Although the Zhu family was not a very wealthy family, they were still quite well-off. Because they only had one daughter, Zhu Jiayu, she had always been well-fed and clothed.
For example, the wontons eaten at home have a rather complicated filling process. First, the meat is chopped, then mixed with various seasonings and side dishes. There are also some intricacies involved. Finally, the wontons are wrapped and then cooked in a rich and smooth chicken broth.
But the wonton stalls on the street don't have so many rules. The soup for cooking the wontons is just water, with maybe a little oil and some chopped green onions. The filling is mostly fatty meat, and you can't eat more than a few before you get tired of it.
But in their past life in Yujing, they had a particular fondness for eating wontons on the street. The reason was simple: when they had nothing, they had eaten wontons together several times.
Eating bland wontons reminds her of the days when the two of them supported each other, and she no longer feels bitter about the present.
Later, because of this incident, she was ridiculed by those noble ladies many times. They said she was a monkey in a crown, and even if she wore fine clothes, she would never be one of them, because she couldn't get rid of her shabby spirit. They had never seen any lady from a powerful family like to eat at a street stall.
However, after the news spread that Princess Duanhua had gone out of the palace incognito and was eating pancakes on the street, some people said that Princess Duanhua was compassionate towards the people, some said that Princess Duanhua was down-to-earth, and some said that the vendor must have been very skilled. For a time, noble ladies in Yujing even sent people to buy them, as if anyone who hadn't eaten them would lose face.
At that moment, she realized that the fault lay not with her, nor with the wontons, but with prejudice and human nature.
But she didn't want to cause trouble for Rong Heng, so she didn't argue with them. She just never ate wontons on the street again. Occasionally, when she felt sad, she would order someone to pack some and send them to her residence.
When Rong Heng saw this, he laughed and said, "If the food prepared by the cook is not to your liking, just tell the steward to dismiss him and invite someone else. Why make yourself suffer by eating such food?"
She thought he was being considerate of her and was secretly happy for a long time.
Looking back, he realized that the days of sharing joys and sorrows were long gone, and only she remembered. What was precious to her was nothing more than a bowl of unpalatable food to him.
But the wontons were not wrong.
No matter how much she hated that person, there was no reason for her to take it out on the food. Perhaps it was because the people and things she hadn't seen in so long felt new, and she hadn't eaten this kind of food in so long, so she wanted to try something new.
Qiu Lingyan already felt uneasy, and seeing her dazed expression, she couldn't help but push her: "Alright, alright, I'll go eat with you. Why are you acting so pitiful? Who do you think you're trying to soften up for?"
She pulled Zhu Jiayu down from the carriage and said crisply to the wonton stall owner, "Boss, two bowls of wontons, please!"
"Alright!" the owner replied loudly, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he brought over two bowls of wontons. "Please be careful, they're hot."
Just like the wontons in Zhu Jiayu's memory, the rough earthenware bowl was filled with milky white broth, with small, crepe-like wontons lying inside, and oil droplets and chopped green onions floating on the surface of the soup.
She started eating.
Seeing her take a bite, Qiu Lingyan also picked up her chopsticks, stirred the food in her bowl, and after a lot of mental preparation, finally tried one.
After chewing for only two bites, she lowered her head and spat it out, saying with a bitter face, "This is so awful!"
She began to regret that she had been so soft-hearted as to come and eat this damn wonton with Zhu Jiayu.
Zhu Jiayu also put down her chopsticks.
Yes, it tasted awful.
How come I used to enjoy it so much?
Qiu Lingyan said she was blinded by greed, but she was the one who was truly blinded by greed.
Otherwise, how could she have hopelessly and cowardly clung to a tainted relationship for so many years?
She put down her chopsticks, and just then, Qiu Zhuqing and his brother found them. She said to Qiu Lingyan, "If it tastes bad, don't eat it. I used to think it was delicious, but not anymore."
Qiu Lingyan felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and looked at Zhu Jiayu with tears of gratitude. On the one hand, she felt that her little cousin had really had a hard life. Just from the fact that she thought the wontons were delicious, it was enough to tell what kind of hard life she had lived in the past!
The four of them traveled together, and as usual, Zhu Jiayu remained silent. She let Qiu Lingyan hold her hand and listened to their conversation.
"I just don't understand. My second brother is clearly a first-rate writer of poetry and essays at the academy, so why does the teacher always only praise Song Yushan? Today is no exception. What is it about my second brother that makes him inferior to Song Yushan?"
This is Qiu Songdao standing up for Qiu Zhuqing.
Qiu Lingyan then acted as a peacemaker:
"Oh dear, it's nothing, don't be angry. Isn't Song Langjun a recognized talent at your Bailu Academy? In that case, isn't it perfectly normal for the Dean to praise him? And even if he's only slightly inferior to Song Langjun in the Dean's eyes, that's still quite impressive, isn't it?"
This time, not only Qiu Songdao, but even Qiu Zhuqing's gaze towards her changed.
After looking at her for a long time and confirming that her sister had only said it unintentionally, Qiu Zhu shook her head slightly: "Although there is no first place in literature, there is only one top scholar in the provincial examination each year."
Although the Qiu family can be considered a family of officials, the highest rank that his grandfather and his father ever achieved was only the fourth rank.
There was no other way; the Qiu family had a weak foundation. Firstly, they dared not get involved in factional disputes, and secondly, they were not worthy of the emperor's attention. Being able to become a fourth-rank official was already a great blessing.
But Qiu Zhuqing's gaze was not fixed on the fourth rank. He was intelligent from a young age and was willing to work hard in this field. His teachers all said that he would definitely become a pillar of the nation in the future. His grandfather, on his deathbed, also hoped that he could open up a new future for the Qiu family.
He was unwilling to spend decades studying diligently, only to end up as a lowly fourth-rank official. While his rank appeared high, his situation was actually precarious, constantly hampered by others. Those above him kept a close eye on him, but those below him paid him no heed.
He had seen far too much of the human condition and the ways of the world. For him, if he was going to do something, he naturally had to do it to the best of his ability, or at least not be so pathetic as to suffer mistreatment everywhere.
Of course, he never thought his grandfather was a coward. It's just that the world is like that, forcing people to be unable to stand up straight.
Zhu Jiayu gave him a subtle glance.
She hadn't expected that her seemingly gentle and upright cousin was actually quite ambitious.
But then she thought of the Qiu family's connections.
The Qiu family has had three generations of officials, and Qiu Zhuqing is the fourth generation. If Qiu Zhuqing has some ability, it's understandable that he wants to climb the ranks.
Perhaps it's time for the Qiu family to produce high-ranking officials.
In this way, the connections that the Qiu family had built up in the court over generations of officials could also be put to his use.
After all, connections only truly come alive when someone is in a high position.
If she could help Qiu Zhuqing, wouldn't the Qiu family's connections also become her connections? Lü Zheng was right about one thing: she and the Qiu family were ultimately connected by blood. Rather than trying to sever ties, she might as well use some schemes to bring the Qiu family under her control.
Only then will she truly have the confidence and support to face Rong Heng.
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