Huangfu Yue, Xiao Hei, and Ying'er had just finished their cola. Before they could finish their potato chips and spicy sticks, the waiter knocked on the door.
"Miss, the guests who were eating downstairs have left. The lobby downstairs is completely empty now, so you can come down to eat."
"Got it, we'll be right there." Huangfu Yue glanced at the door and said to Xiao Hei and Ying'er, "Let's hurry and finish eating. We'll go downstairs to eat after we finish the potato chips and spicy sticks."
They only had a little bit of their potato chips and spicy sticks left and would finish them soon.
Xiao Hei and Ying'er, one demon and one human, nodded in unison and sped up their eating of the potato chips and spicy sticks.
A moment later, Ying'er finished. Xiao Hei looked at her and thought, This little maid can really eat! She's so gluttonous! I and the master haven't finished sharing one bag of potato chips and one bag of spicy sticks, yet she ate one bag of potato chips and one bag of spicy sticks by herself and is already done.
Ying'er didn't know what Xiao Hei was thinking, or she would have been very embarrassed. She wasn't actually that much of a big eater, nor was she particularly gluttonous. It was just that the cold cola, potato chips, and spicy sticks together were too delicious, making her unable to stop eating.
Two minutes after Ying'er finished, Huangfu Yue and Xiao Hei also finished their potato chips and spicy sticks. Huangfu Yue took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and was about to take Ying'er and Xiao Hei downstairs to eat.
"Master, are you really going to take me downstairs and let the people of the Prince's Estate see me and eat with them? I'm afraid they'll be scared when they see me and won't want to eat with me," Xiao Hei said with apparent worry.
"You don't need to worry! Didn't Ying'er get scared by you before? But didn't Ying'er quickly accept you and eat and drink with you!" Huangfu Yue said without any worry, smiling with a curl of her lips.
Xiao Hei glanced at Ying'er, hesitated for a moment, and nodded. She hoped the others in the Prince's Estate would be like this maid.
After Huangfu Yue led Xiao Hei and Ying'er out, they arrived downstairs in a minute. They saw that the area downstairs was already filled with people from the Prince's Estate. Everyone was wearing veils and hats. Zheng Taifei and Huangfu Yue's sisters-in-law were all there, sitting at a table, with Xu Yuqing being particularly conspicuous.
Xu Yuqing was the most conspicuous, not because she was the most beautiful among Huangfu Yue's four sisters-in-law. Huangfu Yue's four sisters-in-law were all very beautiful. The most eye-catching person was the pregnant Yang Wanqian. Xu Yuqing was the most conspicuous because, among a sea of white, she was the only splash of color. She had already changed into a water-blue dress. The small white flower that had been in her hair was gone. It was unclear whether she had thrown it away or just temporarily removed it and would put it back tomorrow.
Perhaps because Xu Yuqing was so eye-catching, a young man sitting at an adjacent table kept secretly staring at Xu Yuqing. He was not a servant of the Prince's Estate but a subordinate of Feng Maoyuan. Feng Maoyuan and his subordinates were sitting at the table next to Xu Yuqing's group. The other tables were occupied by servants, likely arranged by Zheng Taifei.
Huangfu Yue also glanced at the entrance of the inn and found that the main door had already been closed. The owner was probably afraid that if the door remained open, more guests would come. Huangfu Yue also saw the innkeeper and the inn's employees standing to the side, all staring at the women from the Prince's Estate with looks of amazement, especially at her four sisters-in-law. Huangfu Yue slightly furrowed her brows. After they were assigned rooms, they had taken off their veils inside. So, the owner and his employees hadn't seen their faces before. Now that they had removed their veils, they were astonished by their beauty.
"Yue'er, you're here... Ah! A crow! How can there be a crow?" Zhu Jiayi was the first to notice Huangfu Yue coming downstairs. Just as she was smiling and greeting her, she saw Xiao Hei following behind her and immediately turned pale with fright, letting out a scream.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Xiao Hei behind Huangfu Yue, their faces turning ashen with expressions of disgust. Yang Wanqian, the most timid among them, immediately hid behind Zheng Taifei, her body trembling. Zheng Taifei remained relatively calm, her expression only showing a slight change. Zhong Liangshu, sitting on her other side, was not as composed but was still alright. Xu Yuqing, sitting opposite Zhong Liangshu, had the biggest reaction. She reached out and grabbed the teacup in front of her, throwing it towards Xiao Hei behind Huangfu Yue, "Get out, you dead crow! You're such bad luck!"
