Chapter 45 You dare to try and persuade others to drink with a drinking capacity like that? "You can even eat noodles..."

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

This day is for cleaning the house, but a mansion as large as Rongguo Mansion cannot be cleaned in one day. It is necessary to start cleaning in November and then leave the most important and ceremonial work to be done on the actual day.

All that remains of the Rongguo Mansion is the plaque above their gate that reads "Imperial Decree Rongguo Mansion".

As soon as it was light, the steward urged the male servants to carry ladders and rags and come quickly to clean.

The servant below was still a little puzzled: "In previous years, we only swept at noon, when the yang energy was at its peak."

"I don't care whether the yang energy is right or wrong. Today, the manor is hosting a banquet for the Marquis of Zhongyong. If the Marquis of Zhongyong comes just in time to sweep the plaque, I'll show you whether the board is right or wrong."

In Grandmother Jia's room, as soon as she woke up in the morning, she instructed her maid: "Send someone to call Xiren. Baoyu is growing up, and another year has passed. I want to ask her how Baoyu is doing."

At the time, she didn't pay much attention to it, but when she went to bed that night, Grandmother Jia thought about it and realized that something was wrong.

The second son's wife outwardly complied but inwardly defied her, secretly intercepting the maidservant that Baoyu was supposed to give her.

She suffered in silence; was she not allowed to ask questions?

So early in the morning, Xiren waited in the small annex of Grandmother Jia's room.

Grandmother Jia was getting on in years, and dressing, washing, combing her hair and grooming took a lot of effort, but Xiren didn't dare to say anything and waited quietly outside.

Now, even if they said they came from the old lady's house, they wouldn't dare talk to their old friends anymore.

Before long, Madam Wang, having finished getting ready, came to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia morning and evening. As soon as she entered, she saw Xiren sitting quietly on a small stool outside. She asked, "Have you come to pay your respects to the old lady?"

Xiren hurriedly stood up; she had been lost in thought and hadn't seen her mistress.

"Madam, the old lady wants to ask about Master Bao, so she asked me to come over."

Madam Wang hummed in agreement, slowing her speech to appear quite composed: "It's almost New Year's, we should ask." She added a reassuring yet cautionary remark: "I trust you with Baoyu, and I'm sure the old lady can trust you too."

After speaking, Madam Wang stepped inside, her heart filled with resentment towards her sister-in-law and her daughter. Of course, although she spoke those words to Xiren outside, when she came in to pay her respects, she didn't mention Xiren at all, and didn't even dare to say that she had seen Xiren outside.

After all, it was just her and the old lady in the house. The old lady was giving her face in front of others, but she wouldn't be so polite when no one was around.

After taking a couple of sips of ginseng soup, Grandmother Jia asked, "Are the things for the palace prepared?"

Madam Wang hurriedly replied, "Everything is prepared properly. The knee pads that cover the legs and the frame that can be worn under the clothes are all stuffed with cotton. I've tried them out, and I guarantee they will provide support without being uncomfortable or heavy. Please rest assured, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia put down her teacup and hummed in agreement, "Call Xiren in." Then she said to Lady Wang, "Although you are young, going to the palace to offer New Year's greetings will take a toll. We two probably won't have time to take care of anything else then. Other things are fine, but we need to be careful with Baoyu. If no one is watching him, he'll run wild. If we don't keep a close eye on him, he might get cold or hungry."

Madam Wang could only say, "The old lady's instructions are correct."

When Xiren entered, she bowed respectfully. Grandmother Jia had initially thought her to be honest, but now, looking at her face, she was nothing but repulsive.

How many bowls of rice does Baoyu eat in one sitting?

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang knew she was in trouble. There was no way to answer, especially since most of the time everyone was eating in Grandmother Jia's room, making it even more difficult to respond.

Xi Ren said, "Second Master usually eats one and a half bowls. Sometimes when he goes out to meet guests or to read and practice calligraphy, he can eat a few more bites. Sometimes when he stays in the room and just chats with the sisters, he eats a few less bites."

The answer was watertight, but Madam Wang was even more worried. After all, it was enough to let the old lady vent her anger. If she kept putting up with it like this, who knew what would happen in the future?

Grandmother Jia hummed in agreement and then asked, "Who made his socks? Last time I saw those cotton socks with gold embroidery that were very nice. Did you make them for him?"

