Chapter 70 Holiday

Xue Qingyao never expected this outcome. Her father wasn't someone who cared much about food or drink, so why was he so stingy? Was it because he liked Boss Wei so much that he liked the things she gave him? That was indeed a bit pitiful.

Xue Huai'an had no idea that his daughter was saying he was stingy behind his back. He picked up the flower basket, placed it in the most conspicuous spot in the room, and examined it closely for a while.

"How is it? Is the melon sweet?" Song Yushu asked as soon as Xue Huai'an came over.

"It's sweet! Boss Wei, you'd better not ask my dad. He didn't even dare to eat it..."

"Qingyao, you go out and play first."

The two felt a little awkward in the room, but Song Yushu finally spoke up: "You should eat those fruits as soon as possible, they won't last long. If you like them, I can send you more later."

"Well, the academy will be on holiday in a while. How about I bring Qingyao over to stay for a while then?" Xue Huai'an asked tentatively.

"Sure, but you have to let me know in advance when you're coming so I can reserve two rooms for you, otherwise you might not be able to find a place to stay."

Song Yushu's farmhouse only has ten wooden cabins for guests to stay in. The number of guests varies, but since the academy is on holiday, there should be quite a few students coming. She is worried that there will not be a place for Xue Huai'an to stay.

"Qingyao knows us..."

"No, I only told her I like you, and she actually felt sorry for me," Xue Huai'an said with a helpless smile.

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Could Yu Shu offer me some compensation?" Xue Huai'an asked with a smile.

Song Yushu stared at him for a while, then, as if possessed, kissed his face.

"I'm going downstairs first," Song Yushu said, kissing Xue Huai'an before heading downstairs without giving him any chance to react.

"The Dongpo pork is almost ready. Where did you go just now?" Sister-in-law Wei asked as she came in.

"I asked Master Xue about Chengyu's situation," Song Yushu said, having found an excuse.

"So, how do you think this child will be able to take the exam next year?" Mother Wei asked after hearing this.

“He has made great progress this year, so he should be out of action next year,” Song Yushu said. He knew Zhou Chengyu’s situation well, and Xue Huai’an would occasionally tell him about Zhou Chengyu’s situation, so he came to this conclusion.

"Oh my! Chengyu is probably going to pass! Didn't those students say that Master Xue is the strictest teacher? If he can praise our Chengyu, then he must be good." Sister-in-law Wei and Mother Wei were very happy to hear this. After all, the Wei family's children couldn't sit still at all. None of them wanted to study. They had already started following their father around, learning how to butcher pigs.

If Zhou Chengyu can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, it will fulfill the Wei family's wish. After all, a grandson is still a grandson, and no one can say that the Wei family's bloodline can only be a butcher.

"This is nothing, so don't go around telling everyone, lest it put pressure on the child," Song Yushu said, afraid that the two of them might spread the word.

"You still don't trust us? I promise I'll keep my mouth shut!"

That day, the Dongpo pork took a little longer to sell, and Song Yushu assumed that Xue Huai'an had gone back. Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he saw Xue Huai'an leading Xue Qingyao downstairs.

"Why haven't you gone back for so long this time?"

"There are some things I wanted to tell you, but who knew you'd run off so fast," Xue Huai'an said, his tone unusually tinged with resentment.

This made Song Yushu feel a little embarrassed, after all, it was indeed wrong to run away after making a fuss about Master Xue.

"I heard you have a partnership with Taixing Restaurant?"

"That's right, we signed a contract, don't worry."

"Yes, the Xu family is powerful, but the third young master of the Xu family is here to gain experience and will return to the prefectural city soon, so there is no need to worry too much," Xue Huai'an knew that she had a conflict with the people of Taixing Restaurant, but he did not expect that she would choose to cooperate with Taixing Restaurant this time, so he asked a few more questions.

"You waited so long just to say this?"

"Of course not, I just wanted to remind you not to run away after kissing someone next time," Xue Huai'an said in a low voice to Song Yushu before stuffing something into her hand.

"This person is really... how come he prepared something again?" Song Yushu muttered, seeing that he had already boarded the carriage and there was no way to return the things in his hands.

Upon opening the wooden box, she found a finely crafted silver hairpin. Considering that there were already more than ten pieces of jewelry given to her by Xue Huai'an in the room, Song Yushu felt a mix of emotions. She was naturally happy to receive gifts, but these gifts were too expensive, and she couldn't help but feel a little burdened.

Ten days later, Zhou Chengyu was indeed given a holiday, but the weather had become even colder, and snowflakes occasionally fell outside.

At first, just as Song Yushu had expected, the students of the academy spent several days having a great time at the farmhouse before leaving.

But fewer people came after that, because the weather was too cold and fewer people came out to do outdoor activities.

It was at this time that Xue Huai'an brought Xue Qingyao over.

"Leaving your old lady alone in the house, wouldn't that be..."

"No, Mother is old and has difficulty walking. She doesn't go out much in winter. There are maids in the mansion to take care of her, so nothing will happen," Xue Huai'an explained carefully to Song Yushu.

"That's good. You've come at just the right time. I made some milk tea today, so you can have a taste."

Nowadays, there aren't many guests, and Song Yushu can't stay idle. When Wei's father brought over some goat milk, Zhou Chengzhu thought the goat milk had too strong a taste, so she used it to make milk tea.

Xue Huai'an had heard that some nomadic tribes drank milk tea, but he didn't expect that Song Yushu also liked it. However, after tasting it, he found that the taste was different.

"I used black tea, so it won't disturb your rest tonight," Song Yushu said, seeing that Xue Qingyao liked it, so he poured her another cup and added her favorite brown sugar pearls.

"Delicious!" Xue Qingyao instantly fell in love with the sweet and hot milk tea, and the pearls became her favorite.

"Of course, this is my favorite drink. But if you hadn't come, my mother wouldn't have made it for me today." Zhou Chengzhu had become quite familiar with Xue Qingyao. Occasionally, Xue Qingyao would go to the wooden house to help her sell snacks. The two were about the same age and had a lot to talk about. They always had endless things to say to each other.

“No matter how delicious it is, you can’t drink it every day. There’s sugar in the milk tea. If you drink it every day and get fat, don’t come crying to me.” Song Yushu knew that Zhou Chengzhu was vain and loved money. A few days ago, she had told her that her face had become rounder, but then she begged her to make milk tea. She kept changing her mind.

Zhou Chengzhu was shameless and didn't feel embarrassed at all after her secrets were exposed. She pulled Xue Qingyao to her treehouse.

The room was already lined with mats. There weren't many snacks for sale these days, which freed up a lot of space. The two of them sat on the thick blankets, closed the wooden door, and started chatting.

"Chengzhu, what are you saving up so much silver for?" Xue Qingyao looked at her friend with curiosity as she started fiddling with the abacus again.