Chapter 57 (Three Fresh Wontons)

The children left in a hurry, and Yan Qiushu thought her yard would be empty for a while, so she was playing games with Zhou Zhaoqin.

It was just a small game of hopscotch, and there seemed to be no generation gap between the two of them. They played very enthusiastically, and Shui Yu even rolled up his sleeves to join in.

Yan Qiushu had just finished a round and was sitting down to rest. When she looked up, she saw the young boy running towards her with red eyes. She stood up in surprise and asked, "Pingsong, what happened to you?"

Xiao Pingsong pursed his lips, shook his head, and came to her side, calling out softly: "Aunt Yan, I'm fine, I just got sand in my eyes."

Yan Qiushu: “…”

This excuse is too fake.

Aunt Xu smiled and said, "You are not reluctant to leave your aunt, are you? I heard that the Song family's young lady came to visit the second young lady. Young Master Pingsong has lived in the Song family for a long time and has been back for many days. Why don't you chat for a while?"

Xiao Pingsong's body stiffened, and he remained silent.

Yan Qiushu looked at Aunt Xu, then at Xiao Pingsong, and tried to put on a gentle smile, her voice becoming a little sweeter: "What kind of sand is that? What made your eyes so red? Tell me about it, and I'll blow it away for you, and maybe it will be gone."

The Xiao family shouldn't be bullied by others, right?

Maybe she is really gentle and always behaves very... childish.

Xiao Pingsong could play with Dongdong and Wan'er, and he didn't feel that they were of different generations in front of her. Although he called her Aunt Yan, they were actually just friends. So when he was asked so gently, he felt wronged and his eyes turned red again. He squeezed out two lines of tears and wanted to speak, but it was particularly difficult. In the end, he shook his head and whispered, "I can't say it."

"Well, why don't you tell me the details, but give me a general idea. Maybe I can give you some advice?" Yan Qiushu continued to ask with an unchanged smile.

Xiao Pingsong hesitated for a moment, then looked at the two people who were playing hopscotch.

Yan Qiushu understood and said, "Shui Yu, take the Second Prince out to play for a while. I have something to do."

"Okay." Shui Yu agreed happily.

Yan Qiushu took Xiao Pingsong into the house.

Shui Yu finished jumping the last square and looked at Zhou Zhaoqin: "Your Highness, it's your turn."

The little boy standing by looked over there, then looked at the playground in front of him, and suddenly lost interest. He shook his head, walked aside and sat down to bask in the sun.

Sister Shu said that we should get more sun exposure to keep our body strong.

When I got into the house, there were no outsiders.

Xiao Pingsong also calmed down a little and said hoarsely: "Aunt Yan, if...if someone bullies others, but she doesn't let me tell others, what should I do?"

Yan Qiushu thought for a moment and said, "Is the person being bullied particularly close to you?"

"Yeah!" Xiao Pingsong nodded.

Yan Qiushu blinked. The person she was particularly close to was Song Mingdai. He had just returned to the courtyard and must have seen Song Mingdai. She was bullied...

She said softly, "Do you have a good relationship with the person who bullied her?"

Xiao Pingsong hesitated for a moment: "Good... and not good."

Yan Qiushu probably guessed it. Nanny Xu just said that someone from the Song family had come. Could it be that the Song family was bullying Song Mingdai?

Xiao Pingsong happened to see this and wanted to tell Mrs. Xiao, but Song Mingdai wouldn't let him?

Yan Qiushu felt that she had discovered the truth, mainly because the child was too honest and would reveal everything once coaxed. This also made it understandable why Song Mingdai didn't let him tell the Xiao family, as they were all family.

But why can he bully Song Mingdai?

Why did Song Mingdai suddenly come back on the second day of the Chinese New Year? I still remember that on New Year's Eve, Xiao Huaiwu's tone seemed to indicate that she was reluctant to come back, and Mrs. Xiao was also a little disappointed at that time.

Now, he always talks about the eldest grandson, and he openly and secretly hopes that Xiao Pingsong will inherit the Xiao family.

But from what Xiao Pingsong blurted out that time, it can be seen that Song Mingdai did not really want her son to inherit the Zhenguo Mansion.

Moreover, as long as Xiao Waiting was still alive, it would be difficult for this matter to succeed in the Xiao family. Moreover, Mrs. Xiao had lost her husband, son and son-in-law, and she didn't want to lose anyone else.

