Sanlang received Jiangshan's first letter in Yuzhou City, three months after he left home.
I want to cry, I want to laugh, I want to sing!
Saburo couldn't describe his feelings. Holding his teacher's hand, he repeatedly said, "My sister says she keeps dreaming about me, and I dream about her too. I even dreamed about my sister's baby!"
"My sister has made several new dishes. One of them is called 'Dongpo Pork,' which is stewed until it's soft, tender, and delicious. I'm sure the teacher will love it!"
"My sister also asked me to think of a few names for the baby when I have time. Teacher, please give me some suggestions. Do you have any good names with interesting stories or meanings? I like girls!"
"Teacher, my sister said my mom is the head manager of the shop now! You don't know, Mom used to be quiet and never smiled, and she never went out. But ever since my sister became smarter, Mom has started to smile more, and now she's even learned to cook lots of delicious dishes. I'll have my mom cook for you from now on!"
"Oh, by the way, my sister also asked someone to bring some fruit wine for the gentleman, but it's still on its way and will probably arrive a few days later!"
"And there's the pickled vegetable recipe that Brother Stone asked for. Sister has prepared several kinds... But teacher, Sister said we can't eat too many pickled vegetables. I have to tell Brother Stone not to collect so many clay pots anymore...!"
Watching his little apprentice skip away, Mr. Xunmei stroked his beard and shook his head with a smile.
At such a young age, he was even more talkative than the old man, but why did he love the little one's nagging so much?
His older sister is a wonderful person; he likes her very much!
Thinking of the portrait his young apprentice had drawn of his sister, Mr. Xunmei suddenly thought of his deceased wife. The child and his wife looked somewhat alike when they were young!
No wonder she's so appealing to him!
Saburo's good mood didn't last long; he gradually stopped smiling.
Besides giving him lessons and occasionally teaching him to write, the teacher spends the rest of the time making him copy paintings on his own, copying the same painting over and over again, and requiring him to find the differences in each painting. He is not happy at all now!
And look at the teacher, ever since he received the wine his sister sent him, he's been grinning from ear to ear every day. And then there's Brother Stone, who's practically obsessed with studying the pickle recipes and instructions his sister gave him!
Saburo has never felt the urge to live before!
Shi Tou took a break from his busy schedule to fry a plate of crispy silkworm pupae for Sanlang. When he walked outside the study, he saw Mr. Xunmei crouching down and peeking through the bamboo curtain, so he also tiptoed and peeked inside.
"Sir, why don't you go inside?"
Mr. Xunmei raised a finger and shook it at him, then crouched back down to continue looking.
The old man and the young boy stared out the window for a long time. Finally, Mr. Xunmei withdrew his hand, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Young Master Jiao is truly a genius!"
Stone was still wondering when, with a sudden lightness of his hand, the plate ended up in Mr. Xunmei's hands.
"Go back and make him a pot of bone broth, yam and bone broth, to nourish him!"
In the study of Fu Ting, the Minister of Works, Fu Chengshi arrived uninvited for the first time and smashed an ancient inkstone in front of Fu Ting.
"Sending Yuan'er to be a county magistrate in such a tiny place? How could you even think of that! Yuan'er is my son. I've endured all the bullying, humiliation, and hurt you've caused me over the years, but you can't afford to mistreat my son again!" Madam Fu looked at Fu Ting with a cold and resolute gaze, her eyes filled with an unprecedented determination.
Fu Ting suppressed the urge to throw the woman out, pressed one hand to his temple and gripped the book in his hand tightly with the other, and said calmly, "This is the Emperor's decree, and it is also your son's wish. Since you are so capable, why don't you go and persuade your son?"
Fu Chengshi was furious. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Fu Ting! Put away your foolish face. Save your kindness for your precious bastard. My son doesn't care! Let me tell you, as long as I, Cheng Lan, am here, no one can stand in the way of my son's future!"
With a loud slam of the door, Fu Ting put down the book in his hand, slowly closed his eyes, and what lingered in his mind was the resolute, clear, and seemingly storm-filled black eyes of his eldest son.
This son has the same stubbornness as his mother, but he has a level of patience and tolerance far exceeding that of ordinary people. Unfortunately, this patience and tolerance cannot be shown to his mother, a mother who loves him more than anyone else, but also a mother who is scheming to oppose him.
Unfortunately, Cheng Lan will never know this.
Cheng Lan stormed back to her room, knocked over several vases, and angrily shouted at her trusted nanny, "When I sent your nephew to Yuan'er's side, I told him that Yuan'er's future wife would definitely be a rich and noble lady, and that he should keep a close eye on him and not let Yuan'er come into contact with those lowly women. And what happened? After such a big incident, he didn't mention a word to me!"
Granny Cheng shrank her neck and said with difficulty, "Madam, I asked Xiao Liu, but he didn't mention it to me at all. He said that the eldest young master doesn't like him to talk too much and told me not to ask any more questions."
"I am Yuan'er's mother. Would I harm my own child? Bring Xiao Liu here. I want to ask him if he dares to pretend to be deaf and dumb in front of me!"
Granny Cheng's heart tightened. She curtsied and hurriedly turned to find her nephew.
Fu Zhi had been sidelined for some time, and when he finally waited for the eldest son to return to the capital, he was not reinstated. His heart felt as cold as if it had been struck by frost.
He was so heartbroken!
When he was chosen by the lady to serve in the eldest son's courtyard, he knew he had hit the jackpot. With his aunt's guidance, he thrived by the eldest son's side and quickly gained his favor. The eldest son even bestowed upon him the name Fu Zhi.
Everything was going smoothly until he went to Guyang County. Everything seemed to be out of his control, and the eldest young master was becoming increasingly distrustful of him. Although the root of the problem was Jiang Shan, the "foolish" woman from Huaigu Village, Fu Zhi knew in his heart that what the eldest young master was really angry with him for was that he had acted on his own initiative. In other words, he had chosen his wife over the eldest young master and betrayed him.
Fu Zhiyin had a feeling that he had made the most irrational choice.
Therefore, when his aunt came to ask him to report back to the madam, he had already made up his mind.
He remembered everything the young master had instructed him to do!
Fu Zhi was led in through the side gate of the backyard by Granny Cheng. Apart from the guards at the gate, no one saw him.
When Fu Chengshi saw Fu Zhi kneeling in front of her, she gave him a cold glance, picked up the tea on the table, and patiently skimmed off the foam.
Fu Zhi knelt with his eyes down, silently waiting for the lady to ask him a question.
After a long pause, Madam Fu slammed the cup down on the coffee table and asked sternly, "Xiao Liu, do you know your crime?"
Fu Zhixin trembled for no reason, and he half-bowed with his hands on the ground, saying, "Madam, I don't know what crime Xiao Liu has committed. Please enlighten me."
"What's the story with that woman from Guyang County? Tell us the truth!"
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