Chapter 9 Buying Incense
As soon as Qiu Heng saw Granny Yu's reaction, she knew that Fang Zhou had not underperformed.
The red bean cake wasn't made specifically for Granny Yu, but rather Fangzhou made it this morning after familiarizing herself with the kitchen in the third house for two days.
"Granny Yu".
"Sixth Miss, please speak." Granny Yu savored the taste of the red bean cake, her tone softening considerably.
Red bean cake isn't a fancy dessert, but it's precisely because it's so common that its delicious taste is so amazing.
Qiu Heng asked with a smile, "Are the pastries Fangzhou made still edible?"
Was it made by the maidservant brought by the Sixth Miss?
Granny Yu glanced at Fangzhou in surprise.
With a round face and almond-shaped eyes, she was a pleasing-looking girl, but she was unremarkable in the Earl's mansion.
It was said that the Sixth Miss grew up in the countryside, but it turns out that she not only has maids, but the maids' pastry-making skills are even better than Chef Chen's in the old lady's courtyard.
This is unreasonable!
The fact that it's illogical shows that the Sixth Sister is no ordinary person.
Granny Yu put away her disdain and said sincerely, "I have never eaten such delicious red bean cake before."
"From now on, Granny Yu will be able to enjoy all sorts of delicious pastries at Lengxiang Residence," Qiu Heng said with a smile. "I'll also do well in what I need to learn. This way, we'll both be more relaxed. What do you think, Granny Yu?"
Granny Yu fell silent.
Sixth Sister meant that she could just relax and enjoy herself at Lengxiang Residence.
Should she agree, or—of course she agreed; she wasn't the kind of person who took things too seriously like Granny Zhu.
"I think it's fine, as long as Sixth Miss learns everything she needs to learn."
Having reached an agreement, Qiuheng asked Wang Mama to arrange a room for Granny Yu to rest, leaving Fangzhou alone.
"Miss, I've inquired. The Third Young Master is a fearless little tyrant; no one dares to mess with him. Of all the young ladies, the Old Madam dotes on the Fourth Young Lady the most..."
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "You managed to find out the news so quickly?"
Fangzhou proudly raised his chin: "The people in the kitchen love to gossip. I made red bean cakes for them and heard quite a bit about them."
"Fangzhou is really amazing."
Fangzhou grinned from ear to ear, and after thinking for a moment, suggested, "We still have extra red bean cakes, should we send some to the Third Master and the Second Young Master?"
Master Qiu is Qiu Heng's biological father, and the second young master Qiu Feng is Qiu Heng's younger brother. Fang Zhou believes that it is important to maintain good relations between them.
Thinking of the bag of silver she had received yesterday, Qiu Heng nodded: "Put it in a food box, and I will deliver it personally."
She came to the Qiu family not to make enemies of them, but to make things easier once she established good relations.
Master Qiu went out early in the morning. Qiu Heng left a plate of snacks and then went to Qiu Feng's residence.
The school was closed today, and Qiu Feng stayed in his room reading. When the servant reported that the Sixth Miss had arrived, he hesitated for a moment before going to see her.
"Is there something you need, Sixth Sister?"
"Fangzhou made some red bean cakes, they tasted good, I brought them over for you to try."
The boy looked tense: "I don't like red bean cakes, so Sixth Sister doesn't need to send them anymore."
"Oh, okay." Qiu Heng nodded to indicate that she understood, then turned and left.
Qiu Feng stared at the plate of red bean cakes, somewhat annoyed.
He said he didn't like it and then turned and left?
I heard that my father didn't drink any alcohol all day yesterday, something he's never done since he can remember.
My father's alcoholism was because of my sixth sister, and his abstinence from alcoholism was also because of my sixth sister. So what is he?
Thinking this, the boy angrily grabbed a piece of red bean cake and ate it.
"Second Brother—" Qiu Song ran in and, seeing Qiu Feng's chubby cheeks, asked curiously, "What are you eating?"
