I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xu Qing didn't go straight home, but went to the grain shop first.

I bought ten catties of white rice, five catties of white flour, two catties of pork, a piece of pork fat, and then went to the cloth shop to buy a piece of plain-colored fine cotton cloth.

There weren't many items, and they were all very ordinary.

He didn't want to attract attention.

A poor scholar who was so poor he ate elm bark suddenly started carrying large bags of things home. When the neighbors saw this, they couldn't help but gossip.

He packed the items into two old cloth bags and circled back home through the back alley.

In the courtyard, Song Yao was looking around absentmindedly.

When she saw him come in carrying large and small bags, her face lit up with joy, but then she became somewhat worried.

"Brother Qing, where...where did all these come from?"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "I found a job writing homework for people, and I bought it with the money I earned."

Song Yao paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Qing, we'll handle the money-making. You're here to take the imperial examinations; this will just waste your time."

Xu Qing cupped her face in his hands. "Silly girl, it won't delay anything. I've turned over a new leaf, and you'll all see. Trust me, our lives will only get better."

"You... Brother Qing, I believe you, please put your hand down..."

Song Yao's pretty face immediately turned bright red.

He immediately pried Xu Qing's hands open and carried the items into the kitchen one by one, moving them very gently, as if afraid of breaking them.

Xu Qing watched her retreating figure, shook his head, and smiled.

"There's plenty of time in the future..."

But it's okay.

The future is long...

Feelings can develop over time.

"Cough cough..." Song Yao coughed twice more, preparing to cook.

Xu Qing held her arm and said, "I'll cook today. You can wait and eat what's ready before you go back."

He rolled up his sleeves and walked into the old but clean kitchen.

Two vegetable dumplings were still warming on the stove... those were brought by Song Yao this morning.

Xu Qing put everything away, poured the rice into the rice container, and cut the piece of pork fat into small pieces, then put it into the pot to simmer slowly.

The aroma of oil quickly filled the entire kitchen.

He took a deep breath. According to the original owner's memories... the last time there was a greasy smell in the house was half a year ago.

After rendering the lard, he scooped out the cracklings, sprinkled them with a little salt, and put them in a bowl.

Then he washed his hands and started cooking.

I put white rice into the pot, chopped a small piece of pork into minced meat, stir-fried it with pork cracklings, and added two mashed vegetable balls mixed in.

Before long, a pot of steaming hot, glistening rice with vegetables and meat was ready.

He filled two bowls and carried them to the main room.

"By the way, where's my mother?" Xu Qing asked.

"When I arrived, my aunt said she was going to borrow some grain from my second uncle's house, but she hasn't come back yet," Song Yao said, frowning.

"Hmm? Second Uncle's house?" Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat. "You eat first, don't wait for me, I'll go take a look."

He wiped the handle and strode out the door.

My second aunt, Madam Hu, was notoriously mean-spirited. Whenever my mother visited her, she inevitably had to be mindful of her attitude.

Before she even reached her second uncle's house, Xu Qing heard arguing coming from the courtyard.

"Sun, to put it nicely I'll call you sister-in-law, but to put it bluntly you're the mother of a spendthrift! Your Xu Qing has sold everything he could. If this clan land is still under your name, it'll be squandered sooner or later!"

Hu's shrill voice could be heard clearly even through the wall.

"You have to hand over this clan land today, whether you like it or not! Borrow grain? Not a single grain!"

Madam Xu's voice wasn't loud, but it was full of stubbornness: "Everyone, be the judge! I came here today just to borrow some grain, which I'll pay back in the fall. But she's gone and insists on taking over my family's land!"

"What do you mean, your land?" Hu asked, hands on her hips, her sharp lips slurring incessantly.

"It was originally agreed that it was clan land, and whoever studied and passed the imperial examinations would get to cultivate it. Your Xu Qing has taken the exams so many times, but he hasn't even passed the county-level exam. He should have given it up long ago!"

Xu Qing paused, her face expressionless, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

In the courtyard, Mother Sun stood in the middle, her face ashen and her lips pressed tightly together.

Hu stood with her hands on her hips, her face trembling with menacing features.