Xi Ren hesitated. She could embroider and make socks, but full gold embroidery was difficult to do; if her skills were even slightly lacking, it would rub her feet raw, and she couldn't do it.

"Reporting to the old lady, it was Qingwen who made it."

Grandmother Jia chuckled, "That's about enough."

As the matriarch, she naturally couldn't speak too clearly, and besides, there was a commotion outside, which meant the young ladies had all arrived. She couldn't let them see any discord in the household.

Grandmother Jia then laughed and said, "Since you are now part of Madam's household, you can go to Madam's household to collect your things this year. You won't get anything from my household." She added at the end to lighten the mood, "Don't cry."

Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, then thought that the old lady was indeed getting old. Back then, because of the time she hit Baoyu and scolded the master, and the time the eldest master wanted Yuanyang... she thought something was going to happen, but it turned out to be just this? Just this?

"After you've paid your respects, go downstairs. Take good care of Baoyu, be thorough in your work, and make sure he's not hungry or cold. Prepare several sets of clothes for the New Year, as we'll have guests at home during the holiday, and we don't want to be impolite."

Xiren hurriedly bowed, backed out, exchanged greetings with the girls waiting outside to pay their respects, bowed again, and then returned to Yihong Courtyard.

Qingwen had already packed her bedding, and Xiren didn't dare to say anything more, only smiling and saying, "You don't need to bring too much stuff. You're only going for three months, and you'll have to come back. Have breakfast before you leave."

“I’m not leaving right now.” Qingwen looked at her strangely. “I have to go and tell the old lady first, and I also have to go and tell Second Madam Lian before I can go to Miss Lin’s place. You always pride yourself on being the most well-behaved, so why don’t you act well-behaved when it comes to me?”

Xiren smiled somewhat awkwardly: "I just came back from the old lady's place. She praised your cooking skills."

Xiren felt her tongue tumbling around in her mouth, and she didn't know what she was saying. When she came to her senses, she was already sitting on Bao Erye's bed in the inner room, silently shedding tears.

She was originally the most loyal person, and the old lady used to praise her often, but now the old lady has pushed her aside.

"Second Master..."

The "Second Master" she was referring to was drinking salty soy milk: "The taste is weird."

Jia Baoyu ate with difficulty, and Lin Daiyu felt bad seeing him like that. She pushed the bowl away and said, "I told you long ago, if you don't like it, don't drink it. It's a waste of food. Even I can't eat it."

"I want to try what flavors my sister likes," Jia Baoyu said with a smile. "It can't be considered a waste."

“Yes, it’ll be blamed on me again.” Lin Daiyu then instructed the old woman from the kitchen, “Seaweed is no good, don’t wash it so many times. We’re eating it for the seafood flavor.”

The old woman retorted, "There's sand in it."

"I'm looking for some good seaweed. The seaweed I ate in Suzhou and Yangzhou didn't have any sand, and the seaweed I ate at the Wuyue Guild Hall didn't have any sand either. Why does yours have sand?"

Upon hearing the words "Wu-Yue Guild Hall," Jia Baoyu immediately deflated. Seeing this, Lady Wang harbored even greater resentment towards him.

That's how her sister-in-law was back then. She was reckless and would say anything if she was unhappy about something, showing no respect whatsoever.

Perhaps her gaze was too sharp, for Lin Daiyu turned her face away: "Second Aunt?"

Madam Wang smiled and said, "...He is a servant who has been in the Rongguo Mansion for many years, and his family has served there for generations."

Lin Daiyu nodded: "Second Aunt is right. I'll ask my third brother for it later. He can find something I like."

"I shouldn't have asked her!" Madam Wang glared at the old woman. "She can't even make a simple savory soy milk!"

Before breakfast was even finished, Lady You from the Ningguo Mansion next door, along with her daughter-in-law Lady Hu, came to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia.

Madam You smiled and said, "I came here today specifically to ask you, Old Madam, what are our plans for the New Year? Will it be the same as before? We have acquired quite a few delicacies this year, and we would like to invite you to a couple of meals."

Grandmother Jia glanced at Wang Xifeng subconsciously. Wang Xifeng smiled rather sharply. This matter had been arranged long ago. What did it mean that Madam You came to ask again?

Did Sister You send someone to complain?

Lady You slightly avoided Wang Xifeng's gaze, then straightened her back. Who was more inferior than whom?

