bookcurios Chapter 2046 The Yanjing Clan Arrives!
Chapter 2046 The Yanjing Clan Arrives!
Ten minutes ago, in the backyard of the courtyard house.
"Xiao Li, the Qian family's jade ruyi has been placed in the room!" Yang Weidong came out of Liang Mei's house, deliberately shaking and tugging at the key to ensure its safety, before nodding to Li Xiangnan, who was standing by the hanging flower gate.
"Okay, thanks for your hard work!" Li Xiangnan nodded and handed him a cigarette.
Yang Weidong, Hu Yinglong, and Lu Chen had specially arranged to store the gifts given by the guests today, and the house they used was the one in Liang Mei's backyard.
This is the backyard, far away from the busy front yard, middle yard, and neighboring yard. It's also guarded by Sergeant Hao and a few of his comrades, making it the safest area and maximizing the safety of these priceless items!
Yang Weidong said something and left with the two men. Li Xiangnan stood under the hanging flower gate, smoking, his sharp eyes sweeping forward.
The guests did not seem to be affected by the arrival of the Qian family. They continued to chat and laugh in small groups in the courtyard, and some had already sat at the tables on the edge, eating melon seeds.
“Xiangnan, I’ve checked the kitchen, and everything is in order, no problem at all! The tables in the two courtyards next door have been set up, and the banquets can start on time! The banquet process, the kitchen, the tables in the front hall, the drinks and dishes have all been confirmed!” Song Yi led Qiao Henwan and Jiang Qitao over, and seeing Li Xiangnan there, she quickly reminded him.
"Thank you all for your hard work today," Li Xiangnan smiled and clasped his hands in thanks to the women. "I am deeply grateful!"
"Haha, you rascal!" Song Yi said, glaring at him with her bright eyes. "Are you alright over there?"
After saying that, she subtly glanced towards the west wing. Li Xiangnan waved his hand, "It's alright, everything's arranged!"
"That's good, we'll get back to work!" They were all too busy today and didn't have time to chat, so they left after saying that.
Defa Zimo and Song Yi were all acting methodically according to their instructions. He was like a calm commander, calmly mobilizing every bit of his strength to build a three-dimensional and tight defense network when war clouds were gathering.
After walking around and looking around, and going over the information with the others again, Li Xiangnan finally let out a soft breath and turned his gaze back to the tightly closed door of the west wing.
Inside, Uncle Song was entertaining Qian Houjin.
Li Xiangnan had absolute trust in his second uncle.
This pillar of the second generation of the Song family has experience, skills, and status that are far beyond those of people like Qian Houjin.
With him around, Qian Houjin can't cause any major trouble, and might even become the breakthrough point for Second Uncle to uncover some secrets.
Thinking of this, Li Xiangnan's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He turned around and planned to go to the main room to take a look and have a drink of water.
As soon as they reached the door of the main house, they heard Grandpa Li Dequan's loud and cheerful voice coming from inside. He was talking to Jiang Huaiyuan and Yu Haoran, and Qin Zongheng's voice occasionally chimed in, his tone also pleasant and relaxed.
It seems the old gentlemen were having a pleasant conversation and were not affected by the slight disturbances outside.
Li Xiangnan straightened his clothes, put on a smile, and pushed open the door to enter.
Little Xitang had already been taken out by Qin Ruobai and Lin Muyu to meet people. Only a few grandfathers, Lin Jianzhou, and his eldest and third uncles were sitting on both sides chatting.
"Grandpa..." He greeted everyone, walked to the table to pour tea, and drank half a cup in one gulp.
"Is everything settled outside?" Li Dequan asked with a smile, his eyes carrying a barely perceptible hint of inquiry.
Although the old man had been staying inside with the guests, his hearing was excellent. He had clearly heard the commotion in the front yard, especially the announcement that "the Qian family from Yanjing has arrived."
"Everything is arranged, Grandpa, don't worry!" Li Xiangnan put down his teacup, his tone relaxed: "Qian Houjin from the Qian family brought a jade ruyi to congratulate Xitang. I've already arranged for her to have tea and rest in the west wing!"
"Qian Houjin?" Jiang Huaiyuan stroked his beard and raised an eyebrow slightly. "That notorious 'smiling tiger' from the Qian family? He's certainly well-informed and quick on his feet!"
Old Master Yu snorted lightly, his tone indifferent yet disdainful: "The Qian family? They've risen quite quickly in the lower five provinces over the years through shady businesses and scheming! However, their foundation is ultimately lacking. Their arrival now is probably not what it seems!"
Song Qiankun sat to the side, playing with Li Dequan's old opium pipe, without mentioning Qian Houjin at all, showing that he was too lazy to even say a word about the Qian family.
Qin Zongheng laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Who cares if he's a smiling tiger or a tabby cat? Since he's here to offer congratulations, does the Li family think they'll shortchange him with a drink? Xiang Nan handled it well; he should be entertained and guarded against as needed! With us old folks sitting here, I doubt he'll dare to act recklessly!"
The old men's reactions were exactly what Li Xiangnan had expected.
There were doubts, after all, the Qian family and the Li family were complete strangers, so there was no reason for them to be wary. In the eyes of the bigwigs of the Jiang, Yu, and Qin families, even if the Qian family had some power, it was only at the level of a small karami, not enough to make them take it seriously.
As for not caring, that stems from absolute strength and confidence.
With those guys around, Qian Houjin's schemes and methods are really no match for them!
Only then did Song Qiankun smile slightly and ask, "Your second uncle has gone over there?"
"Yes, Second Uncle heard that Qian Laosan is here and said he'd go meet him and say hello!" Li Xiangnan nodded.
"With Cijiu still here, everything's fine!" Li Dequan nodded to Song Qiankun and didn't ask any more questions. He then continued the previous topic, "Old Jiang, you said the original copy of that 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' painting was found later?"
The atmosphere inside the room returned to a relaxed and harmonious state, and the old men began to talk about calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books again.
Seeing this, Li Xiangnan felt even more at ease.
With these pillars of strength sitting inside, Uncle Song keeping order in the west wing, and his brothers providing layers of security outside, he was absolutely confident that he could safeguard the joy and peace of this full moon celebration.
He was just about to leave to take another look around.
"Yanjing—the Zong family has arrived!"
Cui Xingjian's deafening shout was like a shrill alarm, or a heavy hammer blow, smashing through the thick doors and windows of the main house without warning and into everyone's ears!
"Zong family?!"
Jiang Huaiyuan, who was leisurely sipping his tea, put the teacup down on the table with a soft click, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The faint smile on Old Master Yu's face remained, but a sharp glint suddenly appeared between his brows, shooting towards the doorway.
Qin Zongheng raised his thick eyebrows, his tiger-like eyes flashing with a sharp light, and an aura of fierceness from years of battlefield experience inadvertently spread out.
Song Qiankun's lazy eyes widened from half-closed to fully open!
Upon hearing the words "Zong Family," Li Xiangnan's back instantly straightened, and his calm and deep eyes were filled with shock, vigilance, and a chilling aura.
Zong family!
The most troublesome and domineering main family among the five lower families!
They actually came!
And why did this happen so quickly, following the Qian family?