Chapter 113 "Oh my god, Yan Yan, are you jealous...?"
Azhi invited five friends to visit the Marquis's residence. They were all her classmates from the same class, and their ages were similar, ranging from ten to fourteen.
Three of the girls came from families of officials, with their fathers and brothers holding official positions in the court. The other two were girls from ordinary families who entered the school on their own merits.
Yan Yi asked A-Zhi about the ratio of students from these two different backgrounds in her class and found that it was much higher than when she and Shen Lingyue visited the girls' school last year.
"It seems the girls' school has admitted more girls from ordinary families this year," she said thoughtfully.
Azhi, unaware of the situation, nodded and said, "Yes, I heard that this year, the number of female officials sent by the Princess Headmaster to recruit students in various places has doubled, with the farthest reaching the northern desert and Quanzhou."
There was a girl from Fujian in the class next to hers. At first, she wasn't fluent in Mandarin. When the professor called on her to answer a question, the whole class seemed to be listening to gibberish.
That girl was also very ambitious. She dragged her roommates to practice speaking Mandarin diligently, chattering away in the dormitory every day. In less than two months, she was already quite fluent. Except for her slightly tanned skin from the sea breeze, you would have thought she was a local from Beijing just by listening to her accent.
Shen Lingyue popped a piece of candy into Azhi's mouth and said with a smile, "The most important thing about making friends is being able to play together. Otherwise, the princess wouldn't have put you in the same class."
A rich, sweet aroma filled the air, and Azhi's eyes lit up. She couldn't help but chew a couple more times. "Second cousin-in-law, what's this delicious treat?"
"Hehe, this is called hazelnut toffee. Your cousin's wife and I, along with the tea-making girl in her courtyard, have been researching it for a long time, and we only managed to make a batch of finished products today."
Shen Lingyue hasn't had much chance to go out and enjoy the melons lately, so she's been staying at home, focusing all her energy on making food.
Last time, when celebrating the Grand Madam's birthday, she and Yan Yi brainstormed and created a local version of cream cake, which also unlocked the potential of many dairy products, such as butter, cheese, yogurt, and condensed milk, all of which were served on the Marquis's table.
Especially during the recent hot summer, even Pei Xian had the kitchen make fruit yogurt several times, secretly enjoying it in his study. However, he forgot to wipe his beard clean and was caught red-handed by Meng Wanyin.
I heard he's recently become obsessed with milk tea, and he's the only one in the household who insists on drinking it with full sugar...
To achieve dessert freedom, Shen Lingyue would drag Diancha over every day to paint pictures of cakes, cookies, cream puffs, and milk candies that she had eaten before...
Making tea is a skillful art. Even though Shen Lingyue didn't know the recipe at all and relied entirely on her imagination, she experimented again and again and managed to replicate it to about 70-80% accuracy.
Take today's toffee for example. Diancha personally supervised the small stove to boil the syrup. The heat had to be just right, not too high or too low. If he wasn't careful, it would become burnt and unpalatable, ruining the whole pot of syrup.
Such a rare and delicious candy, Ah Zhi couldn't bear to eat it. She held it in her mouth, savoring it little by little, wanting to savor the sweetness a little longer.
but……
Why is it called toffee?
Azhi blinked. "Could this recipe have been passed down by one of the imperial concubines in the palace?"
Shen Lingyue was stumped by the question.
...because she buys ready-made toffee from the supermarket, ahhhhh.
She quickly sought help from Yan Yi.
"Uh, actually this kind of candy was brought back from overseas." Yan Yi composed herself, not wanting to disappoint the two pairs of eager eyes in front of her. "It's just that the local language happens to sound like 'Taifei' (a derogatory term for a concubine), so that's what it's called."
"My sister-in-law is amazing! You know so much!"
Ah Zhi was practically a fangirl, her eyes sparkling, and she didn't forget to serve water. "And my second cousin-in-law is amazing too, she can even make candies from overseas. Are we the first people in the whole capital to eat toffee?"
Shen Lingyue winked at her: "Maybe it really is."
Azhi fiddled with her fingers shyly: "Can I use this candy to treat them tomorrow? Won't it be too much trouble for the tea lady?"
It's not that she's vain; she just wants to share this unique sweetness with her girlfriends...
“No problem.” Shen Lingyue readily agreed. “I have already mastered the key points of controlling the heat when making syrup, so my family can make this candy anytime they want.”
Yan Yi then asked her, "Azhi, tell me the addresses of those two classmates, and I'll arrange for someone to hire a carriage to pick them up tomorrow morning."
She didn't need to worry about those three girls from well-off families; their families would definitely provide them with carriages for transportation.
