Бездействующие цветы и тени

Глава 23

He Suchen gestured for Dongkui to quickly take it away to chill, still holding it in her hand, but trying to distract her with other things. After what seemed like an eternity, the double-layered milk pudding, though not quite chilled, was already cold. Yongjiao clamored for some, and Dongkui had no choice but to serve her a small bowl.

Yongjiao was indeed much quieter now that she had something to eat. She finished her small bowl with satisfaction and even looked like she wanted more. Unfortunately, Dongkui had received instructions from the nanny and had already taken the food away, leaving only one bowl for He Suchen.

Yongjiao stared at her younger sister as she ate slowly and deliberately, wishing she could punch her a couple of times. She glared fiercely at those breasts, as if they were her enemy.

"Why are you staring at this bowl like that?" He Suchen, seeing that he had teased her enough and that her gaze was truly chilling, couldn't help but ask, "Is this your enemy?"

"Those who go into my belly are my old friends, those who go into someone else's belly are my enemies!" Yongjiao said passionately, raising her fist.

He Suchen couldn't help but burst out laughing, almost spitting out what was in his mouth.

After they had both eaten, a maid came to tidy up. Yongjiao said she wanted to send a bowl to her grandmother, and also to her mother and brother. Su Chen was speechless. Did she want people to know that she was secretly making this? She had to persuade her to give up the idea. She only secretly sent a bowl to a few children.

Who knew that He Su would come running back excitedly that evening.

—I want to eat turtle jelly and crab roe soup dumplings!

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P.S.: The winemaking method can be used, but it must be fermented for a full month, otherwise it may be toxic. Double-skin milk pudding can also be made this way.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Incident

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!! "Turtle jelly? Crab roe soup dumplings?!"

"Hmm, I also want to eat roast goose, cola chicken wings, sauerkraut fish, and soy sauce chicken!" He Su Shi added eagerly.

He Suchen said decisively.

"You can make double-skin milk pudding, why can't you make that?" He Su Shi asked, his face full of disappointment.

"I can make double-skin milk pudding, why would I need to know how to make that?" He Suchen said matter-of-factly.

“It’s all food, you’re a girl, how can you not know how to cook?!” He Su Shi asked very naturally.

"Yes, I can make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried cabbage, vegetable soup, mung bean soup, and double-skin milk pudding," He Suchen looked up innocently, "and that's it."

He Su Shi looked down on her with utter contempt, "How can there be a girl like you?! You can't even cook?!"

"Bro, I'm speechless! Who said girls have to be able to cook?! That's extreme chauvinism!!" she snapped. "Why shouldn't the men cook? All my relatives are men who do the cooking!"

He Su said with extreme helplessness, "I've been craving crab roe soup dumplings for three or four years, and I thought I'd finally get to eat them! Aren't you just discouraging me?" He waved his hand ingratiatingly, "This is for you."

"What is it?" she asked curiously, reaching out her hand. Suddenly, several beads appeared in her hand, each about the size of her index fingernail, with a warm, milky-white luster.

"Is this a pearl?" She examined it carefully for a while, then pinched it between two fingers and rubbed it.

"These were given to me by the manager of the South China Sea Pearl Diving Army. I borrowed a few from him. What do you think?"

"Pearl divers?"

"Well, since there are military craftsmen, there are naturally pearl-diving troops. Their task is simply to collect pearls, which were originally intended as tribute to the imperial court," He Su explained.

She looked at it for a long time, and although she knew it was a good thing, it seemed completely useless. Seeing this, He Su said, "If you drill a hole in this bead and make it into a beaded flower, it should be very beautiful. I've seen someone wear it before."

"Who have you seen wearing it?" she asked with ill intent.

“Last time I saw…” He Su Shi suddenly realized what was happening halfway through his sentence and angrily smacked her on the forehead.

He Suchen smiled and let him give her a light tap before asking seriously, "Since this thing is a tribute, won't it cause trouble if it's discovered?"

"How could that be?" He chuckled. "These things are defective. This was made using the excuse of defects to get a little extra money. If there's no kickback, who would bother to do a good job for you?"

"That works?" She was truly impressed by the person who came up with the idea, and that they actually used it.

"It's better than using other means to make money, right?" He Su said, unsurprised.

Just then, there was a sudden crash outside; it was the sound of a flowerpot shattering on the veranda. Both of them were startled and uneasy, wondering if someone was eavesdropping. Although they didn't say anything, they both felt a sense of unease.

He Su stopped his sister, then slipped out and returned shortly after. He chuckled, "Guess who that is?" Before He Su could speak, he called out, "Come in now!"

With two "woof woof" sounds, Yi Yi wagged its tail and waddled in, running alongside He Su Chen and rubbing against him like a little dog.

He Sucheng was both amused and exasperated. He picked it up and teased it, and Yi Yi buried its head in its owner's arms at just the right moment. The two of them couldn't help but look at each other and smile wryly—it turned out to be this guy all along.

He Su Shi then asked, "I am currently considering whether I should enter officialdom through mathematics, the orthodox imperial examination, or be selected directly from the Imperial Academy."

He thought for a moment and then said, "If it's mathematics, although it's an unpopular major, the chances of being selected are high, but the job options are very limited. The best options are the Imperial Academy and the civil service examination, but I prefer the Imperial Academy."

He Sucheng listened and then asked, "Does he have to enter officialdom?" In fact, this question was pointless. He Sucheng had already made up his mind. He said he was considering it, but he probably never intended to listen to other people's opinions. He was just informing him.

However, she always resisted He Su Shi's appointment as an official. She didn't know why, she just didn't want him to, feeling that it was really not a good thing for him to be an official, but she couldn't explain why.

He Sushi nodded. "In this era, only being an official guarantees security." He paused, then suddenly smiled. "Do you remember that guy named Liu Mofei we met last time?"

He Su asked curiously, "I remember him. What happened to him?"

"He skipped school to go to Yangzhou a few days ago, and now his father is punishing him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall." He Su Shi seemed to be chuckling to himself. He looked sympathetic, but the corners of his mouth were clearly upturned.

"Going to Yangzhou? To find soup dumplings?" she asked, recalling the events of that day.

He Su Shi looked surprised. "How did you guess that? Why didn't you guess he was going to see Qing Qing?"

Why guess a beautiful woman instead of a soup dumpling? she wondered.

He Su Shi seemed to see what she was thinking, so he said, "I asked Zhi Ran, and Zhi Ran said she was going to find Qing Qing, but you said you were going to find Tang Bao. Is the difference between men's and women's thinking really that big?"

He Suchen glared at him fiercely, feeling disgusted with this guy. She kicked him and continued to ask, "Tell me, what happened next? What exactly did you go to do?"