Chapter 200 Trouble Comes from the Mouth

Seeing that Liu Qianrou was completely confused, Daiyu felt somewhat frustrated.

Yuan Hongqu smiled and continued the conversation.

"Miss Liu, remember this: loose lips sink ships."

"If you don't know how to speak, then just talk more with your family and speak as little as possible with outsiders."

"You won't offend anyone, and you'll also avoid being used by those with ulterior motives to make a fuss about what you say."

Liu Qianrou didn't understand anything else, but she did understand Yuan Hongqu's instruction to "speak less."

“What my sister and Mr. Yuan said is true, I’ve remembered it. But Lin’s sister and I are different. She’s more like family than family to me. I don’t have to put in so much effort to talk to her, thinking about what I can and cannot say.”

"Alright, Sister Liu, I'll listen to whatever you want to say."

Although Daiyu was touched that Liu Qianrou treated her like family, she also felt somewhat helpless when she thought about Liu Qianrou's unrestrained way of speaking.

However, dealing with Liu Qianrou, who is completely innocent and without a trace of guile, is actually quite easy.

Liu Qianrou pulled Daiyu to see the seafood she had brought.

“Little sister, the steward from the seaside sent over a lot of seafood today. It tastes sweet and delicious. My mother said that no little girl would like this kind of thing and told me to give you something else. But I thought you would like it, so I brought some for you.”

As she walked, she gestured to Daiyu.

"There were long prawns, some fish, and huge crabs, some as big as soup bowls. There was also a flat fish, shaped like a fan, which was really ugly. It was spread out in a basin, and one fish took up the whole basin..."

“That strange big fish… could it be a spirit?” Daiyu exclaimed in surprise.

"I don't know either. When they brought it over, they said it was found by pearl divers. They tasted it and thought it was better than any fish we'd ever eaten before, so they sent it over."

Liu Qianrou's tone carried a hint of pride. Lin Daiyu had never seen such a fish before, and she could finally show off.

"Does Miss Liu's family own a manor by the sea?" Yuan Hongqu was also very curious, although she knew that what she was talking about was probably turbot.

“My family’s ancestral home is in Bohai, and we’ve been in Beijing for several generations, but we’ve never abandoned our hometown. My grandfather said that’s where our family roots are,” Liu Qianrou said earnestly.

These words didn't sound like Liu Qianrou's usual way of speaking; they sounded like she had memorized them, clearly someone in her family had taught her.

Sure enough, she said the next sentence.

“My dad made me remember this since I was little. I had to recite it many times every year, otherwise he would beat me. He really beat me. He usually only beat my brother, never me. He was very ruthless. One hit of the ruler and my hand would swell up like a bun.”

Liu Qianrou was still shaken as she spoke, and Daiyu listened intently, when suddenly Liu Qianrou asked her very seriously:

"Lin Daiyu, does your father hit people?"

After asking, Liu Qianrou looked Daiyu up and down, and then spoke again.

"With your small frame, let alone hitting you, even a slightly louder voice could scare you."

“My father doesn’t hit people, and he never yells at me to scare me,” Daiyu said quickly. “Sister Liu, I’m not someone who falls over with a gust of wind. I’m not so easily frightened.”

The group chatted and laughed as they went to see the seafood that Liu Qianrou had brought.

Although Daiyu was well-traveled and knowledgeable, under the influence of Yuan Hongqu, she had also seen a lot of things from both China and abroad.

However, there were quite a few types of seafood that Liu Qianrou brought that she didn't recognize.

However, the maidservants who accompanied the Liu family introduced each of them and even gave them recipes explaining the cooking methods.

That's truly rare.

Although most of them are braised or blanched, the original red lotus has other ways to cook these seafood.

Cod should be pan-fried, and turbot should be steamed after removing the muddy taste.

Prawns are best boiled, or they can be made into prawn paste and served in a soup with some seaweed, which is also very delicious.

With so many mussels and scallops, it would be a waste not to make a pot of seafood congee.

The mackerel was quite large. We scraped off the fish meat with a spoon, mixed it into filling, and wrapped it into small dumplings.

The giant cuttlefish was used to make ink sacs, which were then mixed with dough. The cuttlefish meat was used as filling to create cuttlefish soup dumplings that were as black as the night sky.

Another option is to make a refreshing stir-fried squid flowers.

There were also quite a few small tentacles on the cuttlefish, which Yuan Hongqu skewered with bamboo sticks and grilled on a charcoal stove.

...

The other fish, like sea bream and yellow croaker, were also prepared well by the head chef in the kitchen, so we left the cooking to them.

The Lin family is having dinner early tonight.

Originally, Yuan Hongqu only intended to make some snacks with seafood for them to eat and have fun, but she never expected to make so many.

Snacks have become dishes on the main dining table.

As expected, Daiyu and Liu Qianrou were both stuffed after the meal.

The two strolled around the lake to digest their food, chatting as they went.

"Daiyu, are you going to study at the girls' academy?"

"A girls' academy?" Daiyu felt that she had heard about girls' academies quite a few times recently.

She looked up at Granny Yuan.

Yuan Hongqu smiled.

"Miss Liu, we only came to the capital last year and don't know much about girls' academies. Why don't you introduce them to us?"

"Granny Yuan, I can't explain it clearly. Let Songhua explain it to me." Liu Qianrou pulled the maid who was following her, presumably this maid was her mouthpiece outside.

Songhua was eloquent and told them about the Beijing Women's Academy.

Originally, the girls' academy was divided into two parts. One part was extremely difficult to get into, with very few places available. It was taught to noblewomen and the subjects were very complex.

After completing their studies, the girls had to pass the girls' academy's exams, and only those who passed would be issued graduation certificates.

In Yangzhou, having a graduation certificate from a girls' academy was almost equivalent to having a stepping stone to marry into a wealthy family.

After arriving in the capital, although the first class of students at the Capital Women's Academy has not yet graduated, they already knew upon enrollment that the Capital Women's Academy's graduation certificate was of higher value.

With this graduation certificate, the selection process in the palace can proceed directly to the final step, allowing the individual to freely choose whether to enter the harem or become a female official.

Female officials had ranks and salaries, but were not considered part of the imperial palace staff.

This part of the tuition is extremely expensive and is beyond the reach of ordinary families.

Moreover, there is an entrance exam, and the academy will not accept anyone who fails the exam.

However, the other part of the girls' academy enrolled women from ordinary families.

The girls' college would teach them a skill.

For example, delicate handicrafts suitable for women, such as embroidery and weaving.

This part of the program takes anywhere from one to two years, and the tuition is cheap. If you work hard enough, you can even get a tuition waiver or win a scholarship.

You can earn money by reading books.

Women who graduate from here are highly sought after.

Liu Qianrou's family wants her to attend a girls' academy, but she's afraid she'll have a hard time passing the entrance exam.

"My mother said she'll go and beg the Empress to give me a special status, so I can get a prestigious position at the girls' academy..."

Liu Qianrou felt that even if she were gilded, it wouldn't change anything.

For a character like Lin Daiyu, adding a layer of gold is the icing on the cake.

As for myself, I am like a lump of mud; even if I am gilded, my essence cannot be changed!