The Divine General of the East's estate was very quiet. The only sound was that of light footsteps and the shuffling of clothes, both inside and outside the hall. There was not even the sound of coughing. This was presumably what was meant by 'family style'.
The stones paving the path and the trees in the courtyard were also the same: rough, long, and straight. While the trees were generously spaced, they had very few green leaves on their branches. They stood silent, solemn, bleak, and apathetic.
Chen Changsheng sat by the table, examining the finely aged porcelain tableware arrayed before him, not knowing to say. From the moment he had entered the estate, he had not said a single meaningful word.
Xu Shiji and his wife were seated at the host's seats while he sat in the seat reserved for guests. Nanny Hua waited upon them at the side, carrying a reserved air, while the one serving the food was actually that extremely proud maid, Shuang'er.
