Xu Shaoqing did go out with her second sister the next day. But no matter where they went, her second sister followed.

Now she was even more certain that the matter of exchanging sachets had been exposed.

She became much more sober and realized that her mother definitely did not like Gu Ting.

She was still resentful that Gu Ting hadn't come to propose marriage; perhaps he had come long ago but was rejected by her mother.

Upon considering this possibility, Xu Shaoqing's face turned pale, her hands trembled slightly, and suspicion arose. She scrutinized every detail.

However, she was wrong about one thing: Gu Ting really hadn't come. Would he dare to come?

Even now, his eagerness to leverage this opportunity is all part of his plan to get Xu Shaoqing to insist on marrying him.

Then I can clear myself completely, gain benefits without incurring Jiang's resentment.

It was clear that not being able to meet her was a worrying matter, and he wasn't even sure of Xu Shaoqing's current attitude. Would she even look at someone like him, who was only a fellow Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)?

After all, the two had only met a few times. He gave her a lamp, and they met a few more times in a teahouse to discuss their studies. They felt they had something to talk about, so they exchanged sachets.

He was certain that Xu Shaoqing had feelings for him, after all, even after he went to the countryside, the two exchanged letters through the teahouse. They even met during the Dragon Boat Festival.

But then such a big incident happened, and the steward of his inner courtyard was sold off, which made him very scared.

Although he passed the imperial examination this time, there weren't many families of high social standing willing to marry into his family. Otherwise, he would have given up on Xu Shaoqing.

Feeling bored, they took Lin Mu to Youxiang Pavilion. Coincidentally, when Lin Mu parked the car in the backyard, he saw the carriage of the Anbo Mansion.

Gu Ting was overjoyed; it must be Xu Shaoqing who had come here, as she often enjoyed listening to storytelling here.

Youxiang Pavilion is a high-class teahouse with two floors, the second floor of which is divided into private rooms.

The first floor is like a typical teahouse, with individual private booths, one seat and one table.

Gu Ting didn't go up to the private room on the second floor. Instead, he sat in the lobby on the first floor. When the storyteller got to a certain point, he tossed a ten-tael silver ingot.

The waiter's cheers and thanks echoed throughout the teahouse, and Xu Shaoqing knew that Gu Ting had arrived.

Xu Shaojin was secretly annoyed. Why was it so unlucky?

"Sister, I have a headache. It's been an hour. Why don't we go back to the manor? I heard they make pearl meatball soup today."

“Alright, I’ve heard this ‘Guozhi Pinghua’ before, but it wasn’t very interesting. Let’s go.” Xu Shaoqing led her out through the back door.

Just before getting into the carriage, she made an excuse that she had forgotten a handkerchief in the private room and asked Guixiang to fetch it.

After hearing this, Guixiang hurriedly went upstairs. Although the handkerchief was not embroidered by the young lady, it still had her name embroidered on it, and it absolutely could not be left in the teahouse.

When Gu Ting came out after the opera, he saw a note casually tossed on the carriage and couldn't help but smile smugly.

Xu Shaoqing had written the note long ago, just in case she ran into Gu Ting. Even if they couldn't meet, at least she could send a message.

………………

Marquis Xu Wei of Anbo also attended the Qionglin Banquet. During the banquet, he took a liking to several young men from different families and has been focusing on examining their character and family background in recent days.

Jiang was urging him urgently, and he had been neglecting everything else lately. Finally, today he handed over the list of four Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to his wife.

He planned to hold a banquet at home, invite people over, and find an excuse to let his wife and daughter see it too.

It just so happens that his younger brother's eldest son also passed the imperial examination this year. The Anbo family is not as chaotic as the Marquis's family. Unlike his second master, who is old and still refuses to separate from the family.

Therefore, Madam Jiang treated her younger brother's family very well, so Madam Jiang was happy to see Xu Shaohua hold the Qingfeng Banquet at the Earl's Mansion.

Not to mention that he also invited four people favored by the Earl, so that they could take this opportunity to see them.

Gu Ting also found out that Xu Shaohua was hosting a banquet for guests at the Earl's house.

This is a fantastic opportunity, but I heard that only a dozen or so people were invited here and there.

He wasn't on the list of invitees, but the Crown Prince did receive an invitation.

He went to find Gu Che, hoping to persuade Gu Che to take him to the Earl's mansion.

While others might not know why the Second Madam had thrown such a tantrum last time, Gu Che knew perfectly well why.

Looking at this younger brother from the next room, one can only think that he is crazy. How could Aunt Jiang's daughter, who was raised with utmost pampering, agree to marry him?

Thinking this way, she didn't mince words and directly refused him.

"Third brother, you don't know, Uncle Xu's invitations for this banquet were decided long ago. He doesn't send invitations to people who don't meet his standards."

If I were to rush forward rashly, wouldn't that be rude and impolite?

Gu Ting's expression changed, realizing that Gu Che must have heard a lot of gossip, and this was a subtle dig at him!

He chuckled inwardly, wanting to say something to ease the tension and save face, but he was truly furious.

So he simply raised his hand in a fist salute, turned around, and walked away.

Unable to get a foothold from his own elder brother, he sought opportunities among the invited scholars; he was determined not to give up.

He actually found a bookworm, and after deliberately befriending him, the two of them had several drinks together.

He deliberately tried to get information out of the bookworm, and then pretended to envy the bookworm's visit to the Anbo Mansion, coaxing the bookworm into agreeing to take him along.

…………………………

In the small kitchen, Wang Yan sat on a small stool listening to Aunt Sun talk about the banquet the young masters had attended.

"Will there really be fish on the table? Burn the fish tail!"

"Of course there will be fish, but we don't know if it will be cooked or not. We will take the raw fish, cut it into several pieces, and make it into several dishes."

Speaking of fish, Wang Yan was also craving some. She decided to make some braised fish in her backyard.

I bought two dead fish from the main kitchen; their eyes were rolled back. They were so cheap, and Fatty Wang had practically killed them.

Disassemble the fish in half, removing the bones as well. Cut the fish bones into small pieces, add scallions, ginger, cooking wine, a spoonful of pepper, and a spoonful of cornstarch. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok until it reaches about 70% of its maximum temperature. Fry the ingredients until they change color, then remove them from the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and some chili powder. They're fragrant, crispy, and delicious; everyone kept munching on them.

While they were eating the fish bones, Wang Yan took the split fish and made a homemade grilled fish.

I marinated the fish bones with scallions, ginger, garlic, cooking wine, and pepper, and now it's ready.

Add oil to the pan, sprinkle with salt, and slowly fry for a while until the fish skin is golden brown. Then flip it over and repeat the same steps. Finally, remove the fish from the pan.

Next, I started to stir-fry the ingredients. I poured some more oil into the pot, added scallions, ginger, garlic, a small jar of sauce from the main kitchen, and a lot of chili powder.

After stir-frying for a while, add some water, not too much. Once the water boils, add the previously chopped side dishes, tofu skin, vegetables, mushrooms, etc.

Once the vegetables are slightly cooked, top them with the grilled fish and continue grilling.

Several people gathered around the stove, each taking a bowl to share the food. It was spicy and delicious, and they ate the fish clean.

There was no question of burning the tail or not; they just fried it all up and it went straight into their stomachs.

They ate every last bit, not even the tail. Even the fish bones were crispy and delicious, and everyone became addicted.

Finally, the fish entrails were thrown out, and two cats gnawed them clean, leaving not a single crumb.

The other fish was eaten the same way the next day, and that evening they had another meal together, naturally including the fish eyes. Grandma Sun said it was delicious and had the young girls share it all.