vstars Chapter 411 The Third Scholar Who Became Clingy
Chapter 411 The Third Scholar Who Became Clingy
Chapter 411 The Pursuing Scholar
Lin Xiao, oh no, it's Lin Qi now. Lin Qi didn't stay at the Jiang residence for long; he finished explaining his business and then took his leave.
Just like when they arrived, they left in a low-key manner. To anyone, this carriage didn't look like the vehicle of a young master from a high-ranking official's family.
They came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
Jiang Xiaoqi also relayed Lin Qi's words to his grandfather. Jiang the landlord also "coincidentally" met Jiang Changqing while on duty and passed on the message.
The eldest prince, Zhao Hongmin, is engaged to the eldest daughter of a fourth-rank civil official. The wedding is scheduled for November of this year, which is two months from now.
The marriage between Wang Jue and Jiang Lian'er has been successfully arranged, and they have reached the stage of exchanging betrothal gifts.
With Wang Jue's advance warning, Jiang Xiaoqi was indeed well-coordinated, and both families happily proceeded with the formalities of marriage.
The wedding date was set for the following spring, giving them more than six months to prepare.
Jiang Lian'er will turn eighteen next year, reaching the age that Jiang Xiaoqi has stipulated is eligible for marriage.
With one worry gone, Madam Jiang turned her attention to the fifth young lady, Jiang Feier, and the sixth young lady, Jiang Weier.
Jiang Feier felt immense pressure and some unease, worried that her grandmother wouldn't be so lucky as to find a suitable grandson-in-law every time.
The youngest, Jiang Weier, remained as calm as ever, only saying "let nature take its course" to her grandmother's anxiety.
After thinking about all her granddaughters, she turned her attention to her eldest grandson, who was bright and cheerful.
Oh dear, Mingfei is already a fourteen-year-old boy. It's time to start looking for a partner, otherwise all the good ones will be taken.
Sigh, there haven't been any literary gatherings, poetry recitals, or flower-viewing banquets in Beijing lately, otherwise I could have arranged some for my grandchildren.
Princess Deqing shared the same idea as Madam Jiang. The last flower-viewing banquet was indeed very effective, and all four princes, from the eldest to the fourth prince, were betrothed.
However, her nephew Qin Mucheng was still unmarried, spending all his time with that widower from the Huangfu family. The two were already in dire straits, making their situation even more difficult.
However, even if Princess Deqing were to host another banquet, the Jiang family, given their social standing, would not be able to receive an invitation.
There is an insurmountable chasm between the noble families of princes and the homes of minor officials of the sixth or seventh rank.
Jiang Xiaoqi continued to follow his daily routine, but now he had lost the opportunity to use his own carriage to go to and from work.
Every morning, Xiao Ming would appear at the Jiang family's gate on time, wave away the Jiang family's own coachman, and forcibly pull Jiang Xiaoqi into his carriage.
Although Jiang Xiaoqi felt helpless, she gradually got used to Xiao Ming's company.
Sometimes, if we don't see a horse-drawn carriage when we go out, we'll wait a little while.
"Brother Jiang, have some snacks. I couldn't eat anything this morning, so I ate on my way to work."
"Oh, I don't need it. I ate quite a bit of the yam and red date soup that we made in the small kitchen at home."
"Brother Jiang's jujube soup must be delicious, right? My cook is no good; he can only make simple, coarse food."
"Brother Xiao, you are welcome to visit my home sometime and try my cook's cooking."
"Really! Can I go after I finish my shift today? Does your cook know how to make braised duck?"
And also, I'd like to try the yam and red date soup you mentioned! Oh, and that thing you brought up last time…”
Jiang Xiaoqi was dumbfounded. This Brother Xiao is really... well, his personality is quite good too.
The lunch provided at the Hanlin Academy was not very good; it consisted of two dishes, a soup, and a staple food.
Whether it tasted good or bad was secondary; the main problem was that the food was almost completely cold when it arrived at the Hanlin Academy.
Xiao Ming and Jiang Xiaoqi have been eating this kind of food for three months. If it weren't for the delicious snacks that Jiang Xiaoqi occasionally "conjures up," they really wouldn't be able to keep going.
Bringing food from home every day isn't practical either; when it's hot, the food spoils by noon, and when it's cold, it gets completely cold by noon.
Having servants deliver meals to the household every day is one solution, but since they are of the lowest rank, it would be too conspicuous to put on airs like that.
After all, even the higher-ups don't do that; they still eat the meals provided by the government.
However, there was one exception: Liu Peng, the grandson of the prime minister and the second-place scholar in the imperial examination.
Liu Peng ate four dishes and a soup every day, sent from the Prime Minister's residence to the Hanlin Academy, with no two meals being the same.
Xiao Ming was extremely envious and jealous. Whenever it was mealtime, Xiao Ming would sneak out of the office they shared and go next door to have a meal with his good buddy Jiang Xiaoqi.
“Mingfei, why don’t we have our meals delivered from home? Liu Peng’s rank isn’t even as high as yours, yet he brazenly gets special meals every day.”
Our top two scholars are no worse than his second-place scholar; they just don't have the same illustrious family background.
But when it comes to meals, you don't need to consider family background, right? I just want to eat comfortably; it's not like my family can't afford it.
Jiang Xiaoqi munched on the now-cold steamed bun, agreeing with the logic, but still finding it quite troublesome to have food delivered.
Actually, I just need to have the main kitchen prepare lunch every morning, then sneak into my space and bring it to the Hanlin Academy. When it's time to eat, I can take the food box out of my space.
That way the food won't get cold or spoil, but how am I supposed to explain this to Xiao Ming?
“That works, but delivering meals every day is too conspicuous. How about this, we'll eat together, one day your family will deliver, and the next day mine will deliver.”
This way, we don't have to worry about two families preparing our meals every day, and we won't attract too much attention at the Hanlin Academy.
After all, compared to Liu Peng, who gets meals delivered to our house every day, ours, delivered every other day, doesn't stand out much.
Xiao Ming's eyes lit up, clearly thinking this was a feasible move.
"Sure, Mingfei, I think so. This way we can have a change of pace."
The two agreed on this, and starting the next day, the Hanlin Academy had an extra horse-drawn carriage delivering meals every noon.
"Sigh~ These young people, they just can't stand hardship. Back when we first entered the Hanlin Academy, who would complain about the free food being unpalatable?"
"Lord Liu is absolutely right. Alas, each generation is worse than the last. Most young people nowadays are lazy and pleasure-seeking, and they have lost the spirit of our youth."
Today, the servant in charge of delivering the meals was a young servant from the Xiao family. Since the masters had said so, he, as a servant, could not refute them and could only silently note it down and pass it on to his master.
A large food box was handed to Xiao Ming, and the servant recounted the private comments of the adults in detail.
Xiao Ming was speechless. It's only the first day, and there's already so much gossip?
Well, I can't skimp on my own stomach, especially since I've been neglecting it for months. I need to make up for it!
Jiang Xiaoqi felt that the food at the Xiao family's house wasn't as bad as Xiao Ming had said. Maybe it was because Xiao Ming was tired of it. Anyway, he thought it was alright, just a bit spicy.
After finishing his shift, Xiao Ming immediately sent the driver straight to the Jiang family's house, saying he wanted to mooch a meal because he hadn't had enough yesterday.
Jiang Xiaoqi: Okay, I'll eat your lunch and give you two dinners in return. That's fair!