Chapter 132 His Wishful Thinking
When Yao Shisan returned from the grain store, the moon was already high in the sky.
She has been incredibly busy these days, partly to avoid being around anyone.
The courtyard has been renovated, and the night sky is filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers.
The air was filled with the faint aroma of meat.
As she got closer, she saw that someone had placed charcoal in the pavilion.
He Zhuo was drunk, and Jiang Xingyao and He Ran had to support him.
"My third brother isn't a bad drinker, but he's been getting you drunk like this, and you're not even a little bit sober?"
He Ran was not short, more than half a head taller than Yao Shisan, but he was no match for his third brother.
She dragged her brother along, completely disregarding whether he would bump his leg as she pulled him down the pavilion steps.
She looked at Jiang Xingyao, who remained unchanged, and exclaimed, "You can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk!"
Jiang Xingyao: "I rarely drink alcohol, and I don't know if I'll get drunk."
He Ran was speechless for a moment. Her good-for-nothing brother had confidently vowed to drink the bookworm under the table.
"...So, what's the most you've ever drunk?"
Jiang Xingyao thought for a moment, "It was on the day the results were announced. A dozen or so candidates from Chuzhou got drunk together, and I was a little dizzy too."
He Ran's legs almost gave way. "...More than a dozen people, how much did they drink?"
"Seven or eight jars, or eight or nine jars, I forget."
"Okay... From now on, I can't drink with you no matter who I'm drinking with."
"You can't drink it."
"I know, I won't drink with you."
You can't drink with anyone.
"You bookworm, I'm not even married to you yet, and you're already trying to control me."
The three figures gradually walked away, and their voices faded into the distance.
The aroma of meat wafted from the pavilion.
Yao Shisan's cravings were immediately aroused.
"If you don't eat it, the rest can go into my stomach."
She had only ever seen this way of eating from afar in the gardens of the British government.
It was a young lady from the manor with her close female friend.
The table was a mess from eating, with a large handful of raw meat skewered on willow branches.
She then gathered the bowls and plates on the table aside and placed the bunch of willow branch meat skewers on top.
Even if you've never eaten pork, haven't you at least seen a pig run?
Roast it over a fire, just like roasting chicken.
Jiang Xingyao was still thinking about the charcoal fire that hadn't gone out in the pavilion, so he returned.
"Yao'er".
Yao Shisan turned around and said, "I'm a little hungry too. I might as well eat the rest of it. There's so much meat, let's not waste it."
"Let me help you."
Jiang Xingyao reached out his hand, but Yao Shisan dodged it.
"No need, you should go to sleep after drinking. There's still a lot to do on the river. If you don't keep an eye on it for a day, there will be plenty of people slacking off."
"Okay, just put out the fire when you're done eating. I'll clean up the rest of the dishes tomorrow morning."
Yao Shisan nodded and shooed him away, "I know, go to sleep and don't disturb me while I enjoy my delicious meal."
The courtyard was quiet, with the occasional chirping of cicadas.
There was still a little wine left in the wine jar at her feet, which the three of them hadn't finished drinking.
"Don't waste this."
Unable to find clean bowls and plates, they simply grabbed the wine jar with both hands and drank it down.
Having never drunk strong liquor before, she choked and her eyes watered.
The spilled wine also soaked her clothes, and the smell of alcohol immediately hit her.
What the hell is this thing?!
It tasted so awful, yet they almost finished the whole jar!
"Cough cough—"
Tears streamed down her face, her throat felt like it was on fire, and all she wanted now was to eat something to relieve the burning sensation in her throat!
Just as she picked up a skewer of meat to eat, a tall figure blocked the lanterns in the pavilion, completely obscuring the only light she could get.
Zhou Congxian looked at her face covered in tears, her hair disheveled and loose.
He reeked of alcohol, was carrying a huge wine jar in his arms, and was holding an undercooked piece of roasted meat in his hand.
He's so drunk.
He sighed softly and slowly sat down opposite her.
He reached out and took the meat from her hand.
"It's not cooked yet, let me grill it for you."
Yao Shisan was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol; he was a little dizzy, but still conscious.
"You... hiccup!"
She immediately let out a burp, "..."
Zhou Congxian glanced at her flushed cheeks, which were as radiant as a rosy dawn, and handed her a skewer of grilled meat.
"The British Duke's mansion has many rules, and we have never eaten meat and drunk wine so heartily before. Now, we feel completely at ease here."
As Yao Shisan looked at the sizzling, oily meat skewers in his hands, her stomach rumbled loudly.
He wanted to refuse, but swallowed the words back.
You can lose anything but your stomach.
eat!
Her brother didn't know how to make such things, and she didn't know where the He siblings got the seasonings from, which gave the meat a unique flavor.
If Fu'er hadn't fallen asleep, she definitely wouldn't let go until she was stuffed.
After a year away from Beijing, the little girl has grown taller and stronger, and her personality has become much wilder.
At this time in her previous life, Fu'er was timid and clumsy, and her body was so thin that she could be blown away by a gust of wind.
Fu'er's current appearance lacks the grace of a well-bred young lady, but it's the way she likes to see herself.
After finishing a skewer of meat, the burning sensation in my throat finally subsided.
Seeing that she had finished eating, Zhou Congxian seamlessly handed her another skewer.