Her actions offended Mrs. Xiao.

She seemed to have said this deliberately for Mrs. Xiao to hear, perhaps even with the intention of angering her.

Furthermore, just looking at the current situation, Song Mingdai, with a cold face and words full of interests, is just like the heroine in the novel she had read before who was forced to bind herself to the system and followed the plot with an expressionless face. It must be for a purpose that she doesn't like.

If she angered Mrs. Xiao, she might not be able to complete the task, so every time she spoke, she would touch on Mrs. Xiao's sore spots.

That is to say, she might have some dealings with the Song family that were detrimental to the Xiao family. She didn't want to do it, but she was under their control and could only endure it.

In this case, Yan Qiushu felt that she had to express her opinion.

She didn't say that she had guessed the situation. After clearing her throat, she said, "Pingsong, if it were me, I would tell the elders."

Xiao Pingsong was puzzled and said, "But she wouldn't let me."

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "But she can't handle this situation by herself. Some people, for various reasons, may be soft-hearted or have no choice but to not let you tell the elders. But sometimes she doesn't know whether her decision is correct. At this time, a more powerful elder is needed to solve the problem. The elders are knowledgeable and will definitely know how to solve it."

Xiao Pingsong nodded subconsciously, as if he had heard it, and said hesitantly, "Should I tell her? But what if she's unhappy?"

"I don't think she will be angry with you, but if she is really angry with you, you can ask the powerful elders if you did anything wrong. If so, then if she is angry, you should apologize. Pingsong, you have grown up, and you should learn to judge some things by yourself." Yan Qiushu said seriously.

Song Mingdai is not the independent heroine in the novel. If she really encounters something, she cannot bear it, but she is stubborn and it is difficult for her to open her heart to others, so she will choose to bear it by herself.

At this time, Mrs. Xiao is the best person to intervene.

Xiao Pingsong frowned, weighing and thinking whether he should say it or not.

Yan Qiushu didn't want to force him to say it, so she said, "Think about it carefully."

"Hmm! Let me think about it." Xiao Pingsong nodded seriously.

Yan Qiushu patted his shoulder and decided not to disturb him. Let him think about it. She hoped that this would be the result she wanted.

It's just strange why Song Mingdai tolerates it, considering that the Song family relied entirely on the Xiao family.

The Jiang family is actually similar, but much better than the Song family.

Before, Mrs. Xiao could tolerate the Jiang family coaxing Dongdong not to go back, and even called the people in the Jiang family "grandfather" and "grandmother". Isn't the inheritance a joke?

It's really like a tiger that has become a sick cat. It won't even stretch out its claws to those who were not as good as it in the past but are now bullying it.

The Xiao family is really wronged. After all, now that Prince Chang has risen again, the Xiao family will naturally benefit as well.

There is really no need to be tolerant all the time. It is impossible to ask for anything from these people.

Yan Qiushu suddenly had an idea. As a person who traveled through the book, she always habitually believed that the one who would seize the throne in the future would be the Prince of Jin, Zhou Zejing. So if Zhou Zejing wanted the support of the army, he must treat the descendants of the Xiao family well.

But now Zhou Zejing is just a young man from a noble family with a bright future.

My father is the old emperor's younger brother, but because he is only the old emperor's nephew, he can only succeed to the throne after several princes are gone.

If there was a prince who had ambitions for the throne alive, such as the Sixth Prince.

Then he can't be the emperor.

This is the way of thinking of a normal person. Apart from the deposed crown prince, the one who will ascend the throne must be one of the third, fourth, fifth or sixth princes.

No matter who ascends the throne, the Xiao family will always be a thorn in their eyes. Once the Xiao family is eliminated, the younger generation of the Xiao family will have a hard time surviving unless they are protected by outsiders.

That's why Mrs. Xiao tolerates the Jiang family, and that's why Song Mingdai is unwilling to come back.

The Xiao family is in danger. Coming back would mean taking the children to die. It would be better to stay outside. It would be best if I could break away from the Xiao family. Maybe I could survive.

But the situation is different now, and the Xiao family is no longer pretending to be sick. However, Song Mingdai may not realize it yet, so she still tolerates the Song family with her previous thoughts and does what they ask, even at the cost of alienating herself from the Xiao family.

Thinking of this, Yan Qiushu felt suddenly enlightened.

Just as she figured it out, Xiao Pingzhou, who was still in the house, suddenly ran out and went straight to the main courtyard.

