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墨書 Inktalez
Qin Wenyuan sat quietly in the chair, his back straight, exuding a calm demeanor as he looked at his younger sister with a gentle affection tinged with a hint of guilt.
Qin Yaru smiled, "I'll go make something to eat. It's been a long time since you had Aman’s cooking, right? My skills have improved a lot since then."
Qin Wenyuan moved the corners of his mouth and finally said, "I'll help you." Six years had passed, six years of loneliness and suffering, but today being reunited with family seemed to lessen the torment of those years.
Qin Yaru smiled knowingly, understanding her brother's intentions. She refrained from saying anything about gentlemen staying away from the kitchen and shrugged, letting him choose the ingredients.
She put on an apron, washed her hands, and began to prepare meat soup.
The meat was ordinary pork, not all lean but rather a mix of fatty and lean cuts. If it were in the Twenty-First Century, some might find it a bit greasy, but at this moment it was quite popular.
Though it was favored by many, in the eyes of the Northern Song nobility, pork was still considered unrefined. The royal family only consumed lamb, and this continued into the Southern Song. However, Qin Yaru was not so pretentious; while she enjoyed tender lamb chops, she couldn’t afford to eat them often. Just like how pork was too expensive in modern times, lamb in the Song Dynasty was exorbitantly priced at nine hundred coins per pound—common families could hardly afford it. Even Qin Yaru, who never deprived herself when it came to food, rarely indulged in it.
Although the meat was simple and even somewhat coarse, the seasonings and broth that Qin Yaru prepared were made from secret recipes. She placed them together with the meat in a Zisha pot. This pot was one she often used for simmering medicinal herbs; after prolonged use, it carried a fragrant aroma from the herbs. Combined with the seasonings and broth, a rich fragrance soon filled the air.
It was a wonderful scent reminiscent of foraging for herbs. Qin Wenyuan took a deep breath and felt instantly refreshed, unable to suppress a smile.
Seeing that he enjoyed it, Qin Yaru scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently, and fed it to her brother. The hot soup warmed him from within.
The estrangement from six years apart vanished in an instant.
Qin Yaru stir-fried some shredded bamboo shoots and mixed them with lettuce. She had managed to buy some expensive fragrant rice and steamed a pot of delicious rice. She ladled some meat soup over the rice and presented it to Qin Wenyuan with both hands.
"Let's eat together."
Qin Wenyuan's eyes turned red as he served rice for his younger sister as well.
The food was indeed delicious, but more importantly, the people sharing the meal were different. Qin Wenyuan was sweating profusely, and a sense of pride welled up inside him—his sister had grown up, just as obedient and clever as their mother.
Qin Yaru brought over some fine Daughter Red.
Qin Wenyuan drank deeply. He was usually a temperate man, but at this moment, how could he not have wine?
"Aman, I am unwilling, I am unwilling... Father lived his life adhering to loyalty and filial piety, devoted to Long Live. Why has our Qin Family fallen to such a state? The men can be forgiven; if they can't protect the family, they deserve to die. But it’s pitiful that my sister has been sold off, and now we don’t even know if she is alive or dead. Father lived a life of integrity and self-restraint, never harboring selfish thoughts. At least he had students under him, yet no one is willing to lend a hand or help out."
Qin Wenyuan was drunk, crying bitterly. He was usually a cautious man and also intelligent; even with all his resentment, he never spoke out loud, always maintaining a calm demeanor in front of the king without any grievances. But now, in his drunken state, he finally let out the hatred he had bottled up for so many years.
Qin Yaru sighed and sat down beside him, silently accompanying him in drinking and listening to his heartfelt troubles.
"...When I was young, enduring some hardships was nothing. But those years were truly difficult. We were a group of sinners working in the mines, not to mention what we ate or drank; the hardest part was that we could only sleep for two hours a day. The rest of the time we worked from dawn till dusk. At that time, I thought perhaps I would never see the day when the Qin Family would be vindicated."
"Who would have thought that year when the Liao People raided, Dingzhou fell. It was truly a river of blood; the entire city of Dingzhou was thrown into chaos. The Liao People killed anyone they saw and took away cattle, sheep, gold, silver, and women. They also captured many strong men. My brothers and I realized we couldn’t just sit back; we had to rise up in resistance. Out of over seven hundred brothers, only more than two hundred remained in the end. If it weren't for Gao Feng and General Gao coming to rescue us, who knows what would have happened to us."
"Aman, the general is a good man. He saved your brother and taught him many principles while wholeheartedly wanting to help your brother take revenge. Aman, you are fortunate; don’t think about Chen Wenyue that ungrateful bastard anymore. He is not worth even one hair from the general; he is nothing compared to..."
Qin Wenyuan slammed down on the table.
Qin Yaru was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She went inside to get a cloak for him and turned back with an eye roll towards the door: "How did you manage to win him over these days? You speak so well."