"Do you think it tastes good? The second young master of the Marquis of Xinwu is a connoisseur of food. I've seen him grill it many times, but this is his first time grilling it. I wonder how it will taste."
Yao Shisan nodded as he ate, "It's acceptable."
One ate, the other grilled, and neither of them brought up the past again.
Zhou Congxian said, "This pavilion is a bit small; it's only big enough to grill some meat skewers and chicken and duck."
"In a few days, I'll have someone build another fire pit next to here to roast suckling pigs and lambs, which will be tender and juicy."
Yao Shisan looked in the direction he was pointing.
"Forget it, don't bother. It'll just sit idle once you get back to Beijing. Wouldn't that be a waste?"
Zhou Congxian paused in his flipping of the meat skewers, then sprinkled some more pepper powder on top.
He appeared nonchalant, but his hands were constantly turning the meat skewers in his hands. "How could they be left idle? Fu'er loves to eat them. We'll find a cook who can cook them."
Yao Shisan ignored him and simply gnawed the flesh clinging to the willow branch clean.
Finally, he tossed the willow branch aside and said slowly, "Once the county government office is repaired, we'll all move there; we won't need it here."
"Yes, yes..."
Zhou Congxian managed a weak smile.
When Yao Shisan saw that he finally didn't argue with her this time, she thought that he had finally figured things out.
He then said in a gentle tone, "There's no need to build a fire pit, but we can still grill these meat skewers again."
"Fu'er's nose is sharper than a dog's. She'll definitely smell the meat tomorrow. I'm sure she's been eating something delicious behind my back again."
Zhou Congxian noticed the faint smile that flashed in her eyes when she mentioned her daughter.
He couldn't help but think of what she had said: everything he had done was just wishful thinking on his part, and he had never considered whether she was willing.
"Okay, I'll bake it again tomorrow."
Zhou Congxian's meat skewers haven't been arranged yet.
He was summoned back home by a letter from his family.
Madam Zhou is critically ill.
Although Fu'er didn't get to eat her father's grilled meat skewers, she did get to eat her aunt's grilled meat skewers.
Her sweet calls of "Auntie" made He Ran beam with joy, and He Ran didn't ask anyone else to help her grill the meat or chicken legs!
Yao Shisan looked at his daughter's smiling face.
She didn't know how much her daughter still remembered about things in the capital; perhaps she could still remember a little.
The only things in the capital that could bring her joy were probably the small world she couldn't step out of.
It doesn't matter, he lives here now and everyone loves him.
*
Zhou Congxian dismounted, covered in dust.
Before he could catch his breath, his little bone, who usually greeted him at the door, was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Little Bone?"
The steward was surprised that the first thing the prince asked about upon his return was a dog.
"That, that dog..."
Zhou Congxian's gaze sharpened. "Did they drive them away?"
The steward lowered his head. "That dog offended a distinguished guest, and the Duke ordered it to be killed..."
Killed...
Zhou Congxian's face turned pale.
Little Bone is very well-behaved; it only sticks to him and only eats in the courtyard, never barking outside.
How could it offend someone important?
Little Bone is dead, is there any hope for his fulfillment...?
How heartbroken Fu'er must be.
Shi Yao might still be willing to talk to her again...
The steward knew that the dog was bought by the young master for the young lady, and that it was something the young master used to remember her by seeing it.
The young master treasured this dog the most, and it died just a few months after he left the capital...
"Xian'er is back!"
Just then, the Duke's carriage returned, and as soon as he got out, he saw his son, who had gotten quite tanned.
Zhou Congxian turned his head and saw his father's cheerful appearance, without a trace of the sorrow that his grandmother was seriously ill.
"Father, Grandmother, she..."
The Duke stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Your grandmother is fine now. His Majesty has sent a royal physician to treat her."
"Since you're already back, stay home a few more days."
“Miss Li is unconventional. She was engaged to you and even ran away from the capital. She returned two months ago, but this marriage can no longer be arranged.”
“Your grandmother has introduced you to many young ladies, so you should take advantage of these days to choose one.”
The Duke continued speaking to himself.
Zhou Congxian gritted his teeth, turned around and mounted his horse. "Now that my grandmother is alright, and I still have the emperor's orders to carry out, the naval affairs are of even greater importance."
When the Duke saw that he was about to leave without even entering his house, he grabbed his reins.
"Xian'er, you won't even come in the door? Are you going to emulate Yu the Great's flood control efforts, passing by your own home three times without entering?!"
Zhou Congxian looked at his father and said, "Entering the capital without an imperial edict is itself an act of disobeying the imperial decree!"
"Lord Duke, if your grandmother hadn't been seriously ill, why would he have summoned you back? Filial piety is a fundamental principle of family, would His Majesty have punished you for that?"
Zhou Congxian couldn't understand why his father, who had always been cautious and meticulous, was now acting this way.
"The Emperor is furious. Father thinks the current Duke's position is too secure."
Now, the old factions in the capital are being uprooted one by one, and Zhou Congxian, as a new favorite of His Majesty, is gradually making his mark. The Zhou family, which was once inconspicuous and almost forgotten, is now showing its strength.
Even the Duke, who only held a nominal position, has now been assigned some important tasks by His Majesty.
How could Zhou Congxian not know that his father had been silent for too long, and now the world had suddenly changed.
The Zhou family's position has changed.
My mindset has changed.
I'm afraid...
People have changed too.
"From Brother Xian."
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