By the time Zhu Qinghe returned from making her deliveries, Li Xiyue was already busy kneading another batch of dough. She planned to steam a large basket of soft buns for dinner so everyone could generously fill them with the freshly made wild mushroom sauce. Paired with a hot bowl of sliced pork and vermicelli soup, it would make for a wonderfully satisfying meal.
After setting down the empty basket, Zhu Qinghe looked apologetically at Li Xiyue.
“Sister Li, I truly hope you won’t take Sister Qingmei’s behavior today to heart. She really isn’t a bad person.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all,” Li Xiyue replied indifferently.
In her eyes, it was perfectly normal for a handsome and capable man to have admirers in his past. As long as they did not resort to disgusting schemes like Wang Zhen’er, she could not care less.
Zhu Qinghe finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Qingmei has liked my older brother since childhood. But in our village, people with the same surname are forbidden from marrying. Even though our branch and Uncle Chenggong’s family aren’t related by blood at all, the custom still stands. Later, after my brother became engaged to Wang Zhen’er, Qingmei completely gave up.”
Seeing that Li Xiyue’s expression remained calm, Zhu Qinghe hurriedly added:
“But don’t worry, Sister! My brother has never treated her differently. To him, she’s no different from how he treats me.”
Her nervous appearance reminded Li Xiyue of little Doudou whenever the puppy realized he had caused trouble.
Unable to resist, Li Xiyue reached out and ruffled Zhu Qinghe’s hair—completely forgetting that her hands were still covered in flour.
Pfft—
Li Xiyue burst out laughing.
“Sorry! I got flour all over your hair.”
“It’s okay!” Zhu Qinghe replied cheerfully. “As long as you aren’t angry, this is nothing.”
“You silly girl. Do I really look that petty to you?”
Hearing this, Zhu Qinghe instantly brightened. Sure enough, Sister Li was a wonderfully generous person.
As dusk settled over the courtyard, the two women had begun assuming Zhu Qingshan would stay overnight in the city when little Doudou suddenly started scratching excitedly at the front gate.
“What a sharp nose you have,” Li Xiyue said with a smile.
Sure enough, Zhu Qingshan stepped through the gate a moment later, carrying half a roasted duck wrapped in oil paper.
Zhu Qinghe quickly carried the steaming buns to the table while Li Xiyue ladled the pork and vermicelli soup into bowls.
“Come eat,” Zhu Qinghe called happily as she placed the roasted duck onto a platter and tossed the duck tail to Doudou. “We thought you wouldn’t make it back tonight.”
“Did everything go smoothly today?” Zhu Qingshan asked, his eyes fixed on Li Xiyue. “I’m sorry. Something urgent came up at the escort agency. It was inconsiderate of me to leave you alone on our first day after marriage.”
Li Xiyue handed him a bun stuffed with mushroom sauce.
“My day was quite enjoyable. Try this—Qinghe and I picked the mushrooms ourselves this morning.”
Zhu Qingshan took a large bite and immediately nodded in approval.
Marrying this woman truly was the best decision of his life.
By the time Zhu Qinghe returned after feeding Doudou, Zhu Qingshan had already eaten more than half his bun.
“Well, Brother? Isn’t my sister-in-law’s cooking the best?”
Zhu Qingshan ignored her teasing and simply continued eating at astonishing speed.
Meanwhile, at the Village Chief’s house, Zhu Qingmei had just finished two large bowls of rice mixed with mushroom sauce. As she reached for a third helping, her mother quickly stopped her.
“That’s enough. Eating too much rich food before bed will upset your stomach.”
It had been a long time since her pregnant daughter had shown such an appetite. Previously, Zhu Qingmei had vomited so severely that she had become painfully thin, leaving Lady Ma worried sick.
Who could have imagined that a simple mushroom sauce made by Qingshan’s new wife would calm her stomach so effectively?
Tomorrow morning, Lady Ma silently decided, she would personally gather fresh mushrooms and bring pork to Qingshan’s house so Li Xiyue could help make another batch.
That same night, Wang Zhen’er tossed restlessly in bed, unable to sleep.
Zhao An had left nearly a month ago. Before leaving, he had promised that once he secured a residence in the capital, he would send for her immediately.
Yet an entire month had passed without any news.
She did not dare think pessimistically.
