Among the chairs not too far from Zhuo Yangyang, a middle-aged woman in fine clothes was seated, and behind her stood the second young miss of the Zhuo Family, Zhuo Ya, who had been slapped across the face.
At this moment, Zhuo Ya was looking at Zhuo Yangyang with an extremely complex gaze.
This look contained resentment and triumph, and also an indescribable sense of exhilaration.
All this caused a huge shock in Zhuo Yangyang’s heart.
Because the scale of this occasion was truly grand, she did not know what was going on.
Just then, Elder Madam Zhuo spoke up once more.
"Yangyang," she said, "how was the outcome of your recent sea voyage as a merchant?"
Although she was fearful, Zhuo Yangyang had committed everything to memory so well that she immediately reported the entire outcome of the voyage without any delay.
After she finished speaking, a slight unrest inevitably arose in the whole hall.
The elders from various sides were whispering to one another, clearly surprised by what Zhuo Yangyang had reported.
Seeing this, flames seemed ready to shoot from Zhuo Ya’s eyes, but in the end, she glared hatefully at Zhuo Yangyang and then lowered her head,
At that moment, a light laughter came from behind the beaded curtain, where Elder Madam Zhuo was located.
"Good! To have such a rich harvest, you’ve done well!"
Zhuo Yangyang was dumbfounded; she almost questioned whether she had heard wrong.
Had the elder madam just laughed? And even praised her?
It was simply unimaginable.
You see, no matter how well she had done or how excellent she had been from childhood, she had never received even a word of praise.
And today, what was all this?
Zhuo Yangyang stood there, completely baffled.
Then, Elder Madam Zhuo softly said, "You have worked hard over these years!"
Even though it was a simple word of comfort, Zhuo Yangyang felt a surge of emotion and nearly burst into tears.
She quickly took a deep breath and said with a trembling voice, "All that I do is my duty!"
Elder Madam Zhuo nodded her head and said, "Very good. To think this way shows that you are a good child!"
Zhuo Yangyang was overwhelmed with emotions, a sense of happiness she had never felt before filled her heart.
Elder Madam Zhuo then declared, "Tonight, our Zhuo Family will be hosting a banquet to welcome an important guest. Freshen up and attend as well!"
Zhuo Yangyang was so stunned that it took her a full ten seconds to come to her senses; then she nodded eagerly and said excitedly, "Yes!"
"Go on now! Remember to dress nicely, and don’t be late!"
"Uh huh!" Zhuo Yangyang almost cried out of emotion.
She felt that her years of diligent work were finally paying off at this moment!
After saying that, Zhuo Yangyang was about to leave.
Just then, the middle-aged woman sitting at the lower end of the room suddenly said with a smile, "Elder Ancestor, haven’t you forgotten about the distinguished guest that Yangyang brought back with her?"
Elder Madam Zhuo laughed heartily, "Look at my memory, indeed, do remember to invite your friend as well! After all, he saved both you and the Zhuo Family’s ship, so he is a friend of the Zhuo Family too!"
"Uh huh! Rest assured, Elder Madam!" Zhuo Yangyang responded with a smile.
But amidst her immense happiness, she did not notice the sympathetic glances from a few relatively kind-hearted Zhuo Family elders.
Upon seeing Xue An,
Zhuo Yangyang was so elated she almost jumped up, "Lord Xue, I just went to the rear residence, and Grandmother actually complimented me!"
"Oh, did she?" Xue An smiled and continued to sip his tea leisurely.
"Yes! Not only did she not mention you hitting Zhuo Ya today, she also asked me to attend the banquet tonight. Oh, and she said to invite you too!"
"Banquet?" Xue An put down his teacup and looked up at Zhuo Yangyang.
"Yes, a banquet! I heard it’s to welcome some big shot, who cares, we will know everything in the evening!"
"Big shot..." Xue An’s eyes flashed with a glint.
Zhuo Yangyang, however, didn’t notice any of this as she was overwhelmed with excitement.
"I always said, even with the prejudices against me, after slaving away in trade for the past decade, Grandmother must have noticed! Sure enough, she knows everything! Heh, she even told me to dress nicely. Ah, I almost forgot in all the excitement, I must hurry back and get ready! Lord Xue, I won’t disturb you any longer. In the evening, I will come to fetch you!"
With that, Zhuo Yangyang ran off.
Xue An watched the bouncing figure of the girl disappear into the darkness, his eyes flickering with indecision.
Then, An Yan’s voice arose in Xue An’s mind.
"Husband, there seems to be something odd about this."
Xue An nodded, "It’s not just odd, it’s downright strange!"
He picked up his teacup and took a light sip, his voice cold, "After wringing every last bit of usefulness out of this foolish girl, they still plan to throw her into a situation with no way out. These people... indeed resort to any filthy trick!"
"You mean to say..." An Yan’s voice carried a hint of chill.
Xue An leant back in his chair, speaking indifferently, "Nothing much, just kill them!"

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