Several neighbors stood nearby, watching the commotion and whispering among themselves.

"Mother, we don't need to borrow grain anymore." Xu Qing's words silenced the entire courtyard. "Let's go home and eat."

When Mrs. Sun turned around and saw her son, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, but she managed to hold them back and nodded.

"Okay, let's go home."

The mother and son walked out one after the other.

Behind them, Hu's sharp voice caught up: "Oh, still eating? What are you eating? Dirt? The rice jar is empty, what are you putting on airs for!"

Xu Qing didn't stop walking, nor did she turn her head, but her voice clearly echoed back:

"The clan lands are only for families with educated members to cultivate. This was true when my father was alive, and it remains true now. If you want to cultivate them, then your sons should first pass the county school entrance exam!"

After saying that, he helped his mother up and left without looking back.

The courtyard was quiet for a while.

Mrs. Hu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself unable to respond for a moment.

The neighbors exchanged bewildered glances, some muttering under their breath, "That Xu kid, he's acting like a completely different person today!"

……

Back home, Mrs. Sun stared at the overflowing rice bin, oil jar, and meat on the cutting board in the kitchen, and remained silent for a long time.

She turned her head and stared at Xu Qing.

"Where did these things come from?"

Xu Qing didn't hide anything, and took out the remaining loose silver from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"I earn money by writing for others."

"Write what?"

"I write everything—schoolwork, poems, essays, anything." Xu Qing looked into her mother's eyes. "Mother, I don't steal or rob; I use what's in my own head. If you're worried, you can go and see what I've written."

Sun remained silent for a long time.

She picked up the silver ingot on the table, weighed it in her hand, and then put it down.

Then she turned around, picked up the bowl of still-warm rice and vegetables, and before even touching her chopsticks, she transferred the meat from the bowl to Xu Qing's and Song Yao's bowls respectively.

"I don't like eating meat," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "You're all too thin."

Xu Qing's nose tingled, and she lowered her head to eat her food in large mouthfuls. Song Yao's eyes also reddened, and she silently ate her rice.

After dinner, Sun went to wash the dishes, and Song Yao tidied the table.

Xu Qing returned to his study, preparing to write a few more articles for future reference.

Just as I sat down, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Bang bang bang!

Very eager.

Xu Qing opened the door, and standing outside was Xiao Mingyuan, with a servant following behind him.

"Xu Qing! Help!" Xiao Mingyuan shouted as soon as he entered the door, both excited and anxious.

Xu Qing ushered him into the courtyard, lowering her voice, "Keep your voice down, don't let my mother hear. How did you end up in my house?"

Xiao Mingyuan looked around, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.

"You know Miss Su from Zhuangyuanlou, right?"

Xu Qing shook her head: "I don't know..."

Xiao Mingyuan curled his lip. "Alright, you'll find out later. That's the biggest restaurant in town, full of dignitaries. She sent someone to me, saying that we have important guests recently and she wants me to write a few new poems for Zhuangyuanlou to hang in the restaurant to enhance its appearance."

Xu Qing: "Then why did you call me? And ask for help? I thought you'd been bitten by a dog."

"Ahem..." Xiao Mingyuan held up one finger. "It's not for nothing, ten taels of silver per poem!"

"Ten taels?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, his face beaming. "On another note, Young Master Xiao's affairs are my affairs!"

"It has to be you!" Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his hands together happily. "I told her people... I needed to go back and work on it for a few days. That's why I came to find you tonight."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment. Ten taels for a single poem—that price was indeed tempting.

Moreover, Zhuangyuanlou is the largest teahouse in the area, attracting high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Displaying poems there is tantamount to showing one's face to all the literati in the city... although it is Xiao Mingyuan's face that is being shown.

But once this relationship is established, there's no need to worry about the future.

"Write a few poems?"

"Three poems! Miss Su said she wanted the kind that... would make people applaud and exclaim in admiration." Xiao Mingyuan looked at him expectantly.

"Um... wait a minute..."

Xu Qing returned to his study, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it was all done in one go...

Xiao Mingyuan took the poem and jumped up excitedly after reading it.

"Xu Qing, you're my real father!"