While stirring the hangover soup in the pot, Meng Zhao continued, "At the banquet, you need to be clear about your position. Today, you are the top scholar, and your status is different from usual. If you say you won't drink, who among you, except for the county magistrate, would dare to persuade you to drink? Moreover, the county magistrate has always valued you, so even if you don't drink, he won't do anything to you."
Upon hearing Meng Zhao mention Wang Xian again, Shen Qinghe frowned slightly, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "He stole my sister-in-law's credit."
Meng Zhao paused in his actions, turned around, and asked in confusion, "What merit?"
"My sister-in-law's contribution to the fertilizer formula has earned her a commendation from the imperial court. After her term ends at the end of the year, she will be transferred to be the prefect of Pingyang County." Shen Qinghe's voice was low and tinged with resentment.
Meng Zhao frowned. She didn't know about this. She originally thought it was like the last case with opium, where her name would disappear after being talked about for a while. She didn't expect that the credit would be transferred to someone else.
No wonder Song Wanyin always seemed hesitant to speak these days; she found it strange.
Shen Qinghe continued, "One day, I will make him pay me back."
"Repay what? How can we repay it? Not to mention that he's about to be promoted to prefect, his father-in-law, who holds a position in the imperial court, is not someone to be trifled with. Besides, Song Wanyin and I are good friends. We haven't even figured out whether they did this on their own initiative or for some other reason. How can we expect them to repay it?"
Now that things have already happened, we should maximize the benefits. Judging from Song Wanyin's appearance, she should feel guilty towards her. The prefect of Pingyang County is a high-ranking official. The important thing is to turn this guilt into tangible benefits for her.
Shen Qinghe remained stubborn, his tone firm: "I will make him pay it back!"
He was drunk at the moment, so Meng Zhao didn't say much to him. Seeing that the hangover soup was ready, she poured out a bowl, let it cool down a bit, and handed it to Shen Qinghe.
Who would have thought that the person who had just been so serious, as if he wanted to avenge her, would immediately frown upon seeing the bowl of hangover soup.
Meng Zhaocai didn't tolerate this habit of his, so he reached out and grabbed his chin, making him open his mouth, and then poured a bowl of hangover soup down his throat.
After putting down the empty bowl, Meng Zhao noticed that Shen Qinghe's eyes were red and seemed to be misty, and there were two finger marks on his cheeks, which seemed to be left from when she had used too much force. She couldn't help but raise her hand to look at her fingers. She hadn't used much force. It must be because he was too shy.
So she reached out to rub his face, trying to destroy the "evidence," but as soon as her hand touched his face, he grabbed her arm. Meng Zhao frowned, his tone slightly displeased: "Let go."
To everyone's surprise, he, who was usually obedient after getting drunk, did not relax at all. Instead, he gripped even tighter. Seeing this, Meng Zhao's tone became more serious: "Shen Qinghe, look at me."
Shen Qinghe's hazy eyes gradually focused, and he looked at her seriously. Meng Zhao took a deep breath and asked directly, "Answer me, do you have someone you like?"
She needed to verify if her idea was correct, since he wouldn't remember what happened after he woke up anyway.
Upon hearing this, complex emotions welled up in Shen Qinghe's eyes. After a moment of silence, he uttered two words: "Sister-in-law."
Upon hearing these two words, Meng Zhao frowned immediately, while Shen Qinghe continued, "Don't force me."
He was already trying his best to restrain himself and not do anything to betray his older brother, so why did his sister-in-law keep provoking him? Why could she always make him lose control?
Meng Zhao wasn't blind, so she could see the forbearance and struggle in Shen Qinghe's eyes. Her heart sank; the thing she feared most had happened: Shen Qinghe seemed to have really fallen for her.
And what about herself? Did she like him? Taking advantage of Shen Qing's drunkenness, Meng Zhao freely sized him up.
As for his face, he is indeed a first-rate good-looking man. Sometimes I can't help but stare at him. Now he is much taller than me and his body is gradually maturing. But in my eyes, he is still a boy. Moreover, I have watched him grow up little by little. Meng Zhao has never regarded him as a man.
Simply put, Meng Zhao had no desire to sleep with him; without desire, how could she like him?
So she turned her wrist, signaling him to let go. Shen Qing hesitated for a moment, but finally released her.
Meng Zhao's tone was calm, yet somewhat distant: "It's late, you should get some rest." With that, she turned and left.
Shen Qing was left standing alone, the sensation of the touch still lingering in her palm.
The biggest difference between humans and beasts is that humans can control their desires, while beasts cannot. And alcohol seems to destroy a person's control over themselves. Shen Qinghe lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to suppress those inappropriate thoughts.
The next day, when Meng Zhao got up, it was already bright outside. He pushed open the door and saw Madam Gu walking around in the courtyard.
With the recent hot weather, everyone is feeling restless, and fewer people are eating potato noodles. Meng Zhao and her friends took advantage of this and started making cold pot skewers. Business is booming even more than before. However, this means they have to get up early every day to skewer the skewers, otherwise the shop won't be able to keep up with demand.
Meng Zhao stretched and walked into the courtyard. Madam Gu looked up at her and asked with a smile, "Zhao Zhao, you're up? When did Qing He come back yesterday?"
Meng Zhaogang took out his toothbrush, shook his head, and said in a slightly sleepy tone, "I didn't notice, but it was pretty late anyway."
"I was wondering why he hadn't gotten up yet."
"My second brother drank yesterday, so he'll probably sleep a bit longer. Let's leave him alone and get on with our own business," Meng Zhao mumbled as he brushed his teeth.
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