Chapter 4 Food and Drink

  Food not spoken, sleep not spoken, is not suitable for use in Shu Mu Lu Fu, Zhiyuan Pingsheng's greatest hobby is eating, the chef's monthly salary in the mansion is the highest. Gua Erjia was uneasy with her meal, gave a look to the maid, and the maid quickly and skillfully changed the dish.

  Zhiyuan held his chopsticks in mid-air, and the dishes he liked were swapped to the eldest son's side. Shuxuan buried his head and ate, not noticing Ama's resentful gaze at all. For Shuxuan, eating was just about filling his stomach, far less important than reading, so he didn't care about the dishes in front of him. Zhiyuan sighed regretfully: "A cow chewing on peonies."

  Shu Xuan raised his head, "Son reminded you many times, Niu Jue Mu Dan is not suitable for use in..."

  Before Shu Xuan's lengthy argument, Madame Gua spoke sternly: "Dinner is served."

  Zhiyuan and Shuxuan both shrank their necks, becoming quiet and obedient. Putting down her eldest son and husband, Guajia Shi glanced at her normally dressed second son, Shuyi, and nodded to herself in secret. Shuyi's demeanor was deeply that of a noble young master, enough to reflect her teachings from him. When Guajia Shi's gaze fell on her daughter, Shuxiao, she looked carefully for a moment before reminding her, "Don't just drink the soup."

  Shu Yao's small hands grasped the spoon, seemingly enjoying the crab roe porridge in front of her. Guale Jia directly pierced through Shu Yao's thoughts and placed a difficult-to-chew soft-fried pork rib on Shu Yao's eating plate. "You're so lazy that you don't even bother to chew your food properly. If you continue being this lazy, what will become of you?"

  "Uh-huh." Shu Yao responded with a usual "uh-huh", reluctant to part with the crab roe congee in front of her. It was a hassle to eat the soft-fried small ribs, and she had to bite into them. Her poor daughter looked like she was eating poison, so Guajia forced herself to exchange the crab roe congee for Shu Yao's sake. Shu Yao's eyes were too innocent; if she gazed at you with a pleading look, there was only one thought in your mind: satisfy her, satisfy her.

  Gua Lijia almost always faces Shu Yao when dining, and should have been immune to it long ago, but she almost falls for it every time. Shu Yao gnaws on a pork rib, this little thing can't affect her mother's temperament, it's useless against people with strong willpower, cultivating heterodox abilities is too troublesome, the effect is too mediocre, pursuing a life of mixed eating and waiting for death is what makes Shu Yao give up, one level is just one level, even if she cultivates to the tenth level, it's still mediocre.

  "Master, leave some for the young lady." Guwalgiya was momentarily distracted, and Zhiyuan almost swept away all the crab roe congee. Zhiyuan said with a serious expression: "Crab roe is cold in nature, Yaya can't have too much of it."

  Guarjia's forehead was bulging with blue veins, Shu Yao couldn't help but say that it wasn't because you didn't leave any for her, saying too much to care about the daughter, in fact, wasn't it just because of greed? Book Yi served Guarjia.

  "Mom, today's fish is very fresh."

  Mrs. Gwak looked at her with sympathetic eyes, and Mrs. Gwak was about to shed tears. This family of three returned to Beijing like this, how could they live in the Duke's Mansion? Mrs. Gwak was born strong-willed, her husband was an honest official, a man of great integrity, and although she was a woman of the inner house, she did not want her husband Zhiyuan to be underestimated by others. She wanted to protect Zhiyuan. Shu Yao was Mrs. Gwak's youngest daughter, born during a difficult time, and with great difficulty, Shu Yao was born as small as a kitten. Mrs. Gwak felt guilty towards her daughter and almost treated Shu Yao like **. Among the three children, Mrs. Gwak loved her daughter Shu Yao the most.

  In Guwalgiya's eyes, there was no distinction between boys and girls. If a girl was well-educated, she would be just as good as a boy, and could also enjoy wealth and freedom. Guwalgiya had high expectations for her daughter and planned to pass on all her skills to Shu Yao. However, her daughter was born lazy and careless, and no matter how hard Guwalgiya tried to teach her, she couldn't change her nature. So, Guwalgiya began to plan for her daughter's future, thinking that if her daughter couldn't change her ways, she would have to find a good husband for her, one who wouldn't make her follow too many rules and had a simple family. Since her daughter wanted to live a leisurely life, as her mother, Guwalgiya had to arrange things properly for her.

