Standing to the side, Gu Shi watched this scene with her eyes reddening. She stepped forward and said, "We were planning to go back to Qingshi County at the end of the year, but we didn't expect you to arrive in the capital before us. Zhaozhao, could you stay a little longer this time so that you can finish celebrating the New Year in the capital?"

Although letters were exchanged on a regular basis, dry paper could never compare to the warmth of a living person standing in front of you.

Meng Zhao let go of her hand and stepped forward to hug Gu Shi. "Godmother, don't worry. We have plenty of time to talk now. I plan to open a shop in the capital. I've already talked to my parents. They'll come over in two months after I'm settled here. We'll definitely be able to celebrate the New Year together this year."

Upon hearing this news, the Shen family was overjoyed. Madam Gu took Meng Zhao's hand and said, "Come in, let's sit down and have a good talk."

Meng Zhao entered the main hall with Huang Cui and the others. Madam Gu pulled Meng Zhao to sit down and asked with concern, "Zhao Zhao, what kind of business are you planning to do in the capital?"

"I originally wanted to open a restaurant, but when I got to the capital, I found that each restaurant in the city had its own unique characteristics, and I really didn't have much confidence."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu said firmly, "How could that be? I've eaten so many of your dishes, don't I know your skills? You're much better than the chefs in those restaurants."

“That’s right, my sister’s cooking is the best!” Shen Qingyu nodded repeatedly.

Meng Zhao covered her mouth and smiled, "Although delicious food is very important, it's not enough to open a restaurant. Location, supply, taste, reputation, and competition from peers are all complicated. I still have a lot to learn."

Shen Qingze was very excited and said, "Then let's go out and have a look with our sister! We know all the restaurants in the capital."

“Yes, yes, let’s go together! We’ll take my sister to the capital for a stroll.” Shen Qingyu nodded in agreement.

However, as soon as the words left their mouths, Shen Qinghe gave them a cold glance, and the two immediately fell silent, wilting like eggplants hit by frost.

Meng Zhao noticed the problem and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Shen Qinghe looked at the two of them and said in a cold tone, "You two tell me yourselves."

Helpless, the two lowered their heads and slowly explained what had happened.

It turned out that it was caused by the exercise book that Meng Zhao had sent him as a trick. When Shen Qingze received the book, his head was about to explode, but Meng Zhao said that he had to finish it, not to mention that he had to hand it in to his second brother for inspection. He asked Shen Qingyu for help, but Shen Qingyu refused to help him, so he could only ask the teachers in the academy for help.

As a result, when the teacher saw the booklet, he treasured it as if it were a precious gem. He studied it every day and became so engrossed in it that he would occasionally give a few questions as homework to the students in the academy.

Hearing this, it seemed there was no problem. Meng Zhao asked, "What's wrong? I just wrote that booklet casually. It's fine if I give it to someone else."

Shen Qinghe remained silent with a cold face, her gaze still fixed on the two standing there. Seeing this, Shen Qingyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, "The questions in that booklet were too difficult. All our classmates were complaining endlessly, and then, and then..."

Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

"Then we compiled the answers and sold them in the academy. When the teacher found out, he was very angry and said that we were corrupting the academy's atmosphere. He ordered the two of us not to go to the academy for ten days."

Meng Zhao asked with concern, "So how much money did you make?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe frowned, turned to look at Meng Zhao, and seemed to ask: Is this the important point?

Shen Qingyu lowered her head, her voice even softer, "Two...two hundred taels."

Now it was Meng Zhao's turn to be surprised. Her eyes widened. "How much? Two hundred taels! My goodness! Are all the students in the academy this rich?"

Shen Qingze curled his lips, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction: "More than half of it is Ji Huai's money, but he's the stupidest one. I told him to deliberately write a few wrong answers, but he did it all right and even mixed up the questions. If it weren't for him, the teacher wouldn't have noticed."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe's face grew even colder, and his tone became stern: "You made a mistake, and you still have the nerve to blame others? The academy is supposed to be a place for studying and practicing calligraphy, but you've turned it into a business, even holding auctions!"

Shen Qingze muttered under his breath, "We were thinking that if everyone answered correctly, it would make the teacher suspicious, so the highest bidder would have to win."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe frowned deeply and became even angrier.

Meng Zhao listened from the side, secretly amused. These two kids were quite clever, knowing that things are valued for their rarity. It was just a pity they had encountered someone who could even copy answers incorrectly.

Meng Zhao sat quietly to the side, listening to Shen Qinghe scolding people with a cold face. Gu Shi quietly leaned close to Meng Zhao's ear and whispered, "It's no wonder Qinghe is angry. The headmaster of that academy is quite famous. It is said that many of his students are officials in the court. Qinghe went through a lot of trouble to send the two of them there, and then he made such a scene."

He paused, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, and continued, "That day, the academy came to invite someone, but I didn't dare to go. I waited for Qinghe to come back and let him go. I heard that Qinghe was scolded by the dean for a long time, and many people saw it."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but picture the bustling crowd in front of the academy gate, with Shen Qinghe standing at the entrance, his head bowed as the dean spoke to him. No matter how learned he was, he was powerless to refute the dean's words. If someone at the academy gate recognized him as the top scholar of the current dynasty, Shen Qinghe would probably want to crawl into a hole in the ground.

Thinking of this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but burst out laughing. Everyone in the room looked at her, and even Gu Shi, who had just been standing next to her, moved aside.

Meng Zhao was extremely embarrassed. She knew that when others were disciplining their children, it was best for outsiders not to interfere, let alone laugh out loud. She immediately shrank her neck and said, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something else."

After saying that, she quickly put on a stern face and looked at Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu with feigned seriousness, "You two, what you did was really inappropriate. When classmates encounter problems, you should patiently answer them. How could you take money to tell them the answers? I have to criticize you severely for this."

Shen Qinghe snorted coldly, shifting his gaze from the two children to Meng Zhao's face, his tone carrying a hint of meaning: "Don't rush to criticize them, you have something to do now too."

Meng Zhao was taken aback, pointed to himself with his index finger, and asked in confusion, "Huh? Me? What's wrong with me?"

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