Liu Yongyu and the other man had complex expressions, both feeling that the situation wasn't looking good, but at this moment, their father was cheerfully inviting everyone to sit down.
And at the seats, what happened next astonished everyone even more.
Master Liu directly waved his hand, telling He Xiuyuan to sit to his lower left, showing a level of importance for He Xiuyuan that seemed far beyond what anyone had imagined.
He Xiuyuan saw this and his eyebrows twitched slightly; he understood Master Liu's intention and, after a moment's thought, sat down.
If he didn't take this seat, Master Liu might not be able to enjoy the meal.
"Come, come, everyone, sit down, sit down."
Seeing He Xiuyuan sit down, Master Liu seemed very happy and quickly urged everyone to take their seats.
Everyone now looked at He Xiuyuan receiving such importance from Master Liu, and their gazes at each other were a bit strange.
However, with Master Liu present, they dared not show anything and could only sit obediently to the side.
"Come, serve the dishes, serve the dishes."
Master Liu was very happy at this moment; after having everyone sit down, he immediately told the servants to bring the food, then, as if introducing precious family heirlooms, he described the various delicacies on the table to He Xiuyuan.
Liu Yongyu and the others watched, dumbfounded, because they only just realized that many of the delicacies on the table were dishes only served during the New Year.
Normally, these things were nowhere to be seen.
Why is Father treating this person with such importance?
Liu Yulu watched this scene, her brows furrowed slightly, and she subtly glanced at her mother, indeed seeing her mother's astonished expression, though the astonishment quickly receded.
Once the food and wine were served, Master Liu ate with great enjoyment, but for the others at the table, the food they were eating felt like chewing on wax.
Madam Liu sat for a moment, then subtly spoke up.
"Mr. He seems a bit unfamiliar, and his accent sounds like he's not from around here?"
Madam Liu took a few bites, then slowly raised her head and curiously asked He Xiuyuan.
He Xiuyuan smiled upon hearing this, "Indeed, I am not from this area; I only arrived here a few days ago."
He just arrived in Yunhua County recently and came directly to Liu Manor? Something is definitely off!
Hearing He Xiuyuan's words, Madam Liu's heart immediately skipped a beat.
"Then, may I ask where Mr. He is from?"
Madam Liu continued to inquire, wanting to find out He Xiuyuan's background, perhaps so she could send someone to his hometown to investigate later.
However, He Xiuyuan shook his head at this point, saying, "That is not convenient to disclose, I hope Madam will not take offense."
The situation in Liu Manor was still unclear, and Madam Liu was digging for details about him; He Xiuyuan naturally wouldn't reveal anything easily.
Madam Liu's expression stiffened upon hearing this, her eyes flickering; this young man's guard was so strong, he directly refused her probing, was he prepared for this?
And Liu Zonghua, hearing this, immediately frowned slightly, "Why ask, what's there to ask? Eat, don't talk so much!"
Given He Xiuyuan's direct refusal to speak further, Liu Zonghua felt that there were too many questions, so he immediately reprimanded his wife.
Madam Liu quickly lowered her head and obediently assented, then apologized to He Xiuyuan, and only then did Liu Zonghua's expression soften a bit.
Putting everything else aside, his wife was still sensible.
He Xiuyuan, for his part, waved his hand casually, not seeming to mind much.
It was just a few questions, so there was no need for an apology or anything.
After the earlier reprimand, no one at the table dared to inquire about He Xiuyuan's origins anymore; they could only eat in silence, occasionally conversing in low voices.
After the meal ended, everyone at the table quickly dispersed, and no one came to disturb He Xiuyuan. He Xiuyuan was also happy to have some peace; he had already looked around the manor, so he directly returned to his room to close his eyes and rest, preparing to see if he could discover anything at night... As night fell.
He Xiuyuan opened his eyes, then opened his room door and came out into the courtyard.
The moon was like autumn water, spilling into the courtyard like a clear autumn pool; at a glance, the courtyard was quiet, with no strange anomalies to be seen.
Seeing this, He Xiuyuan looked around, then gently pointed at a nearby well; a drop of water floated from the well and flew to He Xiuyuan.
He Xiuyuan lifted his foot and stepped onto the water droplet, then his body flew upwards; He Xiuyuan then floated above Liu Manor, looking down at the entire manor.
Aside from some servants still on night watch, there was no other movement in Liu Manor at this time.
He Xiuyuan's gaze fell on Master Liu's room nearby; his room was still quiet, with no movement at all.
He Xiuyuan didn't mind this and immediately continued to wait.
The moon in the night sky quietly set in the distance, and the night watchman called out the time several times, yet there was still no unusual movement in the entire Liu Manor.
He Xiuyuan looked at the distant sky, seeing that the horizon was already showing the white belly of a fish, so he descended from mid-air and returned directly to his room to rest.
He had waited for most of the night, yet there was still no unusual movement, which could only mean that basically nothing would happen today. Moreover, people were gradually becoming more active; if he continued to stay above Liu Manor, he would likely be spotted sooner or later, so it was best to come down.
After He Xiuyuan returned to his room, he lay directly on the bed to rest, only slowly waking up when the sun was high in the sky.
"Sir, you're awake!"
As soon as He Xiuyuan opened his room door, the maid who had been waiting outside immediately called out happily, then quickly brought hot water and attended to He Xiuyuan's washing.
"Sir, Master said that as soon as you woke up, he would immediately have the kitchen prepare lunch for you. Do you have anything you'd like to eat? Your servant will have the kitchen prepare it right away."
The maid spoke cautiously; Master had previously instructed that He Xiuyuan must be served well no matter what, and his rest should not be disturbed.
"Hmm, just prepare whatever you're having for lunch today."
He Xiuyuan said casually upon hearing this; he wasn't particularly concerned about it.
The maid immediately assented and turned to give instructions.
The kitchen prepared quickly; in just a moment, He Xiuyuan's lunch for one was ready and brought before him.
He Xiuyuan slowly ate, and after finishing, he turned and left Liu Manor directly.
According to Master Liu, he only had those dreams at night, and there was nothing unusual during the day. Therefore, He Xiuyuan planned to go out and walk around during the day to see if he could discover anything.
