The attic connects the past and present; I became a tycoon and got rich overnight!

Chapter 45 Banquet at the Prime Minister's Residence

"Miss Song, please be careful."

Someone pulled her back from behind. Song You'an glanced to the side and saw that it was Zhu Ling's personal maid.

"Miss Cuizhu? Thank you."

No sooner had Song You'an finished speaking than Zhu Ling's voice followed: "I didn't expect Miss Song to like joining in the fun. But with your slender and delicate body, you shouldn't push forward to avoid bumping into things."

Turning around, he saw Zhu Ling appear behind him at some point, with a young man of noble bearing beside him.

"This humble woman greets Miss." Song You'an quickly lowered her head.

Zhu Ling smiled slightly: "We've known each other for a long time, Miss Song, there's no need for such formalities."

After saying that, Zhu Ling turned to the boy beside her and said, "Second brother, this is the very popular Miss Song in the capital right now."

Upon hearing this, Song Youan realized that the person in front of her could be the second son of the Marquis of Fuyang, whom Miss Zhu Ling had mentioned. He had suffered from sudden abdominal pain during the provincial examination, which affected his performance and caused him to regretfully stop at the palace examination.
"This humble woman inquires after the young lord's well-being."

Zhu Zhe smiled and nodded at Song You'an, saying gently, "So this is Miss Song. Ling'er has been mentioning you a lot lately. It is my honor to meet you today."

"I am terrified," Song Youan said hastily.

Zhu Ling chuckled, "Second Brother, don't talk like you're a stranger to Miss Song. You ate most of the cakes I bought. If that's the case, you and Miss Song have quite a history."

Zhu Zhe awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth and said with a forced laugh, "I was just worried you wouldn't be able to finish it and it would go to waste. Besides, eating too many sweets isn't good; it can cause acne, which is what you're most afraid of."

Zhu Ling curled her lip and muttered, "Scholars are always good at making excuses."

At this moment, she also noticed that Song Youan was carrying a food box, and her eyes lit up immediately: "Miss Song, what's in your food box?"

"It was a cake sent to the Prime Minister's residence." Song You'an truthfully recounted what had happened yesterday.

"That's wonderful! We're in for a treat today!" Zhu Ling was delighted. "Brother Jingwen has become the third-ranked scholar, and my second brother has come to congratulate him. I've come to join in the fun too."

Zhu Zhe nodded: "Then Miss Song, please come in with us."

More and more people gathered outside the gate to ask for lucky red envelopes. Watching the excitement, Song You'an followed Zhu Ling into the Prime Minister's residence, glancing back every few steps.

In the back garden, Song Youan placed the food box on the stone table in the flower-viewing pavilion. Lin Sangqian instructed, "Just pick out two portions. Brother is hosting a banquet for his friends in the front yard. Take the rest over there to support him."

This cake is a novelty. Lin Jingwen, a high school student, is hosting a grand banquet at his home today, and many of the guests are from humble backgrounds and have never seen a cake before.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ling immediately said, "Sister, I want to eat tiramisu!"

Lin Sang smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll save you a piece of tiramisu."

The maid knew that her mistress liked taro mille-feuille, so she kept one piece and sent the rest to the front yard.

"If Miss Song has nothing else to do, why don't you stay and chat with us while we admire the flowers?"

Song Youan was standing to the side waiting to pay the bill when Lin Sangqian suddenly invited her to pay.

Today she wore a light green gauze dress, and her hair was casually styled by herself, adorned only with a white porcelain hairpin, simple and elegant.

Hearing this, she looked up in surprise and then said, "I am of humble status, how dare I sit with the two young ladies?" Zhu Ling and Lin Sangqian exchanged a glance. Zhu Ling smiled and said, "I wonder who dares to say that Miss Song is of humble status? I have long regarded you as a friend. Have you forgotten that you sat with me the second time you entered my Fuyang Marquis's residence?"

Song Youan was taken aback. Upon reflection, it was true. Ever since her second visit to the Marquis of Fuyang's residence, Miss Zhu Ling's first words were always to tell her to sit down and talk.

"I am deeply grateful for your kind words, Miss." Song Youan's tone remained respectful.

Living in Dazhao, that sense of caution was ingrained in her bones, because she knew that Dazhao had many rules and clear class distinctions, and she must not make a single wrong move, lest she bring disaster upon herself.

So even though Zhu Ling said she considered her a friend, she didn't dare to relax completely; staying vigilant and clear-headed was the most important thing.

Seeing this, Lin Sangqian said, "Miss Song, there's no need to be so reserved. Just treat it as a casual chat with us sisters."

Song Youan nodded and finally walked over to sit down beside the two of them.

A maidservant presented a pot of fine pre-rain Longjing tea and poured him a cup. Instantly, the aroma of the tea filled the air.

This is truly excellent tea.

"Little Ling, your second brother is here too?" Lin Sangqian asked Zhu Ling after taking a bite of cake.

Zhu Ling stared wide-eyed and nodded: "I came here with him. None of my three older brothers passed the high school entrance exam this year. The atmosphere at home is very oppressive. I don't want to stay at home."

Lin Sang smiled and said, "It's a real pity about your second brother. But with his talent, it's only a matter of time before he passes the imperial examination. Most importantly, he studies very hard, and I'm afraid no one in Kyoto can compare to him in that respect."

"I hope my sister's words are true." Zhu Ling pouted and said with a worried tone, "I'm afraid he'll become stupid from studying too much. He'll stay up all night without getting tired. I don't know what's so attractive about those classic books. I just feel sleepy when I look at them."

"A few days ago, he was angry with himself for falling asleep while reading at night, and punished himself by not eating or drinking for a day. Isn't that funny?"

"puff……"

Song Youan was startled and quickly covered her mouth:
"Yes...I'm sorry."

Lin Sangqian couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Ling didn't seem to care much, and shook her head with a worried look: "It's fortunate that Brother Jingwen sent him an invitation today, otherwise he wouldn't have stepped out of the study."

Lin Sangqian asked, "How many hours does he usually sleep?"

"He sleeps for more than two hours every day after noon. He says that the afternoon is the time when reading efficiency is the lowest, so it is not a waste to use it for sleeping." Zhu Ling curled her lips: "I don't know where he came to this fallacy."

Two and a half hours? That means you only sleep about five hours a day?
Song Youan spoke softly, "But isn't it said that the early bird catches the worm? If you stay up all night studying, won't you be exhausted in the morning?"

“He’s different. He says he can concentrate best when it’s late at night and all is quiet.”

Song Youan frowned slightly and shook her head: "Reading at night is bad for your eyes, and over time you will definitely develop eye problems."

Lin Sangqian agreed with Song Youan's words: "Miss Song is right. The Ministry of Justice has a lot of files. My father used to stay up all night organizing the files. Now people ten meters away can hardly see them anymore."

"Ah?" Zhu Ling was startled and said, "That's right, I never thought about hurting my eyes, but my second brother is used to reading at night and probably won't listen to my advice."

Song Youan hesitated for a moment and asked, "If there is a way to help the young marquis perk up in the afternoon, I wonder if he would be willing to try?"

(End of this chapter)