Second Year of Great Xia, December 15

Not long after nightfall, Inner City, Xiao Mansion, front courtyard reception hall.

The hostess Lin Lan was arranging the family banquet with two maids.

"Here, this dish is prepared for Ning'er, place it over here."

"Xiao Yue, go to the kitchen and fetch three bottles of aged wine."

"Yes, madam."

"Xiao Ping, go check if the stew is ready, if so, bring it over."

"I'll go right away, madam."

"The banquet is about to start, let me see what's still missing!"

.........

Although she was so busy she couldn't stop, Lin Lan had a beaming face and her lips were always curved into a smile, clearly enjoying the process.

"Father, Mother, eldest sister and second sister have arrived, come quickly!"

Suddenly, the loud voice of her son Xiao Hen came from the main entrance.

Lin Lan hurriedly put down what she was doing, then, accompanied by two maids, quickly washed her hands and headed towards the main entrance.

In the main hall, four middle-aged men had just walked out, led by Lin Lan's husband, Xiao Kangcheng, with Xiao Yuan closest to him, and two others who resembled Xiao Kangcheng, clearly his brothers.

A large group also rushed out from the side hall, consisting of three women leading fifteen young boys and girls, their faces full of curiosity as they followed behind the four men towards the main entrance.

"Sister Ning and Sister Yu have arrived. It's been a long time since we saw them."

"You can't call them that, you have to call them madam."

"Right, right, it's proper to call them madam. I heard the second madam has just advanced; she's the third female Cold Resistance Level in Xia City now!"

"That was three days ago, and uncle personally went to see it."

"Isn't the second madam still pregnant?"

"Yes, she's heavily pregnant, that's why uncle was worried. Luckily, nothing happened. Today's family banquet is to celebrate the second madam's advancement."

"And Uncle Yuan, he also advanced last night. Uncle, Uncle Yuan, and including the first madam, now we have five Cold Resistance Level members in the Xiao family."

"Soon there will be more; the second and third uncles are close too!"

.........

"Cough, cough… everyone, quiet down. Don't be rude when you see the madams!"

As the head of the family, Xiao Kangcheng spoke, and all the women and younger members immediately closed their mouths and obediently followed behind him to the main entrance.

However, before they could step out, Xiao Hen had already led a group in.

At the very front was Xiao Ning, heavily pregnant, with a noticeable difficulty walking;

By her side, Xiao Yu's abdomen was only slightly swollen, clearly not far along in her pregnancy.

Each of them was supported by two maids, walking slowly and carefully.

Xiao Kangcheng first gave his son, Xiao Hen, a glance, blaming him for bringing the guests in first, before leading the whole family towards his two daughters and bowing respectfully:

"Greetings to the two madams!"

"Oh dear, Father, Mother, Uncle Yuan, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Aunts, what are you all doing? Please, get up."

"If this continues, my elder sister and I will be too afraid to come back!"

Seeing their parents and uncles leading the whole family in saluting them, Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu both became a bit upset and quickly insisted everyone stand.

When the parents and others stood up, Xiao Ning irritably said, "These Xia Li rituals are too impersonal, making family feel so distant!"

She clearly understood that her parents were saluting her due to the stipulations in the nine-ranked title system outlined in Xia Li's four chapters.

Presently, nearly everyone's daily behavior at the Great Xia Camp was bound by Xia Li, particularly the regulations that commoners must bow to nobles and lower-ranked titles must bow to higher-ranking titles.

Her husband Xia Chuan was conferred with the Eighth-rank Chixiao Marquis, and she and Xiao Yu were granted the title of Eighth-grade wives, while Xiao Kangcheng held the Ninth-rank Marquis Xuanling, and by Xia Li's system, he indeed must bow to them both.

Though these were the rules, seeing her parents salute her naturally filled the two women with discomfort, prompting them to complain about how impersonal the Xia Li system was.

But Xiao Kangcheng saw through it more clearly, waving his hand with a smile, "The new regulations just came out; strictly following them is not wrong. Doesn't Xia Li have content on father-son etiquette? I bet there will be adjustments and amendments in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning remembered that Xia Chuan had indeed mentioned this before, and she nodded with a smile, "Father sees things more clearly than we do; my husband did say this, that the father-son etiquette should override the title system etiquette."

"Ah, enough standing around the entrance, I can barely stand anymore. Let's go in quickly and have a seat!"

Xiao Yu, frank by nature, urged everyone to go inside.

"Alright, alright, since Yu'er has spoken, everyone, please head inside and take your seats!"

Xiao Kangcheng, knowing his second daughter's temperament, laughed and motioned for everyone to enter.

Lin Lan had been unable to contain herself any longer, and immediately hurried to Xiao Ning's side, replacing the maid, and taking her daughter's arm, looking at her eldest daughter with compassion.

"Ning'er, I was going to have Hen'er pick you up, why did you come on your own? You are due next month, be careful not to hurt my grandchild!"

Seeing Lin Lan's anxious appearance, several aunts also crowded around, some offering support, others engaging in conversation, presenting a scene of stars surrounding the moon, firmly protecting Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu as they headed towards the reception hall.

"Oh, Mother, I'm not that fragile. It's just carrying a child! You had three of us and weren't this nervous, and the three aunts, each had four or five children, and it wasn't this exaggerated!"

Hearing Xiao Ning's words, Lin Lan retorted, "How can that be the same? The treasure you're carrying is precious. Hen'er told me that even his uncle personally named him, my little Yuzong will be an outstanding gentleman of Great Xia in the future."

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