"It was all arranged long ago? Didn't we discuss it the other day?" Wang Xifeng said with a smile, "But Brother Zhen has a new idea? Wants to change the process?"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Speaking of which... let's postpone this year's banquet by two days. I and the others are going to the palace to express our gratitude and also to see the Imperial Concubine. We need to rest when we get back, as we're afraid we won't be in good spirits."

Madam You was startled. The old lady had been on leave for several years, so why was she going back this year? Could it be... that the Imperial Concubine was pregnant?

This is fantastic news!

However... Madam You looked around and realized that it was indeed not a good idea to publicize this. Not to mention that the pregnancy was not even three months along and the fetus was not yet stable, this was the heir of the emperor, and no amount of caution would be excessive.

"Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law?"

Madam You suddenly came to her senses, only to see Wang Xifeng coming over with a smile and taking her arm: "Go and see your sister. I suspect she's not well, and you're worried about her."

Madam You laughed awkwardly: "What's there to see? With you taking care of me, what do I have to worry about? I'll just sit here with the old lady and chat with her."

She didn't come for her stepsister, nor for the banquet—she was sent here early in the morning by Jia Zhen.

"Why didn't they invite the Marquis of Zhongyong next door? Take Rong'er and her husband to pay their respects and sound him out."

But Lady You had neither talent nor eloquence, especially compared to Wang Xifeng. She couldn't think of any good ideas. In any case, Jia Rong had already gone to find Jia Lian, so she might as well sit in Grandmother Jia's room. She would have the reputation of being filial to the old lady, and she wouldn't be afraid of gossip. She could also deal with Jia Zhen when she got back.

Wang Xifeng was annoyed that she had tripped her up, so she said again, "Why don't you go and see Fourth Sister? She probably didn't see you just now, and she left. You two don't see each other often, and it's the New Year, so you should send the things you brought for her over."

Madam You's smile became even more awkward, and even Grandmother Jia couldn't bear to watch. She said with a smile, "Feng'er, go to the kitchen and see. We're having guests today, so don't let them neglect our distinguished guests, and don't let it delay our lunch."

"Who would dare?" Wang Xifeng laughed. "I'll go and keep an eye on them right now."

As Wang Xifeng came out, she happened to meet Qingwen, who had come to report. Wang Xifeng said, "Everything has been arranged for you. After you have paid your respects, go find Ping'er."

Qingwen quickly agreed.

After she kowtowed to Grandmother Jia to pay her respects, she went to Wang Xifeng's courtyard to find Ping'er.

Ping'er smiled and said, "I've arranged for you to stay in the servants' quarters outside the west gate of the Grand View Garden. Miss Lin's maids and servants all live there. It's a two-courtyard house, and there's a spare room in the back courtyard. The maids and servants of the Second Miss, Third Miss, and Fourth Miss live next door."

Qingwen knew that Xiaoxiang Pavilion was the smallest in the entire Grand View Garden, and apart from those who worked the night shift, the maids and servants all lived separately.

But bigger isn't necessarily better. Take Yihong Courtyard for example. Although it's a large place, the maids only have one bed. But when they went to Miss Lin's place, they were able to have a room.

After thanking Ping'er, Qingwen went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

She had been running around all morning, and it was almost noon when she went in. Miss Lin was doing her hair and makeup. When she saw her come in, she smiled and said, "You should rest first. Marquis Zhongyong will be here soon. I can't take care of you right now."

Xueyan brought tea to Qingwen and said with a smile, "In a little while, I'll have Cui Mama accompany you back to get your bedding. The young lady said you don't need to work the night shift, so you can just focus on your embroidery. Come over at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, one hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Sometimes the young lady has other things to do, so you can do whatever you want. The young lady also said that the hand cream she gave you last time is almost used up, so this is a new one."

Qingwen immediately felt like she was dreaming. She said, "I'll go and familiarize myself with the place first. It's not appropriate to ask others to bring me tea or water on ordinary days."

Lin Daiyu arrived at the front yard.

Jia Lian was already waiting there, and next to him was Jia Rong, who looked dejected and whose head was practically touching his chest.

Whenever Jia Rong thought of the Marquis of Zhongyong, the memory of that day when he ran four laps and felt like he was living a life worse than death came flooding back.

He didn't want to come, but his father forced him to, so what could he do?

Jia Lian could tell he was uncomfortable, but since Brother Zhen had spoken, he had to listen to him for a bit. However, it wasn't a big problem; he could easily find an excuse to get rid of him in a moment.

