Chapter 57 (Three Fresh Wontons)

The children left in a hurry, and Yan Qiushu thought her yard would be empty for a while, so she was playing games with Zhou Zhaoqin.

It was a small game of hopscotch, and the two of them seemed to have no generation gap. They played with great enthusiasm, and Shui Yu even rolled up his sleeves to join in.

Yan Qiushu had just finished a round and was sitting nearby to rest. When she looked up, she saw the young boy running towards her with red eyes. She stood up in shock and asked, "Pingsong, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Pingsong pursed his lips, shook his head, and walked over to her, calling out softly, "Aunt Yan, I'm fine. I just got sand in my eyes."

Yan Qiushu: "..."

This excuse is too fake.

Aunt Xu smiled and said, "You're not reluctant to leave your aunt, are you? I heard that the Song family's young mistress is here to visit the second young mistress. Young Master Pingsong has lived in the Song family for a long time and has been back for many days now. Why don't you chat for a while?"

Xiao Pingsong's body stiffened and he remained silent.

Yan Qiushu looked at Aunt Xu, then at Xiao Pingsong, and tried to put on a gentle smile, her voice becoming a little sweeter. "What kind of sand is that? What's making your eyes red like this? Tell me about it, and I'll blow it away for you, and maybe it will be gone."

The Xiao family shouldn't be bullied by others, right?

Maybe she is really gentle and always behaves very... childishly.

Xiao Pingsong could play with Dongdong Wan'er, and he didn't feel that there was a generation gap between them in front of her. Although he called her Aunt Yan, they actually treated each other as friends. Therefore, when he was asked so gently, he felt wronged and his eyes reddened again. He squeezed out two lines of tears. He wanted to speak, but it was extremely difficult. In the end, he shook his head and whispered, "I can't say it."

"Well, why don't you tell me the details, but give me a general idea. Maybe I can give you some advice?" Yan Qiushu continued to ask with an unchanged smile.

Xiao Pingsong hesitated for a moment and looked at the two people who were playing hopscotch.

Yan Qiushu understood and said, "Shui Yu, take the Second Prince out to play for a while. I have something to do."

"Okay." Shui Yu agreed happily.

Yan Qiushu took Xiao Pingsong into the house.

Shui Yu finished the last jump and looked at Zhou Zhaoqin: "Your Highness, it's your turn."

The little boy standing by looked over there, then looked at the playground in front of him, and suddenly lost interest. He shook his head, walked aside and sat down to bask in the sun.

Sister Ashu said that you need to get more sun exposure to stay healthy.

When I got into the house, there were no outsiders.

Xiao Pingsong also calmed down a little, and said in a hoarse voice: "Aunt Yan, what if...if someone bullies others, but she doesn't let me tell others, what should I do?"

Yan Qiushu thought for a moment and said, "Is the person being bullied particularly close to you?"

"Yeah!" Xiao Pingsong nodded.

Yan Qiushu blinked. She was particularly close to Song Mingdai. He had just returned to the courtyard and must have seen Song Mingdai. She was being bullied...

She said softly, "Do you have a good relationship with the person who bullied her?"

Xiao Pingsong hesitated for a moment: "Good...not good either."

Yan Qiushu probably guessed it. Aunt Xu just said that someone from the Song family had come. Could it be that the Song family was bullying Song Mingdai?

Xiao Pingsong happened to see it and wanted to tell Madam Xiao, but Song Mingdai wouldn't let him?

Yan Qiushu felt that he had discovered the truth, mainly because the child was too honest and would reveal everything once coaxed. This also explained why Song Mingdai didn't let him tell the Xiao family, as they were all family.

But why can he bully Song Mingdai?

Why did Song Mingdai suddenly come back on the second day of the New Year? I still remember that on New Year's Eve, Xiao Huaiwu's tone seemed to indicate that she was still reluctant to come back. Madam Xiao was also a little disappointed at that time.

Now that he is back, he keeps talking about being the eldest grandson, and he openly and secretly hopes that Xiao Pingsong will inherit the Xiao family.

But from Xiao Pingsong's blurt-out remarks, it can be seen that Song Mingdai did not really want her son to inherit the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

Moreover, as long as Xiao Huaiting is alive, it will be difficult for this matter to succeed in the Xiao family. Moreover, Mrs. Xiao has lost her husband, son, and son-in-law, and she doesn't want to lose anyone else.

