Chapter 112 Steamed Cake

Qiao Mianmian said that Qingjiu only cares about two things: what to eat every day and how Lord Lu is doing.

However, Zheng Sanhua was not good at cooking, so Qiao Mianmian would come over every afternoon when she had free time to learn how to make snacks.

Qiao Mianmian likes to cook, so she makes some for her family every day. Zheng Sanhua helps out by bringing some Qingjiu with her every day.

After eating it for three days in a row, Qingjiu finally came to her senses. Looking at the steamed cake Zheng Sanhua handed her, she asked again, "Is this really for me? Not for me and the master?"

“Yes, this is just for you. You can share it with Lord Lu if you want.” Zheng Sanhua looked at Qingjiu with a smile. “Today’s steamed cake has red dates in it, so it’s sweet. I knew you could eat it, so I brought some extra.”

Zheng Sanhua was not like an ordinary young lady; even when facing someone she admired, she was not shy. "Take it back and eat it quickly. I'm going back now."

Zheng Sanhua smiled at Qingjiu and ran home.

She skipped home, saw her father sigh, pursed her lips, and pretended not to hear.

“Other girls are all reserved, but you insist on delivering the food yourself. Sanhua, can you really manage like this?” Zheng Ming said with a worried look. “I think Qingjiu is probably too stunned to come to her senses.”

Jiang also said, "Yes, Sanhua, Qingjiu doesn't seem to have developed feelings for her yet."

“He didn’t notice me before, but now I have to hang around him a lot for him to notice me,” Zheng Sanhua said. “I have to be more diligent. If he pays attention to me, that would be the best of both worlds. But if I really can’t, then forget it. There are so many good men in the world, I’ll just pick someone else.”

Sister Mianmian said, if you like something, you should take it seriously, otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life.

Hearing his daughter speak so bluntly, Zheng Ming sighed again, "You, I'm blushing. Stop talking about this, I'll go and talk to Lord Lu right now, otherwise what others say will affect you."

Seeing that it wasn't dark yet, he hurriedly went out.

At this moment, Qingjiu stared blankly at the steamed rice cake on the table.

Seeing that Qingjiu hadn't drunk any of his wine, Lu Zhao asked, "What are you doing?"

"My lord, why do you say that Miss Sanhua is like this?" Qingjiu still didn't understand. "She said she would only give it to me, but if I wanted, I could share it with you? Why only to me?"

Lu Zhao had figured it out, but seeing Qing Jiu's puzzled expression, he opened his mouth, but felt that saying more would be a waste of breath.

Cuizhi came over and said, "This is Sanhua's way of showing her affection for you."

"A sentiment? What sentiment?" Qingjiu stared wide-eyed, looking at Cuizhi, then at her master, before suddenly blushing. "She...she wouldn't...not have taken a liking to me?"

"You've got no brains!" Lu Zhao was too lazy to say anything. When he got up to go back to his room, he saw Zheng Ming coming. He thought Zheng Ming was there to find Qingjiu, but then he heard Zheng Ming call out "Lord Lu".

Lu Zhao walked over and asked, "Uncle Zheng, are you here to see Qingjiu?"

"No, I came to see you." Zheng Ming glanced at the courtyard, then stepped over the threshold and went to the door. "Sanhua has caused you trouble these past few days."

“No trouble at all. Qingjiu really enjoys the things that Miss Sanhua brings.” Lu Zhao saw Zheng Ming’s evasive eyes and knew why Zheng Ming had come. “Qingjiu and I grew up together. He’s a simple person. He’s genuinely good to whoever he’s good to. Actually, I also want him to have a good marriage, but I consider Qingjiu family. His marriage is up to him to decide.”

Lu Zhao made his stance clear, so as to give the Zheng family a psychological preparation.

Zheng Ming understood what Lu Zhao meant after hearing his words. "It's like this: although the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words are very important, both the man and woman must agree before that. I just don't know when Young Master Qingjiu wants to get married?"

"this?"

Lu Zhao glanced back at Qingjiu, "I'm afraid we'll have to work on it a bit more. You know, Qingjiu isn't that clever."

For others, "not clever" might be a derogatory term, but for Lu Zhao, it was a compliment to Qingjiu.

Because she's not very clever, Qingjiu only has eyes for him and is only kind to those around her. Of course, someone like Qingjiu needs a smooth and kind-hearted partner, otherwise she's easily fooled.

Zheng Ming nodded, "Yes, I understand. I'll take another look."

He paused, then added, "By the way, Lord Lu, you know about my family's situation, don't you?"

“I know that Qingjiu has no parents. If he can have a stable home, I will be happy for him.” Lu Zhao had also been in contact with the Zheng family for a while and understood their character. Zheng Ming and Jiang Shi were honest people, and Zheng Sanhua was very clever.

The two stopped there, and Zheng Ming went back.

Lu Zhao smiled as he went to close the door. When he returned, he saw that Qingjiu hadn't eaten the steamed cake yet. "What, don't you want to eat?"

He even swallowed hard when he saw Qingjiu.

"I want to eat it, but... but I won't eat it anymore." Qingjiu seemed to have made up her mind.

Why?

"I will absolutely not have any romantic feelings before you get married, my lord!" Qingjiu said. "I cannot abandon you and be affectionate with someone else. You will always be the most important person to me!"

Lu Zhao was speechless, then took a piece of steamed cake and stuffed it into Qingjiu's mouth. "Here's some for you, so eat it. It's rare for someone to take a liking to you, so savor it. As for my affairs, you don't need to worry about them, understand?"

The steamed cake was sweet, with a texture similar to pork skin jelly, and it was icy cold. Qingjiu swallowed it unconsciously.

Before he could react, his master had already gone back to his room. Qingjiu stared blankly at the steamed cake on the table.

