Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Something on Your Mind
Quickly, the eager eyes of three people turned into the eager eyes of four, as Mr. Chu joined in too, all looking at Qu Fulan, "Is there more?"
Qu Fulan hadn’t had time to say anything when Pei Ji’an couldn’t tolerate it anymore and spoke, "It’s about enough, every single one of you acting like you haven’t eaten meat in several lifetimes."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Qu Fulan had noticed earlier that these people’s temperaments seemed quite arrogant; saying they were increasingly rampant was not overstating it. They were standard spoiled young masters, yet in their words, they more or less yielded to Heir Pei. None opposed when Pei Ji’an spoke.
This situation was also quite understandable; although they were peers, they still relied on their elders for living. Pei Ji’an was already a towering figure, hard not to admire and obey.
Among these people, the son of the Ministry of Justice, Wei Xu, looked somewhat androgynous, and his figure was slim; no one would doubt if he disguised as a woman.
Having such a gentle-looking leader in the Ministry of Justice must be a nightmare for many criminals.
Meanwhile, at the Pei Mansion, Third Miss and others were accompanying the old lady for a meal.
The elderly lady often had a poor appetite due to her age and couldn’t help but think of Qu Fulan.
"It’s a pity she’s not with me anymore; otherwise, I am extremely satisfied with her culinary skills."
Cheng Ru smiled and said, "I’ve only had the milk tea Fulan made, nothing else yet."
The old lady said, "Her culinary skills ensure that you’ll want another meal after eating one."
Cheng Ru followed up, "With such high praise from you, I’ll definitely have to try it."
Third Miss then said, "Now that Fulan is working for Second Brother, she rarely has the time to make delicious food for us. If you truly want to eat, you could go to ’Flower Garden Ode’ to try; the taste there is similar to what Fulan makes."
"Then let’s go tomorrow," Fang Yuan, who liked going out, suggested.
Cheng Ru, however, said, "Restaurants can be noisy and chaotic. It’s too hot; I won’t be going."
"This restaurant is different; it offers good books for listening, with ice cubes as well, not hot at all. Even our ancestors enjoy going there to listen to books," Third Miss explained.
The old lady also said, "The more people the merrier. It’s boring at home. If you go to listen to ’Journey to the West,’ I guarantee you’ll want to go again."
Cheng Ru was curious and asked, "What is ’Journey to the West’? How come I’ve never heard of it before?"
There were a few renowned storybooks in this dynasty, mostly widely known. However, after hearing them repeatedly, one can get tired of them.
"It’s a good storybook; I don’t know how to explain it in detail now. There’s a printed version sold in bookstores. I bought a copy to keep. If you don’t want to listen in the restaurant, I can lend you the book," Third Miss persuaded earnestly.
Good things are hoped to be known by everyone.
Seeing their enthusiastic recommendation, Cheng Ru couldn’t help but ask, "Which master wrote this that you all praise so highly?"
"It was written by Fulan as a proxy, claimed to be penned by a senior surnamed Wu. In any case, missing out on it would be a loss for anyone."
"You make me want to buy it right away," Fang Yuan, who is easily convinced, responded.
Cheng Ru didn’t respond but merely smiled.
After eating, Cheng Ru headed to Lu Hua Garden, where Master Lu resides.
Cheng Ru now comes alone every day to play chess with the master to improve her chess skills.
During the chess game, somehow the topic about the table discussion turned to the proxy writing of ’Journey to the West’.
"Proxy writing?" Master Lu already had a poor impression of Qu Fulan; upon hearing this, his first reaction was suspicion, "Could she have plagiarized someone else’s book, and fearing exposure and repercussions, used proxy writing as cover?"
One can’t deny that Master Lu’s controversial guess hit the truth: the essence of Qu Fulan’s "ghostwriting" was uncovered just like that.
It’s just unfortunate that this is the advantage of being a transcender, which is not something everyone can possess.
Cheng Ru dared not acknowledge it, "I’m not sure about this; but the old lady and the others firmly believe in her."
Master Lu sneered, "The old lady is aging; she’s not as discerning as before. What I can’t stand most are pretentious people. You should buy the book for me to read; if it’s truly created by a master and plagiarized by her, with my connections, I can definitely find out the rightful creator and clear their name."
Meanwhile, the third household was in an uproar today.
After Yao Xing returned, she had a fierce argument with Pei Lian, berating him for shamelessness and obtaining infatuation, staring at other people’s maidservants; her eyes were practically bulging.
How could a man like Pei Lian out-argue a woman? He was scolded until his face turned red, eventually storming out.
Yao Xing grew more infuriated, smashing bowls and bashing basins, creating quite the spectacle.
In truth, Yao Xing wanted to scold the main household; keeping such a maid wasn’t it troubling the household? But she didn’t dare to actually scold them, so she vented on the third household.
Pei Lan had already returned; after being reprimanded by Second Brother last time, she hastily packed her bags and returned after receiving a letter from home.
Now, Third Madam had no confidants around her; this daughter-in-law just endlessly quarreled every day, which was vexing, yet she was helpless.
The old lady currently disfavored her; she couldn’t go complain to her.
It’s dishonest to say there’s no regret; but thinking of Yao Family’s influence, she felt she could endure it.
Once Lian passes the exam and gains fame, by then, with the support of her father-in-law, there will be a day when the third branch can surpass both the main and second branches.
Everyone has dreams; which is unsurprising.
But if dreams are set too high or unrealistic, they don’t necessarily lead to beneficial outcomes; they may lead to a "state of madness."
Qu Fulan lay on a large rock in the yard, gazing at the moon, also contemplating her dreams.
Regardless of ancient or modern times, her dream was singular: make money, make lots of money; as long as she had money, everything would be convenient.
Otherwise, being poor is miserable and very painful.
But her dream has only been one-third realized so far; the remaining two-thirds depend on whether her plans proceed smoothly, unlike the modern times when they were thwarted and ended in failure.
Things should be better in ancient times here.
Anyway, as long as Heir Pei doesn’t fall, she can basically rest at ease.
However, unforeseen events could still happen, such as if someday Heir Pei marries, and if his wife dislikes her, she’d need another plan.
After all, she’s not universally adored, able to please everyone; the future aside, currently, the number of people who dislike her is already quite large.
So for now, she should get to know more people and accumulate connections, to avoid being caught off guard if unexpected changes occur.
"Why are you alone here, daydreaming?"
A voice broke Qu Fulan’s reverie; she promptly sat up, "It’s cool here, came out for some fresh air. How come you also came out, Heir Pei?"
This evening they didn’t go back to the city but stayed at the country house overnight; the brothers finally gathered, bound to drink a bit, so Qu Fulan came out.
"The servants said you were here, so I came out to see." After saying this, he lifted his robe and sat before the stone table.
A servant promptly presented hot tea.
Qu Fulan hastily came off the rock and sat by the stone table together.
"You have something on your mind, what are you thinking about?" He spoke lightly but in a certain tone.