When Yan Qiushu saw the child again in the evening, he had already relaxed.

Obviously, he told Mrs. Xiao his thoughts.

Sure enough, Xiao Pingsong pulled her aside and whispered to her about his decision. He told her grandmother about it, and her grandmother said that the matter would be resolved tomorrow morning and told her not to worry.

Tomorrow morning?

Yan Qiushu would not go to disturb Madam Xiao except on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. But the other members of the Xiao family would go to pay their respects to Madam Xiao early in the morning. It was not because of etiquette, but because Madam Xiao was in poor health and they were afraid that they had not taken good care of her and something might happen to her. Therefore, they visited her from time to time and it became a habit.

After Song Mingdai came back, she was also very well-behaved and went to pay her respects every morning.

This needs to be said in front of everyone.

Yan Qiushu suddenly felt a little worried about Song Mingdai, but as an outsider she couldn't do anything. After thinking it over, she decided to make some food and send it over. Delicious food could always soothe her mood.

Just do what?

Yan Qiushu looked at Shui Yu and said, "Please go to the kitchen and ask if they can get some fresh shrimp for me."

Shui Yu nodded immediately: "Yes, I will go now."

Next day

A quarter of an hour before noon, the Xiao family's children came to the main courtyard one after another to pay their respects.

Except for Wan'er and Dongdong, who are still young, everyone else has arrived.

Xiao Huaiqi, who has been busy managing the food court recently, also showed up with Xie Qingyun. Xiao Huaiyu looked at his eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and Xiao Pingsong, and her pretty face showed a bit of surprise: "Why are you all here?"

"I happened to get up early today, so I came to see if Ah Shu has made anything delicious. Any bit counts." Xiao Huaiqi said with a smile.

Song Mingdai was still indifferent. She just nodded and sat there without saying a word.

Xiao Pingsong glanced at his mother, twisted his fingers guiltily, and just called out "Aunt."

Xie Qingyun looked over and stayed in front of Song Mingdai for a while longer, then asked, "Mother, did you get up late today?"

Usually when they came, Mrs. Xiao would have been up for quite some time.

After all, the elderly sleep less, and there are no special activities at night, so they go to bed early and get up even earlier.

Xiao Huaiyu shook his head: "I don't know either, maybe I didn't sleep well last night."

As soon as the words fell, a strong and somewhat sinister voice appeared: "I really didn't sleep well. My heart was upset. I was thinking about things all night. How could I fall asleep?"

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw Madam Xiao walking out of the inner room. She was feeling much better now and no longer needed Nanny Huang's support. She walked over slowly and sat in the main seat. Her serious face was enough to make people hold their breath at a glance.

Everyone noticed that the tone of the words was not right, and their faces changed slightly. For a moment, they did not dare to respond.

It's not anything else, it's mainly the people in front of her. Even the now quiet and reserved third daughter of the Xiao family, Xiao Huaiyu, was beaten by the woman in front of her. When she is angry, no one dares to touch her brow.

Mrs. Xiao's slightly cloudy but sharp eyes swept over and landed on her second daughter-in-law. She saw her chin slightly raised, her dignified posture revealing a bit of deliberately created arrogance. She snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "What's wrong? When did my Xiao family become so timid and cowardly?"

Xiao Huaiqi was the first to speak: "Of course not, mother, what is bothering you? Talk to your son about it."

"I'm wondering if my Xiao family is really in decline..." She sighed, and her voice became much lower, less stern, and a little sad.

Song Mingdai's face changed slightly, and she tightened her hands on her belly.

Xiao Huaiyu hurriedly said, "Mother, what are you talking about? It hasn't come to that."

"Don't lie to an old woman like me. If it hasn't come to this, why are you all so obedient? You don't know how to resist when you are bullied. Don't you have no confidence?" Mrs. Xiao said sarcastically.

Song Mingdai was startled at this moment and looked at her son subconsciously.

Xiao Pingsong was frightened, his eyes looking at his nose and his nose looking at his heart, not daring to show any expression. Although he did not agree to his mother, he always felt that this was against her wishes and he still felt guilty.

Xiao Huaiqi said slowly, "How could that be? Before, our Xiao family was just hiding, and even then, no one dared to provoke us. Sixth brother has made meritorious deeds many times, and is now fighting with Wuta. Now that Prince Chang has also come out of the cold palace and has a fiefdom, he naturally cannot be underestimated. Who dares to bully us? Mother, tell your son that he will let someone attack him now."

