Everyone at the table was stunned by Sun Miao'er's sudden action and remained silent.

She put the red agate back in the box, already having made up her mind.

Agate is extremely hard, even harder than jade, so how could it be scratched by an ordinary mutton fat jade bracelet?

On the red stone lying in the box, there were now several white marks, which were the marks left by the bracelet.

"Where did this wild girl come from? I knew you had no good intentions!" Aunt Qin pointed at Sun Miao'er in a fit of rage, unaware that Sun Miao'er had already seen through the fake agate she had prepared.

Wang Xueru didn't know what Sun Miao'er was up to, but she still spoke up for her: "Aunt Qin, the banquet is about to start, so it's best to keep some things to yourself."

Madam Zhang was also stunned. Who would feel comfortable having a beautiful red agate scratched for no reason? "Xue Ru, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you need to be more discerning in choosing your friends. Not just anyone can be brought home."

Wang Su's complexion was also not good, but out of love for her daughter, she did not lash out.

Sun Miao'er slowly stood up. Music had already started playing at the banquet, but it still couldn't drown out her clear voice: "Ladies, please take a look."

She picked up the red agate from the box, held it up in the moonlight, and said, "Although I have never seen real agate, I know that agate is hard and has a lot of texture. Such a stone can not only be translucent under the moon, but even mutton fat jade can scratch it. If you say this is agate, are you trying to bully a country bumpkin like me?"

"this?"

The people at the table looked at each other in bewilderment, none of them able to come up with a definite answer.

After all, very few people have ever seen a real stone.

Madam Zhang looked up at the stone and said in a deep voice, "Let me see it."

Aunt Qin felt guilty but dared not stop her, watching as Sun Miao'er handed the stone to Madam Zhang.

Madam Zhang held the stone in her palm for a long while, then said coldly, "I know, take this stone away."

Everyone understood what was going on, but they were too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Wang Xueru still didn't understand, so she pulled Sun Miao'er aside and whispered, "Miao'er, how did Madam Zhang know? I don't understand anything."

Sun Miao'er smiled and explained, "Genuine agate is warm in winter and cool in summer. No matter how similar the appearance is, it cannot be imitated in this respect. Now that it is autumn and the weather is quite cool, the stone is still cool to the touch. Madam Zhang did not distinguish it before because she only glanced at it. She just touched it with her hand and she knows it now."

Wang Xueru nodded with an "I see" look on her face.

On one side, Aunt Qin felt both ashamed and extremely resentful. Being ruined by a country girl in front of so many people was something no one could swallow. Meanwhile, the banquet had already begun amidst the singing and dancing.

Looking from afar, Sun Miao'er saw that the person sitting next to Magistrate Zhang was Shan Qiu, which showed that he was indeed highly regarded. The person sitting on the other side looked quite familiar to Sun Miao'er.

Isn't that the man who wallowed in self-pity at Xianweilou that night? What was his name again? Shen Chu.

What's he doing here? It seems he has a rather unusual relationship with Magistrate Zhang.

"Master Shen rarely shows his face, so I, Wang, would like to offer you a toast!"

Wang Shicheng ordered his servants to pour wine and then rose to offer a toast.

The advisor?

Sun Miao'er hadn't expected that this man was actually Magistrate Zhang's advisor. Judging from his words, he seemed hesitant and unsuccessful. No wonder, after all, he was just a secretary.

He has a wealth of talent but no one appreciates it; he probably feels he's wasting his time as a secretary.

Shen Chu was dressed simply, and his outer robe seemed to be a style from many years ago, with even the embroidery on it worn and frayed, but it still couldn't hide his scholarly air.

Sun Miao'er clearly remembered that it was this man who personally mocked Shan Qiu for working for the government at the restaurant that day, and that he himself was also working for Magistrate Zhang.

How can there be double standards?

Shen Chu stood up and respectfully returned the cup, saying, "I am not a good drinker; may I have tea instead?"

That day he got completely drunk and spouted nonsense, yet he claimed he couldn't hold his liquor?

Sun Miao'er thought it best not to get involved in other people's affairs, but for someone like her in this kind of situation, not drinking was the wise thing to do.

"Master Shen, whatever you like, I'll drink it."

After saying this, Master Wang tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Someone, bring the dishes."

He clapped his hands, and the servants brought up food platters and placed them on the table one by one.

When Madam Zhang saw the seafood dishes, her eyes lit up, and she smiled and said, "Today's dishes are quite unique. In all the years I've been in Pingnan City, I've hardly ever seen anyone eating seafood."

Wang Sushi chimed in, "Xue Ru prepared everything. She's young and her mind is more lively than mine, so I left it all to her."

Madam Zhang looked at Wang Xueru with approval, picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. "This dish is exactly what my husband likes. Xueru is so thoughtful. You don't know, my husband is from northern Shandong and has been used to eating seafood since he was a child. But since he came to Pingnan City, he has never tasted the flavors of his hometown. Eating these dishes today can help ease his homesickness."

Although Madam Wang didn't know where her daughter had come up with these ideas, they seemed to be very effective. She chimed in, "As long as the sir likes them, that's good. The sir is our local official, and this is all we can do."

Sure enough, when Lord Zhang saw the seafood at the banquet, his expression brightened. In the past, he felt like he was going to a torture session when he attended banquets. First, he had to force himself to eat even if the food didn't suit his taste. Second, with Shan Qiu accompanying him, he didn't know how to accept the merchants' hospitality.

If it weren't for his momentary lapse of judgment, which led to him being exposed for accepting a large bribe, he wouldn't have been demoted to this remote place. Therefore, after taking office, he was even more cautious in everything he did, and often reminded Shanqiu not to forget to remind him.

Danqiu did a good job in this regard. Ever since he came to Pingnan City with him, he kept a close eye on all his social engagements, and Danqiu only dared to accept small favors, which were all worthless things.

Over time, those who gave gifts also realized that Magistrate Zhang only dared to accept small items and refused anything more expensive.

To put it bluntly, Zhang Shengmin is greedy but lacks the courage to actually do it.

When Wang Shicheng saw the dishes, he found them to be vastly different from the menu he had prepared. He had carefully observed and deduced the dishes on that menu, which contained only the kinds of food that Magistrate Zhang would barely be willing to eat. How could this table be so completely different?

Just as he was about to question the servant, Magistrate Zhang suddenly spoke up:

"Master Wang, is the cook in your household from northern Shandong?"

This question stumped Wang Shicheng. "Lubei? I have no one from Lubei in my household."

Magistrate Zhang smiled, took a bite of the sea cucumber, and said, "This is exactly the taste, Master Wang. It seems like a coincidence. This is the first time I've tasted this dish outside of northern Shandong. It truly soothes my homesickness!"