  The red thread was already purchased by Guwalgiya in Suzhou for the embroidery of her daughter's wedding dress. As for the hostess gifts, since her daughter would be marrying into a family with few people, it didn't need to be too complicated. After washing her hands and rinsing her mouth, Guwalgiya looked at Anqi and quietly decided that after returning to Beijing, she would use her connections to invite a palace maid to help support Anqi when the time came for her to get married.

  Guarjia did not allow her daughter to be bound by useless etiquette, she could not bear her daughter's suffering, and she would definitely pave a clear and leisurely path for her daughter Shu Yao.

  After dinner, Madame Gua called in her dowry nurse Wang to discuss the matter of returning to Beijing. Zhiyuan tested his two sons' homework. Although it was a test, Zhiyuan didn't dare ask too deeply, not because he was afraid that his sons wouldn't be able to answer, but because he was worried that his eldest son Shuxuan would turn the tables on him. Since Shuxuan was ten years old, Zhiyuan had been very cautious when testing his sons' homework. His second son Shuyi couldn't keep up with Shuxuan's extensive knowledge, but whenever he asked Zhiyuan a few questions casually, they were always very tricky and strange. As a result, Zhiyuan deeply felt that it was not easy being the father of a genius.

  Xiu Yao leaned against Guwalgiya's bosom, seemingly learning household management from her. In reality, she had already become drowsy and was on the verge of falling asleep. Guwalgiya spoke softly, gently patting her daughter's back. Wang Nai Nai, who had grown accustomed to this scene, didn't find it unusual. The master would often say that Miss, no, young lady, had a headache, but in reality, he loved the young lady dearly and never restrained her.

  "Master, would you tell your young lady about her cousin in the duke's mansion?"

  Wang's husband died, and she lived in the mansion with her son, who was supported by Guwalgiya to study, and treated as a servant. Wang's son was very promising, although he couldn't catch up with Lian's three top scholars, Xueyan, but now he is also a scholar. Wang was grateful for Guwalgiya's kindness and became more loyal to her, serving as a fan bearer for Shu Yao.

  "The young lady is born to be good, and no one can bear to bully her. I have inquired clearly that the one who is most favored by the old lady in the duke's mansion is the cousin of the second lady, called Zhi Qing. The next is the legitimate daughter of the third master's family, Shu Jing, who has been raised in front of the old lady since birth. She is two months younger than the young lady and is said to be very sweet and clever. The old lady is a well-known doting grandmother in Beijing, and she personally teaches and raises the girls herself."

  "Old Mrs. Gu only had two daughters, and the third master was raised as a legitimate son, but he is not a legitimate son. The girl born to Second Aunt is Old Mrs. Gu's own granddaughter, so if she doesn't care about her, who will she care about? Moreover, Eldest Aunt, who married into the Anqing Palace, has been supporting Old Mrs. Gu's reputation, and her granddaughter is someone dear to Old Mrs. Gu's heart. Hmph! A dukedom like this one actually relies on marrying off their daughters - it's truly a shame to their ancestors!"

  Gualgiya resented Zhiyuan's legitimate mother deeply, and often Zhiyuan was left to fend for himself. Now that Zhiyuan is about to return to the capital, the Duke's mansion has become quite enthusiastic, frequently sending letters to inquire whether Zhiyuan relies on which noble person, reminding Zhiyuan not to forget the benefits of the Duke's mansion. These sycophants are especially looked down upon by Gualgiya. Women may not be inferior to men, but for a prominent family like hers to stand firm, it is not just about marrying off daughters to serve their husbands and bring benefits back to their natal home.

  "The masters of the Duke's Mansion are all mediocre? The eldest lady is favored again, but it's just marrying a prince's son as a concubine, the title of Anqin Wang may not fall on anyone's body, the old lady thinks too easily, the matter of inheriting the title is decided by the Emperor."

  Xiao Yao wriggled her small body, and Guale Jia's voice was low, "Yao'er, go back to your room to wash up and sleep."

  Shu Yao rubbed her eyes, gave a clever "en" sound, and Nurse Qi hurried forward to carry Shu Yao back to the house, serving her as she settled in. Lying on the bed, Shu Yao suddenly became spirited, after putting up the bed curtains, Shu Yao had an idea and went into the spatial ring on her body.