Chapter 11 Once and For All
In the center of Lengxiang Residence, everyone was eating sesame cakes.
Hubing is an ordinary food, but Fangzhou's skills are so good that he baked it until it was crispy and fragrant, with a thin layer of mutton filling inside. One bite and it was fresh and not greasy at all, extremely delicious.
Granny Yu ate until she wanted to cry: She shouldn't have reminded the sixth young lady to curry favor with the old lady; she wanted to stay at Lengxiang Residence for the rest of her life to teach the sixth young lady "etiquette"!
"Miss, four young ladies have come to see you." The maid who rushed in to deliver the news had oily lips and was also a "captive" of sesame cakes.
"Please come in."
The further Qiu Xuan and her three companions went, the stronger the fragrance became.
This fragrance... is not quite what I expected.
When they saw the stack of oily flatbreads on the table, the four of them were stunned.
"Sixth sister, are you eating meat pies at this time?" Qiu Ying swallowed hard.
It wasn't that she was greedy; it just smelled so good. The pancake looked like it would go perfectly with the aroma.
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "I was tired from learning the rules, so Fangzhou baked some flatbreads to treat me. Would you four sisters like to try some?"
"No--"
"OK!"
Different voices arose, and the scene fell silent.
"Then I'll try Fangzhou's cooking—" Qiuxuan said, trying to ease the awkwardness, but she was shocked as soon as she took a bite of the flatbread.
Seeing her usually composed second sister with such an expression, Qiu Ying quickly picked up a flatbread and said, "I'll have a taste too."
After taking a bite, he forgot all about talking and started eating.
This can't possibly be just an ordinary, common flatbread!
Qiu Yun was best at minimizing her presence; she picked up the flatbread without saying a word.
Qiu Fu bit her lip hard.
They didn't come back hungry, so why aren't they ashamed?
A moment later—she would taste just how awful the flatbread made by a country girl's maid was.
Annoyed by the aroma of flatbread and meat, Qiu Si picked up a flatbread and took a bite with resentment.
It tastes awful!
The four sisters ate their pancakes in silence for a while, and Granny Yu finally felt relieved.
Heaven can bear witness, it wasn't that she lacked willpower!
Qiu Heng's feelings were different from those of the others who were enjoying the delicious food.
Originally, they were far apart, so she could have chosen not to think about it. But now, looking at the second young lady, Qiu Xuan, who had drowned after her marriage, she realized that she had been separated from her husband.
The third daughter, Qiu Yun, married a middle-aged official as his second wife; her fate remains unknown.
The fourth daughter, Qiu Fu, was betrothed to the grandson of the prime minister as a concubine, but the grandson died suddenly, and she died of grief.
The fifth daughter, Qiu Ying, eloped with someone and disappeared. Later, she appeared in the brothels of Linzhou, the southern capital.
As for the young lady who entered the palace to serve the emperor, her fate is self-evident.
Normally, the situation of ordinary noble girls would not be recorded, but because the Earl of Yongqing's feat of sending his granddaughter as a concubine was recorded as well, it was concluded with the sigh that the Qiu family girl was exceptionally beautiful but had a tragic fate.
If one granddaughter is like this, it's just bad luck; but if all five granddaughters are like this, then the influence of the "good" grandfather, Yongqing, is probably indispensable.
It is now the twenty-fifth year of the Jingping era. In five years, in the second year of the Longxing era, the capital will fall and the young emperor will flee south. At that time, countless people will suffer tragic fates.
However, the withering of flowers during a prosperous and extravagant era is different from the tragedy of no one being spared when the nest is overturned.
A knife from a loved one always hurts more when it pierces your skin.
"I wonder what brings you four sisters here?" Qiu Heng asked after the four finished eating their flatbread.
"We've come to thank Sixth Sister..." Qiu Xuan said, referring to the attention Qiu Heng had garnered at the flower banquet for the sachet she had given us. "Thank you so much, Sixth Sister, for making these sachets with such care."
Qiu Ying nodded in agreement.
