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墨書 Inktalez
Two months passed quickly, and Qin Yaru gradually adapted to the relatively peaceful life in Chen Family Village.
Her skill in making flower arrangements was exceptional, and now she was the only one in Wudang County with such talent. Many wealthy families specifically traveled a long distance to her shop at Establish a Family to purchase her creations.
These flower crowns made from colored paper were even slightly more expensive than Luo Juan's. With more materials available now, including gold, silver, and jewels, the variety increased significantly. In just two months, Qin Yaru had earned over a hundred guan.
The Duan Yang Festival was approaching.
Qin Yaru, rarely feeling enthusiastic, selected high-quality glutinous rice and went to the market to pick out three layers of pork, which she braised until tender. She carefully mixed spices and wrapped a batch of roasted meat zongzi that could be eaten in one bite.
She took out several sheets of high-quality paper she had just bought from the paper shop, folded them into boxes, packed the roasted meat zongzi inside, and wrapped them with colored paper. What would normally be an ordinary item suddenly appeared upscale. Qin Yaru assessed her work and casually painted a simple ink wash on top—a willow tree and a plow ox—yet it exuded an elegant charm. It would make a fine gift for anyone.
Qin Yaru was originally quite shy, and due to her family's misfortunes, she had been immersed in sorrow and unable to escape. Since Chen Wulang went to the capital for the imperial examination, she had been home alone taking care of the children. Besides working in the fields, she did not interact with others. Previously, because her in-laws had just passed away, she was in mourning, and no one would criticize her; it even made her seem filial and proper. However, this year she had completed her mourning period, and social interactions were still necessary.
In her previous life, she was not very familiar with the members of the Chen Family either, which ultimately led to her being ostracized without anyone to speak up for her. She could not afford to make such foolish mistakes again in this life.
Moreover, she hoped to keep Da Lang with her, which was not an easy task. If her relationship with the Chen Family members was poor, it would be nearly impossible.
Qin Yaru first went to the clan leader's house with the zongzi. The current clan leader of the Chen Family was a distant third uncle of Chen Wulang. He had two sons who were both scholars; although they did not pass the imperial examination to become jinshi, they were still considered respectable people in Wudang County.
In the past, Qin Yaru's father, Qin Yizhi, had worked as a teacher in Wudang County when he was young. The two scholar sons of her uncle were actually students of Qin Yizhi.
At this time, people placed great importance on reputation and integrity; the teacher-student relationship was particularly strong. Thus, even if the Qin Family had committed offenses, Qin Yaru still stood firmly in Chen Family Village without anyone daring to look down on her. This was largely due to both the excellent reputation of the Qin Family itself and the support from the clan leader.
As soon as Qin Yaru arrived, the Matriarch of the Fang Family personally came to greet her with great enthusiasm. Upon seeing her, she smiled broadly and said, "Qin Yaru is here? Oh, what is this? So exquisite!"
"This is for Duan Yang, who is arriving soon. I brought some rice dumplings for Aunt to let Ninth Brother and the others taste," Qin Yaru said obediently as she allowed the Fang Family to pull her inside and sit down.
Just as they entered the house, Ninth Brother rushed over and hugged his mother's arm, blinking at the beautifully wrapped box in her hand.
The child was just over two years old, still unsteady on his feet, with a fair and tender complexion, looking very clever and adorable. The clan leader and his wife doted on this youngest grandchild immensely.
Seeing the expression on her grandson's face, Fang Family knew he was craving something. She couldn't help but chuckle as she tapped his head gently, saying, "Your Aunt Qin has come, and you don't even know to greet her; all you think about is eating!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ninth Brother turned to Qin Yaru and revealed a mouthful of tiny white teeth, saying, "Aunt Qin, hello! Aunt Qin is getting prettier and prettier!"
Both Fang Family and Qin Yaru were taken aback for a moment, looking at each other before bursting into laughter. It was amusing that a two-year-old knew what it meant to be pretty. However, it was clear that Qin Yaru had been trying to build good relationships with the family. During these days, whenever Da Lang went out to play, she would prepare some exquisite and digestible snacks for him to share with his friends.
This tactic worked wonders; Da Lang quickly gained a group of followers and became much more cheerful than before, no longer so gloomy and mature.
Several of the clan leader's grandchildren also had a good relationship with Da Lang. Whenever they received treats, they couldn't help but act like good older brothers, bringing them home to share with their younger siblings. Ninth Brother was quite clever; although only two years old, he already remembered things well enough to know about Qin Yaru.
"That little guy has actually learned how to curry favor; I wonder who taught him that."
Fang Family shook her head and decided to open the box in front of Qin Yaru. Upon seeing the meat rice dumplings inside, her eyes lit up. She took one out and handed it to Ninth Brother. Watching him devour it with an expression like a greedy cat made her smile. "You really are skilled, Qin Yaru! Even wrapping dumplings is full of creativity. I often hear A Wang praise you; your cooking is colorful and flavorful—better than even the chefs in the city."
Qin Yaru couldn't help but laugh: "Sister Wang tends to exaggerate. I only know a few home-cooked dishes; how can I compare with professional chefs?"
She used to live alone in a spacious courtyard at County Horse Manor, accompanied only by two mute maids. At first, the days were hard to endure, and she often couldn't help but cry secretly. Later, it was the kind-hearted Feng Pozi, who was responsible for guarding the gate, that occasionally offered her some advice.
Feng Pozi herself was a person of misfortune. Her father had once been an Imperial Chef, raised in luxury, but later he committed a crime and was sentenced to death. She was sold into servitude, living a life of loneliness and hardship. Yet she managed to survive through it all. Although Qin Yaru was overly protected by her parents and had a simple nature, she came from a Scholarly Family. After experiencing such suffering and receiving guidance from Feng Pozi for a long time, she became much clearer in her mind. She realized that her self-pity was not only painful for herself but also of little use, so she gradually began to let go and thought about living well.
However, the Princess had issued an order that forbade her from leaving County Horse Manor even a step. As a weak woman, she had no strength to resist. Fortunately, the Princess was concerned about leaving a bad impression on her husband and Da Lang, so she did not treat her harshly in daily life; she had no worries about food or clothing.
She simply continued as before, saving up some money for meals and asking Feng Pozi to buy her some books and paper. She picked up the studies she had neglected for years to avoid boredom. She even opened a small vegetable garden in the courtyard to grow some vegetables and earnestly learned cooking skills from Feng Pozi. In her spare time, she enjoyed experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen.
When Feng Pozi's family fell into trouble, she was already older and had learned many skills from her father. However, now that she was older and had injured her arm, she could no longer exert herself. Being somewhat clumsy with words and unable to flatter others, she ended up being assigned to this remote place as a gatekeeper. Seeing Qin Yaru's interest in cooking, she generously taught her everything she knew, honing Qin Yaru's culinary skills to a high level.
Back then, Gao Feng valued her despite knowing that she was a weak woman who couldn't even harm a chicken. He willingly took on the burden of protecting her and insisted on bringing her along, perhaps because he believed that the ability to win a man's heart through his stomach was one of the reasons.
She instructed the wet nurse to keep an eye on Ninth Brother and not let him eat too many snacks to avoid digestive issues. The Fang Family didn't notice Qin Yaru's daze and smiled, saying, "Come on, I still have to thank you. Many families in our clan have benefited from you; over these past two months, things have loosened up quite a bit."
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