"I'm a little hungry, I'll have a dry snack to tide me over." Qiu Feng immediately moved the plate of red bean cake away and changed the subject, "Is there something you need, Third Brother?"
"Second brother, are you familiar with your older sister yet?"
Qiu Feng became wary: "We're not familiar with each other."
"Then you should get to know her better these next few days, and when we have a holiday next time, invite her to the garden."
Qiu Feng frowned: "What does Third Brother want to do?"
"Arm wrestle with her. If she wins, we'll let it go; if she loses, she has to apologize to me."
"that's all?"
"What else can we do? You're not going to side with her, are you?" Qiu Song's eyes flashed with a fierce light.
Qiu Feng shuddered involuntarily, the sweet taste of the red bean cake vanishing: "I understand."
After delivering the red bean cakes, Qiu Heng took Fang Zhou to the side gate, where they were stopped by the gatekeepers.
"If the Sixth Miss wants to go out, someone from the Old Madam's courtyard needs to come and tell her." The servant said this with barely concealed disdain.
Qiu Heng didn't say much, and turned around to walk back slowly.
She hadn't expected it.
She was originally a country girl who ran around outside all day. When she arrived in the Great Xia Dynasty, which had lost most of its territory, she lived in the palace. When the country fell, she saw that everyone was struggling to survive. These customs were not only distant but also ridiculous.
It was at this moment, standing in the garden of the Earl's mansion, surrounded by blooming flowers, that Qiu Heng truly realized she had returned.
Being confined to a large mansion won't do.
Qiu Heng silently explored all the places in the Earl's mansion that she could visit, and returned to Lengxiang Residence, where Wang Mama handed her a box.
"This was sent by the Third Master. Seeing that the young lady wasn't here, he asked me to give it to you."
Qiu Heng opened the box, inside were hairpins, bracelets, earrings, and pearl flowers, all small and exquisite styles suitable for young girls to wear.
Fangzhou couldn't help but say, "Yesterday it was a bag of loose silver, today it's a box of jewelry. The Third Master is really rich."
After hearing Fangzhou's words, Wang's mother sighed silently.
The Third Master wasn't rich; he just spent all his money meant for wine on girls.
When Master Qiu returned to his courtyard after delivering the jewelry to his daughter, he tasted the red bean cake that Qiu Heng had brought earlier and immediately burst into tears.
Heng'er brought him some snacks, does that mean Heng'er doesn't blame him?
Wiping away his tears, Master Qiu looked around the room, pondering: If there's no money to buy Heng'er anything tomorrow, should he go to the accounting office to get his monthly allowance in advance, or pawn a vase or something?
As evening approached, Granny Yu, who had worked hard all day, left Lengxiang Residence, and Qiuheng left right after her.
She changed into light clothes, deliberately chose to walk in secluded places, and when she reached the base of the wall, she leaped up to the top of the wall, observed for a moment, and then lightly landed on the outside of the wall.
With the veil on her head, the girl was like a fish entering the sea, blending into the bustling crowd.
In the capital city, where there is no curfew, every lit lamp exudes a dazzling, decadent glow.
Restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops, jewelry stores, and donkey rental shops all await tired travelers to patronize their businesses.
Compared to the Yongqing Earl's Mansion, where she only stayed for two days, Qiuheng was much more familiar with the streets and alleys of the capital.
In the three years following the complete demise of the Great Xia Dynasty, she came here with her husband from Linzhou in the south and stayed for quite some time.
This place was just as prosperous back then, but that prosperity belonged to the Qi people and had nothing to do with the Xia people.
A girl wearing a veiled hat walked into a perfume shop.
The incense shop was large, with a constant stream of customers, including many female customers like her. The shopkeeper was also a woman.
"Shopkeeper, I want to buy some spices."
Fifteen minutes later, the girl walked out of the incense shop carrying the wrapped spices.
The rich aroma gradually lingered behind us, while the scents of wine and tea filled the air.
Seeing the people coming towards her, Qiu Heng unconsciously slowed her pace.
(End of this chapter)
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