Her actions offended Mrs. Xiao.

She seemed to be saying this on purpose for Madam Xiao to hear, perhaps even wanting to provoke her.

Furthermore, just looking at the current situation, Song Mingdai, with her cold face and words full of interests, is just like the heroine in the novels she read before who was forced to bind herself to the system and follow the plot with an expressionless face. She must be doing this for a purpose that she doesn't like.

If she angered Madam Xiao, she might not be able to complete the task, so every time she spoke, she would touch upon Madam Xiao's sore spot.

In other words, she might have some dealings with the Song family that were detrimental to the Xiao family. She didn't want to do it, but she was under someone else's control and could only endure it.

In this case, Yan Qiushu felt that she had to express her opinion.

She didn't say she had guessed the situation. After clearing her throat, she said, "Pingsong, if it were me, I would tell the elders."

Xiao Pingsong was puzzled and said, "But she wouldn't let me."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "But she can't handle this situation on her own. Some people, for various reasons, whether they're soft-hearted or forced to do so, won't let you tell the elders. But sometimes she doesn't know if her decision is right. At this time, a more capable elder is needed to solve the problem. The elders are knowledgeable and will definitely know how to solve it."

Xiao Pingsong nodded subconsciously, as if he had heard it, and hesitated, "Should I tell her? But what if she's unhappy?"

"I don't think she will be angry with you, but if she is, you can ask a powerful elder if you did anything wrong. If not, then if she is angry, just apologize. Pingsong, you have grown up and you should learn to judge some things for yourself." Yan Qiushu said seriously.

Song Mingdai is not the independent heroine in the novel. If she really encounters something, she will not be able to handle it, but she is stubborn and finds it difficult to open her heart to others, so she will choose to bear it herself.

At this time, Mrs. Xiao is the best person to intervene.

Xiao Pingsong frowned, weighing and thinking about whether he should say it or not.

Yan Qiushu didn't want to force him to speak, so she said, "Think about it carefully."

"Hmm! Let me think about it." Xiao Pingsong nodded seriously.

Yan Qiushu patted his shoulder and told him not to disturb him anymore. Let him think about it. She hoped that this would be the result she wanted.

It’s just strange why Song Mingdai tolerates it. You know, the Song family relied entirely on the Xiao family to get ahead.

The Jiang family is actually similar, but much better than the Song family.

Before, Madam Xiao could tolerate the Jiang family coaxing Dongdong not to go back, and even called the people from the Jiang family grandpa and grandma. Isn't that a joke to marry into the family?

It's really like a tiger that has become a sick cat. It won't even stretch out its claws to those who were once inferior to it but are now taking advantage of it.

The Xiao family is really wronged. After all, now that Prince Chang is rising again, the Xiao family will naturally also prosper.

There is really no need to be tolerant all the time. It is impossible to ask these people for anything.

Yan Qiushu suddenly had an idea. As a person who traveled through the book, she always used to think that the one who would take the throne in the future would be the prince of Jin, Zhou Zejing. So if Zhou Zejing wanted the support of the army, he had to treat the descendants of the Xiao family well.

But now Zhou Zejing is just a kid from a prominent family with a bright future.

My father is the old emperor's younger brother, but because he is only the old emperor's nephew, he can only succeed to the throne after several princes are dead.

If there is a prince who has ambitions for the throne alive, such as the Sixth Prince.

Then he can't be the emperor.

This is the way of thinking of a normal person. Apart from the deposed crown prince, the one who will ascend the throne must be one of the third, fourth, fifth or sixth princes.

No matter who ascends the throne, the Xiao family will be a thorn in their eyes. Once the Xiao family is eliminated, the younger generations of the Xiao family will find it difficult to survive unless they are protected by outsiders.

That's why Madam Xiao tolerates the Jiang family, and that's why Song Mingdai is unwilling to come back.

The Xiao family is in danger. Coming back would just mean taking the child to die. It would be better to stay outside. It would be best if I could sever ties with the Xiao family. Maybe I could survive.

But the situation is different now, and the Xiao family is no longer pretending to be sick, but Song Mingdai may not have realized it yet, so she still tolerates the Song family with her previous thoughts, does what they ask, and is willing to break away from the Xiao family.

Thinking of this, Yan Qiushu felt suddenly enlightened.

Just as she figured it out, Xiao Pingzhou, who was still in the house, suddenly ran out and went straight to the main courtyard.

