Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Reminded by Sun Sanzhu, Deng Zechen's already simple life became even more monotonous, and he rarely left his home.

More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. Qin Keqing had much more experience than the others, and she was no ordinary woman.

Even though she rarely went out, she noticed some changes hidden in the shadows of the capital.

She seemed somewhat worried at this moment:

"Why are there so many soldiers and officials in the capital? Even when we apprehended that murderer last time, there wasn't such a large-scale operation."

Ruizhu squinted at the silk handkerchief she had just repaired, then carefully picked up the scissors and trimmed off the excess threads.

"Who knows? Those officials always have their own set of rules. As long as they don't come after us, it's fine."

"Yes, young lady, don't think so much," Baozhu replied without looking up as she rubbed the colorful thread in her hands.

Qin Keqing frowned, but ultimately decided to tell Deng Zechen about the changes in the capital.

"You guys continue, I'll be right back."

With something on her mind, Qin Keqing walked briskly, but almost bumped into a thin young man just as she was about to reach Deng Zechen's room.

The boy was thin and small, with a deformed and atrophied right hand, only half the size of his left hand. He tied the extra sleeve of his right hand into a knot to hold it up. He was none other than Tiger from the beggar's hut.

Tiger was later taken out of the beggar's house by Deng Zechen and did errands at home.

Despite his disability, he was quick-witted and was soon accepted by Xiangling and the others, taking on the task of purchasing.

Realizing he had almost bumped into the girl in his house, he panicked. "I'm so sorry, I was so blind! Miss Qin, are you hurt?"

Qin Keqing quickly calmed down, said "It's alright" to reassure Hu Zi, and then knocked on Deng Zechen's door.

Tiger watched Qin Keqing enter and breathed a sigh of relief.

Good heavens, all the girls in Master Deng's family are as beautiful as goddesses, especially this Miss Qin, who is even more like a goddess.

However, since Miss Qin manages the servants and household affairs here, she inevitably commands respect.

Fortunately, Miss Qin didn't mind; otherwise, if she had been kicked out, where would she have found such a good job?

Deng Zechen put down his calligraphy brush and slowly moved his wrists:

"What's wrong?"

Qin Keqing understood the importance of reading to him, and would not knock on the door at this time unless it was something important.

"It seems something big has happened in the capital again. If you go out to do anything, be careful and avoid causing trouble."

Qin Keqing understood that Deng Zechen was definitely not a simple scholar, as he had easily defeated those burly men on his first meeting.

Later, they brought back another beggar child from the beggar's house. All sorts of people come from that kind of place.

What scholar, who is too weak to even kill a chicken, would go to a beggar's hut for no reason?

I just hope that the boy Tiger who was brought back is really just a simple beggar.

Deng Zechen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised:

"What major incident happened? What does it have to do with me?"

Thanks to Sun Sanzhu's reminder, Deng Zechen naturally knew that the recent changes in the capital had nothing to do with him, but did Qin Keqing also notice it?

But why remind me separately? Does she think I'm some kind of wanted criminal who's easy for the authorities to catch?

Qin Keqing saw that Deng Zechen's expression didn't seem fake. "Anyway, just keep that in mind. It's best not to go out too late these days."

Even after receiving an answer, Qin Keqing still added a word of advice out of concern.

Considering that our first meeting was late at night, who knows if he often goes out to run errands late at night.

Deng Zechen was in the prime of his life, and after that day, he became even more enamored with the experience, and the two had sex several more times afterward.

As a result, Qin Keqing gradually became bolder and was willing to say some things directly to Deng Zechen face to face.

As they talked, they drew closer and closer, and Qin Keqing felt a shiver run down her spine as his hot breath sprayed against the back of her neck and around her ears.

However, it was still broad daylight, so the two of them restrained themselves somewhat, since engaging in lewd behavior in broad daylight was not a good thing.

When Qin Keqing left the room, only her hair was slightly disheveled.

It's been a while since I returned, and although I haven't received a reply from Jia Yucun yet, as long as Lin Ruhai mentions this matter, Jia Yucun will definitely handle it diligently. I should ask Xiangling for her thoughts first.

Deng Zechen went straight to the kitchen. All the meals at home were prepared by Xiangling herself, with two maids helping her.

Over time, Xiangling genuinely came to love cooking and spent her days immersing herself in figuring out new recipes.

When Xiangling saw Deng Zechen, she put down the square white object she was holding.

"Brother Deng! What brings you here?"

Deng Zechen leaned down and looked at the steaming pastry on the cutting board. "What's this? I've never seen you make it before."

"I heard Xueyan mention a kind of pastry called Yunpian Gao, which is said to bring academic success and promotions."

Seeing how hard Brother Deng studies, I specially went to learn from him, hoping that Brother Deng can also achieve academic success soon.

This is my first time making it, I don't know how it will taste.

"Really? Then I'm in for a treat." He reached out to take it, but Xiangling stopped him.

"Hey, wait a minute, it's not done yet."

Xiangling then used a knife to cut the white pastry into thin slices, placed them on a plate, and handed them to Deng Zechen.

Deng Zechen carefully picked up a piece of cloud cake, feeling a faint warmth on his fingertips.

Upon tasting it, you'll first experience a strong aroma of rice, followed by a soft yet chewy texture, with a subtle sweetness.

"How is it?" Xiangling asked eagerly, her eyes glued to the screen. "How does it taste?"

"It's delicious, sweet but not cloying, and melts in your mouth." Deng Zechen said, gesturing for Xiangling to try it as well.

Xiangling also ate a piece, and after chewing it a couple of times, she said with dissatisfaction, "Brother Deng is just trying to fool me again. He clearly didn't put in enough sugar. What do you mean by sweet but not greasy?"

As he was about to take the plate of cloud cake, Deng Zechen's slender fingers covered the plate.

"I'm not kidding you, I really love to eat this. Leave it here, I'll take it back inside to eat later."

Xiangling then gave up, and Deng Zechen withdrew his hand and began to discuss the important matter:

"If you had the chance, would you like to go back and live with your family?"

"Ah..." Xiangling covered her mouth with her hand, speechless.

"I may have found a clue about your family. If your family is also looking for you, would you be willing to reunite with them?"

Deng Zechen's words struck Xiangling like a heavy hammer, leaving her almost breathless.

Xiangling's eyes quickly reddened, and she seemed somewhat incoherent:

"Brother Deng... Brother Deng... you don't want me anymore?"

I've kept the property deeds safe; Brother Deng can retrieve them anytime.

Deng Zechen sighed and said softly:

"That's not what I meant. What's given to you is yours. Why would I take it back?"

I was just thinking about how you suffered so much when you were young, and how worried your parents must have been. I'm so happy that your family can be reunited.

After all, I've never met my parents since I was born, and I hope you won't share my regret.

Xiangling calmed down a bit: "Then, if I want to come back later, can I still go with Brother Deng?"