After Dongfang Huaizhu finished talking with Dongfang Qinlan, the two returned to the kitchen only to find that Jin Renfeng had disappeared.
"Hey? Where's Jin Renfeng?" Dongfang Qinlan stood on tiptoe and looked around. Frowning, she asked.
At this moment, Dongfang Huaizhu couldn't help but frown. Could it be that Jin Renfeng heard her conversation with Dongfang Qinlan and left in a fit of anger?
Just as Dongfang Huaizhu was worrying, biting her lips, the kitchen door was suddenly pushed open. Jin Renfeng walked in with a bunch of firewood in his hands, smiling.
"Junior sister, you two go back first. The kitchen is smoky. It's not a place for junior sisters to stay."
Jin Renfeng's appearance dispelled Dongfang Huaizhu's concerns. Her frown gradually relaxed, and then she smiled, "Senior brother is right. Then little sister and I will go back to our room to rest first." With that, she took Dongfang Qinlan away from the kitchen without further ado.
After the two left the kitchen, Jin Renfeng snorted. His handsome face instantly distorted, and he threw the firewood in his hand to the ground.
"Junior sister, junior sister, do you really think I'm such a naive kid that I can be easily fooled? You really underestimate your senior brother!" Jin Renfeng's eyes were sly. Looking in the direction where Dongfang Huaizhu and Dongfang Qinlan had left, he showed a fierce look.
On this side, Dongfang Huaizhu sent Dongfang Qinlan back to her room and then wandered on the path back to her own room.
Thanks to the diligent work of the servants, the grass on both sides of the path was lush and green, with some deliberately planted lavender growing among it. Swaying gently in the air, the lavender exuded a fragrant smell.
As she had temporarily appeased Jin Renfeng's temper, Dongfang Huaizhu began to feel confident about the subsequent development of the situation, and her mood improved unconsciously.
Then, Dongfang Huaizhu walked on the grass step by step. Suddenly, she thought that there was still a year before the Masked Group's expedition. She still had plenty of time.
Dongfang Huaizhu then thought that besides Wang Quan Baoye and her little sister, the person the original heroine Dongfang Huaizhu had always cared most about was her father, who had died at the hands of Jin Renfeng because of the blood - exchange technique.
Thinking of the father who had always doted on Dongfang Huaizhu and Dongfang Qinlan and the tragic scene of his death, Dongfang Huaizhu couldn't help feeling pity and compassion for the old man.
"Since I still have time now, I'll go and see him first!" Dongfang Huaizhu made up her mind and then walked towards her father's room.
At this moment, in her father's room, the head of the Dongfang family was lying quietly on the bed, his eyes open and looking to one side.
Although the old head of the Dongfang family felt that his body was gradually getting better, he still couldn't stand up and walk around at will. His eyes were cloudy as he looked around.
He wondered how Dongfang Huaizhu and Dongfang Qinlan were doing. He was not worried about Dongfang Huaizhu, but he was afraid that Dongfang Qinlan might have caused some trouble without his supervision.
Just then, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open. Dongfang Huaizhu walked in gently with a thermos in her hand. Seeing that her father's eyes were open, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought you were asleep and was afraid of disturbing your rest." Dongfang Huaizhu walked lightly to the window of her father's bed and put the thermos on the table beside the bed.
"It doesn't matter. I know my own body well. Whether I rest or not doesn't make much difference to my recovery." The old head of the Dongfang family sighed and then slowly spoke.
Dongfang Huaizhu supported her father's body and helped him sit up, then let him lean against her.
It seemed that the father - daughter pair hadn't been so close for a long time. The old head of the Dongfang family couldn't help but take a look at Dongfang Huaizhu. This daughter was the one who cared about him the most after all.
"Has anything happened recently?" The old head of the Dongfang family opened his lips weakly and said slowly.
"Everything has been fine recently. Father, don't worry." Dongfang Huaizhu looked at her weak father. Whether it was affected by the original heroine's feelings or her own sympathy for this widowed old man, Dongfang Huaizhu's heart ached unconsciously.
"That's good. That's good. Cough... cough!" As the old head of the Dongfang family spoke, he felt a rush of blood in his lungs and couldn't help coughing.
Seeing this, Dongfang Huaizhu quickly took out a handkerchief in a panic. The old head of the Dongfang family wiped his lips with the handkerchief.
Seeing the blood on the handkerchief, Dongfang Huaizhu had to bear the pain in her heart and put the handkerchief away.
"Father, you'd better lie down and rest for a while!" Dongfang Huaizhu said as she gently laid the old head of the Dongfang family back on the bed. She didn't breathe a sigh of relief until her father closed his eyes weakly.
Looking back at her weak father one more time, Dongfang Huaizhu turned around, pushed the door open, and walked out.
When Dongfang Huaizhu walked into the courtyard, she heard a hubbub in the distance outside the gate. Dense footsteps were coming from outside the gate.
Dongfang Huaizhu quickened her pace and happened to bump into Jin Renfeng who had come after hearing the noise.
The young servant pushed the door open, and it was the plump and amiable butler of the Wang Quan family.
The plump butler led a group of his subordinates and swaggered in.
"I wonder what brings the great butler of the Wang Quan family here?" Jin Renfeng stepped forward first, looked at the plump butler, and said with a smile.
The plump butler narrowed his eyes into slits and responded amiably, "So it's Senior Brother Jin Renfeng of the Dongfang family and Miss Dongfang Huaizhu, the eldest daughter of the Dongfang family. It's really an honor for me that you two came to greet me in person!"
Dongfang Huaizhu stepped forward and said with a smile, "The Wang Quan family has always been on good terms with our Dongfang family. Even if you hadn't come, we should have gone to visit."
The plump butler nodded in satisfaction looking at the sensible Dongfang Huaizhu and then said, "Miss Dongfang Huaizhu, I'll get straight to the point. It will be the birthday of our old head of the Wang Quan family in half a month. We hope that the Dongfang family can send a representative to attend, which will fulfill one of our old head's wishes."
The plump butler smilingly handed out the birthday invitation.
"So that's the case. Please rest assured, butler. Our Dongfang family will definitely attend the banquet on time." Dongfang Huaizhu said with a smile as she took the birthday invitation.
"In that case, I won't bother Miss Dongfang Huaizhu any longer. I'll take my leave now." The plump butler said with a smile and waved his arm.
Immediately, all the disciples of the Wang Quan family turned around and began to retreat.
After seeing off the plump butler, Dongfang Huaizhu couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. What on earth was the Wang Quan family up to? In the past, when they sent birthday invitations, the Wang Quan family would only send one disciple at most. But this time, they made such a big fuss, and even the great butler of the Wang Quan family came in person.