loyal, as that would be repetitive.

So, he chose two more children who were loyal to him.

Among the various princes, Dong Dong’s grandfather sided with the Third Prince because the Third Prince actively showed kindness to him. Besides the dethroned Crown Prince, the Third Prince was the only prince with a grandson. The other princes either had very young children or no children at all.

Dong Dong’s grandfather valued family very much. If he hadn’t been forced to seek the Xiao family’s help due to troubles at home, he would never have agreed to let his son marry into the Xiao family.

After his son’s death, he deeply regretted it. He now wanted to put his grandson back into the family records. The Third Prince supported this, making Dong Dong’s grandfather feel they understood each other.

Moreover, Dong Dong’s grandfather had a daughter who was only thirteen but was quite pretty. If she married the Third Prince, and Dong Dong rejoined the Jiang family, she could at least become a concubine. If he worked hard enough, he might even become the emperor’s father-in-law one day.

That’s why he wanted Dong Dong and the Second Prince’s grandson to become friends.

The two children were placed in different beginner classes initially. But with the help of the Third Prince, they ended up in the same class. Sadly, this didn’t help them bond, and their relationship remained distant.

The main reason was the Xiao family’s cold attitude towards the Third Prince. The Third Prince sometimes lost his temper at them, which his son noticed and remembered. Naturally, he couldn’t be friendly with Dong Dong. Dong Dong didn’t react to this cold attitude, so both sides stayed distant until the promise of delicious food helped ease things a bit.

When Dong Dong’s grandmother agreed to let him return to the Jiang family on his next day off, it was because his birthday would fall on that day.

With his birthday approaching, the Jiang family started preparing.

Although the Jiang family was weaker than the Xiao family, many people would still come to celebrate Dongdong’s birthday, especially for the Xiao family’s sake.

When the timing was right, the Jiang family sent out invitations to certain families.

But after the invitations were sent, the Jiang family received an unexpected response that left them stunned. Dongdong’s grandmother was furious: “How could this be? Dongdong clearly said that Mu Xiu would be coming back with me this time!”

Madam Ji, feeling awkward, said, “The Third Prince’s Consort told me that it was the Second Prince’s grandson who said that the young master invited the Second Prince to the Xiao family for his birthday. So she asked me to confirm with you whether the young master’s birthday would be celebrated with the Jiang family or the Xiao family.”

Dongdong’s grandfather was also upset: “How could you make such a mistake? You’ve embarrassed us!”

Dong Dong’s grandmother didn’t dare to speak but couldn’t stay still. She went out directly and said, “Let’s go to the Xiao family and find out what happened!”

They had put up with a lot to win over Dongdong. It was clearly agreed that he would come back with Mu Xiu, so how did he end up staying with the Xiao family?

She didn’t believe Dongdong invited them on his own!

It must have been suggested by an adult, and Dong Dong just repeated it.

Word came that Dongdong’s grandmother was on her way.

But at the same time, Yan Qiushu was at the Xiao family’s place discussing a business plan with Xie Qingyun.

The plan had received support. Even though commerce wasn’t highly valued among the nobles, every noble family had some private businesses. The Xiao family, despite being wealthy, had faced hardships over the years—like the death of General Xiao, the eldest young master’s broken leg, and the second young master’s death in battle. Only Xiao Huaiwu and Xiao Huaiting still received salaries from the court. They kept their titles but didn’t have much money.

Luckily, the Xiao family owned many shops, allowing them to manage. But saying money wasn’t important would be foolish.

Yan Qiushu’s business plan showed a clear way to make money, and Xie Qingyun saw its potential. After looking into the costs and needs, she confirmed that the key was raising enough chickens in batches.

Chickens were easy to raise and could be ready for sale in about a month. The Xiao family also had a farm, so Xie Qingyun invited Yan Qiushu to discuss cooperation.

Xie Qingyun felt it would be unfair to take the credit alone. Without Yan Qiushu’s methods, the plan wouldn’t be possible.

Yan Qiushu, however, declined. She only wanted to repay a favor by doing business. She had other plans, being from the future after all.

As they discussed, someone reported: “Mrs. Jiang from the Jiang family is here.”

Xie Qingyun was confused. “It’s not a holiday, so why is she here?”

The nanny shook her head but added, “Mrs. Jiang looks upset.”

Xie Qingyun, although puzzled, decided not to treat the matter lightly since the Jiang family was related to the Xiao family. She apologized to Yan Qiushu, saying, “Let’s continue this tomorrow. I’ll go greet the guest first.”

Yan Qiushu said, “It’s okay, there’s no rush,” and followed her outside.

They had been talking in the inner hall of the backyard. Now, they went in different directions—one headed to the front hall and the other to another courtyard. But unexpectedly, Mrs. Jiang came rushing in and bumped into Yan Qiushu.

Mrs. Jiang was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Xie Qingyun, who seemed to have just left the house. With a sarcastic tone, she sneered, “Mrs. Xiao, you’re so considerate to inform me of my presence?”

Behind her, a young maid who had tried to stop Mrs. Jiang stood nervously.

Xie Qingyun frowned slightly, clearly unhappy: “Mrs. Jiang, you said you were coming to visit, but it’s strange that I didn’t receive a visiting card. Could it be that a maid accidentally missed it?”