When Yan Qiushu saw the child again in the evening, he felt relieved.

He obviously told Mrs. Xiao his thoughts.

Sure enough, Xiao Pingsong pulled her aside and whispered his decision to her. He told her grandmother, and her grandmother said that the matter would be resolved tomorrow morning and told her not to worry.

Tomorrow morning?

Yan Qiushu usually wouldn't go to disturb Madam Xiao except on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. But the other members of the Xiao family would go to pay their respects to Madam Xiao early in the morning. It wasn't because of any rules or etiquette, but because Madam Xiao was in poor health and they were afraid that they wouldn't take care of her in case something really happened. So they would visit her from time to time and it became a habit.

After Song Mingdai came back, she was also very well-behaved and went to pay her respects every morning.

This needs to be said in front of everyone.

Yan Qiushu suddenly felt a little worried about Song Mingdai, but as an outsider, she couldn't do anything. After thinking it over, she decided to make some food and send it over. Delicious food could always soothe her emotions.

Just what to do?

Yan Qiushu looked at Shui Yu and said, "Please ask the main kitchen for me if they can get some fresh shrimp."

Shui Yu nodded immediately: "Yes, I will go right away."

The next day

A quarter of an hour before noon, the children of the Xiao family came to the main courtyard one after another to pay their respects.

Except for Wan'er and Dongdong, who are still young, everyone else has arrived.

Xiao Huaiqi, who had been busy managing the food court recently, also showed up with Xie Qingyun. Xiao Huaiyu looked at her eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and Xiao Pingsong, and a look of surprise appeared on her pretty face: "Why are you all here?"

"I happened to get up early today, so I came to see if Ah Shu has made anything delicious. Any bit counts." Xiao Huaiqi said with a smile.

Song Mingdai was still cold and indifferent. She just nodded and sat there without saying a word.

Xiao Pingsong glanced at his mother, twisted his fingers guiltily, and just called out obediently, "Auntie."

Xie Qingyun glanced over and lingered in front of Song Mingdai for a moment before asking, "Mother, did you get up late today?"

Usually when they came, Mrs. Xiao had already been up for a while.

After all, the elderly sleep less, and there are no special activities at night. They go to bed early and get up even earlier.

Xiao Huaiyu shook his head: "I don't know either, maybe I didn't sleep well last night."

As soon as the words fell, a strong and somewhat sarcastic voice appeared: "I really didn't sleep well. My heart was upset. I was thinking about things all night, how could I sleep!"

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw Madam Xiao walking out from the inner room. She was feeling much better and didn't need Nanny Huang's support. She walked over slowly and sat in the main seat. Her serious face made people hold their breath subconsciously at a glance.

Everyone noticed that the tone of the words was not right, and their faces changed slightly. For a moment, they did not dare to respond.

It's not anything else, it's mainly about the people in front of him. Even the now quiet and introverted third lady of the Xiao family, Xiao Huaiyu, was beaten by the woman in front of him. Once she gets angry, no one dares to offend her.

Madam Xiao's slightly cloudy but sharp eyes swept over and fell on her second daughter-in-law. Seeing her slightly raised chin, her dignified posture revealed a bit of deliberately created arrogance, she snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "What's wrong? When did my Xiao family become so timid?"

Xiao Huaiqi spoke first: "Of course not, mother, what's bothering you? Tell your son about it."

"I'm wondering if my Xiao family is really in decline..." She sighed, and her voice became much lower, less majestic, and a little sad.

Song Mingdai's face changed slightly, and she tightened her hands around her abdomen.

Xiao Huaiyu hurriedly said, "Mother, what are you talking about? It hasn't come to that."

"Don't lie to me, an old lady. If it hasn't come to this, why are they all so honest? They don't know how to resist when they are bullied. Aren't they lacking confidence?" Mrs. Xiao said sarcastically.

Song Mingdai was shocked at this moment and subconsciously looked at her son.

Xiao Pingsong was frightened, his eyes looking at his nose and his nose looking at his heart, not daring to show any expression. Although he did not agree to his mother, he always felt that this was against her wishes and he still felt guilty.

Xiao Huaiqi said slowly, "How could it be? Before, our Xiao family was just dormant, and even then, no one dared to provoke us. Sixth brother has made many achievements and is still fighting against Wuta. Now that Prince Chang has come out of the cold palace and has a fiefdom, he is naturally not to be underestimated. Who dares to bully us? Mother, tell your son, and I will send someone to attack him right away."