Huangfu Yue, with quick hands, caught the teacup thrown by Xu Yuqing in the first instance, protecting Xiao Hei. "This crow is my pet, named Xiao Hei. Don't hurt it," Huangfu Yue said loudly.
Everyone heard this and was stunned, shocked beyond words. Several of them were dumbfounded.
"Yue'er, why would you keep a crow as a pet? Are you crazy!" Yang Yuqing exclaimed excitedly after recovering from her shock. Hearing Yang Yujing's last sentence, both Huangfu Yue and Zheng Taifei slightly frowned. They narrowed their eyes at Yang Yujing, a hint of a dark gleam flashing in their eyes.
"Yue'er, when did you get this crow as a pet? Why have I never seen it before?" Zhu Jiayi asked, looking confused.
"I just recently got this crow as a pet, so you've never seen it before. It likes to dart around and fly, and it's come back to find me because it misses me now," Huangfu Yue said, looking at Zhu Jiayi.
"I really like Xiao Hei, and I hope you will like it too." Huangfu Yue turned and beckoned to Xiao Hei, signaling it to perch on her shoulder. She reached out and stroked its dark feathers, then turned to look at the people from the Prince's Estate again and said, "Don't be afraid or despise Xiao Hei just because it's a crow! The saying that crows symbolize death and bring death is all superstition! Since I took Xiao Hei as a pet, it has never brought me death, not even a small danger. On the contrary, it's a lucky little fellow that can bring good fortune. Since I took it as a pet, only good things have happened. Moreover, it is very intelligent and can understand human speech, which has helped me a lot." She hoped that by saying this, the people from the Prince's Estate would accept Xiao Hei, especially her relatives.
Hearing Huangfu Yue's words, Xiao Hei felt a warmth in its eyes and heart. Master! If crows could have past lives like humans, it must have done countless good deeds in its past life to have received such great blessings in this life and to have met the Princess and have her as its master. With such a master, what more could a crow ask for!
Xiao Hei was deeply touched, but some people scoffed, wearing expressions as if they had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"Yue'er, I think you've truly gone mad, and not a little bit!" Xu Yuqing pointed at Huangfu Yue and yelled. "You actually say this crow is lucky, can bring good fortune, and that only good things have happened since you took it as a pet? Has it never brought you death, not even a small danger?! Have you forgotten the deaths of Father and your few brothers? Have you forgotten why we ended up in this situation? I think this dead crow is to blame for everything! This dead crow has brought misfortune to our estate, and all our misfortunes are caused by this dead crow!" Xu Yuqing shouted, her expression becoming even more agitated.
Huangfu Yue's brows shot up. What was this woman saying! How could she blame everything unfortunate that happened to the Prince's Estate on Xiao Hei? This was too absurd! Moreover, how could she speak of the estate's affairs, not afraid that the innkeeper and employees standing nearby would recognize them as people from the Prince's Estate and discover their identities? Fortunately, she only mentioned the estate and not the Prince's Estate.
"I said our estate had always been peaceful and prosperous, everything going smoothly, and it was very good. How could we suddenly encounter such great calamity? It turns out it's all because of the crow you raised!" Xu Yuqing glared fiercely at Huangfu Yue and Xiao Hei on her shoulder, her face filled with anger and her eyes flashing with resentment. "Thinking about it, ever since you returned to the estate, things have been going downhill. First, I injured my leg, and after it finally healed, my husband died, and it became like this... All of this is your fault..."
"Slap—" A loud slap suddenly echoed in the air, interrupting Xu Yuqing's complaints. Everyone looked in astonishment at Zheng Taifei, who had suddenly slapped Xu Yuqing, clearly not expecting Zheng Taifei to hit Xu Yuqing, let alone in public. Huangfu Yue had not expected it either, her eyes flashing with surprise...
"Xu Yuqing, do you know what you're saying and doing?! You are truly heartless!" Zheng Taifei pointed at Xu Yuqing's nose and scolded angrily. She really couldn't stand it anymore!