The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 682 Future Plans
"Brother Ayou, what is this? It looks a bit like a hairy crab, but it's too big."

When Ayu saw Qin Huai put the crab on the stone table, she went over to take a look.

I did some research, and in some similar worlds, it's called a king crab.

"It doesn't have a name, it's just called the Big Sea Crab," Qin Huai said. "I did a small favor for a colleague before, and he felt bad about it. Luckily, he lives on the coast, and his family sent some seafood, so he gave me a portion. You always say that crab meat is too much trouble to eat, but this one is big enough, and the crab legs are enough to fill your little belly."

Ayu found it amusing: "But this is too big! I've never seen anything this big before. By the way, Sister-in-law Hua Rou gave me some seafood before, but none of them were this big. She said that it's difficult to transport live animals with seafood. Most of them die as soon as they go out to sea, and others are destroyed halfway through the journey, so it's rare to see them."

“That’s true,” Qin Huai said. “That colleague’s family member is the transport commissioner of the Grand Canal. He also said that aquatic products from river and lake areas are easy to transport, but marine products are difficult to transport. Firstly, they are easy to survive but difficult to catch, and secondly, pirates are rampant and frequently invade the sea. Starting from the tenth year of Minghua, the imperial family canceled the tribute of marine products, only allowing the transport commissioner to sell them along the way if there was a need, and collect funds to replenish the national treasury, without having to keep them specifically.”

Ayu exclaimed in disbelief, "But if that's the case, wouldn't the position of transport commissioner in charge of sea goods be a lucrative one? Nobody knows how much he transported, how much was lost, or how much he sold. As long as he reports a quantity that the Ministry of Revenue can accept, wouldn't he be able to take whatever he wants in between?"

Qin Huai looked at Ayu deeply, surprised that she could think of so much.

If Ayu were a man, his achievements in the court might not be any less than his.

He doesn't consider the consequences of his actions and only puts himself first, while Ayu considers the world and prioritizes integrity.

It is said that upright people often do not have a good end, but Ayu is different. She is good at mediating people's hearts and has no intention of harming others, so it is easy for her to win over people's groups.

In Qin Huai's view, Ayu was actually more suited to be a person in a position of power; she had emotions, but she could act rationally, consider the big picture, and clearly see the pros and cons.

Do you want……

Thinking of that possibility, Qin Huai secretly shook his head. Ayu would definitely not like that kind of life.

Even the most beautiful birds, eager to be admired, will not want to enter a cage, not even the tallest one.

"Am I wrong?" Seeing Qin Huai shake his head, Ayu said, "I was just speaking off the cuff based on information I had seen before. You are an official in the court, so you must see things more clearly than I do. Just take it as a joke."

“Aren’t you also an official in the court? To be precise, your rank is several levels higher than mine. You have the qualifications to attend the Grand Court Assembly, but I don’t.” Qin Huai couldn’t help but smile, tapped A Yu’s forehead, and said, “What you said is not wrong, but these internal matters are too complicated and not something we can concern ourselves with right now. Just take it as a listen.”

Ayu picked up the giant crab's claws and examined them, saying thoughtfully, "We don't care how the transport commissioner operates behind the scenes, but we can try to find ways to keep the seafood alive so that we can eat more fresh seafood in the future."

Seafood is scarce; at most, they can only buy some dried meat. But dried meat is very different from fresh meat; it has a stronger fishy smell. Da Chang's habit is to eat fresh meat. Once it's made into dried meat, even if it's just pickles, they feel it's not worthy of being served in a refined setting.

For example, noble people would not eat things that can be stored for a long time, as it would make them seem cheap, and they would be afraid of being ridiculed by other noble people if they told others.

"Ayu, you've reminded me." Qin Huai looked at Ayu and said, "Three years from now, I'd like to go to the Transport Bureau and take up a post on the coast. What do you think?"

Ayu: "Brother Ayou, you're not thinking of going to reorganize the Transport Bureau, are you?"

Why don't you just say I wanted to take a bite of fatty meat?

"I know you won't," Ayu said confidently, the young girl tilting her head back with a look of complete trust.

Qin Huai: "Why? In your heart, am I so pure and innocent?"

