The liquor sold at Huiweilou is a high-proof liquor purified using Xiao Yunying's method, so she naturally knows how potent it is.
"That's a strong liquor that most men wouldn't dare to try, but you have a huge capacity for it, you can drink a whole glass."
Seeing that she didn't reject her and could speak to her kindly, Zuo Qingzhi said somewhat shyly:
"I drank the wrong thing. I was just curious and wanted to taste what it was like. The maid bought it and poured a cup for me and put it on the table. The wine was as clear as water. When I came back from playing shuttlecock, I didn't look at it carefully and picked up the cup and drank it in one gulp. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was already swallowed."
Zuo Qingzhi recalled the feeling at that time, her eyes widening as she said, "That wine was really strong. I could clearly feel the wine flowing from my neck all the way down to my stomach."
Xiao Yunying was amused by her expression and words; this girl was quite cute.
"Alright, don't just stand there, come in quickly."
Ling Qi directed the coachman to move several baskets and boxes from the carriage into the kitchen. Xiao Yunying casually asked, "What are all these things?"
Chen Yuanyao took her arm and said, "These are all little trinkets that Yuanxuan and I bought on our way back from the capital. They're all a bit of a mess. Sister Yunying, you can take a look for yourself in a bit."
Once inside the reception room, everyone greeted Madam Luo.
Knowing she would feel uncomfortable among these young people, Madam Luo exchanged a few pleasantries with them and then left.
Xiao Yunying asked Madam Luo's maid to serve tea, and then went to check on the pastries being baked at the kiln. She thought they were ready, so she plated them and brought them up.
She placed the plate on the table and said to Chen Yuancheng, "I was planning to make some snacks to thank you at the Chen residence, but I didn't expect you to arrive first. Please try them; they're fresh out of the oven."
Chen Yuancheng handed the cloak he had taken off to Ling Qi: "Yuan Yao and Yuan Xuan kept asking to come see you as soon as they got back. If I hadn't stopped them, they would have come yesterday afternoon."
"The journey was bumpy. Why did you rush to my house instead of resting properly after you got home? I'm right here, I can't run away."
Chen Yuanxuan handed a piece of pastry to Luo Xin, saying, "I just missed you."
"You must be craving my cooking." Xiao Yunying cut through his politeness: "Since you brought me so much stuff, please stay for lunch."
Chen Yuancheng looked out at the courtyard: "Where is Young Master Luo?"
Xiao Yunying said, "He went to help me with the work. I want to take advantage of this time to build two more vegetable greenhouses, as well as the farmhands' accommodations, well digging, and other miscellaneous tasks. He went to supervise the work. Is there something you need from him?"
"It's nothing, just asking casually."
Xiao Yunying then took a second look at Chen Yuancheng: "It's only the beginning of the month and you're already wearing a cloak. And look at your complexion, you seem a bit unwell."
Chen Yuanyao said, "My elder brother was sick a few days ago and hasn't recovered yet."
Xiao Yunying asked worriedly, "How did you get sick?"
Chen Yuancheng gave his younger sister a look, as if he was blaming her for talking too much.
"You know my health condition. A few days ago, after the rain, the temperature dropped sharply, and I caught a bit of a breeze without noticing, so I got sick for a few days. It's nothing serious."
Zuo Qingzhi, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, looked rather somber.
Brother Yuancheng doesn't have a cold; it's clearly a heart ailment...
If Ling Qi hadn't let it slip, she wouldn't have known that her brother Yuan Cheng liked her own older sister who grew up in the countryside.
"The temperature dropped quickly the other day, so you need to take good care of yourself. I'll write down a few more nourishing medicinal recipes for you later. Have the doctor take a look, and if everything is okay, have the kitchen prepare them for you."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Madam Luo's maid, Meng Xia, peeked in from outside the door: "Madam, please ask the young masters and ladies what dishes they would like to eat for lunch, so that I can prepare the dishes in advance."
Madam Luo's two maids, one named Meng Chun and the other Meng Xia, were clever and diligent. In the few months they had lived there, they had developed a very good relationship with Xiao Yunying.
Meng Chun is older and more composed, while Meng Xia is younger and more lively, occasionally exhibiting this kind of "unruly" behavior.
But she knew her limits, so she wouldn't make Xiao Yunying feel offended or rude.
Xiao Yunying also preferred the way she interacted with this girl; otherwise, the constant back-and-forth greetings would have been troublesome and inexplicably depressing for her.
She asked Ling Qi to hang the cloak on the clothes rack by the wall, and then asked the group, "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll have someone prepare the ingredients."
As always, Chen Yuancheng said, "Anything you do is fine."
The rest of the people didn't stand on ceremony and gathered together to discuss what they wanted to eat, then kept listing the names of the dishes.
After listening to her, Xiao Yunying said, "I will try my best to make some of the ingredients you mentioned that I don't have."
Zuo Qingzhi, who had been too shy to participate, just felt that the atmosphere between them was really nice.
Unfortunately, my identity... seems a bit out of place...
It's all Zuo Lanzhi's fault, otherwise this elder sister wouldn't hate the Zuo family.
Xiao Yunying glanced at Zuo Qingzhi, who had been silent the whole time, and thought that she might be shy because it was her first time there, so she took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Zuo Qingzhi, flattered, replied, "Me?"
"Yes, they all said so. You should say something too, as a way of thanking you for tipping me off that day."
Zuo Qingzhi suddenly felt that her elder sister, who was smiling at her, was so gentle and kind: "I... I can eat anything, I'm not picky about food."
Xiao Yunying didn't necessarily want to find out anything; she just didn't want the girl to feel out of place or ignored by them.
"Alright, they've ordered sweet, salty, and spicy dishes. Try them out and eat more of whichever one you like."
"I know, thank you for your concern, big sister."
Chen Yuanyao couldn't stand her like this: "Alright, you don't need to be so reserved and pretend to be so well-behaved. Sister Yunying is kind-hearted and easy-going. She won't hold a grudge against you because of what your mother and Zuo Lanzhi did."
Zuo Qingzhi glared at her and said angrily, "I wasn't pretending to be well-behaved. I'm naturally quieter and more sensible than you. Who's like you, who's been more mischievous than a boy since childhood?"
Chen Yuanyao retorted defiantly, "What are you talking about? It's not like you were a quiet child."
The two of them went back and forth, exchanging insults and boasts. Xiao Yunying sat down next to Chen Yuancheng and listened with great interest.
She asked curiously, "Is she very familiar with you?"
Chen Yuancheng explained, "There are many banquets in the capital, and usually the matriarch of the family leads her legitimate children to attend. After attending many banquets, she became familiar with Yuan Yao and often came to my house to find Yuan Yao to go out and play together."
Despite their current quarrel, they actually have an excellent relationship. After our family moved here, they saw each other less often and could only exchange letters, but their affection never faded.
Xiao Yunying nodded: "I can see that. The two of them have similar personalities and can get along well."
Even when they tease each other about each other's shortcomings, it's just the kind of playful banter between best friends, harmless and only conveying a sense of familiarity and intimacy.
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