Qiu Fu twitched the corners of her mouth, thinking to herself, "What do you mean 'we'? She's not here to thank you."
She just came along to keep an eye on things, so they wouldn't talk badly about her behind her back.
"Sisters, you're too kind. I've also made some scented ornaments; if you're interested, I'll give them to you to play with once they're finished."
"Then thank you in advance, Sixth Sister."
Since they weren't very familiar with each other, and after eating the flatbread and expressing their gratitude, Qiu Xuan and the other three had no reason to stay any longer and took their leave.
When the old lady learned that her granddaughters had returned, she summoned them to Qiansong Hall and inquired about their time at the Changchun Marquis's residence.
Although it was a gathering of young girls, it signified that the Earl's Mansion and the Marquis of Changchun's Mansion had truly established contact, which the old lady could not afford to ignore.
"Sixth Sister's sachets were highly praised by Miss Feng, who said she would send us another invitation to visit in the future," Qiu Xuan said with a smile.
Qiu Fu glanced at Qiu Xuan.
What kind of spell did Qiu Heng cast on her second sister to make her so devoted to helping her go out?
The flatbread must have been bought off by that awful flatbread.
"Is that so?" The old lady was pleased to hear that Qiuheng's sachet had won the favor of the young lady from the Changchun Marquis's mansion, but she did not change her mind. "She can go out with you after she has learned the manners."
If you frequently visit the Changchun Marquis's residence or even a residence of a higher social standing in the future, you must be even more careful not to be impolite.
From this perspective, Liu Yatou is not entirely without merit.
...
Before the calming incense was even finished, it was time for the autumn maple and autumn pine schools to have a holiday, and the Imperial Academy also had a ten-day holiday on this day.
Qiu Heng met the eldest son, Qiu Yang, for the first time.
"These are cherry pastries from Sister Cui's shop on East Street. Sixth Sister, try them and see if you like them." Qiu Yang handed over a bag of pastries. "This pastry is very famous at her shop. If you don't like sweet ones, I'll buy meat-filled ones next time."
Before Qiuheng could even speak, Fangzhou couldn't take it anymore: "How can Cherry Biluo eat meat filling!"
Qiu Yang: "..."
Looking at Granny Yu, Granny Wang, and the others, they all had expressions of support and agreement.
That's strange.
"I made this sachet for my elder brother."
Qiu Yang was surprised to receive a return gift and quickly put the sachet away, saying, "Then I won't bother Sixth Sister any longer."
Everyone in the Earl's mansion knows that the Sixth Miss needs to learn manners.
Not long after Qiu Yang left, Xi Ge, Qiu Feng's head maid, came to deliver a message: "Sixth Miss, our young master requests your presence in the garden."
Qiu Heng didn't ask what was going on, and followed Xi Ge to the garden.
Qiu Feng waited by the flower stand, and as he watched the girl walk towards him, he subconsciously straightened his body.
If my third brother can't win an arm wrestling match, will he cause other trouble?
But he won't give up if you don't agree.
Qiu Feng recalled the countless pranks he had played on her, suppressing his unease at having Qiu Heng come.
"What do you want?" Qiu Heng stopped and asked calmly.
"Yes—" Qiu Feng had barely opened his mouth when he saw Qiu Song.
A chubby boy with a fierce expression appeared behind Qiu Heng.
"Qiuheng!" Qiusong called out.
Qiu Heng calmly turned around amidst Qiu Feng's horrified gaze, grabbed the object Qiu Song threw at her with one hand, and pulled him in front of her with the other, deftly wrapping the twisting object around his neck.
Qiu Feng's legs went weak, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Even Qiu Song, who considered himself fearless, dared not move or cry. He stared intently at the long snake that had raised its head and was flicking its tongue at him, as if he had been frozen in place.
Looking at the chubby boy who was terrified, Qiu Heng asked in bewilderment, "Didn't you bring this? What are you afraid of?"
"I...I..." Qiu Song stammered, trying to say that he wasn't afraid, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he noticed that the snake's head was moving closer to his mouth.
Help!
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