Meng Zhao pouted and looked at Xu Yunrong, "Mom, you're kidding me!"

Xu Yunrong said with a smile, "Not at all, I just share the good times and the bad."

The three exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with relief. Luckily, Meng Dashan had only made three; otherwise, they really wouldn't know what to do with the rest.

Seeing that it was almost time, Meng Zhao asked Meng Dashan to take out the milk that had been placed in the ice room, turn it upside down on the cutting board, cut it into neat strips, coat it with egg wash, and then roll it in breadcrumbs. As soon as the milk strips coated with the egg wash slid into the oil, many fine bubbles appeared instantly, and the air was filled with the aroma of milk.

Just as I was about to get a plate, I suddenly noticed two more people in the kitchen. "Qingze and Qingyu? When did you two get back? You didn't even say anything."

Shen Qingyu stuck out her tongue: "I was so focused on frying things that I was afraid I'd startle you if I suddenly made a sound and burned your hand." She leaned closer curiously, "What are you frying, sister? It smells so good."

Meng Zhao placed the golden and crispy fried milk strips onto a plate: "Fried milk, come and try it. This stuff tastes best when it's fresh out of the fryer."

"Fried milk?" Shen Qingze's eyes widened. "Isn't milk for drinking? Can it be deep-fried?" He carefully picked up a piece, its golden crust still steaming.

"You'll know once you try it," Meng Zhao said with a smile.

The two took a bite with some skepticism. The outer breadcrumbs were crispy and delicious, while the milk inside was incredibly tender. It melted in their mouths with just a gentle touch of their tongues, and a rich milky aroma immediately filled their mouths.

"That's amazing!" Shen Qingyu exclaimed in surprise, "How did you do that, sister?"

While stirring the milk strips in the pot, Meng Zhao explained, "I added starch to the milk beforehand to make it solidify slightly. However, the milk is still soft and can't be picked up with chopsticks, so I put them in the freezer to freeze. While they're frozen solid, I cut them into strips, coated them with breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried them. Although milk softens when heated, the breadcrumbs prevent them from falling apart during frying."

The two of them each ate two pieces and were still a little hungry. Seeing this, Meng Zhao quickly stopped them: "Just eat two pieces to try it. This stuff gets cloying easily if you eat too much. Besides, we still have dinner tonight. Don't be too full to eat later."

Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu obediently shut up and took the still-steaming fried milk to share with the others. In no time, the plate of fried milk was finished. The two rolled up their sleeves and began to help Meng Zhao and the others.

Watching Shen Qingze chop vegetables with such skill, Aunt Li couldn't help but marvel: "Oh my, I never would have guessed that young master Qingze has such talent. In two years, his knife skills will catch up with this old woman's."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingze proudly raised his chin. "Aunt Li, don't be unconvinced. I've been helping my mother and sister in the kitchen since I was six. These skills didn't come from nothing." As he spoke, he casually picked up a white radish. "How about I carve a flower for you?"

"Oh my, you're such a lovable child!" Aunt Li smiled from ear to ear.

Hearing this, Meng Zhao turned around, her eyes filled with a hint of doting: "You're getting all worked up after just a few words of praise? Be careful not to get too carried away, or you might cut your hand."

Shen Qingze retorted, "How could that be! My skills are excellent!" With that, he picked up a radish and began to carve patterns.

Anyway, there were enough people at home, so Meng Zhao didn't bother him and let him do as he pleased. She then turned to Shen Qingyu, who was picking vegetables, and asked, "Qingyu, have you delivered the things I asked you to give to Master Zhuge and Dean Gu? Did they like them?"

Shen Qingyu looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Master Zhuge ate the mille-feuille cake my sister made and was in a great mood. When we got off school today, he told us to enjoy the Lunar New Year in peace and not to assign us any homework!!!"

Seeing Shen Qingyu's excited expression, Meng Zhao found it amusing. It seems that, regardless of time or place, having no homework during holidays is always an extremely happy thing.

Shen Qingyu continued, "Dean Gu wasn't at the academy today, so I gave the items to his wife. I also explained that these pastries didn't contain sugar. After tasting them, she said they were fragrant and not greasy, and even asked if Mingxianglou sold them."

Meng Zhao replied with a smile, "Then next time you can tell the Dean's wife that Mingxianglou has all these pastries, and she can go there anytime she wants to eat them."

Although people in ancient times married and had children early, the dean and his wife were already grandparents and only in their fifties, so they still had to be careful about sugar and oil. Therefore, Meng Zhao specially made several sugar-free and oil-free pastries and sent them over.

When Meng Zhao returned from Mingde Academy for the first time, she wondered if she should inquire about the identities of the people who had been there that day, but she didn't say anything when Xiao Chuan came over.

After all, that meeting was purely coincidental. Everyone got together simply to discuss arithmetic problems. If I were to go to the trouble of finding out their identities after I got back, it would seem opportunistic. Besides, it would be a bit awkward if they found out.

Therefore, every time Meng Zhao went to Mingde Academy thereafter, he would completely relax and focus solely on academic exchange.

However, as time went on, she inadvertently learned the identities of some people. For example, the straightforward man in the indigo robe, whom others called Song Siye, was known to Meng Zhao after she mentioned him to Shen Qinghe. She learned that he was a second-class Jinshi in the tenth year of Yongning. Like Shen Qinghe, he first entered the Hanlin Academy and then went to the Imperial Academy, where he stayed for many years.

In the Imperial Academy, the Chancellor was the principal, and the Vice-President was equivalent to the vice-principal. Although their official positions were not high, only the sixth rank, it was the highest institution of learning, and their status was not low.

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