The Cheng family is shameless!
In the eyes of the Cheng family, isn't Cheng Tingrui just a tool for making money?
As the person who earns the most money in the family, what's the point of living like this?
He Youyou herself is also the highest earner in the family.
However, she had never experienced this kind of frustration before.
She willingly bought houses and cars for her parents, and everything she thought was good; she bought luxury cars, apartments, and designer clothes for her younger sister, and sent her off with great fanfare.
All of this was done voluntarily, or rather, she forced it upon her.
The parents still work hard to run their barbecue restaurant, and the younger sister also works hard, steadily climbing the corporate ladder.
They never intended to take a single penny from He Youyou.
She had heard of examples of families exploiting her in real life, and that was already incredibly difficult.
For someone like Cheng Tingrui, to give up his self, his identity as a scholar, and his dream life, and be exploited by thousands of people in his clan, how agonizing must that be?
"Sigh!" He sighed softly.
"What? Feeling sorry for him?" Zhao Changqing's voice slowly reached her ears.
She rolled her eyes at him: "There's no man in this world who can make me feel sorry for him. I just miss home."
Where do you live?
“Home is a place you can never go back to.” He Youyou’s eyes were vacant, as if she was lost in thought. “My parents run a barbecue restaurant, and their barbecue is so delicious. If you try it, I guarantee you’ll want to eat it again and again.”
Seeing her dejected appearance, Zhao Changqing had a different idea.
He thought that when He Youyou said she couldn't go back, she meant that her family had suffered a tragedy and she had lost her loved ones.
"Do you know how to grill this meat?"
He Youyou nodded: "Of course, I am the eldest daughter in my family. I helped out at my family's barbecue restaurant since I was a child. They passed on the secret recipe for grilling meat to me. They originally wanted me to inherit the barbecue restaurant, but I ended up leaving my hometown and going elsewhere."
What she meant was that she went to university in another city, and after graduation, she didn't return to her hometown but went to another province to build her career.
Zhao Changqing, however, thought she had left her hometown and was wandering in all directions.
"I am very eager to taste the roast meat that Madam Han described. Would you be so kind as to cook it for me? I will certainly pay several times the price."
He Youyou crossed her arms and leaned against the carriage, thinking for a moment.
There seemed to be barbecue seasoning in her space, and the grill was also ready-made.
It's a pity that this skill was lost to her; it would be perfect to pass it on to Ahri.
"Okay, let's go home and see what ingredients we can bake."
There are actually a lot of things at home that can be baked.
After having hot pot yesterday, Zhao Changqing had someone buy a lot of meat early this morning, including beef, lamb, and pork.
He Youyou had ready-made iron skewers in her space, and she directed the kitchen staff to use the skewers to skewer the meat.
Han Wenzheng also came to help after finishing his studies.
As the next generation successor of He Family Barbecue, Han Zheng has the heaviest task.
He not only had to learn how to cut meat and skewer it, but also how to marinate it, how to season it, how to control the heat, and how to sprinkle seasonings.
He Youyou truly treated him as her successor and taught him accordingly.
He studied very diligently.
The meat skewers, grilled to about 80-90% done, are brought to the main hall and kept warm on a small charcoal stove. While eating, they continue to grill for a while, preventing the meat from cooling down too quickly or burning.
Zhao Changqing arrived early as well, his mouth watering at the aroma of the roasted meat.
In the border camp, he and his men could eat roasted meat every now and then.
Whole cows and sheep are roasted, and then cut with a sharp knife after roasting.
However, the meat in the military camp was only simply seasoned with salt, without as many spices as the roast meat we have today, so the aroma alone couldn't compare.
"Mother, how about you try this meat that I roasted?"
Han Wenzheng picked out a skewer he had grilled and handed it to He Youyou.
He Youyou first observed the color of the meat, then took a bite: "The roasting temperature was well controlled, but the timing of sprinkling the seasoning was a little too early. Next time, wait until the meat changes color before sprinkling the seasoning, so that the seasoning is not roasted for too long and tastes bitter."
"Yes, I will be more careful next time," Han Wenzheng replied humbly.
Perhaps because the two had talked a lot on the way today, Zhao Changqing was also more talkative tonight.
After listening to their conversation, he couldn't help but ask, "Scholars should focus on their studies so that they can have a bright future and achieve success in the imperial examinations. Why are you making him learn these things?"
He Youyou put down the barbecue: "According to you, merchants should focus on business, and scholars should focus on their studies, and they don't need to worry about these mundane affairs and family matters?"
Before Zhao Changqing could speak, she continued, "Before becoming a merchant, and before becoming a scholar, a person is first and foremost a human being."
"..."
"The most valuable quality in a person is self-reliance. Don't even mention poor families, where children have to learn to be independent early and make a living by washing clothes and cooking; even wealthy families, with their servants and attendants, don't they need to learn skills?"
Zhao Changqing asked, puzzled, "Is it necessary?"
He Youyou turned to Han Wenzheng: "Ali, you must remember that in this world, there won't always be someone to do things for you. Everyone may leave, leaving you all alone. Even if you rely on yourself, you can live, you can live well. This is my requirement for you, and it is also my blessing for you. Those parents who don't teach their children anything are not showing love, but cursing them, cursing their children to be unable to take care of themselves when they are alone, to live a muddled life, and to be unable to survive."
Han Wenzheng's small face turned solemn as he nodded earnestly to He Youyou.
Any wealthy young man would have ignored He Youyou's words. However, Han Wenzheng felt the same way.
Because his personal experience perfectly reflects this statement.
He didn't start out surrounded by admirers and then end up all alone; rather, he first lost his birth mother, was destitute and helpless, and was later adopted, which led to his life surrounded by admirers.
He understood the situation He Youyou described better than anyone else.
When a person is destitute and helpless, survival becomes the most important thing, and everything else is a luxury.
"Mother, I remember."
"You must learn not only the skills to survive in favorable circumstances, but also the skills to survive in adversity. You must learn not only the rules for getting along with your family, but also the rules for getting along with people in officialdom. You are going to study, take the imperial examinations, and walk a path to high office, a ladder to heaven. One wrong step and you can fall and bleed. You must learn how to climb without getting tired, and how to fall without getting hurt. Most importantly, you must learn—how to live without dying."
His words moved everyone present.
"Come on, let's eat! You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. Ah Li, I will find someone to teach you what you need to learn slowly. Don't be impatient, just study steadily."
"Yes, Mother."
Where there's meat, there must be wine.
Zhao Changqing somehow produced a jar of wine and poured a bowl for everyone.
The bowl in front of Han Wen was taken away by He Youyou.
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