As for Jia Baoyu, on whom the Xue family had placed high hopes, he was still chatting and laughing with Grandmother Jia in her room, leaving Xue Pan alone lingering at the courtyard gate.

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai can go through this gate to the Jia Mansion, but he can't; he can only wait here for someone to bring Jia Baoyu here.

At 3:45 AM, Mu Chuan arrived at the gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Looking up, I saw that the plaque had been wiped clean, and the vermilion gate was very bright. The copper nails on it had also been polished again, so much so that they seemed to reflect a person's image.

Mu Chuan dismounted and said to Jia Lian, who came to greet him, "Not bad. It's much cleaner than it was a few days ago."

Jia Lian couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of hint? Clean? Was he referring to Zhou Rui or the Second Master? But since he had come to the banquet, they could always talk about it.

"Third Brother."

"Daiyu." When speaking to Lin Daiyu, Mu Chuan's tone softened considerably: "Isn't it cold outside? Why didn't you bring a hand warmer?"

"I'll be going in in a bit." In front of others, Lin Daiyu seemed a little embarrassed, and her smile was quite shy.

"By the way, I asked my godfather's two nieces to bring the New Year's gifts they sent you."

Behind Mu Chuan was Granny Shen, whom he knew very well. She stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "I'll take some people to escort her to the young lady's room."

With others around, Lin Daiyu lowered her voice: "What did they give me?"

“Needle and thread. And Qing Shuang Gu Teng tea,” Mu Chuan replied.

"What is this?"

"Last time you said you love drinking tea, but only light tea. However, if you drink it after noon, you can't sleep well at night. They specially found this, a specialty from the two lakes region. The mountain people call it 'moldy tea,' and drinking it helps you sleep better."

"What did they send?" Lin Daiyu glanced at him. It was clearly sent by her third brother through someone else.

With outsiders present, Lin Daiyu didn't want others to hear, so she stood close and spoke softly. Then she laughed again, and Jia Lian already sensed something was wrong.

He had spoken with Wang Xifeng privately more than once. If Lin Daiyu and Fenghuangdan were to marry, the maximum amount would be 30,000 to 50,000 taels of silver. However, if Lin Daiyu were to marry outside the family, the amount might not even reach 300,000 to 500,000 taels.

After all, the Lin family had held the title for four generations, Lin Daiyu's mother was the only legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, and her father had served as the Salt Commissioner for six years. Who would believe that she only had three to five hundred thousand taels of family property?

Just considering the dowry the old lady gave her daughter when she married off, the dowry, both publicly and privately, amounted to no less than 100,000 taels of silver. And the Lin family had four other mistresses with such generous dowries.

Jia Lian felt increasingly uneasy. He turned his head and saw that Jia Rong was also staring intently in that direction.

Oh no, the Ningguo Mansion knows too. Jia Lian felt he had to play dumb now. He nudged Jia Rong and said with great dissatisfaction, "What did you say just now? Why are you acting stupid again now?"

Jia Rong snapped out of his daze and stammered as he stepped forward to salute: "General."

Lin Daiyu's smile faded, and she stood to one side. Mu Chuan was not pleased, especially upon hearing the way she was addressed—

"You are..." Although he didn't know this was Jia Rong at the time, he should know now. "Long Jinwei." Before Jia Rong could speak, Mu Chuan asked him, "Eunuch Dai said he has already informed you to practice standing meditation, and also told you to practice boxing and running on your own. How is your practice going?"

No, is this what you came here to ask?

Jia Rong was completely dumbfounded. What the hell had he practiced?!

"General, this humble servant..."

"I'm here right now, you can start practicing your stance first, let me see how it goes." Mu Chuan pretended not to have heard anything. Putting aside his honest and reliable face, given his current position, no one would dare to fool him.

Jia Rong stood there silently. He now remembered: Eunuch Dai hadn't failed to come; what had he said? He couldn't resign; he had to practice diligently. And then what?

Later, he heard that the general had become the commander of the Northern Camp. Not only him, but also his master and several other Imperial Guards who were still in contact with him felt that he would not be coming back.

Who knew he would actually track me all the way to my house!

He actually delivered it right to their doorstep!

"Look at you, so spineless!" Mu Chuan scolded. "Get out of here!"

Jia Rong bowed, didn't even raise his head, and ran off. Anyway, he had shown his face, so he could explain it to the master.

