Cui Xiaoqiu sat up on her own.
Yanran had already brought over the food box and was setting out the food while talking to her.
"Cui Xiaoqiu, put the blanket over yourself. You're so small and weak, it's worrying."
She brought a large bowl of fragrant chicken porridge, a small dish of bright yellow, oily duck egg yolks, a small dish of refreshing pickled cucumbers, a dish of steaming, plump white buns, and... a large piece of roasted, juicy lamb chop.
"The porridge is yours, the lamb chops are mine, and the steamed buns are for both of us." Yanran placed the porridge in front of Cui Xiaoqiu, stuck out her tongue, and said, "I originally wanted to finish eating before coming to find you, otherwise it would have been too tempting for you to watch me eat, but I was afraid it would get cold, hehe."
Cui Xiaoqiu laughed and said, "I'm not greedy."
He lowered his head, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and put it in his mouth.
Yanran looked at his knuckles, which were slightly protruding from years of holding a pen, and suddenly felt overwhelmed and wanted to cry.
She had seen all of Cui Xiaoqiu's efforts.
Unexpectedly, all his efforts were in vain because of his mother's ignorance.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Cui Xiaoqiu didn't utter a single word of complaint.
Even if he cries and makes a scene, Yanran will feel better.
But no, he was exactly the same as before.
The lamb chop I was about to eat suddenly didn't taste good anymore.
Cui Xiaoqiu asked in surprise, "Yanran, you... have sand in your eye?"
He didn't understand why Yanran was crying; she was perfectly fine just a moment ago.
However, he still found a reason to make her step down.
Yanran raised her sleeve and wiped away her tears. "No, I was crying."
"What's wrong?"
"The lamb chops were awful."
She knew she couldn't say anything more about Cui Xiaoqiu's defeat.
Because the instigator was Cui Xiaoqiu's mother.
Every time it's mentioned, it's like stabbing Cui Xiaoqiu in the heart.
The best choice is to leave it at that and let time blur the lines.
Cui Xiaoqiu chuckled, "So bad it made you cry?"
"Yes!" Yanran took a big bite of the lamb chop.
She can't exactly tell her true feelings, can she?
If she were Cui Xiaoqiu, she would also find it difficult.
It was mainly Madam Cui, despite her foolishness, still cared for Cui Xiaoqiu.
This is a difficult situation.
This is one thing, but Cui Xiaoqiu will have to deal with this mother who holds her back from now on.
There is no harm without comparison.
Yanran thought to herself that she would treat her mother well from now on.
How happy she is!
"By the way, Cui Xiaoqiu," Yanran wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, "Has your family found out who tampered with it?"
"No, they're still investigating."
"Find the culprit; don't let them get away with this. This could ruin your life!"
Cui Xiaoqiu smiled, picked up a salted egg yolk with her chopsticks, placed it in the bowl, and gently stirred it. "I have a long life ahead of me. This is just one setback, nothing to worry about."
Yanran gave him a thumbs up. "Truly a great man!"
"Is it a good match?" Cui Xiaoqiu asked calmly.
Yanran showered her with compliments. "What a perfect match! Who could possibly be your husband...?"
Sigh, it's so hard to say these things that go against my conscience.
The ball was a good shot, but the mother (referring to the player's mother) was a huge hindrance.
"Did you have bad luck?" Cui Xiaoqiu laughed.
"That's impossible!" Yanran said firmly. "You're such a nice person! Everyone has their flaws, right?"
Cui Xiaoqiu was amused by her.
Yanran saw him smile and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Yanran asked again.
Tomorrow? To the Imperial Academy.
"Aren't you going to rest for a few days?"
"No need to rest," Cui Xiaoqiu said. "Your older brother goes every day, let alone me."
Yanran: Why are you so stubborn? Why do you have to compare yourself to my older brother?
After having dinner with Cui Xiaoqiu, Yanran skillfully climbed over the wall to go home.
He had only taken a few steps after jumping off the wall when he suddenly heard footsteps ahead.
Are there still people walking around in the backyard at this time?
Yanran vaguely saw the swaying lanterns and stopped in her tracks.
Soon, the two approached; it turned out to be Linlin with Zhao Qing.
Linlin was wearing a straight-cut robe, which was completely different from her usual round-necked robe. It looked like she had just returned from outside.
"Brother, you've gone out?"
Linlin's gaze fell on the food box in Yanran's hand.
Yanran stuck out her tongue. "I went to see Cui Xiaoqiu."
Linlin sighed.
Seeing that he was about to speak, Yanran interrupted, "I know it's inappropriate, but wasn't he having a lot of bad luck this time?"
Linlin then said nothing, "Go back and rest early, don't let Mother Consort know and upset her."
Yanran chuckled and asked curiously, "Brother, where did you go? Why are you so late?"
"I went out to take care of some things." Linlin clearly didn't want to talk about it further.
"Is it about the wheat seeds?" Yanran asked curiously.
"More or less. The imperial court is still investigating the wheat seed matter. The Lang Family hasn't been convicted yet, but they won't escape."
Linlin probably said all this in one go to shut her up.
"Oh." Yanran knew it was time for her to leave.
So she waved and ran off.
Linlin watched her retreating figure and silently shook her head.
Let's go.
Zhao Qing quickly leaned forward and held the lantern up to light his way.
Linlin returned to her room, sat down at her desk, and told Zhao Qing to leave, but she didn't go to bed for a long time.
He just went out to see Lang Xuan.
He had met many women—brave, radiant, kind, gentle, fragile—but none like Lang Xuan. It was hard to describe the feeling Lang Xuan gave him.
Lang Xuan asked Tu Wu to find him and arranged to meet him tonight.
That takes a lot of courage.
Linlin was prepared to meet a decisive and efficient woman, but after meeting her, she discovered that it wasn't like that at all.
Although Lang Xuan tried her best to remain calm, Linlin could still sense her restless tension.
She dared not meet his gaze, her head bowed, her arms trembling slightly... as if she were a villain.
Linlin didn't point out her bluster, but pretended not to notice and asked calmly, "What do you want with me?"
Hearing this, Lang Xuan seemed to calm down a bit, biting her lip as she said, "After the wheat seed's conspiracy was exposed, the Lang Family is now furious. They don't want to sit idly by and wait to be destroyed, so they've now enlisted the help of many people..."
Linlin understood without her saying it.
Because once this charge is established, it could bring down the Lang Family.
Therefore, the Lang Family is bound to fight a desperate battle.
Of course, there's also a backup plan.
Clearly, Lang Xuan came to see him to find a way out.
"You lack understanding of the Lang Family's despicable behavior," Lang Xuan said. "They are not only fighting like cornered beasts, trying to survive, but also wanting to continue to disgust the Prince of Jin's Residence."
"Tell me about it." Linlin's fingers tapped lightly on the table.
Lang Xuan's gaze fell on the thumb ring on his thumb.
Yuwen Duo always wore a thumb ring, which others thought was just an ornament, and she thought so too. But later, when he made a move, she realized that he was capable of both strategic planning and military prowess, and could shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away.