Having enjoyed a night of passion, Lu Yanping and Yang Meiqin slept soundly in each other's arms, completely absorbed in their love. Hearing the shouting and cursing outside the courtyard, Lu Yanping rubbed his sleepy eyes. He felt the shouting sounded somewhat familiar! Just as he was about to get up, a pair of jade-like arms pressed down on him. Yang Meiqin's eyes were filled with seductive allure: "Never mind her, sleep a little longer!"

Li rushed forward aggressively and saw the two people embracing each other; it was indeed her son Lu Yanping and Yang Meiqin.

Li felt dizzy and picked up a stool from the room, throwing it at Yang Meiqin. Yang Meiqin rolled over and hid in Lu Yanping's arms. Li couldn't stop the stool in her hand, and Lu Yanping screamed in pain as he was hit. When he came to his senses, he found his mother looking at him with a heartbroken expression.

Lu Yanzhao hurriedly put on his clothes, speaking incoherently: "Mother, things... things aren't what you think."

Li ignored her completely and angrily pointed at Yang Meiqin, cursing, "You slut, you actually seduced my son!"

Yang Meiqin stood up, the ambiguous marks on her neck instantly exposed. She calmly picked up a piece of clothing and put it on, saying to Li Shi as she did so, "Since you're here, then pay for your son's prostitution!"

Li was furious: "You're such a dirty person, even if you get something for free, who are you going to ask for money from? I'll beat you to death!"

After saying that, he stepped forward to pull Yang Meiqin's hair, but Lu Yanping grabbed him and said, "Mother, you mustn't hit her."

Li's eyes widened in shock: "My son! You're actually going to protect this prostitute!"

Lu Yanping avoided eye contact and remained silent with his head down.

"Heavens and earth, you are blind! My son has been bewitched by a vixen who has been with a thousand men!" Li was heartbroken and sat down on the ground, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face.

After crying for a while, Li Shi realized that Lu Lao Er was hiding outside the door and hadn't followed her. She yelled at the top of her lungs, "Lu Lao Er, pull your son away from me! I'm going to beat this little whore to death today!"

Lu Lao Er, who was hiding outside the door, glanced at her. He didn't go in, but instead cursed from the doorway: "You damned woman, you're only happy when you ruin Yanping, aren't you? Howling like a ghost in the middle of the night, if you attract the neighbors, I'll see how ashamed you are. If Yanping is ruined, I'll beat you to death."

Li's cries stopped abruptly. Yes, making a big fuss would damage her son's reputation. Yanping still needed to find a good marriage partner. If people found out that Yanping was having an affair with a prostitute, what decent family would want to marry him?

Li glared at Yang Meiqin hatefully, then grabbed Lu Yanping by the ear and dragged him away, saying, "You brat, I'll deal with you when we get home."

Yang Meiqin scoffed, gathered her fallen clothes, walked to the door, and said to Lu Lao Er, "Lu Lao Er, keep an eye on your crazy wife and dog son. Don't come looking for me again, or... I might accidentally let something slip!"

Li's heart skipped a beat: "What inappropriate things should I have said? What else?"

Lu Lao Er looked away guiltily, not daring to look at Li Shi.

Lu Yanping, whose ear was being twisted, also found Yang Meiqin's words somewhat intriguing. Shouldn't she be warning him to keep his parents in check? Why was she warning his father?

"You stinking woman, get home right now! You haven't caused enough trouble yet? If you say another word, I'll beat you to death!" Lu Lao Er grabbed Li Shi's arm, and Li Shi stumbled and almost fell.

"And you, you brat, come back with me. I'll deal with you when we get home."

And so, Lu Yanping was dragged home by his parents, one on each ear.

Yang Meiqin snorted coldly and turned to go back to her room.

She's going to be a concubine someday, so let's indulge ourselves one last time tonight.

The thought of not being able to hang out with Lu Yanping anymore made her a little reluctant. After all, Lu Yanping was young, physically strong, and good-looking, with a slight resemblance to Lu Yanzhao in his features.

So what if she can't have Lu Yanzhao? He's just a poor scholar. She should think about how to win over Master Wang's heart.

...

Early the next morning, Gu Nanjiao, Lu's mother, and her younger sister hurriedly headed to Changyang Street.

As Gu Nanjiao passed by the entrance of Nanxiang Academy, she was attracted by the simple and elegant architecture. The vermilion gate was tightly closed, making it unique and quiet.

A plaque bearing the inscription "Nanxiang Academy" hangs above the main gate, said to be in the handwriting of the current emperor. A couplet also hangs on either side of the gate: "Only in Chu are there talents, and here they flourish."

The script of the Chu Dynasty was equivalent to traditional Chinese characters. Although Gu Nanjiao did not recognize all of them, she could guess. As long as she recognized one or two characters, the rest would not be difficult to guess.

Gu Nanjiao pointed to "Nanxiang Academy" and said, "Mother, this is the academy where Yanzhao studies."

Lu's mother nodded, her eyes filled with amazement. It was the first time she had ever seen the college her son attended, and she hadn't expected the architecture to be so unique, almost like a sacred place, making one feel as if one dared not profane it.

Lu Xiaomei's eyes lit up: "I really want to study there. My brother is so amazing, studying in such a big academy."

Looking at the eyes of the mother and daughter, Gu Nanjiao vaguely realized that it seemed like she hadn't seen Lu Yanzhao for half a month.

The group didn't linger and quickly returned to their stall to display the ingredients.

Nanxiang Academy has a dedicated canteen, but it is not entirely under closed management. After school at noon, students are free to move around and eat as they please.

Setting up the stall here, Gu Nanjiao was quite satisfied. Her family no longer had to brave the wind and rain. When she wasn't busy in the afternoon, she could even help out at Jiaoniang Pavilion. As for whether she could see Lu Yanzhao, that was none of her concern. Her mind was entirely focused on making money.

Lu Xiaomei suddenly asked, "Mom, do you think Brother will be angry if he finds out we set up our stall here? Will his classmates laugh at his family for running a street stall?"

Lu's mother paused, she hadn't thought of that yet.

Although Gu Nanjiao hadn't spent much time with Lu Yanzhao, she had a feeling that he was a spiritually rich and broad-minded person.

"No, your brother isn't the kind of person who's greedy for vanity. He's broad-minded and has a big perspective. He doesn't care what others think, so don't worry."

Mother Lu breathed a sigh of relief. Yan Zhao had always been independent and never felt inferior because of other people's opinions; she had been overthinking it.

Lu Xiaomei quickly teased Gu Nanjiao with a smile: "Sister-in-law, so my brother is a magnanimous and broad-minded person in your heart."

Gu Nanjiao's ears turned red: "I... go away, little brat, go away, don't bother me while I'm working."

"Mom, look, my sister-in-law's face is all red. I think she probably misses my brother."

Gu Nanjiao...

Mother Lu smiled with satisfaction and said to her younger sister, "Stop teasing your sister-in-law, hurry up and help with the work."

Since the target consumer group is mostly students, Gu Nanjiao added the previously mentioned noodle rolls as well.

Gu Nanjiao was in charge of the bullfrogs and rolled noodles, Lu's mother was in charge of the braised meat and spicy strips, and Lu Xiaomei was in charge of helping the two of them.

As noon approached, the streets gradually filled with people. Gu Nanjiao set up the stove and placed the large pot on it. The stove was left by the old man who used to roast sweet potatoes; it was quite large, so Lu's mother bought a large pot and put it on top of it.

Heat the oil, add scallions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant, then add the semi-finished bullfrog and stir-fry. Soon, the rich aroma spreads far and wide, attracting the attention of passersby.