"Yes, who is this?" Mrs. Xiao said, looking at Song Mingdai, but did not say it directly.

At this time, Song Mingdai bit her lip, slowly lowered her head, and looked at the ground, as if she was avoiding something.

"Bang!" The sound of tea being slammed down on the table by Madam Xiao could be heard. She was about to attack when Shui Yu's voice rang out: "Madam, Eldest Master, Madam, Second Madam, Third Miss..."

"Miss Yan said she made three-fresh wontons this morning, so she specially sent some over."

After saying this, Shui Yu glanced at the people at the main table with a bit of bewilderment. Why did she feel that the atmosphere was not right? But when she came over, these people clearly didn't say a word.

Madam Xiao was so angry that she was not willing to fight back that she was stuck here for a moment, her face dark and she did not move. At this time, Madam Huang tried to smooth things over: "Put it here."

"Yes." Shui Yu nodded quickly and took out the wontons with nimble hands and feet.

Chicken soup wontons, plus various dipping sauces, according to the head count book, each person gets one bowl and two extra bowls. After everything was put in place, Shui Xuan slipped away immediately.

But the appearance of the delicious food eased the tense atmosphere. At least everyone could smell the fragrance. The delicious aroma of the chicken soup was tempting enough to make those who had not eaten in the morning want to eat it.

Huang Ma Ma smiled apologetically and said, "Madam, Miss Yan's kindness is such a big deal. We can't let it go to waste. Shall we eat first?"

Madam Xiao nodded sullenly and took the lead in sitting at the dining table: "What are you still standing there for? Come and eat!"

Several people came over quickly. Xiao Huaiqi was next to Madam Xiao, Xie Qingyun was on his other side, and next to him was Xiao Huaiyu. On the other side of Madam Xiao was Xiao Huaiyu, and then Xiao Pingsong. As a result, Song Mingdai was right opposite Madam Xiao.

The two of them looked at each other, and Song Mingdai's every move became stiff, but she tried her best not to look at anyone, waiting for Madam Xiao to pick up her chopsticks, and then she started eating too.

Madam Xiao sighed, lowered her eyes and was about to eat.

Just one look and I noticed that these wontons were a little different from the ones I'd eaten before. For example, the way they were wrapped, the round wontons had a long tail trailing behind them. Several wontons lay in the pale yellow chicken broth, and as the spoon stirred, the wontons swayed in the broth, like a big-tailed goldfish swimming in water!

After a wonton was scooped up with a spoon and rolled in the dipping sauce of chili oil, the wonton, which originally faintly revealed the color of the filling, was directly stained orange-red. For Mrs. Xiao, who had a strong taste, this was very exciting.

She couldn't wait to put the wonton into her mouth. The spicy chili oil made her shiver. Then she used the tip of her tongue to eat the big goldfish tail of the wonton. When she finally bit open the wonton, she was surprised again.

The three-fresh wontons contain three things. The first thing you eat is a whole shrimp, followed by finely chopped pork and eggs. These three things are tasted one after another. The tender and elastic shrimp, the fragrant pork, and the soft egg are mixed with the spicy and salty flavor of chili oil. It is very delicious.

After eating a mouthful of wontons, Mrs. Xiao just felt her mouth was a little empty, so she took another sip of the light yellow chicken soup. Because of the fragrance of flour, the chicken soup was not greasy at all, but full of deliciousness.

She exhaled and started eating the second wonton.

Today's breakfast was too delicious. Mrs. Xiao used to have a bad taste for food, but she had been taking good care of herself recently and her appetite had returned to normal. She couldn't stop eating. After finishing one breakfast, she was still not satisfied. At this time, her eyes fell on the two extra wontons in the middle.

It was probably prepared for Dongdong and Wan'er, but the two children were not awake yet, so Mrs. Xiao just spoke up.

Song Mingdai had already noticed it and personally brought it to Mrs. Xiao.

Mrs. Xiao, feeling much better, glanced at her quietly, took the wontons and continued eating.

Song Mingdai, who was sitting opposite her, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But then Madam Xiao said, "Don't think that a serving of wontons will not make me angry. You are a member of my Xiao family. Even if I were your biological mother, if I touched you, I would be slapping my Xiao family in the face, not to mention that she is not your biological mother!"