However, since the two girls came from ordinary families, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to be invited to the mansion as guests, and they shouldn't be expected to pay for a carriage to go out at their own expense.
As for why they hired a carriage from outside instead of using the Marquis's own carriage, it was also out of consideration for the self-esteem of a young girl of this age. The Marquis's carriages are all regulated, and if they are too luxurious, it could put pressure on the other family and inevitably give the impression of showing off. It wouldn't be good if it affected Azhi's relationship with her friends.
Ah-Zhi was very clever. She understood Yan-Yi's meaning as soon as she finished speaking, and she was even happier because of her thoughtfulness and consideration.
She opened her arms wide and tried to hug both of her cousins-in-law tightly, saying, "Ah Zhi loves you both the most!"
...
The next day, Azhi woke up early, changed her clothes and combed her hair. Her movements were very nimble, all thanks to the training she received at the girls' school.
She spun around the yard like a little top, repeatedly checking every detail of the day's hospitality to ensure everything was prepared perfectly.
Pei Yuzhen was awakened by the noise she made, and came out yawning. "What's all the fuss about? It's just inviting a few girls over to play."
This is a marquis's residence; ordinary people would never have the chance to step inside and even glance at it in their entire lives. They should be burning incense with gratitude just to be able to come as guests.
Azhi sighed, looking helpless: "Mother, don't you understand why you don't have many good friends?"
Pei Yuzhen: ...
"You brat, how dare you talk about your old mother like that?" Pei Yuzhen glared at her, pretending to hit her. "Who said I don't have friends? It's just that those people are too low-class to talk to!"
Azhi quickly hid behind the maple tree at the far end of the yard, poked her little head out and made a face at her: "My second cousin-in-law said that we should have more friends and fewer enemies, so that no matter what we do, there will be someone to help us and life will go smoothly."
It was only after she went to Yunshao Girls' School that she gradually realized that many of the principles Pei Yuzhen had taught her and her elder sister were completely wrong and were all fallacies.
Her mother was proud of her noble birth, but at the same time, she resented their deceased father for being useless and bringing shame upon his two daughters' social standing, making it difficult for her eldest sister to find a husband.
But she didn't realize that she was clearly overconfident and lacked practical skills. She didn't like to socialize and didn't have many close friends. She only sought help at the last minute when she encountered problems. Why would anyone be willing to help her?
Even the eldest sister was once misled by her mother and couldn't distinguish right from wrong, almost ruining the perfect match between her eldest cousin and his wife.
Fortunately, her two cousins-in-law put aside their past grievances and helped her find a new direction in life, so she no longer had to wallow in self-pity and despair.
...Ahem, although my older sister hasn't been doing well with her book writing lately, she seems to be harboring more resentment.
A bunch of thoughts flashed through Azhi's mind, and she shook her head and sighed like a little adult.
This family will still need me from now on.
She needs to study hard, make more friends, and get good grades. If she can rank in the top ten of all the girls' schools in the year-end exams, she will be personally received by the princess and headmaster, and have a one-on-one conversation with her for fifteen minutes, asking the princess to give her guidance for the future.
...
In the morning, several young girls arrived at the Marquis's residence one after another.
To support their little cousin, Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi specially accompanied her to greet her at the gate.
A round-headed girl jumped down from the hired carriage. She was wearing a clean, light yellow dress and carrying a small bamboo basket covered with a blue floral cloth.
She stood at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion and looked inside, exclaiming, "Wow, Azhi, your house is really big!"
"No, our girls' school was converted from a prince's mansion, and it's much bigger than my uncle's house."
Azhi pulled the little girl aside and introduced her to the two of them: "Sister-in-law, this is Huang Qiaoni, who is in the same class as me. She is just as her name suggests, she is very skillful. She is the best in our class at embroidery and knotting."
Huang Qiaoni gave a shy smile and waved her hands repeatedly: "That's all I'm good at. When it comes to reading, playing the piano and painting, you are all much better than me."
“Everyone has their strengths. Qiao Ni, it’s already amazing that you were admitted to the girls’ school.” Shen Lingyue greeted her warmly. “We are Azhi’s sisters-in-law. Welcome to our home. Please come in.”
Huang Qiaoni quickly greeted the two women and handed them the small bamboo basket she was holding, saying apologetically, "These are persimmon cakes that my mother dried... They're not anything special, but the persimmons are really sweet this year. If you two sisters-in-law don't mind, you can try some."
Yesterday, when she returned home and mentioned that she would be visiting the Marquis's residence today, the whole family became nervous, fearing that she might do something wrong and offend the important person.
Her father even advised her, "Why don't you just not go? How dare we, ordinary people, visit such important people?"
