Mid-afternoon
The weather is sunny during this period, but the autumn breeze is cool and not hot.
But Yan Qiushu felt dizzy and blinked twice before she could barely open her eyes.
"Miss, are you feeling unwell? Why don't you ask a doctor to come and see you?" Shui Yu was very worried. She looked a little haggard.
Yan Qiushu yawned and shook her head: "No, I'm fine."
I just stayed up late last night.
It’s not that she stayed up late on her own initiative, but she had been thinking all night about how to keep Xiao Huaiting alive and the Xiao family from being destroyed?
Yan Qiushu couldn't figure it out. She hadn't experienced the various struggles in ancient times. Her original world was too peaceful. At most, there were palace intrigues in the office, but compared with this era, that was child's play.
She felt helpless. She thought of many methods in her mind, but all failed. She fell asleep like this. Who knew that what she thought about during the day would appear in her dreams at night? She dreamed of the moment when Xiao Huaiting died.
The dream scene was utterly unreal. Only the handsome young man, clad in armor, his handsome face thinned to the point of sunken cheeks. His eyes, seemingly defiant, concealed despair. Facing countless arrows piercing his surroundings, he struggled to block them with his sword, but ultimately failed. He was stabbed, his body trembling, and blood began to stain his chest red...
Yan Qiushu was so frightened that she closed her eyes tightly and woke up, but when she opened her eyes, she couldn't fall asleep anymore.
Birth, aging, sickness and death are normal for human beings, but she had never come into contact with anyone who died young in her previous life, except for her own bad luck and the car accident.
After waking up, Yan Qiushu didn't fall asleep again.
Keep your eyes open until dawn.
Having died once, she still cherished her new life, so when she couldn't sleep, she got up and made breakfast.
If you don’t eat breakfast, you will get gallstones!
Especially since she also had the responsibility of taking care of Madam Xiao's health, she made noodles and had someone send them to Madam Xiao. After she finished eating, she went back to sleep.
After cooking, Yan Qiushu's mood stabilized and she didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. This time she fell asleep.
But yesterday she had promised Dongdong that she would make him a lunch box, so at three quarters past four, she asked Shui Yu to wake her up. She didn't get enough sleep, and she looked listless, which made Shui Yu think she was sick.
Yan Qiushu washed her hands and patted her face with cold water to wake herself up. Then she rolled up her sleeves and tied up her long hair with a hairband, revealing her whole face refreshed and ready to cook!
She first inspected the kitchen preparation area, confirmed that the dishes and seasonings she was about to use were ready, and then started cooking.
Teriyaki chicken leg rice is actually very simple. Debone the chicken legs in advance, break them up with the back of a knife, marinate them, heat oil in a pan, and when it's almost cooked, put the chicken legs in. Fry the skin side until golden brown, then turn it over and fry for a while.
When it’s almost done, add the prepared black teriyaki sauce and simmer for a while.
It’s a pity that there is less oil, but it’s not bad because of the natural honey that adds flavor.
In addition to teriyaki chicken legs, Yan Qiushu also prepared blanched carrots and cabbage.
When everything was ready, Shui Yu took out the food box.
A big chicken leg was placed in the lunch box, topped with a layer of thick sauce. Next to it was a grid filled with fresh carrot slices and Chinese cabbage, and in the front was white rice.
In this era, the lunch boxes of wealthy families actually have insulation functions. The bottom is padded with cotton wool, a kettle is placed on top, the middle compartment is for food, and cotton wool is placed on the top again. This will greatly reduce the heat dissipation rate.
When everything was ready, a servant came to take it away.
Yan Qiushu didn't have to worry about the rest. She was only responsible for delivering a few portions to other courtyards, taking one portion for herself, and letting Shui Yu and Aunt Xu eat the rest.
Imperial College Introductory Class
There are eight students in this class, all of them are five-year-old boys, each of them is dressed in gorgeous clothes, and one of them even has part of his clothes that is light gold.
In this era, gold is precious. Only the emperor can wear pure gold. Others cannot wear pure gold. Those with lower status can only wear partial gold. But even so, his status is extremely noble in the eyes of others.
