The young phoenixes chattered amongst themselves, heads bobbing.
Qi Yu paid them no mind, nor did she find anything strange about it. Phoenix brew was indeed precious, but Sui You often brought them some to drink. So, it wasn't particularly rare.
Sui You, on the other hand, was unconcerned. He even shot a warning glance at the young phoenixes with his peripheral vision, telling them to shut up! The young phoenixes immediately fell silent.
Some of the elder phoenixes at the table had been quietly observing the scene. After several rounds of drinks, when everyone had eaten their fill, one of the older phoenixes finally spoke to Sui You, "Clan Leader, although you are still young, our phoenix clan's bloodline has always been pure. I believe it is time for you to find a Dao companion. What do you think?"
As this topic arose, the atmosphere at the table immediately became lively. Several elder phoenixes sat beside Sui You, constantly introducing potential partners to him.
"Clan Leader, this is the first young phoenix in our phoenix clan to cultivate a Golden Core. Her mother and father are both pure-blooded, and she holds some status in our clan, though not as high as yours. Regardless, this would greatly benefit the continuation of our lineage."
"And this one, this young lady is not a pure phoenix, but from the Vermilion Bird clan. If Clan Leader finds her acceptable, why not take both of them?"
Sui You listened to the elders of the phoenix clan chatter incessantly, their discussion sounding like a marketplace haggling over pork. He felt a headache coming on. After some deliberation, he said awkwardly, "Today is my birthday. Why is everyone only discussing happy and joyful matters? Let's postpone all other issues until tomorrow?"
His tone sounded as if he were negotiating with the elders, but in reality, Sui You had no intention of discussing anything. It was a direct command. Fortunately, the elders of the phoenix clan knew their Clan Leader's temperament well. Upon hearing this, they immediately ceased their discussion and quickly had the young ladies brought away.
Sui You glanced at them with his peripheral vision and then ignored them, lowering his head to serve Qi Yu food.
Qi Yu found the phoenix clan's lotus leaf chicken to be exceptionally delicious, with a sweet fragrance in the chicken meat. She ate quite a bit of it. Sui You noticed Qi Yu's fondness for the dish and ordered another portion. He patiently helped her shred the chicken meat.
Ming Lou, resting his chin on one hand by the window, watched the scene unfold and sighed, "Comparing them makes you want to discard the inferior. Look at the difference in treatment. We merely ensure they eat and drink well, but he is incredibly serious, attentive, considerate, and thoughtful towards his junior sister. He even helps her shred chicken meat. The only person I remember doing that is the old man who feeds the cats at our Chang Qing Sect."
Yue Zhiyin, who had been drinking, almost choked upon hearing this.
Qi Nian also covered her mouth and coughed, pointing at Ming Lou, "Your mouth is truly something else."
Ming Lou spread his hands and shrugged helplessly. "Don't you agree? Look at Third Senior Brother. He's always so attentive to Junior Sister. He shreds the meat for her, prepares dipping sauces, and along with Si Qing, they've been acting as left and right guardians, constantly refilling our bowls."
Thanks to these two, Qi Yu was like a little piglet being fed, happily eating her fill.
Si Qing sighed, "Many dishes on this table require shelling, like that big crab and those prawns over there. Rather than saying I'm helping with serving dishes, I'm more like the one helping with shelling."
"Qi Yu is still young," Sui You didn't see anything wrong with his actions. "As senior brothers, it's natural to take care of the youngest."
Si Qing's eyes immediately turned resentful as he looked at Sui You. "Third Senior Brother, are you serious? Are you sure you're taking care of the youngest?"
"...Although not the youngest, but... *cough cough*," Sui You cleared his throat. "But I'm taking turns, aren't I? See, I've added food to your bowl too."
Si Qing looked at the piece of carrot in his bowl, raised an eyebrow, and snorted, "Who wants this?" He then smiled and transferred the piece of carrot from his bowl to Qi Yu's. "Sister, you eat it. You need to eat more, especially more of these vegetables."
Qi Yu looked utterly reluctant. The siblings pushed the piece of carrot back and forth for several rounds, with Qi Yu ultimately losing and grudgingly eating the carrot that didn't taste particularly good.
While they were eating, laughing, and chatting, the elders of the phoenix clan kept their gaze fixed on Qi Yu.
Elder One: "Do you all feel that our Clan Leader seems to value this young lady very highly? He's always taking the best care of her. So, perhaps the Clan Leader's reluctance to go on blind dates or find a Dao companion has another reason?"
Elder One's implication was clear.
Elder Two, looking at Qi Yu not far away, couldn't help but nod. "Indeed. But is this young lady from the same sect as our Clan Leader? I don't recall seeing her before."
"How could you not have seen her? This young lady has been to our phoenix clan often, especially recently," said Elder Three, tipsy.
The three elders huddled together, murmuring amongst themselves. By the time they finished their discussion, the birthday banquet was almost over.
Sui You noticed the sky darkening and remembered that the phoenix clan had many interesting events planned in the coming days. He then took the initiative to invite Qi Yu and the others to stay.
Qi Yu had no objections, eager to spend a few more days in Sui You's territory. So, after agreeing, she immediately pulled Si Qing and ran off to play.
Along the way, Qi Yu picked phoenix flowers to make a flower crown, while Si Qing helped her hold the flowers. From a distance, they looked like a little flower boy.
When Qi Yu had picked enough phoenix flowers and was about to find a place to sit, she suddenly heard footsteps nearby. She paused, intending to see who was approaching. To her surprise, it was an elderly man with graying hair. This old man was likely an elder of the phoenix clan, though she didn't know his name. He was holding a food box, his steps faltering as he walked, holding his back.
Qi Yu didn't want to disturb the old man's leisure and was about to pull Si Qing to another spot to weave flower crowns when the old man stopped them.
"Young lady, young lady."
The old man beckoned Qi Yu over. Clearly, the old man did not know who she was.
"What is it?" Qi Yu frowned but still walked over.
The old man looked at Qi Yu, opened the box in front of him, took out the small dishes and wine, and then said with a smile, "Will you two join this old man for a few drinks?"