Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Zhao Wan was stunned for three seconds before she realized what she had done.

Embarrassment instantly filled my face.

Goodness, she doesn't even know him.

You can't just come knocking on someone's door saying you're craving their meat, can you?

The meat smells so good, I want to try some.

How could anyone say such a thing?

It's like they've never eaten meat before.

"Is there something you need?" Old Chen asked again when Zhao Wan remained silent for a while.

Zhao Wan scratched her head awkwardly, and after a long pause, managed to squeeze out, "I've come to pay my respects to my new neighbors..."

Old Chen was taken aback, then quickly said, "Please come in and sit for a while, I'll go invite the host."

Zhao Wan was momentarily confused, and by the time she realized it, she was already sitting in the main hall of someone's house.

It smells so good!

Upon entering the house, the fragrance became even richer and more intense.

It smells just as good as crystal soup dumplings.

But the thought of her host family arriving later made Zhao Wan feel awkward again.

How is she going to explain this to the host family later?

He said he was coming to visit, but he didn't even bring a decent gift.

"Sigh, if only my brother were here, he's shameless, he would definitely ask for meat..." Zhao Wan couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Just then, footsteps came from the doorway.

Zhao Wan felt inexplicably nervous. When she looked up and saw who it was, her eyes lit up instantly.

"Madam Shen!!" Her surprise was palpable.

Shen Qing naturally recognized Zhao Wan as well, and she said with some surprise, "How come you..."

"We're neighbors now!" Zhao Wan was even happier.

Good heavens, she thought someone had made such a fragrant smell, but it turns out it was Lady Shen.

It's no surprise that it's Lady Shen!

Thinking of how Song Wenqian was thrown out in such a disheveled state yesterday, Shen Qing instantly understood.

She smiled and said, "That's quite a coincidence."

"Madam Shen, why didn't you go to the ghost market to set up your stall last night? Did that scumbag Song Wenqian cause you trouble?"

"No, I just wanted to sell a different kind of food," Shen Qing replied truthfully.

It wasn't Song Wenqian causing trouble...

When she left home just now, it seemed her brother had led some people to beat up Song Wenqian...

Well, Song Wenqian was never a good person to begin with, so he deserved to be beaten.

"Madam Shen, are you not going to sell those crystal steamed buns anymore?" Zhao Wan couldn't help but ask again.

"We're not selling anymore; starting today, we'll be selling braised pork ribs."

"Still in the ghost market?"

"No, at the entrance of the academy."

"At the entrance of the academy??" Zhao Wan looked shocked.

You know, those scholars value their appearance the most, and they are all extremely refined. How could they possibly be gnawing on bones?

Could it be that Madam Shen simply enjoys challenging the impossible?

Zhao Wan thought about it more and more and felt that it made sense, and her gaze towards Shen Qing was full of admiration.

"Your braised pork ribs smell so delicious, can I buy some right now?" she swallowed and couldn't help but ask.

No matter what, as long as there's something to eat, that's fine. Anyway, she found Madam Shen's house, so she can eat whatever Madam Shen sells from now on.

No, she might as well move directly from her home to the neighbor's, so that she can smell whatever delicious food Madam Shen makes.

Shen Qing smiled amicably: "Not now, the bones need to be soaked in water so they can absorb the flavor better."

Even though the heat has just been turned off, if you want the bones to absorb more flavor, you need to soak them in the broth until they cool naturally.

"We'll wait!"

Zhao Wan said hurriedly, her face full of anticipation. She was determined to eat this braised pork rib today!

......

Song Wenqian lay on the cold kang, his body covered in bruises.

What comes into view are dilapidated mud walls, drafty roofs, and broken pottery jars leaning to one side.

They were destitute.

"...Shen Qing...actually moved into a big house..." he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with resentment.

How could that be? Could it be that Shen's father left Shen Qing a sum of money?

That's definitely true, absolutely.

Damn it, God is so unfair.

Now it's definitely over for Zhao Wan. After all, Zhao Wan has her father and brothers backing her up, so he wouldn't dare to provoke her again.

Shen Qing is different. She only has her mother now, and there is no man in her home. With just some apologies and sweet words, he can win back Shen Qing's heart.

In this way, he would no longer have to live a hard life.

"Yes, yes, as long as I can win over Shen Qing, I won't have to stay in this dilapidated house anymore. Given time, it wouldn't be impossible to climb the social ladder."

Song Wenqian muttered to himself, his eyes bloodshot, with a look of madness and obsession.

Snapped--

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, and the door of the dilapidated house was kicked open.

Three or five tall, burly men barged into the dilapidated house.

"You—" Song Wenqian was startled.

"Beat him up!!" Zhao Cheng was so angry he gritted his teeth.

I really don't know what my little sister saw in him before?

She's poor, wicked, and looks like a weakling; she's a disgrace to men.

"Don't......"

Song Wenqian only managed to utter one word before he felt a barrage of fists raining down on his face and body.

It felt like yesterday, with a bunch of burly men punching and kicking him.

Pain and humiliation surged up at the same time, and he clenched his teeth so tightly that he couldn't utter a sound.

"Alright!" Seeing that it was almost done, Zhao Cheng called out to stop.

He didn't want to kill anyone; killing someone was too much trouble.

"Did you go and cause trouble for Madam Shen? You shameless bastard! If you hadn't interfered, Madam Shen wouldn't have stopped selling her goods, and I wouldn't have been unable to get my crystal soup dumplings!"

"This beating is to teach you a lesson: Madam Shen is not someone you can mess with. If you cause trouble for Madam Shen, you're causing trouble for me!"

Upon hearing this, Song Wenqian felt even more miserable.

When did he ever cause trouble for Shen Qing? He was just thinking about it; he hasn't taken any action yet.

"Young Master Zhao, is there some misunderstanding? I haven't left the house since yesterday..."

"You didn't go looking for trouble with Madam Shen?" Zhao Cheng asked incredulously.

"No," Song Wenqian said with a bitter expression.

"There's no such thing as 'best'!" Zhao Cheng sneered. "Then this beating is what you deserve. I've said it before, I'll beat you every time I see you!"

"Walk!"

He left the dilapidated house with those burly men, looking menacing.

Song Wenqian was extremely upset. Why was he so unlucky? He should have never provoked Zhao Wan.

Now he has many more bruises on his body, and his face is temporarily unpresentable.

Damn it, once he gains power, he will definitely trample Zhao Cheng and his sister under his feet!

......

Shen Chengzong was also unlucky.