Huang Qiaoni earnestly persuaded them, "Azhi and I are classmates. She invited me to her home. What do I have to be afraid of?"
They all wore the same clothes and ate the same food at the girls' school. The headmistress repeatedly emphasized that no one was allowed to bully classmates because of their family background. One warning would result in a demerit, and a third would result in expulsion and never being admitted again.
After finally persuading his parents, they started worrying about what gifts to bring when visiting.
Her mother even made a tough decision to open her most treasured dowry, took out a silver bracelet, polished it until it shone, and asked her to take it to the Marquis's mansion.
"...Mother, I'm going to visit someone, not to offer tribute."
Huang Qiaoni walked around the house and finally packed a basket of dried persimmons that her mother had dried. "Okay, this will do."
Her mother was shocked: "This is our own food, how can we give it to such a noble person? They wouldn't want it."
Huang Qiaoni said frankly, "Anyway, Azhi knows what kind of conditions my family is in. If she looks down on my family for being poor, then why would she want to be friends with me?"
Even so, when Huang Qiaoni stood in the spacious courtyard of the Marquis's mansion and looked at the angelic faces and elegant attire of her two cousins-in-law, Azhi, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and nervous.
However, the next second, Shen Lingyue unceremoniously lifted the cloth covering the persimmon, picked up a persimmon, took a big bite, and smiled, "So sweet."
He then gave Yan Yi another piece, saying, "Try it too, it tastes much better than what we buy outside."
Yan Yi smiled at Huang Qiaoni, took the persimmon cake, tasted it, and nodded in approval: "It's really good."
Shen Lingyue handed the basket to Qingchan behind her, "Go find some plates to share, and send some to Grandmother, Mother, and Auntie to have a taste. This is a gift from our good friend Azhi."
Turning to Huang Qiaoni with a smile, he said, "Do you have any extra persimmons at home? Could you sell me some? We should eat more persimmons this season. They're delicious roasted, boiled, or used in desserts."
Huang Qiaoni was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "Yes, my persimmon tree has yielded a lot this year... No need to buy any, I'll have my dad pick some and bring them to you tomorrow!"
"No, I can't take advantage of you, otherwise Azhi will be angry with me." Shen Lingyue said half-jokingly, "Let's have a fair deal, sell it to me at the market price, it's settled then."
Azhi nodded in agreement, "That's right, Qiaoni, didn't you say last time that your family had a lot of persimmons this year and you were worried about not being able to sell them all? Sell them all to my cousin-in-law. She's really good at making delicious things. Once she makes some new persimmon desserts, we can eat them together."
He leaned close to Huang Qiaoni's ear and whispered, "...They both have money. You can ask your dad to pay three or five more coins per pound."
"Hey, I heard everything! Why are you still treating me like a sucker?"
Shen Lingyue playfully flicked Azhi's forehead, instantly easing the tension.
As they were talking, another girl who had been picked up by car arrived. Her name was Chen Xiaoya, and she was fourteen years old. She was specially recruited into the girls' school because of her excellent physical fitness; she was the undisputed number one in martial arts class.
"Xiaoya is an exceptionally accurate archer. She was the first in our class to hit a target at thirty paces, and her average score is always above eight points."
Ah-Zhi proudly showed off her good friend to the two of them.
Shen Lingyue was filled with awe, "A true master doesn't reveal his abilities."
Chen Xiaoya looks tall and thin, but I didn't expect her to be a sports specialist.
She greeted the two of them and also took out a gift prepared by her family, a set of wooden zodiac animal figurines.
Her father was a carpenter who loved to carve little trinkets to amuse his younger siblings. This set of zodiac wood carvings was originally intended to be consigned to a peddler in the neighborhood, but when he heard that his daughter was coming to visit the Marquis's mansion, he quickly asked her to bring it over.
Ah Zhi happily accepted the gift, saying, "It'll be perfect to put on my bedside table."
After waiting a while, the other two girls arrived in their own carriages. As soon as they got out, they started chatting away with Huang Qiaoni and Chen Xiaoya, clearly indicating that they got along well.
A little girl noticed Ah Zhi looking outside frequently and asked, "Ah Zhi, why aren't you going in? Who are you waiting for?"
Didn't we agree beforehand that the four of them would come to Uncle Azhi's house together as guests?
Ah Zhi looked troubled. "It was Wu Qiong... She overheard us discussing the gathering that day and asked if she could join us, so I agreed."
"It's her?"
The girls all looked surprised.
Relying on her newfound familiarity with them, Shen Lingyue asked curiously, "Who is Wu Qiong? Don't you get along with her?"
The young girl surnamed Fang waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, we just don't have much contact with her, but it's not to a bad extent."