Gao Feng swaggered in through the door and sat down next to Qin Yaru with a smile: "After all, I am somewhat of a master at wooing women; I've even learned the thirty-six strategies for pursuing a wife. If you want to successfully embrace beauty, you must first please the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law—this is basic knowledge."
Qin Yaru smiled wryly and brought him a steaming bowl of rice, placing it in front of him as she watched him wolf it down. She sighed and said: "Recently there have been rumors in Kaifeng that Chen Wenyue is not only divorcing his wife but also killing his wife and children just to marry Gentle Blue Princess. Is that true?"
Gao Feng mumbled incoherently with his mouth full of rice; no one could understand what he was saying.
Get up, back then Gentle Blue Princess was splashed with a bucket of hot water, almost disfigured, Qin Yaru was suspected, and Chen Wenyue came to roar, but this matter was not considered significant.
At that time, Qin Yaru was just an ordinary commoner, but Gentle Blue Princess held the title of Princess, so naturally others would side with Gentle Blue Princess. Especially with her handling of the situation, it made everyone forget that no matter how much it was glossed over, the fact remained that Gentle Blue Princess had indeed taken another's husband.
However, recently for some reason, at a banquet hosted by the Eldest Princess, someone brought up the old incident again. When this matter arose, someone vividly described the woman who had rushed out to commit the act, her figure, her clothing, and the veil on her head all matched that of Consort Qin, clearly implicating her.
As usual, Gentle Blue Princess smiled gently and generously, saying, "Since I wasn't hurt anyway, why should I be unreasonable? Consort Qin is also pitiful; let's just let this matter pass..."
Before she could finish speaking, the current Eldest Princess Wen Ying exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, Gentle Blue, are you mistaken? On the day you were splashed with water, Consort Qin was with me. We were so busy that I even had her stay overnight. Both Qian Niangzi and Madam Gao were present."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room was astonished, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.
Gentle Blue Princess was momentarily taken aback but showed no signs of discomfort. She lowered her head and shyly smiled before saying: "The first time I saw Consort Qin, I thought she was gentle and virtuous; clearly not the type to be a shrew."
However, her words at this moment left others unsure of how to respond. Everyone wasn't foolish; it was clear that although Gentle Blue Princess claimed not to pursue the matter further, she was actually adamant that the one who committed the act was indeed Qin Yaru.
After that, various rumors began to circulate widely. Fortunately for Gentle Blue Princess, she was after all a royal princess; others still had to consider the royal family's reputation. But for Chen Wenyue, things turned grim.
He had indeed abandoned his wife before gaining wealth and status. Moreover, it became known that he had used his wife's dowry to study for so many years, which brought him great shame.
This wasn't even the worst of it; later on, his identity as a disciple of Qin Yizhi was also revealed. Only then did Chen Wenyue start to panic. In this era, even if one defied their parents, there might still be a slight chance for redemption. However, defying one's teacher would lead to being spurned by all scholars. At that point, even if the emperor wanted to reuse him, such a person would not go far in their career.
Chen Wenyue found himself in a dire situation; he worried whether this customary practice of not dismissing candidates during the palace examination would be broken because of him. If he were dismissed due to poor conduct, his life would effectively come to an end.
During these days, Qin Yaru listened to various rumors with amusement but also some concern: "Gao Feng, I know you and my brother have set up a grand scheme; please don't let something like Chen Wenyue ruin our family's important matters."
Right now, the affairs of the Qin Family were of utmost importance.
Gao Feng remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, reached out, and pulled Qin Yaru into his embrace. Startled, Qin Yaru turned to see her older brother sleeping nearby and quickly struggled, saying, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"
To her surprise, Gao Feng held her even tighter.
"Qin Yaru, even though my love for you is as deep as the sea and as solid as a mountain, even if you belong to me, I still find it hard to accept... What I have gained is not your complete life. I hope to watch you grow from a naive girl into a charming and mature woman. I want you to have only me in your heart and eyes."
Feeling Gao Feng's warm tears soaking into her shoulder, Qin Yaru couldn't help but feel sorrowful.
What she had received from Gao Feng was complete; she had been by his side since his ignorant and reckless youth, accompanying him through all hardships and witnessing his gradual maturation. It was rare for a woman to be so fortunate.
But what Gao Feng could have was only a woman filled with scars. No matter how hard he tried, he could never have her as pure as before. It wasn't just Gao Feng who found it hard to accept; she felt the same way.
To experience the best times with the woman he loves is a fortune for every man. Yet Gao Feng was destined to forever miss the most beautiful moments of Qin Yaru's transformation from girlhood to womanhood.
"Fool, we still have a future."
Qin Yaru sighed. Where in the world is there such a thing as perfection? If Gao Feng were to see her as she was in her youth, she would just be an ordinary girl, no different from all the pampered and clever children around her. At that time, would Gao Feng still like that version of herself? Who could know? (To be continued.)
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