Chapter 145 A Young Man's Heart Flutters
"No need to go. Such a trivial matter is not even on the minds of the third-ranked scholar. If you go now, you'll only annoy him."
What is a "third-place scholar" (探花郎)?
Er Ya explained.
Hongmei's eyes were filled with sadness as she whispered, "You know so much."
"Of course, my maternal grandfather was a scholar, and scholars certainly know a lot."
Er Ya was very proud; now, no girl in the entire village could compare to the three sisters.
If her father could become an official, she would be a rich young lady in the future.
"I really envy you." Hongmei's eyes reddened.
Er Ya didn't notice Hong Mei's expression and kept talking about the third-ranked scholar.
After a long pause, Hongmei spoke in a muffled voice, "Er Ya, do you think I could become Young Master Liu's concubine?"
Er Ya's voice shrilly as soon as she heard this, "Are you crazy? Why would you become a concubine? Have you forgotten what happened to Zhang Fuhu's concubines before? They were beaten to death and dumped in a mass grave, with not a single piece of good flesh on their bodies."
“But…but Young Master Liu is so handsome, and he seems to have a good temper. He even smiles at people. He shouldn’t hit anyone, right?” Hongmei lowered her head.
Young Master Liu was more handsome than all the men in the village.
The most handsome person she had ever seen was Er Ya's father, but Lin Anyuan had a terrible reputation.
Er Ya frowned. "Go by yourself. My mother said that daughters of good families don't become concubines. If you say that again, I won't play with you anymore."
Why be a concubine? A concubine is just a frivolous thing. If you're going to be one, be the principal wife.
"Go home, I'm going home for dinner too."
Hongmei watched Erya enter the courtyard, then lowered her head and walked home. Before she even reached the door, she saw her mother waiting for her.
Hongmei asked anxiously, "What did they say? Did they agree?"
Hongmei lowered her head, "Mother, Er Ya said that being a concubine would get you beaten to death, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Hongmei poked her with her finger. "You silly girl, she's lying to you. The Liu family is a wealthy and powerful family. Even the servants there live a life of luxury. If you could become Young Master Liu's concubine, our whole family could live a good life. How could you be so useless? You didn't even get to see Young Master Liu?"
Hongmei dared not speak. She felt that her mother was wrong. How could Young Master Liu possibly be interested in her? Yet she dared not refute her.
Hongmei was absolutely furious.
Ye Wan cooked for herself today, making braised chicken and potatoes, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and many other vegetarian dishes, filling the table to the brim.
During dinner, the old man with the cough returned.
"Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?" Aunt Cai asked with concern.
"Two students got into a fight, and their families got involved, so I gave the school a holiday." The old man said, only then noticing that there were still guests in the house.
"Father, this is Young Master Liu, the third-ranked scholar in this year's imperial examinations." Ye Wan introduced Liu Wenshu's identity.
The old man nodded. "Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young; he is a man of exceptional talent."
Liu Wenshu stood up and said, "You flatter me, sir."
He was clearly just an ordinary old man, but for some reason, Liu Wenshu felt a sudden sense of respect for him, as if he were his own teacher.
"Please sit down," the old man said, gesturing for Liu Wenshu to sit down.
Aunt Cai kept nagging, "You're just bored. If you want to hit someone, then hit them. Let their parents take them back and discipline them themselves. We can't even discipline our own children properly, how can you expect to discipline other people's children well?"
After saying that, she added to Er Ya, "I wasn't talking about you three. You three sisters are the most obedient."
"Alright, don't be angry anymore. Go eat with the children."
The old man looked embarrassed after being scolded.
Because there were guests, Ye Wan set up two tables, and the steamed buns from outside were also brought to the table.
Liu Wenshu hurriedly said, "Madam Ye, I am a guest. How can I stand at the main table? Please sit with me."
Ye Wan had been waiting for these words. "Since you don't care, then we'll sit down."
"Where are the plain clothes?"
Huigu said, "Suyi will eat inside and won't come out."
Ye Wan nodded.
Liu Wenshu wanted to ask who Su Yi was, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
This time, there were many more people at Madam Ye's house, including her parents. He really wanted to ask them, but it wasn't appropriate.
"This is... a potato?"
Liu Wenshu looked at the potatoes inside the chicken.
"Try it." Ye Wan had already started eating; she had been craving this for ages.
Liu Wenshu's eyes lit up after taking a bite.
They didn't have time to talk for the rest of the time, until they ate until they were stuffed.
All the plates on the table were empty, and Sha Niu and Ye Hua were cleaning up.
Liu Wenshu, with her bloated belly and flushed face, stood up and said, "I'm sorry, it was just too delicious."
A gentleman knows how to eat in moderation, but it seems he always loses face in front of Lady Ye.
"If everyone finishes eating, it means I cook well. I would be sad if I worked hard to cook a big meal and no one ate it." Ye Wan was also stuffed.
She felt like she gained weight that year. Her original bean sprout figure was now just right, and she had also grown taller to about 1.65 meters.
Ye Wan stood up and stretched a couple of times, revealing her shapely curves.
"Madam Ye, do you still have..."
Liu Wenshu happened to see it, his ears burned, and he immediately looked away.
"What?" Ye Wan turned around.
"It's nothing. I brought some things with me when I came to the capital. Consider it a token of my gratitude," Liu Wenshu said, gesturing for Baozi to bring the things in from the carriage.
They were all food and household items, things from Beijing.
"Young Master Liu, you are such a kind person." Ye Wan smiled and said nice things without hesitation.
She really liked one of the cat figurines and thought Su Yi would like it too, so she gave it to Su Yi.
Liu Wenshu felt his heart beating very fast.
Huigu saw it and was about to speak when someone came to the courtyard gate.
"Oh dear, I've come at a really bad time. Have you already eaten at your house?"
Er Ya spoke up, "Hongmei, did you come to see me? Is something wrong with Hongmei?"
Hongmei just left not long ago.
"No, it's just that I heard my savior, Hongmei, has come. I made some meat at home and brought over a bowl as a token of my appreciation." Hongmei's mother was holding a bowl of chicken.
He carried it to Liu Wenshu.
"Young Master Liu, I really owe you a lot last year. My Hongmei was not sold by someone else. This is chicken from my own chicken farm. Please have a taste."
Liu Wenshu immediately took a step back and covered his face with his fan, "No need, I've already eaten."
The meat had no color at all, looked unappetizing, and even had a fishy smell.
“This… I also wanted to thank you, young master. Please accept it, young master Liu.” Hongmei placed it on the table.
Yantai hurriedly said, "No need, my young master was just doing it on a whim."
What is this?
Hongmei glanced at the inkstone, her eyes lighting up immediately. "Young Master Liu, I see you only have servants around you. My girl Hongmei is so sensible and obedient..."
"Heh." Ye Wan couldn't help but laugh out loud. So that was what he was planning.
Liu Wenshu couldn't help but frown. "No need. I have plenty of maids to serve me at home."
Upon hearing this, Hongmei's mother raised her voice, "Oh dear, my Hongmei is also a daughter of a good family, how can she be a maid? She's quite good-looking, and Young Master Liu saved her life. There's a saying, 'A life-saving grace is repaid with one's body...' Yes, repaid with one's body, Liu..."
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