Chapter 132 - The show was about to begin
The next day, Xiao Hanzheng told Mo Qingling that his wife wanted to teach everyone how to make vermicelli for free.
Mo Qingling was very happy and even invited Shi Qingluo to teach at the county yamen.
He also arranged for the locals to help her.
Shi Qingluo washed and soaked the green beans.
The next day, she brought them to the county yamen.
Mo Qingling asked his people to publicise it in the county town.
Hence, many came to learn, especially those who had earned profits from the ice making workshop.
When they heard that Scholar Xiao’s wife was going to teach them how to make a rare food product, they all came over.
Shi Qingluo took out the soaked green beans and explained to everyone while she made them.
After that, she also wrote down a few methods to prepare vermicelli dishes.
For example, pork and cabbage stewed vermicelli, bone stewed vermicelli with soy sauce, mutton stir-fried vermicelli, and earthenware vermicelli.
Bai Xu also got the Bai family’s chef to learn too.
He memorised all these home-cooked recipes and was prepared to try them out in their restaurant.
Green bean was mostly used to cook congee and as a staple food.
Therefore, the public didn’t expect that they could make vermicelli from green beans.
It wasn’t difficult to learn and they tried it again when they went home.
Not to mention that it tasted very good.
The public previously addressed Shi Qingluo as scholar’s wife.
Now, many people called her Miss Shi to express their recognition and respect for her.
After teaching everyone how to make vermicelli in the county for 3 days, Shi Qingluo didn’t revisit the county anymore.
If anyone wanted to learn, they could directly go to Xiaxi village to find her.
She would teach anyone who came.
Then, she began to teach those in the countryside.
As a result, several villagers in her village specialised in selling vermicelli very soon.
There were also quite a number of people from other county who rushed over to learn after hearing about it.
Of course, most of them were businessmen.
Shi Qingluo’s profile began to gradually spread.
Especially when everyone knew that she was the one who gave the recipe for making ice and cement, she became even more famous.
After vermicelli spread in Nanxi county, as expected, some sold their homemade vermicelli to other places, including the capital.
The Bai family’s restaurant was the first to introduce these vermicelli dishes and also gave credits to Shi Qingluo.
Shi Qingluo was the one who shared the cement recipe and asked her husband to present it to the emperor.
This news also spread along with it.
All those staying in the capital benefited from the cemented roads, so Shi Qingluo was gradually more well-known.
Of course, this was a matter for later.
After she was done teaching everyone how to make vermicelli, she called Xiao Mu and his son to skateboard together.
On this day, Xiao Hanzheng and his classmates went to the county town to attend the flower banquet hosted by that high scholar.
The high scholar allowed them to bring their family members along if there was any.
His wife would welcome them.
As soon as Xiao Hanzheng and the others entered, this high scholar’s son warmly invited them into the pavilion.
He passed Xiao Hanzheng and his classmate tea after they sat down.
Then, he was called away to serve the others.
Xiao Hanzheng picked up the teacup and took a sip.
He instantly discovered the problem.
He lowered his head to look at the teacup, with his eyes revealing a hint of playfulness.
It seemed that the Wu family had crafted 2 plans.
He was wondering why this high scholar suddenly invited all the elementary scholars and students in their county to admire flowers.
It turned out that they were waiting for him here.
Or rather, Fourth Son Shi was the abandoned boy that the Wu family had thrown out.
If the plan was successful and he discovered it later, he would mostly likely take revenge on Fourth Son Shi, who had drugged him.
The Wu family was very smart.
When he found out that the high scholar’s son was glancing at him from time to time even if he was standing far away from them, Xiao Hanzheng pretended not to notice and drank two sips of tea.
Only then did he withdraw his gaze in satisfaction.
Before coming to the Wu family, Xiao Hanzheng was afraid that something might happen, so he prescribed himself an antidote pill and swallowed it.
As long as it wasn’t a powerful poison, this pill could cure its effects.
After sitting for a while, the high scholar’s son led Fourth Son Shi over.
He smiled at Xiao Hanzheng and said, “Young Master Xiao, I heard that Tongsheng Shi is your wife’s uncle, so I brought him here. Do you mind if I arrange for him to sit next to you?”
Even if Xiao Hanzheng wasn’t happy with him saying these things in public, he could not turn it down.