At this time, the child was secretly playing with toys while other children were reciting poems.
The chubby Dongdong was sitting diagonally behind the child. He was reciting a poem with his head shaking, but suddenly he caught a glimpse of the figure playing with toys. He frowned and turned away in disgust.
I really don't know why Grandpa Jiang asked me to be his study partner.
This guy is not as good as him!
Dongdong puffed out his chest proudly and continued to recite poems until... "Gurgle", he felt hungry.
Before he left this morning, he received breakfast from Sister Shu, but the portion was not large and he didn't eat enough. He also didn't want to eat anything else, which led to the current situation.
He rubbed his stomach and looked outside expectantly. It was almost time for lunch!
What will Sister Shu give him today?
Dongdong was so excited that his saliva started to flow out. However, he was still reciting poems, and the saliva made him choke and he started coughing violently.
The teacher, who had been listening with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Dongdong sharply: "Xiao Pingzhou! Get up and recite this poem!"
As soon as the teacher opened his mouth, the other children became quiet and glanced over with their big eyes looking at the fun.
However, this poem was just taught today, and Dongdong hadn't learned it yet. His round face turned red and he stammered, unable to speak.
"Tsk~" The third prince's eldest son and second grandson Zhou Zhaoqin sneered.
Dongdong glared at him in embarrassment, and the teacher quickly tried to smooth things over: "Alright, if you don't know, just keep reciting. We'll check tomorrow, and if you don't know, you'll have to copy it as punishment!"
Then he let Dongdong sit down.
He couldn't afford to offend either the grandson of the emperor or the descendant of the Xiao family, especially since the two parties were not on good terms. He didn't dare to really let the two ancestors quarrel.
Dongdong sat down in disappointment, and behaved well from then on until the get out of class was over. The palace maids who were specially assigned to serve them at the Imperial Academy came over and took them to a special dining room for meals.
"Young Master, the Xiao family and the Jiang family have both sent food over. Which one would you like to eat?" The palace servant put two lunch boxes together. One looked luxurious, with delicate and beautiful patterns on it, while the other was plain and not new.
While the palace maid was saying this, she was already opening the Jiang family's lunch box.
But Dongdong just took action himself: "I'll eat this."
He opened the Xiao family's lunch box.
The palace servants were stunned for a moment, then hurried to help. The two of them opened the carefully insulated lunch box and took it out. Before the lid was opened, the dining room was already filled with the aroma of various light meals. When the Xiao family lunch boxes were opened, an exceptionally strong aroma of sauce directly covered the other smells and appeared in the noses of the eight children.
The chattering suddenly stopped and everyone subconsciously looked towards the source of the fragrance.
Dongdong took a deep breath of the aroma, which was mixed with a pleasant sweet fragrance. He was satisfied and happy to continue, but suddenly he found that everyone was looking at him. He immediately felt proud and picked up a piece of chicken with chopsticks. The large piece of chicken thigh was cut into small pieces and drizzled with rich sauce. The small piece was very salty and fragrant, and the chicken thigh was tender and juicy, with a hint of honey that was sweet but not greasy.
"It's delicious!" Dongdong said happily. Because it was properly kept warm, it was still hot and tasted great. At this time, taking a bite of the tender white rice, the taste was just right, not too salty or too bland, and it went into the stomach smoothly.
Dongdong ate very fast, one bite after another, as if he was eating some delicacies from the land and the sea.
The aroma of the teriyaki sauce was so overpowering that it tempted the greedy children to stare blankly. Was it really that delicious? How was it made? They hadn't tried it yet!
Dongdong noticed and ate even harder, because he deserved it for making them laugh at him before!
The second grandson of the emperor, Zhou Zhaoqin, also took a closer look. Seeing that the other party had no intention of sharing and was deliberately eating to make them greedy, he became a little angry and pretended to sneer:
"You're surprised by something new! It's just some food."