Jia Lian felt increasingly uneasy. Although he had prepared himself for difficulties, who could smile naturally at a time like this?

"Please come inside, sir."

Mu Chuan looked at Lin Daiyu, who nodded. This attention made her feel a little wronged, and she whispered, "I didn't eat enough this morning."

"Perfect timing." Mu Chuan took out a small oil paper package and handed it to her. "I had them make honey-glazed pork jerky. Don't worry, there's more sugar than salt, and it's marinated in honey. It's been slow-roasted at a low temperature overnight. I just got it. Try it and see if you like it."

Jia Lian could only pretend not to see it. But then he thought, although he didn't talk much with his sister, he'd heard that Phoenix Egg and his third sister were very close, and that his third sister even embroidered him intimate clothing, so... maybe it was normal?

The three entered the room, and a maidservant brought tea and snacks.

Not only did Mu Chuan find Jia Lian a nuisance, but Lin Daiyu also thought he was superfluous.

"It's alright." Lin Daiyu took a small bite and chewed carefully. "The flavor has penetrated it, and it's roasted just right. It's not so soft that it's not chewy, nor is it so hard that it hurts your teeth."

Although this was the first step for the Rongguo Mansion to befriend the Earl of Zhongyong, the Earl of Zhongyong did not see it that way.

Zhongyongbo has his own plans, and he also has his own scheming woman to play.

"Where is Jia Baoyu?" Mu Chuan asked with a smile. "I gave him two sets of armor. How is his training going? Since he knew I was coming, why didn't he come to pay his respects?"

The old lady hadn't told him about this beforehand.

Jia Lian was uncertain again. These words did sound like something an elder brother should say, especially since the question concerned their family's phoenix eggs.

Just as Jia Lian was about to ask someone to call Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu stopped him, saying, "He hasn't been feeling well these past two days, so don't call him. If he's not feeling well, you'll only get angry if you see him like this."

What's going on here? Jia Lian couldn't understand it again. It seemed to make sense, since he didn't want his good-for-nothing lover to meet his brother, but... something just felt off.

Since Lin Daiyu had spoken, Mu Chuan didn't call him anymore: "Let's talk about it next time."

He gestured to Jia Lian, who quickly smiled and said, "Bring me some wine. I've prepared a few kinds of light wine; please see which one suits your taste, sir."

Although Wang Xifeng came back and said, "Don't use strong liquor, you can't outdrink them," Jia Lian was still a little unwilling. He had been drinking since he was a child and had been drinking for more than ten years, so he added two kinds of strong liquor and told the Earl of Zhongyong to choose for himself.

The servant brought up the wine jars, and Mu Chuan looked at them one by one, then smiled and said, "Autumn Dew White, I suppose. I've heard that this wine has a different taste at the beginning, middle, and end, with extremely rich layers, and you can taste the flavors of summer, autumn, and winter. I'm going to have a good taste today." Of course, there was another reason: this wine is considered a strong spirit.

Especially since what Rongguo Mansion prepared was definitely top-quality, it must have been at least 45 degrees or higher.

The food and wine were served quickly, and Lin Daiyu sat down next to Mu Chuan.

He had initially asked her to stay and talk for a bit before leaving, so Jia Lian didn't say anything more. He just wanted to wait until Lin Daiyu left before calling in the musicians to play the zither and sing. That would be the perfect time to drink and gradually guide the conversation to more in-depth topics.

Jia Lian personally took the wine pot and poured the wine, saying with a smile, "Please, sir."

"Hey." Mu Chuan blocked him with his hand: "How long will it take to drink from such small cups? Are you reluctant to part with the wine? Bring a big bowl. Since you said you wanted to drink properly, I'll drink with you until we're both drunk!"

Jia Lian was filled with fear; he couldn't drink that much! He couldn't drink from a bowl.

...But this is only the beginning, and he can't very well have a servant take his place for the first cup—no, the first bowl. Besides, although he has prepared several servants and maids who can drink, the Rongguo Mansion has never had the custom of drinking from bowls since ancient times.

"Come on! Cheers!" Mu Chuan downed a bowl first, then glared at Jia Lian.

That look in his eyes... made Jia Lian feel that if he didn't drink enough, this Marquis Zhongyong would grab him by the neck and force-feed him the wine himself.

"Cheers!" Jia Lian shakily raised his bowl and clinked it against Mu Chuan's empty bowl, then downed the bowl of wine.