Xiao Hanzheng nodded with a faint smile. “Of course I don’t mind.”
He even raised his head to greet Fourth Son Shi. “Fourth uncle!”
Fourth Son Shi was a little afraid of Xiao Hanzheng.
He had a feeling that this fellow wasn’t as gentle and elegant as he appeared to be.
He might be as vicious as that wretched girl.
He forced a smile. “Long time no see!”
Then, he sat down and started chatting with Xiao Hanzheng.
Third Son Shi encouraged his youngest brother to go on his own.
He didn’t tell him that Xiao Hanzheng knew his plans.
Therefore, Fourth Son Shi gradually became more at ease.
After a while, he saw that Xiao Hanzheng had drunk half of the tea in his teacup.
Fourth Son Shi smiled and said, “My tea is almost finished. Let me help you get more too.”
At this moment, the servants weren’t around.
Xiao Hanzheng smiled and said, “Okay, then I’ll have to trouble you then, fourth uncle.”
Fourth Son Shi reached out for the two cups and walked out of the gazebo.
A moment later, he returned with the cups.
“Thank you!” Xiao Hanzheng took his teacup, blew on it, and took a sip.
This made both Fourth Son Shi and the high scholar’s son heave a sigh of relief.
After a short while, almost everyone had arrived, including the host.
The high scholar took the lead to recite the poems.
He even changed the menu from serving tea to wine.
Xiao Hanzheng also drank a few cups.
Be it the two cups of tea at the start, or the wine now, there were some special ingredients added into them.
The medicinal properties would be a little fierce after mixing them together.
It would be difficult to explain why the person who drank it still didn’t have any woman beside him.
However, the antidote pill he took could easily resolve these medicinal properties.
After reciting the poems for a while, Fourth Son Shi clutched his stomach as if he was going to the toilet. He left temporarily.
Xiao Hanzheng played with his wine cup. The good show was about to begin.
On the other hand, Fourth Son Shi bypassed the courtyard where the women gathered and went to a room in the side courtyard.
He knocked on the door and a young girl opened it.
When she saw that only Fourth Son Shi was at the door, she frowned. “Where’s Young Master Xiao?”
Fourth Son Shi was unhappy. This woman was really daring.
Xiao Hanzheng was now a student of a first-class official.
How could he fall for a merchant’s illegitimate daughter like her.
However, he did not show it on his face.
Instead, he smiled and said, “I came over to take a look first. Are you ready yet?
“He had drunk the tea with medicine. I will bring him over as soon as he flares up.”
Only then did the displeasure on Wu Xixi’s face disappear. “Don’t worry. As long as this matter is handled properly, the Wu family will not mistreat you.”
This fellow had previously wanted to marry her.
He was like a toad wanting to eat swan meat.
Why didn’t he go back and take a good look at himself in the mirror?
Even if she wanted to marry, she would marry a man like Xiao Hanzheng.
He was too handsome and had a bright future ahead of him.
Even though Xiao Hanzheng already had a wife, she was just a village girl.
How could she compare to her, who was a young lady in the Wu Family? Therefore, she didn’t mind.
When this matter was settled, her big brother had promised her that he would kill that village girl to make room for her.
In the future, she would be the wife of a high scholar, or even an official.
Thinking of Xiao Hanzheng’s handsome face and tall-built body size, Wu Xixi could not help but blush.
Fourth Son Shi cursed her for being shameless silently.
He looked past the door and found that there wasn’t anyone inside.
So he pushed Wu Xixi into the room and quickly held her down.
He took out a porcelain bottle and poured the medicinal liquid inside into her mouth.
Then he raised his hand and chopped at the back of Wu Xixi’s neck a few times, knocking her out.
Only then did he leave and return to the banquet.
Just as he sat down, he saw an abnormal layer of redness on Xiao Hanzheng’s fair and handsome face.
His eyes were also somewhat blurred, as if he was drunk.
He suppressed the jealousy in his heart and moved in front of Xiao Hanzheng, saying, “Hanzheng, you’re drunk. I’ll take you out to sober up.”
Xiao Hanzheng seemed to be in a daze as he replied with a “yeah”.
Then, Fourth Son Shi immediately helped him up and walked out of the courtyard together.