Although they were only in the introductory class and the five-year-old children were young, the power conflicts between the families had already formed among them, and the children were influenced by them. In particular, some families who wanted to win over the Xiao family but were left out were very clear to them. As classmates, they also disliked each other.
Dongdong was also spoiled when he was young, and was even less willing to compromise, so the relationship between the two sides was particularly cold.
The palace servant also smelled the fragrance and was about to open his mouth to praise it. When he heard the reaction of the Second Grandson, he quickly shut up to avoid being displeased by the Second Grandson. He silently opened another lunch box and gently reminded him: "Young Master, you should try this too. Nanny Ji who brought it over said you would definitely like it."
Then I opened the lunch box and found it was chicken fillet!
"I love it!" Dongdong said immediately. He didn't expect it to be this. He immediately went over and picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, but this time, he was stunned.
It looked the same, but the chicken was bland. The shell was sprinkled with some seasoning, but it was not crispy. Instead, it was a bit hard and had a bad texture. It was completely different from the taste of the chicken fillet in my memory.
He gave up in disgust and continued to eat his teriyaki chicken rice.
Hmm!
Delicious, delicious!
The carrots tasted especially delicious after being dipped in the juice! Even the cabbage, which he usually disliked the most, tasted different!
The palace servant who accepted the benefits and wanted to help the Jiang family coax Dongdong back: "..."
Is the difference that big?
Dongdong was eating hard. A thin little boy sitting in the corner of the table next to Dongdong was biting his fingers and watching him eat with his eyes wide open. He only had a half-eaten steamed bun in his hand.
Steamed buns are actually a good thing for ordinary poor families, but in the imperial palace, some palace maids and eunuchs would despise them.
The students of the Imperial College were either members of the royal family or important officials. Their families were wealthy, and their food was usually delivered by their families. The school cafeteria also had food, but it also required money to buy it. Parents usually put a lot of money here, and the children could just take it themselves later.
Only the person in front of me has a special situation.
This is the eldest son of the deposed crown prince. The current emperor said that the disaster should not affect his wife and children, so the deposed crown prince was imprisoned. His children are still receiving education at the Imperial Academy and can only return to their parents after school.
As for the food, it is naturally not much better.
The deposed crown prince is a thorn in the eyes of many people. The emperor suspects he might rebel, and the princes suspect he might return to the throne. None of them wants him to live, but because of the hostility between the several forces, they dare not take action against the deposed crown prince easily. However, some lessons and difficulties can still be given.
Especially since the palace maids also had to choose the dishes according to their taste, and some naughty children also made trouble, he usually couldn't have a full meal and had to eat intermittently, let alone meat.
Dongdong felt uncomfortable being stared at. He looked up and saw that it was him. He felt a little sympathy. He had seen him before, but this person had never had such a burning gaze.
I vaguely remember my uncle once saying that if I meet the deposed prince's child, I can help him appropriately, but the Jiang family has also reminded him countless times not to play with this person, so they have no intersection before.
But this time...
He glanced at the extra lunch box. Although it wasn't tasty, it was better than wasting it. So he handed the lunch box over and asked, "Do you want to eat?"
Zhou Zhaoheng's eyes lit up slightly, and he seemed a little uncertain. His thin cheeks puffed up. He looked at him nervously. After confirming the signal, he carefully took the lunch box.
What he was craving was what Xiao Pingzhou (Dongdong) was eating. The taste was so rich that he couldn't even eat his steamed buns. Maybe this would be very good too.
He took a bite and the chicken fillet, which still retained some crispness, made a "crunch" sound. The meat inside was revealed after it was bitten open. It was not tender, but a little bland and a bit thick, but it was real meat!
Zhou Zhaoheng squinted his eyes happily while eating, and his whole body exuded a happy atmosphere.
Dongdong felt even more sympathetic and whispered, "This isn't tasty. The chicken cutlet made by my sister Ashu is the best. I'll bring it to you next time!"
Zhou Zhaoheng blinked. After the sudden kindness, he didn't expect this person to still be willing to talk to him. He was a little flattered. After confirming that he had heard correctly, he blushed and nodded vigorously, muttering: "Thank you..."
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