Ah Zhi tiptoed and whispered to Shen Lingyue, "Wu Qiong is the daughter of the Prince of Chun's mansion."
Shen Lingyue was stunned for a moment, "Then why is her surname Wu?"
Shouldn't his surname be Xiao?
“She is the adopted daughter of the Princess Consort of Chun County,” Azhi said. “I heard that the Princess Consort went to the headmaster of the princess's school and made an exception to send her to the girls' school.”
Shen Lingyue understood. It seemed that even if Princess Tong'an personally ran the school, there would still be people with connections.
She whispered to Ah Zhi, "You don't like her? Then why did you agree to invite her over?"
She didn't want Ah Zhi to develop a people-pleasing personality at such a young age, unable to say no.
So what if she's the daughter of a prince? You can't force Azhi to be friends with her.
"No, not at all." Azhi scratched her head shyly. "Actually, she's a really nice person, not at all pretentious, and gets along well with everyone in the class. It's just... I didn't expect her to take the initiative to talk to me."
Shen Lingyue understood, "You don't think your relationship is good enough for that."
Ah Zhi nodded vigorously, and her second cousin-in-law immediately pointed out what she found strange.
Originally, the five of them had planned this gathering. This time, they were visiting Azhi's house during their vacation, and the next time they would go to Fang Yuanyuan's house, with each of them taking turns hosting.
Ah Zhi was very popular in class, but the five of them were the best friends.
Now, Wu Qiong suddenly appears. Although Azhi agrees out of politeness, she still feels that her plans have been disrupted.
Shen Lingyue held her small hand and said, “There are many kinds of friends. There are nodding acquaintances, there are slightly closer ones, and there are very good friends. The highest level is the kind you can entrust your life to… Just treat Wu Qiong as an ordinary guest who came to visit. Just treat her well for a day. Don’t think that she ruined your girls’ gathering. Anyway, there will be more opportunities in the future.”
Yan Yi also came over to comfort Azhi: "Listen to your second cousin's wife. Look at her, she greets everyone she meets wherever she goes. Maybe she doesn't even remember their names..."
"I can still remember your name, right?" Shen Lingyue puffed out her cheeks, feigning displeasure. "Don't tarnish my glorious image in front of Azhi."
Ah Zhi was amused by the two and nodded, "I understand, having more friends means having one less enemy."
Finally, the group waited anxiously until a magnificent carriage in the style of a prince's mansion drove into the alley and stopped in front of the gate.
Wu Qiong pushed open the car door and jumped out, her steps somewhat hurried. As soon as she saw Azhi, she apologized repeatedly.
"I'm sorry I'm late. My mother wasn't feeling well this morning. I wanted to stay and take care of her, but she asked me to come. She said she had made an appointment with you all and couldn't break it..."
Wu Qiong's face was slightly pale, and her forehead was covered in sweat. It was hard to tell whether she was anxious or worried, but this made her appear even more sincere and convincing against her beautiful face.
Ah Zhi quickly said it was no problem, "Everyone's here, let's go play in the garden, I'll show you around."
Huang Qiaoni and the others agreed. In order to maintain a harmonious atmosphere and not make things difficult for Azhi, the host, even though they were not familiar with Wu Qiong, the girls still chatted and laughed as they walked inside.
"It's so good to be young."
As Shen Lingyue watched the row of lively and beautiful figures walk away, it seemed to dispel some of the bleakness of autumn. She couldn't help but sigh, "It suddenly reminded me of when we were in school. It was just as lively back then."
"Really? I seem to remember that you were the only one who was making a scene."
Yan Yi glanced at her and said softly, "Back then, during the long break between classes and group activities in PE class, you were always surrounded by a lot of people. Everyone loved to be your friend..." Shen Lingyue hugged her tightly and exclaimed dramatically, "Oh my god, Yan Yan, are you jealous?"
Yan Yi gave a soft snort, turning her face away from her with a slightly arrogant air.
Shen Lingyue hugged her tightly, "Hehe, although I'm very popular... in my heart you will always be number one and the most important!"
No matter how many people surrounded her, she always managed to find Yan Yi's location accurately and then rush towards her without hesitation.
Back then, some people secretly disliked her, saying that she was shamelessly clinging to the top student's coattails.
Shen Lingyue didn't take it to heart, but was actually proud: So what? If you're so capable, why don't you hug one too?
She just loves being with Yan Yan, and she wants to be Yan Yan's best friend!
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Regarding how Yuezai and Yanyan perceive each other—]
Yan Yan: There were clearly many people around her, but she only chose me. [pats head]
Yuezai: You guys don't understand, I was able to win Yanyan's heart entirely because I was shameless and persistent [doge emoji]
There will be another update tonight! [Let me see][Let me see]
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