Liu Zhiyang didn’t care at all and puckered his lips, "I’ve said it before, it doesn’t matter where I study. If they think I’ve been fighting and brawling and they decide to dismiss me as a student without even asking the reason, then there’s nothing I can do about it. Anyway, with that scoundrel Lin Yongcheng there, I didn’t even want to study at that school."
"Cousin! You just said he’s a scoundrel, so if you ruin your own future because of one scoundrel, that would be truly foolish!" Lin Yuan was still somewhat worried, and she immediately decided to ask Xia Zheng to inquire at the school later on, hoping this incident wouldn’t delay Liu Zhiyang’s education.
Liu Zhiyang, however, didn’t take it to heart. While Lin Yuan was worried sick, he suddenly clapped his hands as another thought struck him.
"Oh right, I knew I had forgotten to tell you something. That day, when I encountered that scoundrel Lin Yongcheng, it was right after our exams in the afternoon. He seemed to be just getting out of school, walking arm in arm with a group of students heading out to play. He looked like he had just woken up from a whole day’s sleep, so listless. The fight with him was so feeble. Later, his classmates wanted to go back and complain to the teacher, but that scoundrel stopped them, saying we have to hurry to Chunfeng Building for something and not to bother with this lunatic."
Not only Liu Zhiyang, but Lin Yuan was also taken aback. Given Lin Yongcheng’s usual behavior, one would expect him to have had someone go to the teacher or even the dean to severely chastise Liu Zhiyang, or perhaps even revoke his examination eligibility. But he did not!
"Maybe he’s troubled by family matters. Cousin, you don’t know, Lin Yong Le broke his leg and spent a long time in prison. After he came out, he became completely dimwitted and foolish."
"Really?" Although Liu Limin had witnessed these events, she had never mentioned them to him, as they were just children.
Lin Yuan promptly told Liu Zhiyang about both Lin Yong Le’s dimwittedness and Lin Yongcheng’s thievery. Liu Zhiyang shook his head repeatedly, "I originally thought they only liked to bully others and weren’t entirely bad by nature. But to think, they would degenerate to this extent. They truly deserve it."
In fact, by telling him all these things, Lin Yuan also intended to give him a warning. If he really went to study in the town school, he would be surrounded by many different types of classmates. She hoped he would maintain his integrity and not lose himself like the Lin brothers did, or it would be troublesome.
Xia Zheng caught quite a few small crucian carp in the Xiao He and brought them back. Even if all were used to make broth for Lady Liu, there would be enough for over a month. Since there were many people today, Lin Yuan slaughtered a bucket of small crucian carp, cleaned them, and stewed them all in a big pot. The crucian carp and tofu soup was both nourishing and delicious, and paired with her homemade layered pancakes, it was incredibly appetizing.
Lady Liu was in her postpartum confinement and couldn’t eat too salty foods, so Lin Yuan ladled a large bowl of the crucian carp and tofu soup for her just before serving, adding just a pinch of salt, no more.
Jeng Ruyue was too frail and disliked meat, so Lin Yuan made her a tofu and egg custard— the tofu was soft and the egg was silky. Normally, Jeng Ruyue could only eat half a bowl of rice before feeling full, but this time she finished the whole thing. This left Liu Siqi utterly astonished, worried that she might have been overfed.
After feeding Jeng Ruyue, Liu Siqi returned to the dining table to start eating.
Xia Zheng quietly nudged Lin Yuan’s arm and signaled to her with his eyes. Of course, Lin Yuan understood what he meant— he was once again envious of her second uncle and his wife.
No one from their grandfather’s family had come over during the warming of the house, and Lin Yuan had specifically kept a few jars of fine wine at home to send to them, but she hadn’t had the chance to deliver it before Lady Liu gave birth. Since they were eating today, Lin Yuan brought out the Meng Family Wine House’s wine. Considering her grandfather’s age, he shouldn’t be drinking such strong liquor, so Lin Yuan only poured him a small cup, not daring to let him drink more.