Chapter 195 Two Years Later
In front of a shop on East Street, a chubby little boy with a three-headed figure squatted in the corner watching ants move their food, occasionally taking a bite of the snack he was holding.
The sweet crumbs fell to the ground, immediately attracting more ants, and soon turned into a black swarm.
The chubby little boy was engrossed in watching when a clear, melodious voice came from above: "Yu Bao, why are you playing outside all by yourself? Did you sneak out when your mother wasn't looking?"
When Yu Bao heard someone call her name, she raised her big, dark eyes to look at the dazzling sunlight.
Upon recognizing the adult in front of him, Yu Bao's chubby face lit up with a delighted smile: "Auntie!"
"Good boy!"
Sheng An picked up Yu Bao in one scoop, weighed him in her hand, and kissed his adorable face: "Haven't seen you for a few days, Yu Bao, did you miss Auntie?"
Yu Bao shouted with all her might, "Yes!"
Sheng An couldn't help but kiss him again: "Yu Bao is so cute, Auntie loves Yu Bao so much."
Yu Bao blushed, her expression a little shy: "Yu Bao likes Auntie too~"
As he spoke, he shouted at the top of his lungs into the shop, "Mom, Mom, Auntie's here!"
Upon hearing the little one's cries, Sheng An knew her best friend was inside the shop, and immediately carried Yu Bao into the shop.
In the backyard, Zhang Zhaodi, heavily pregnant, was sternly reprimanding her young apprentice for making a mistake, unaware that her son, who had come to the shop with her, had run away.
Hearing her son's loud shouts, Zhang Zhaodi immediately forgot about disciplining her young apprentice and put on a smiling face as she walked out.
She hadn't walked two steps when she saw her best friend walking towards her carrying her chubby little boy. She quickened her pace to meet her, reaching out to take her son while scolding him:
"Don't you know how fat you are? What if you tire your aunt out!"
Even after being scolded, Yu Bao wasn't angry. She just grinned and stuffed snacks into her mother's mouth, saying, "Mommy, eat!"
Zhang Zhaodi looked at the saliva-covered pastries, which made her lose all appetite, and turned her face away in disgust.
Yu Bao grumbled and pouted, then took a big bite.
Sheng An couldn't help but laugh as she watched, and didn't let Zhang Zhaodi hold the baby: "You're about to give birth, you can't hold him anymore."
Yu Bao is only one and a half years old. She is a lively and active child. As soon as she was born, she ran to the backyard.
Zhang Zhaodi did not stop him, but told the apprentice to keep an eye on him and not let him touch anything dangerous. Then, she rubbed her lower back and complained to Sheng An, "This child is too clingy. I have to take him with me wherever I go. His grandparents and father don't want him."
Sheng An knew very well why Yu Bao was so clingy: "When you're busy on weekdays, you don't even have time to play with him, so naturally he wants to be with you all the time."
Zhang Zhaodi said it casually, but she was secretly pleased with her son's clinginess: "I wonder what kind of personality this one in my belly will have. If he's as clingy as his older brother, then I won't be able to do anything all day long."
Sheng An smiled, glanced at the backyard, and asked with concern, "I could hear your loud voice outside. Is there some trouble with your business?"
Zhang Zhaodi waved her hand: "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
Last January, Zhang Zhaodi gave birth to her eldest son, Yubao, and immediately after her confinement period, she followed Sheng An's advice and spent all her savings to take over this two-story shop on Dongda Street, specializing in bamboo weaving.
The shop was managed by an experienced manager, and Zhang Zhaodi checked the accounts every two weeks. She rarely came to the shop herself.
A few days ago, a customer damaged a bamboo weaving and brought it to the shop to request repairs.
Zhang Zhaodi felt that the repair was not difficult, so she handed the repair task over to an apprentice who was about to graduate.
Since she happened to have some free time today, Zhang Zhaodi wanted to see the repair results, so she brought Yu Bao to the shop.
Several days passed, and the apprentice still hadn't finished repairing it.
Zhang Zhaodi was eight months pregnant and lost her temper, scolding the person, which Sheng An overheard.
After whispering a few complaints to Sheng An, Zhang Zhaodi remembered something else: "Did you know that Xu Huaining is back from the capital?"
Sheng An's smile faded slightly: "I've heard about it."
Last year, Xu Huaining participated in the imperial examination and ranked among the top ten to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination).
Xujiaba has produced another scholar, and the clan chief is so delighted that he personally buys firecrackers to set off in front of the ancestral hall.
What made everyone in Xujiaba even happier was that Xu Huaining met a big shot from the capital in Nanjing.
The important figure greatly appreciated Xu Huaining and personally wrote a letter recommending him to study at the Imperial Academy.
Amid the anticipation of the entire village, Xu Huaining packed his bags and embarked on a new journey of learning.
This year is the triennial provincial examination year. With only half a month left before the examination, Xu Huaining has traveled a long distance from the capital to return and participate in the examination.
Not only him, but also Xu Jinnian and his four fellow disciples will participate.
Just yesterday, Xu Huaining brought gifts and hoped to travel to Jinling with Xu Jinnian and the other three.
However, Xu Jinnian refused, and his refusal was quite direct.
Thinking of the people he saw yesterday, Sheng An couldn't help but sigh, "The capital city really does nurture people. After spending a year there, their demeanor is completely different, like they came from some noble family."
Hearing her best friend say this, Zhang Zhaodi became more curious: "Such a big change? He's really lucky!"
Speaking of luck, she was genuinely envious: "First, he became a disciple of a scholar who passed the imperial examination, and later he gained the favor of a big shot in the capital. How many people in this world can have such good fortune?"
I just don't know if this person will be able to pass the provincial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
I've heard that passing the imperial examination is much harder than passing the county-level exam; there are countless people who take it from the age of twenty until they're old and gray with many children and grandchildren.
Yu Bao is still young and seems quite clever, so she plans to find a school for him to start his education in a couple of years.
If she were a scholar, she wouldn't expect to pass the imperial examinations or become a Jinshi. She would be content if she could just pass the county-level examination to bring honor to her family and live a comfortable life with that degree.
Sheng An shook his head: "Passing the imperial examination is indeed not easy. Moreover, our Dongjiang Prefecture has a strong academic atmosphere, making it even more difficult to pass. Even Jin Nian herself is not entirely confident."
Zhang Zhaodi was shocked, clearly realizing that she had underestimated the difficulty of passing the imperial examination.
Sheng An patted her shoulder: "I'm going to Jinling this time too. I'll probably be back around the time you give birth."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaodi asked, "You've been gone for so long, what happened to Shengyuan's business?"
Sheng An laughed and said, "Bao Xiu can take her place."
Baoxiu has the best culinary talent and is the one she values most.
At the beginning of the year, she took back the two-story shop she had previously bought and converted it into a restaurant, which she then handed over to Baolan, Baoxiang, and Baoyun to manage, leaving Baoxiu behind.
Baoxiu did not disappoint her high expectations. Even without the help of superb culinary skills, the dishes she made were widely loved by the guests.
Baoxiu also studied and cooked several new dishes, which spread to other restaurants in Qingzhou, but none of them were as delicious as Baoxiu's.
This is why she could go to Nanjing with peace of mind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com