"Stay for dinner," Yun Qingran urged Qin Wan to stay.
Qin Wan is now her business partner.
"Is this okay?" Qin Wan asked, a little embarrassed.
The relationship between the two families is now a bit awkward.
"What's wrong with that? Come on, let me tell you, Bicao's cooking is amazing." Yun Qingran took Qin Wan's arm and led her to the dining room.
Under her tutelage, Bi Cao's cooking skills improved by leaps and bounds; she could smell the aroma of food as soon as she reached the dining room door.
"What's that smell? It smells so good!" Qin Wan sniffed the spicy aroma in the air, her mouth watering involuntarily.
"This smells like spicy hot pot. Bi Cao probably made dry pot shrimp tonight. You're in for a treat." Yun Qingran pulled Qin Wan's hand and quickly walked into the dining room.
"Elder brother, grandmother." Upon arriving at the dining room, Yun Qingbi and Madam Zhao were already seated.
"Cousin Qingbi, are you well? Grandmother, are you well?" Qin Wan bowed to the two of them.
She looked a little embarrassed. Her mother had treated them like this, and she was still going to their house for dinner? It was a bit...
"Wanwan, you're back!" Yun Qingbi asked Qin Wan with a smile. "Wanwan, did you pass the assessment at Jialan Academy?"
Qin Wan had actually prepared herself to be kicked out, but she didn't expect Yun Qingbi to talk to her in such a familiar and intimate tone, without any sense of distance between them.
"Yes, it was approved half a month ago." Qin Wan nodded with a gentle smile.
"I heard that the entrance exam for Jialan Academy is very difficult to pass. Many people study there their whole lives and still can't pass, so they have to stay there forever. Wanwan, you're really amazing." Zhao looked at Qin Wan with satisfaction and happiness.
Qin Wan had no relation to her, but she was her husband's granddaughter, and out of love for her, Zhao Shi also liked her quite a bit.
"Grandmother is too kind. I just got lucky and passed." Qin Wan pursed her lips shyly.
“It’s about ability, not luck,” Zhao said with a smile. “Please sit down and eat.”
"Yes, Grandmother." Qin Wan sat down happily.
"Mother!" Jun Yanyan and Jun An'an rushed over, each hugging one of her legs.
"Yan Yan and An An, have you called your auntie yet?" Yun Qingran asked, patting the two children's heads.
Jun Yanan released her hand, stood in front of Qin Wan, and greeted her in a soft and clear voice, "Hello, Auntie."
Although Qin Wan didn't have any children of her own, her heart melted when she saw her two adorable and well-behaved children, and her maternal love overflowed.
"Hello, Yan Yan and An An." Qin Wan stretched out her hands, took one child's hand in each hand, and shook hands with them.
"Auntie, you're so beautiful," Jun Yanyan said, praising Qin Wan.
"Thank you, Yan Yan. You're so cute too." Qin Wan was overjoyed and very happy.
"Yan Yan and An An, you two sit down and eat. Don't disturb your auntie's meal." Yun Qingran picked up the two children and sat them in their high chairs.
These two high chairs were specially made by a carpenter for her two children.
"Wanwan, try this, it's dry pot shrimp." Zhao used serving chopsticks to put a few large shrimp on Qin Wan's plate.
"Thank you, Grandma." Qin Wan held out the bowl to take the dry pot shrimp.
As soon as you put the prawn in your mouth, a spicy and savory flavor spreads through your mouth.
"Wow, this dry pot shrimp is so delicious!" Qin Wan's eyes lit up.
"Is it delicious? Try this one too, it's cold pot skewers." Yun Qingran handed two skewers to Qin Wan's bowl.
Zhang San is very reliable; the chili peppers have been cultivated very well under his care, and large-scale planting has now begun. The flavor of chili peppers has gradually taken over the culinary scene.
The chili pepper era has arrived, ushering in a new age for cuisine!
Of course, according to Zhang San, although chili peppers are loved by most people, there are some places where people don't seem to eat them. For example, Lingnan.
The locals put a drop of chili oil in a bowl of noodles, and call it extra spicy!
??????
Qin Wan had never eaten food skewered on sticks before, and found it very novel, but she didn't know how to start eating it.
"Take this and slurp it up." Yun Qingran demonstrated to her how to eat skewers.
Qin Wan learned very quickly and mastered it in no time.
“I’ve already arranged for Zhang San to open a barbecue restaurant. This way of eating, with food skewered on sticks, will become more and more common,” Yun Qingran said with a smile.
"Cousin, is this the way you came up with to eat this? It's so delicious!" Qin Wan thought the skewers were incredibly fragrant and tasted amazing.
"Mm." Yun Qingran nodded.
"Cousin, you're amazing!" Qin Wan looked at Yun Qingran with admiration.
Needless to say, she has already become a big fan of Yun Qingran.
People always said she was a prodigy, with outstanding looks and high academic talent, and she herself thought so too. But after being with her cousin, she realized that if her own strengths were like stars, then her cousin's strengths were like the moon.
The stars will never be as beautiful as the moon!
However, she didn't feel jealous. There are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your reach. If you encounter someone better than yourself, then you should try to catch up. If you can't catch up, then using them as a benchmark is not a bad idea either.
"Hehe~~" Yun Qingran smiled with her eyes crinkling as she was praised.
After finishing their meal, Qin Wan stayed to chat with Zhao Shi for a while before bidding farewell and heading home as night deepened.
"Wanwan, let me see you off." Yun Qingran stood up to see Qin Wan off.
The two arrived outside the Zhen'an Marquis's residence. Qin Wan stopped. "Cousin, you don't need to see me off. Please stay."
"Okay, then take care. Don't be afraid, I've sent a bodyguard to protect you on your way back." It's dark and the roads are slippery; it's not safe for a girl like her to go back alone.
"Thank you, cousin." Qin Wan hadn't expected that Yun Qingran, who seemed carefree and thoughtless, was actually so thoughtful.
"We're cousins," Yun Qingran waved her hand dismissively.
Seeing her like this, Qin Wan felt very guilty. "I'm sorry, cousin."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Yun Qingran asked.
"My mother..." Qin Wan couldn't help but sigh when she thought of Yun Lian.
"Don't worry, you are you, and your mother is your mother. I won't implicate you," Yun Qingran said.
"Thank you, cousin. I will try my best to persuade my mother to stop being so stubborn." Qin Wan pursed her lips tightly.
"Hmm." Yun Qingran sighed inwardly.
There's no way things will end well between her and Yunlian. Yunlian almost harmed her father and elder brother; she has to avenge that.
Moreover, she had already avenged herself; she had exposed Yunlian's deception, and according to the information reported by the secret guards, Yunlian's recent outings were undoubtedly to meet Ma Bao in secret.
If you do it every day, it's no wonder you get pregnant!
If Yunlian becomes pregnant with Ma Bao's child, the outcome will be utter ruin.
"Go back quickly, it's getting late." Yun Qingran waved to Qin Wan.
"Okay. Goodbye, cousin." Qin Wan waved to her as well.
Qin Wan turned to leave when a young eunuch rushed in, shouting, "Princess Rongchang, a spy has returned with a message: something has happened in Western Yan!"
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