"Yes, who is this?" Mrs. Xiao followed up with a question and looked at Song Mingdai without saying anything directly.

At this time, Song Mingdai bit her lip, slowly lowered her head, and looked at the ground, as if she was avoiding something.

"Bang!" The tea splashed down the table when Madam Xiao put it there. Just as she was about to get angry, Shui Ye's voice rang out: "Madam, the eldest young master, the young lady, the second young lady, the third young lady..."

"Miss Yan said she made three-fresh wontons this morning, so she sent some over specially."

After saying this, Shui Yu looked at the people at the main seats in a somewhat bewildered manner. Why did she feel that the atmosphere was not right? But when she came over, these people clearly did not say a word?

Mrs. Xiao was so angry that she was not fighting back that she was stuck here for a moment, her face darkened and she did not move. At this time, Madam Huang tried to smooth things over: "Put it here."

"Yes." Shui Yu nodded quickly and took out the wontons swiftly.

Chicken soup wontons, plus various dipping sauces. According to the headcount list, each person gets one bowl and there are two extra bowls. Once everything is in place, the soup is immediately gone.

But the appearance of the delicious food eased the tense atmosphere. At least everyone could smell the fragrance. The fresh aroma of the chicken soup was tempting enough to make those who had not eaten in the morning want to eat.

Huang Ma Ma smiled and said, "Madam, Miss Yan's kindness is so good, we can't let it go to waste. Shall we eat first?"

Mrs. Xiao nodded gloomily and took the lead in sitting at the dining table: "Why are you still standing there? Come and have dinner!"

Several people came over quickly. Xiao Huaiqi was next to Madam Xiao, Xie Qingyun was on his other side, and next to him was Xiao Huaiyu. On the other side of Madam Xiao was Xiao Huaiyu, and then Xiao Pingsong. As a result, Madam Xiao was facing Song Mingdai.

The two looked at each other, and Song Mingdai's every movement became stiff, but she tried not to look at anyone and waited for Mrs. Xiao to pick up her chopsticks before she started eating.

Mrs. Xiao sighed, lowered her eyes and was about to eat.

Just by looking at it, I found that the wontons were a little different from the ones I had eaten before. For example, the way the wontons were wrapped, the round wontons had a long tail behind them. There were several wontons lying in the light yellow chicken soup. As the spoon stirred, the wontons swayed in the soup, just like a big-tailed goldfish swimming in the water!

After a wonton was scooped up with a spoon and rolled in the dipping sauce containing chili oil, the wonton, which originally had a faint color of the filling, was directly stained with orange-red. For Mrs. Xiao, who loves strong tastes, this was very exciting.

She couldn't wait to put the wonton into her mouth. The spicy chili oil made her shudder. Then she used the tip of her tongue to eat the big goldfish tail of the wonton. When she finally bit open the wonton, surprise came over her.

There are three things wrapped in the three-fresh wonton. The first thing you eat is a whole shrimp, followed by finely chopped pork and eggs. These three things are tasted one after another. The shrimp is tender and elastic, the pork is fragrant, and the egg is soft, mixed with the spicy and salty flavor of chili oil. It is very delicious.

After eating a mouthful of wonton, Mrs. Xiao just felt her mouth a little empty, so she took another sip of the light yellow chicken soup. With the fragrance of flour, the chicken soup was not greasy at all, but full of deliciousness.

She let out a breath and started eating her second wonton.

Today's breakfast was too delicious. Mrs. Xiao used to have a bad taste for food, but after taking good care of herself for a while, her appetite had returned to normal, so she couldn't stop eating. After finishing one breakfast, she still felt unsatisfied, and her eyes fell on the two extra wontons in the middle.

It was probably prepared for Dongdong and Wan'er, but the two children were not awake yet, so Mrs. Xiao just happened to speak.

Song Mingdai had already noticed it, and personally brought the copy to Mrs. Xiao.

Mrs. Xiao, feeling much better, glanced at her quietly, took the wontons and continued eating.

Song Mingdai, who was sitting opposite her, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But Mrs. Xiao said, "Don't think that a bowl of wontons will not make me angry. You are a member of my Xiao family. Even if she is your biological mother, if I touch you, it will be a slap in the face of my Xiao family, not to mention that she is not your biological mother!"