She had already broken off her engagement with Zhu Qingshan. She absolutely could not afford to lose Zhao An too.
Even now, the villagers still talked endlessly about the Zhu family’s lavish wedding banquet. Though she avoided leaving the house, fragments of gossip still reached her ears.
Thinking about the dreams she once held for her future with Zhu Qingshan, her heart tightened painfully.
She truly had liked him.
The position of Zhu Qingshan’s bride should have been hers.
Unfortunately, once an arrow left the bow, it could never return.
She had made her choice.
And she believed her destiny stretched far beyond this small mountain village.
The next morning, Li Xiyue rubbed her sore waist as she climbed out of bed.
Seeing Zhu Qingshan looking utterly refreshed, she angrily pinched his arm.
The shameless man only grinned wickedly.
“You want more this early in the morning? Daytime activities don’t seem very proper.”
Furious and embarrassed, Li Xiyue kicked him directly off the bed.
Zhu Qingshan only laughed loudly before heading out to wash up.
Shortly after lunch, Zhu Qingmei arrived carrying a slab of pork belly and a basket full of freshly washed wild mushrooms.
Along with the ingredients came explosive village gossip.
That morning, Wang Zhen’er and her mother had left the village in a luxurious eight-bearer sedan chair, escorted by a man riding a tall horse.
The entire village instantly erupted into speculation.
Some claimed Wang Zhen’er had once saved the son of a wealthy noble family, and now they had returned to repay her kindness.
Others whispered that she had been sold as a concubine to an old wealthy man in the county.
Still others insisted she was entering the palace to serve a prince.
A few people even noticed that the leading escort had a pale, hairless face and a shrill voice, making them suspect he was a palace eunuch.
No matter which rumor was true, one fact was undeniable:
Wang Zhen’er had risen to great prominence.
When speaking of Wang Zhen’er, Zhu Qingmei’s face filled with disdain.
To her, Wang Zhen’er was shallow, unfaithful, and greedy. It was a disgrace that she had once been engaged to an honorable man like Zhu Qingshan.
Li Xiyue quietly helped prepare another batch of mushroom sauce, showing no interest in Wang Zhen’er’s affairs.
Realizing this, Zhu Qingmei awkwardly stopped talking.
No woman liked discussing her husband’s former fiancée.
Once the sauce was finished, only a small portion of the pork belly had been used.
Zhu Qingmei firmly refused to take the leftover meat home.
“I know your household doesn’t lack meat,” she insisted, “but you worked hard helping me. If you refuse this, my conscience won’t rest easy. Besides, if my mother sees me bringing meat back, she’ll never let me visit again.”
Left with no choice, Li Xiyue accepted the pork and decided to make twice-cooked pork belly for dinner.
Meanwhile, miles away, Wang Zhen’er sat inside the luxurious sedan chair beside her mother, smiling serenely.
Prince Zhao had indeed kept his promise.
She vaguely understood Zhao An’s royal identity.
Without saving his life, a village girl like her would never even qualify to become a concubine.
Still, she firmly believed in her own extraordinary destiny.
With her supernatural luck guiding him, Prince Zhao would surely ascend to the throne one day.
Beside her, Lady Du hugged the chest containing all their savings, smiling so widely her face nearly stiffened.
She briefly thought of her late husband.
It was a pity he had died before enjoying the wealth their daughter would bring.
Then again, had he still been alive, he likely would have opposed breaking off the engagement with Zhu Qingshan.
At that very moment, while Wang Zhen’er dreamed joyfully of the future, she had no idea that in distant Qingzhou City, Prince Zhao was already embracing another woman beneath the moonlight.
Inside the Governor’s Estate gardens, Zhao An held Li Ximin tightly in his arms, looking completely satisfied.
After recovering from his injuries, he had sent the rare wild ginseng back to the palace. Once the Emperor consumed it, his illness improved dramatically, greatly increasing Zhao An’s favor.
But Zhao An knew it was still not enough.
He had secretly informed the Emperor about Master Yuanzhen’s prophecy, persuading him that precautions needed to be taken early.
Convinced, the Emperor assigned him responsibility over Yunzhou’s governance.
Zhao An understood clearly:
If he could solve the devastating floods plaguing Yunzhou, he would completely secure the Emperor’s trust and support.