Burning! Scalding! Dizzy! Jia Lian felt hot all over, and one bowl made him dizzy.

To be fair, his alcohol tolerance isn't that low, but today's situation is special. He hadn't even warmed up or gotten excited yet, and before he'd even eaten a bite of food, he'd already downed a bowl of wine.

Lin Daiyu sat with her head down, not saying a word, only counting the patterns on her skirt. Third Brother was acting again, which was quite funny.

Mu Chuan poured two more bowls of wine, using his usual tricks: "Deep feelings, bottoms up! Come on, drink!" As he spoke, he also gestured to Lin Daiyu: "Eat whatever you want, no one has touched this dish yet."

These words made people want to laugh even more. Lin Daiyu already understood what he was going to do. She smiled at her third brother and thought to herself that she would eat with him later.

Jia Lian downed another bowl of wine, his eyes already glazed over. Was this how people drank in the military camp?

"Three bowls and you're done! Drink this bowl and you can fight a tiger!" That's right, three bowls will definitely get you over a pound of meat; most people really can't do that—

Jia Lian fell asleep on the table.

Mu Chuan sighed and looked helplessly at the servant beside him: "Help your second master inside to rest."

"Bring some more honey and hot water," Lin Daiyu instructed.

The servant assumed it was prepared for the Earl of Zhongyong to sober up and didn't pay much attention.

When the food was brought over, Mu Chuan instructed, "You all stay outside and serve. I'll call you if anything happens. Take good care of your second master."

The servants also had their own thoughts. They were all Jia Lian's men, and if they really carried the drunken Jia Lian back, they would only be scolded. So, the servants carried Jia Lian to the outer study, put him down, fed him some hangover soup, and waited for him to wake up.

In the dining room, Lin Daiyu had already stood up to look at the row of wine jars.

Mu Chuan felt a sudden chill run down his spine: "What are you going to do?"

Lin Daiyu smiled, revealing two small dimples: "Shall we mix some mead to drink?"

"Daiyu..."

Lin Daiyu turned her head and smiled: "Third Brother, do you want something sweet too? Try it, you said last time that if you try more, you might like it."

"Summer's yeast, White Dew's water, autumn's brewing, buried underground for at least three years, this is Autumn Dew White Wine. Third Brother, I toast you."

Lin Daiyu was drinking wine with water and honey added, which was probably only around ten degrees alcohol by volume. Mu Chuan was relieved, as the yellow wine he usually drank was about the same alcohol by volume, and besides, she was drinking it from a small wine cup.

"Yuquan wine is brewed with water from Yuquan Mountain, and it's said that sesame seeds are added to it. Hmm, I can't taste the sesame seeds."

“And this bamboo leaf green tea,” Lin Daiyu said curiously. “It contains a lot of medicinal herbs… but it doesn’t smell like herbs at all.”

That's right, at least a third of the cup is honey, you'd be a fool if you could taste the honey.

That look made Lin Daiyu laugh: "If I don't make it into mead, I'll get drunk."

Jia Lian brought eight kinds of wine, and Lin Daiyu tasted a small cup of each before obediently sitting down to eat.

"I had a terrible morning," Lin Daiyu said aggrievedly. "I wanted to drink salty soy milk, and everyone said they wanted to try it, but they all looked like they had eaten something, and they were just about to throw it up. I didn't eat much of it."

"You put sugar in your noodles and want your soy milk to be salty?"

"You don't put sugar in your fish, but you want your soy milk sweet?"

Lin Daiyu laughed after she finished speaking, but then she remembered that Baoyu had asked her to eat salty soy milk with him that morning.

It's genuine, but it doesn't make people feel comfortable.

"Third Brother, what will you do if I want to eat savory soy milk?"

“Then let’s eat. We’re quite well-off, so you can eat one bowl and throw the rest away if you want. Wu Yue Guild Hall should have some, shall we go and try it sometime?”

Lin Daiyu then pressed on, "And what about you? Do you eat salty soy milk?"

Mu Chuan said, "I eat sweet things, and some fried dough sticks soaked in the broth. Salty soy milk...tsk tsk."

"Sweet soy milk is...tsk tsk!"

"Your taste is too niche." Mu Chuan sighed helplessly. "But it's not a big problem. Our family has power, influence, and money. We can take good care of you. Even if you want to eat stinky mandarin fish, I can make room for you. There's also a separate kitchen."

"Stinky mandarin fish doesn't smell bad, it smells good!"