“No, isn’t your family wealthier than ours? I don’t lack money, so you certainly don’t either,” Ayu said logically. “What people pursue is nothing more than what they don’t yet possess. Since you already have it, you won’t covet it.”

You've only brought trouble upon yourself.

Qin Huai: "..." I was too narrow-minded.

The two of them discussed what would happen three years from now. Qin Huai said he wanted to go, and A Yu wondered whether she should go or not. At present, she was focused on the girls' academy and had not yet changed her mind.

Qin Huai didn't force her to stay. They were both still young, so romantic feelings were out of the question, and there was no rush to achieve great things. They would just follow their own plans for now. Even if they didn't want to help each other succeed, they certainly didn't want to hold each other back.

After they finished talking about these things, they brought up the matter of Princess Ruyi. Qin Huai said, "Princess Ruyi's visit to the Astrology Bureau was actually a misunderstanding. She heard from somewhere that the imperial family was going to betroth her to a young and talented man from the Duke of Yong's mansion. She somehow found out about this and thought that man was me. She also heard that I already had a fiancée, so she went to the Astrology Bureau to cause trouble for you. I have already spoken with my grandfather and the others, and Princess Ruyi will not come again."

"So, Princess Ruyi doesn't know who you are at all, has never seen you before, and only came to cause trouble after hearing that you and she were betrothed?" Seeing Qin Huai nod, Ayu's expression was indescribable.

To put it simply, Princess Ruyi wasn't just stupid; she was practically brainless.

Since it was a marriage bestowed by the imperial family, even if she were a fake princess to appease them, they would never treat her so perfunctorily and harshly. How could they find someone who already had a fiancée? Wouldn't that make all three families lose face? The imperial family isn't incompetent; why would they act like that?

Not only did she not think about it, but she was also impulsive and easily angered. This matter must have been instigated by someone with ulterior motives, but she just hadn't realized it yet.

As Ayu grew older, she realized that some people are a bit slow, but they are good people and don't bother others; these are the people who are likable. On the other hand, some people are not only stupid but also cunning and malicious. Not only are they malicious, but they also lack strategic thinking, making themselves a laughingstock for others—they are simply too unlikable!

"Forget it, let's not waste time on irrelevant people." Seeing that Tangyuan had also walked into the small imperial garden, Ayu asked, "Brother Ayou, are you going back to the Duke of Yong's mansion today, or staying at the Imperial City Inn?"

After Qin Huai finished his business at the Hanlin Academy, he often went to the academy to borrow ancient books. Sometimes, if he was late, he would stay at the post station.

"Let's go to Sansi Street." Qin Huai glanced at the large crab. "Your chef is quite skilled; I'd like to try his crab dishes to see if they're authentic."

Ayu: "Great! Brother Lu, are you coming too?"

Since Lu Yu is now playing the role of a pageboy, A Yu doesn't know how to address him. Calling him by his full name would be impolite, while calling him by his given name would be too intimate, so she simply calls him Brother Lu.

They would also send him a gift along with anything they usually gave to Qin Huai and the others.

Qin Huai glanced at Chi Jia, who said, "Lu Yu has a family banquet today and has already returned home. I'm afraid he won't make it."

"That's a shame."

"Well, let's go."

After the others left, Lu Yu, carrying a stack of books, ran breathlessly to the small imperial garden, only to find Liu Fang pruning the flowers.

He hurriedly asked, "Sister, have the Commander and our editor Qin both left?"

Liu Fang raised her eyes: "Ah, they've been gone for some time now. You're Qin's page, right? I almost forgot, the compiler left you something, saying you should take it back and eat it."

As she spoke, Liu Fang took out a small bamboo basket from the bushes beside her, which was covered with a cloth.

Lu Yu was completely bewildered. He put down the book, took the book, and saw that it contained a pile of golden feet!

They are all small legs of sea crabs, much larger than the large claws of ordinary crabs.

"Your family's editor said that you can take it home and steam it, stir-fry it, dry-fry it, or deep-fry it, depending on your preference."

Lu Yu: "..."

He understood; he had been abandoned. No wonder he was asked to collect those books before leaving.

Woohoo.

He can't eat much anyway, so why would he crave that one bite?

(End of this chapter)