Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci ate five dumplings in a row but didn't get a single coin. They wondered to themselves if their luck was really that bad.
Qing He only ate three or four dumplings before stopping. The remaining dumplings were placed on the plate, and the siblings took turns eating them, determined to get that copper coin.
"Belch..."
Meng Anci rubbed his round belly and then stuffed another one into his mouth.
Jin Shanyao hadn't taken it seriously at first, but now she realized the seriousness of the situation.
The copper coin hidden at the bottom of the bowl felt like a heavy stone weighing on my heart. Taking it out would be unfair to the siblings who were eating so voraciously; but if I didn't, they would surely burst if they kept eating like this.
Jin Shanyao hesitated before speaking, "How about we forget about it... Auntie still has some copper coins in her purse."
With her mouth full, Meng Anzhi mumbled, "No way. Qing He said that dumplings on New Year's Eve have a good meaning, and for the sake of the Anzhi Hall's business next year, I'll give it my all."
Before the words were even finished, the chopsticks had already reached into the plate again.
Seeing that she couldn't dissuade her, Jin Shanyao looked at Meng Anci and said, " Anci, eating too much at night will hurt your stomach."
Meng Anci stared intently at the dumplings on the plate with a serious expression on her small face, and said in a deep voice, "The imperial examination is in just over a month. I don't believe my luck is this bad."
After saying that, he reached for another dumpling.
Qing He sat to the side, her heart pounding, repeatedly trying to recall if she had put in a coin. She clearly remembered putting one in, so why couldn't she get any?
With only one dumpling left on the plate, the siblings reached for it simultaneously with their chopsticks...
Jin Shanyao even faster than them, swiftly grabbing a dumpling and stuffing it directly into her mouth.
The siblings froze in mid-air, their chopsticks still in their hands, staring intently at her.
Jin Shanyao chewed twice, then suddenly made a "crunch" sound, covering her mouth and feigning surprise, "Oh... a copper coin?"
Meng Anzhi:...
Meng Anci:...
Qing He:...
The four of them stared at each other in disbelief.
Jin Shanyao and spat out the copper coin, clutching it in his hand, trying to make up for his losses.
Meng Anzhi spoke softly, "Auntie, that was the last dumpling."
Jin Shanyao chuckled awkwardly, "... Well, I'm really lucky."
Meng Anci's gaze deepened as he carefully observed the expression on Jin Shanyao. "Even a ghost would know there are copper coins hidden inside."
"... Yes, you bet."
Qing He was trying not to laugh, her face turning red.
Jin Shanyao felt uncomfortable being stared at by three pairs of eyes. She cleared her throat and, after a long pause, managed to stammer, "Um... Auntie meant to say..."
She got stuck.
She didn't know what she wanted to say.
After a long pause, Jin Shanyao the copper coin on the table and retorted firmly, "Anyway, what Auntie ate is Auntie's. You two, try harder next year."
After saying that, she stood up, put her hands behind her back, and swaggered out.
The siblings exchanged a glance. Meng Anci quickly removed the Jin Shanyao. Sure enough, there was an oil stain on the bottom of the bowl, like a copper coin. Damn it... the first pawn of the new year was given by his aunt.
Jin Shanyao returned to her bedroom, closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh.
That was too dangerous.
She turned and peeked through the crack in the door. The courtyard was quiet; no one had followed her. She then walked to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), plopped down, and touched her burning face. A slight smile involuntarily curved her lips.
After their aunt left, the siblings didn't linger. Meng Anzhi helped Qing He tidy up the table and then went to rest, while Meng Anci went to the study to continue reading.
He knew in his heart that if he relaxed even slightly, Zhao Zhiyuan would take the opportunity to catch up.
He had already fallen behind twice and absolutely could not afford to be left behind again. He needed to make up for his weaknesses during this time and, ideally, thoroughly understand all of his teacher's knowledge.
The following day, Madam Ren's carriage stopped outside the Anzhi Hall.
She looked listless and her eyes were dull. Last night, she thought her husband would stay up with her to welcome the New Year, but halfway through the night, the maid from the west courtyard said that she was feeling unwell.
She forcibly dragged him away, and after waiting all night for her husband to return, her heart was completely broken... She didn't care whether Anzhi Hall was right or wrong; she just wanted to try.
Even the slightest hope, even if it's just wishful thinking, is better than her wasting her time in despair.
Go knock on the door.
"Madam... why don't we think about it again?"
Madam Ren forced a bitter smile. What was she thinking? Hadn't she thought about it enough? Over the years, all the doctors had said she was healthy, only Anzhi Hall had found something different.
Even if it's a scam, she still wanted to give herself a glimmer of hope.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Suyue reluctantly lifted the carriage curtain and walked to the door, knocking... knock knock knock...
"Coming, coming..." Qing He's voice came from inside the shop. She had just come to pick up some dates; otherwise, in such a large Anzhi Hall, no one would have heard her knocking.
Qing He removed the wooden planks, opened the door from inside the house, and instinctively asked the visitor, "May I ask if you're here for divination or to see a doctor?"
Madam Ren, standing behind Suyue, was slightly taken aback. "You can still do divination?"
Qing He then realized that this was the capital, not Qingzhou Prefecture, and no one knew that their master practiced divination. So she smiled and explained, "The owner of the Anzhi Hall is very famous in Qingzhou Prefecture for his expertise in divination."
Suyue didn't show it on her face, but inwardly she scoffed at his arrogance and ignorance. How dare a third-rate fortune teller say, "My wife wants to see a doctor"?
Qing He looked past Suyue and smiled at Madam Ren, "Please come in... I'll go and call the doctor for you right away." With that, she opened the door.
It was morning and a bit cold in the shop since there was no fire. Madam Ren wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and sat quietly at the table. After a short while, footsteps came from the back door.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Suyue saw a girl of about fourteen years old walk in. "It's you? Where's that young lady from yesterday?" she asked in surprise.
This was the first time Meng Anzhi had heard someone call her aunt "wife." After a brief moment of surprise, she said to Qing He, "Call my aunt over, and light the stove while you're at it."
Qing He acknowledged and withdrew.
A moment later, Jin Shanyao walked in.
"Madam? Fortune telling or medical consultation?"
Madam Ren stared at her with eyes as cold as a dry well, and for some reason, she suddenly felt like crying. She turned to the maid and said, "You may leave now."
Suyue withdrew in response.
Madam Ren took a deep breath, staring into Jin Shanyao's eyes, and said, "Is it true that you have a little devil by your side?"
Jin Shanyao an eyebrow. "Of course, I never lie."
"If I get rid of that brat, will I be able to get pregnant??"
Jin Shanyao tapped her finger lightly on the table, "Everything is subject to change, some things shouldn't be said too definitively..."
Madam Ren suddenly deflated, her straight back hunched over, and she lowered her eyes, muttering to herself, "My husband and I have known each other since childhood, and he even saved my life once."
When I was fourteen, he suddenly came to propose marriage. I was just fifteen, the age of coming-of-age ceremony, and he welcomed me into his home. In front of the whole family, he said that he would treat me well for the rest of his life.
I believed it to be true all along.
Less than a year after the marriage, my mother-in-law, citing my inability to bear children, arranged for my husband to take a concubine. At first, he refused, but as time went on, he eventually succumbed to the pressure and...
She forced a bitter smile. "When my concubine becomes pregnant soon, I'll know it's my fault."