"It's getting late, Qingjiu, you should go to sleep early." Cuizhi smiled, thinking that Sanhua was very special and had good taste.

"Cuizhi, wait a minute. You're a girl too. If you had someone you liked, would you act like this?" Qingjiu was still confused.

Cuizhi said no, she was a maidservant raised by the old lady and couldn't do such a carefree thing. But seeing Sanhua like this, she suddenly felt a little envious. Even the Zheng family was helping Sanhua. "Marriage is not easy. Think it over carefully. If you are interested in Sanhua, you can get engaged first. The master is not young and won't make you wait too long."

If the adults continue to delay, the old lady will not agree. After the New Year, she received another letter from the old lady, asking about the adults. She had been taking care of the adults every day, and the only girl she could hear from the adults was Miss Qiao Wu.

As for Miss Qiao Wu...

Cuizhi thought for a moment. She couldn't be sure of her mistress's intentions yet. If her mistress really had feelings for Miss Qiao, the old lady might not agree so easily.

After regaining her composure, Cuizhi returned to her room and looked at the insoles she had made. She hesitated to give them away, and after much deliberation, she finally put them in a drawer.

She still couldn't be as straightforward as Sanhua Girl in expressing her feelings.

That night, Qingjiu had an unusual insomnia. When he woke up the next day, the dark circles under his eyes were very obvious. He wasn't on duty that day, and he wandered around in the courtyard, where he heard the voice of Miss Qiao Wu.

"Qingjiu, did you like the steamed cake from yesterday?" Qiao Mianmian saw Qingjiu in the courtyard and, curious about her thoughts, peeked out from behind the door.

"It's delicious, but..." Qingjiu stopped mid-sentence. He couldn't tell anyone about Sanhua Girl.

But she should know that Miss Qiao and Miss Sanhua are close friends?

"As long as it tastes good. Today I'll teach Sanhua how to make egg rolls, so you can look forward to it. Adding some meat filling to the egg rolls will not only make them taste better, but also give them the aroma of eggs and meat." After saying that, Qiao Mianmian waved to Qingjiu, "I'll go first... Oh, Lord Lu, good morning!"

Lu Zhao got up early to practice boxing. After washing up, his hair was still wet and hanging down his back. When he saw Qiao Mianmian greeting him, he suddenly froze.

"Lord Lu, have you eaten steamed rice cake?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

Lu Zhao said he hadn't eaten. He tidied his hair and suddenly regretted not drying it before coming out.

"I'll bring you extra egg rolls today, please try some," Qiao Mianmian said. "I'm leaving now, see you later!"

The steamed cake from yesterday looked delicious. Lu Zhao felt a little disappointed when he learned it was only for Qingjiu.

Now, when he heard Qiao Mianmian say she was bringing him egg rolls, a smile had already crept onto his lips before he even realized it.

"My lord, Miss Qiao said she brought you egg rolls today too. Does she also have feelings for you?" Qingjiu put himself in her shoes, and when this came up, he didn't dare to see Miss Sanhua today.

He thought the young lady was quite nice, but he never thought about anything romantic. Besides, he said that he wouldn't get married unless his master did.

Qingjiu's words made Lu Zhao tense up instantly.

After a while, Lu Zhao said, "Don't talk nonsense. Miss Qiao probably just wants to thank me."

“If it’s about the Han siblings, the Qiao family not only treated us to a meal but also gave us braised meat, so there’s no need for further thanks.” Once she had the idea, Qingjiu couldn’t stop. “Actually, Miss Qiao the Fifth is a very good girl. She can cook, she’s beautiful, and she’s sweet-talking and knows how to charm people. Everyone in the alley praises Miss Qiao the Fifth. But you probably can’t be with Miss Qiao the Fifth; the old lady won’t agree.”

He shook his head as he spoke, "Who knows, the old lady might come to arrange another marriage for you in a few days."

"If you have nothing to do, go fetch water to wash the floor." Lu Zhao snorted and turned to go inside.

In fact, Qiao Mianmian thought that since Zheng Sanhua came to her every day to make food, she should also send some Qingjiu to Lu Zhao, just so she could stick close to Lu Zhao's coattails.

Moreover, she was in a good mood talking to Lu Zhao. After all, chatting with a handsome guy, just looking at him, makes one happy.

As for other things, Qiao Mianmian had thought about them, but her mother had said that if the Xu family had any designs on her, they would have come to her parents long ago.

The same applies to Lu Zhao. If Lu Zhao were interested in her, he would definitely take action, but to this day, Qiao Mianmian hasn't felt that Lu Zhao treats her any differently.

It's one thing for Qiao Mianmian to like looking at handsome men, but when it comes to marriage, she also feels that being well-matched in terms of social status is very important.

Ancient times were different from modern times; one couldn't just date without getting married. If she could, she would probably take the initiative to pursue Lu Zhao; at least dating a handsome guy would bring her some happiness for a while.

In the afternoon, Zheng Sanhua arrived carrying a basket of eggs. "Sister Mianmian, I'm here!"

Qiao Mianmian had already prepared the meat filling. When she saw Zheng Sanhua arrive, she smiled and pulled her to the kitchen. "I saw Qingjiu this morning. He said the steamed cake was delicious. Even if he's not the most quick-witted person, he should be able to understand your feelings."

"Then tell me, should I confront him about it?" Zheng Sanhua said that her father went to see Lord Lu yesterday evening.

“I think we can wait a bit longer, because Qingjiu won’t have any ideas so soon.” Qiao Mianmian had just finished speaking when her second sister-in-law came in and said that Lord Lu had arrived. “What’s he doing here?”

Cao Yuan said she didn't know, "Lord Lu brought a box of things, which looked very exquisite, and said it was a gift for the women in our family."