The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

"Gulp, gulp." The sounds of swallowing saliva became more and more frequent. The scholar next to him could not help but glance at the table next to him when he smelled the fragrance. He then looked at the food box brought from Haoyue Tower in front of him and instantly felt it was bland and tasteless. Even the poems that he usually found extremely joyful to listen to were no longer audible to him.

One of the scholars whispered, "How about we order something to eat and try it out?"

The scholars at that table nodded one after another.

"Order hot pot, with the dogwood soup base."

"I want to eat that stewed dish."

"I want shaved ice."

Each scholar whispered what dish he wanted, fearing that others would notice. The scholar who asked the question first waved his hand in the distance, and a waiter came over and said, "Dear guests, what can I do for you?"

"We want to order some food. It's free here today, right?"

The waiter shook his head and said, "Only the first prize-winning scholar can eat for free, but you are the first to ask for this hot pot, so this table can be discounted by 50%."

The scholar asked the other scholars with a questioning look, and after receiving a positive response, he reported the name of the dish he wanted.

Soon, the hot pot and a variety of dishes were served on the table. Everyone ignored the poetry competition and started to grab the food.

The poetry competition on the other side became more and more intense, and the smell of the hot pot became more and more fragrant. When everyone turned around, they found that at some point, most of the scholars had ignored the poetry competition and instead turned to eat the hot pot here.

A scholar who was speaking excitedly saw this scene and said in dissatisfaction: "What are you doing? We are writing poems here, and you are eating here?"

A man who seemed to be on good terms with the scholar, with tripe in his mouth, said, "Brother Leyuan, the hotpot here is really delicious. In comparison, the one in Haoyue Tower is nothing. And this is discounted. It would be a waste not to eat it. If you want the top one, take it!"

The scholar named Le Yuan's face turned pale and blue. Although he loved to compete for the first place in these poetry competitions, he didn't win it in this way. Just as he was about to say something, he saw that his classmates who had competed with him before went to the next table to eat hot pot.

So he sat down and said, "Waiter, give me the same one as theirs!"

Liu You came over and said with a smile, "Sir, I have asked Professor Lu, your poetry is undoubtedly the best here, so all the food on your table is free. After you have finished your meal, I wonder if you could give us your calligraphy, so we can hang it on the wall."

Master Leyuan nodded.

After a while, the prepared hot pot was served. He reluctantly took a piece, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth, his eyes widened, and he stretched out his chopsticks several times in a row, saying loudly: "It's really delicious!!"

……

Guo Xin had been observing everything in the hall from a corner. Originally, she should have greeted the scholars together with Liu You, but later, considering that she had already reached the age of marriage, it was not convenient for her to come out, so she had to stay in the corner and observe quietly.

Although I don't mind being with a group of men, it is inevitable that some pedantic people will make a fuss about it. After being passed on several times, I don't know how unpleasant the words will become.

It would be bad if it affected Guo Zhi and Guo Xi who were studying in the academy. After all, that ignorant Second Master and the aunts had done Guo Zhi a great harm last time.

Last time, after I gave Erye's family a beating, I sent them back to Guojia Village, and asked Guo Lizheng and the village chief to step in, and the situation finally calmed down a lot. However, even now, there are still many neighbors gossiping about me behind my back.

Therefore, this time we still have to prevent all possible hazards from happening.

……

After that day, Zhao He lived in Cixi Town waiting for news from the capital. After confirming that the General of Cavalry's son did have a birthmark on his buttocks, he asked Uncle Guo whether his fourth brother had any other children alive.

When I heard the name Guo Xin, I was shocked, but I couldn't help but believe it.

Today, upon hearing that Shunan Hotpot Restaurant was holding a poetry reading, he arrived at the right time.

Standing at the door, I saw what should have been a lively poetry gathering, but there was no one writing poetry. All I saw were scholars eating heartily. I couldn't help but find it funny.

He subconsciously looked to the left and saw Guo Xin sitting in the corner. She had fair skin, pretty face, and a nobleness that did not belong to ordinary people. At this moment, she looked at the scholars who were sweating profusely while eating at the tables with a smug look on her face, and did not notice that Zhao He had come.

Liu You had been the shopkeeper of the restaurant for so long that he had naturally developed the ability to keep an eye on all directions and listen to all directions. He walked up to Zhao He and said, "Sir, are you looking for Sister Guo Xin?"

He knew this young man. When he was working with Sister Guo Xin, he saw the young man's portrait in Rufangzhai. At that time, Guo Xin pointed at the portrait and said, "This is their breadwinner, we must take good care of him."

Zhao He looked at the unfamiliar shopkeeper in front of him with some surprise and nodded.

"Then please wait here for a moment, I will go find Sister Guo Xin."

After saying that, Liu You bowed, turned around and walked towards Guo Xin, bent down and said a few words. Guo Xin looked in the direction of Zhao He, said something unknown, and walked towards Zhao He.

Guo Xin forced a smile and said, "I wonder what brings you here, sir?"

Zhao He looked at the person in front of him and saw that although he was smiling, he could clearly feel the reluctance on his face, and even his tone was a little bit harsh.

Knowing that this was because she was angry about opening workshops and restaurants in other cities, she said embarrassedly: "Miss Guo, I am really sorry about that matter. I was really forced to do so."

Guo Xin shook his head and said, "It's a helpless act. It's really helpless. I'm helpless too. I just don't know what business it is that you come to this shop for?"

Zhao He looked at Guo Xin for a long time, but in the end he couldn't say anything. He originally wanted to ask about Guo Xin's father, but now Guo Xin's hatred for him made him unable to say anything. So he smiled and said, "Take the servants to eat hot pot together."

Guo Xin called Liu You over to greet them, then turned and left.

Zhao He looked at Guo Xin helplessly. Although he felt a little resentful, he still had to rely on her to make money. Moreover, Guo Xin was very likely the granddaughter of the General of Cavalry, whom he could not afford to offend.

Seeing that Liu You and Guo Xin were not around, Wen Yan whispered, "Master, how dare Guo Xin treat you like this! Could it be that she already knows my identity?"

Zhao He smiled but said nothing. It seemed that Guo Xin had a bit of this kind of arrogance when she was a cook in her place, but she was still restrained by herself at that time and did not show it.

Now that she has changed her identity, she makes money by cooking, and I have always treated her with courtesy, so naturally her temper is revealed and she is no longer suppressing it.