The Lucky Heiress

X1U Yaojun gave a muffled nod and then went to Wei Ruo, giving her a forced smile. “Miss Wei, let’s go.”

In the tea room earlier today, she’d been referred to as “Qingruo”, but now it had become “Miss Wei”.

Wei Ruo did not mind Xiu Yaojun’s attitude and kept up with her pace.

When Wei Ruo returned to the tea room, aside from the three Yuan sisters no one else dared to step forward and offer their congratulations to Wei Ruo. Everything that had occurred in the courtyard had been seen through the windows, with them knowing that the Xiu siblings had lost the tea pot throwing contest to the Wei siblings.

Generally, this was just a game, and most people would dismiss it with a laugh regardless of winning or losing, but apparently Xiu Yaojun didn’t think so.

Everyone could tell that Xiu Yaojun’s complexion was poor, now if they were to congratulate Wei Ruo, it would be like rubbing salt in Xiu Yaojun’s wounds—they did not want to unnecessarily provoke Xiu Yaojun’s dissatisfaction.

The three Yuan sisters pulled Wei Ruo aside and whispered praises for her tea pot throwing skills.

Although they also didn’t dare to provoke Xiu Yaojun, they weren’t as afraid of her as others. After all, the main branch of the Yuan Family had substantial influence in Taizhou Prefecture, which indirectly also benefitted them as collateral branches.

“Ruoruo, have you really never played tea pot throwing before?” Yuan Jiuniang asked with a curious look.

“When I used to live in the countryside, we used to play something similar with clay pots and bamboo sticks, so I just got the hang of it quickly.” Wei Ruo explained.

“I see, you’ve done exceptionally well then. Clay pots and bamboo sticks are somewhat different from this tea pot throwing.” Yuan Jiuniang said.

-Yes, yes, I’ve also played tea pot throwing quite a lot, but I still struggle with it.” Yuan Shiniang mumbled.

As Wei Ruo was talking with the Yuan sisters, Xiu Yaojun sneered out of the blue, “It’s just tea pot throwing, why are you so delighted?”

At this moment, no one else in the tea room was talking, so Xiu Yaojun’s voice was heard very clearly.

Wei Ruo responded immediately, “Isn’t it just tea pot throwing, why are you so unhappy?”

“I just can’t stand your behavior.” Xiu Yaojun chatted bitterly.

“Which part of my behavior do you find detestable? Is it the joy on my face after winning the contest? Is it that my unhappiness has touched a sore spot for Miss Xiu?” Wei Ruo responded.

Heaven knows, she neither gloated nor boasted. And even if she did revel in her victory and was happy about it, how could it harm anyone?

“You…” Xiu Yaojun was momentarily speechless and could do nothing but glare at Wei Ruo menacingly.

“Miss Xiu, there’s winning and losing in every contest. If you start being sarcastic and scornful after losing, it shows a little bit of sore losing. But I believe you are a well-bred young lady from a noble family, and should not be one with a petty mind, right?” Wei Ruo smilingly said.

“Who said I’m a sore loser? How could I be angry over such a trivial contest?” Xiu Yaojun immediately argued back.

“If that isn’t the case then that’s good. After all, in the courtyard earlier, nothing unpleasant happened between us in front of the students from the Anzhou Academy. Miss Xiu, you shouldn’t be angry with me, unless you’re still holding a grudge against me for winning the contest.”

Wei Ruo had a bright smile and her eyes were filled with amusement. Xiu Yaojun was left fuming, not knowing how to react.

Whenever she used to mock Wei Qingwan in the past, Qingwan always kept her head down with a pitiful look, it did frustrate her, but it did not leave her speechless.

Everyone else in the tea room at this moment was especially cautious, even their breathing had slowed down. At the same time, they also had some admiration for Wei Ruo.

It was their first time seeing someone who could retort back to Xiu Yaojun, leaving her speechless.

The atmosphere in the tea room was quite tense when Wei Qingwan returned. She had thought that after being away for so long and then reappearing, Xiu Yaojun, who had always disliked her, would definitely take the opportunity to make things difficult for her.

However, Xiu Yaojun didn’t pay any attention to her at all, and Wei Qingwan sighed in relief.

###

The other tea room.

After the tea pot throwing competition ended, Lu Yuhong separated from Xiu Fengyuan and the others and headed to the tea room where Chu Lan was.

As Lu Yuhong entered, he saw a man lying half-dead on the floor. “What happened? Why is there a half-dead man lying here?” “Ignore him, he’s just a spy.” chu Lan replied calmly.

Lu Yuhong retracted his curious gaze, sat down at the spot opposite Chu Lan, and unabashedly poured himself a cup of tea.

“Did Brother Chu get to see the competition just now?” Lu Yuhong asked.

“I did.”

“Rightfully so, Lady Wei of the Wei Family is not only good at cooking, but also exceptional at tea pot throwing. I wonder when I’ll have another chance to taste the food she and her maid prepared.”

As soon as he mentioned the dishes cooked by Wei Ruo and Xiumei, Lu Yuhong could already feel his mouth watering.

“Indeed, she is quite talented.” Chu Lan gave an affirmative evaluation, but his expression was very bland.

Chu Lan didn’t have a deep impression of Wei Ruo, but every time she was seen, she always seemed distant and cold.

However, she certainly was talented. The land reclamation had solved a significant problem and if there hadn’t been an unexpected issue that day he would’ve definitely reported her role in the land reclamation to his father, with a proposal that she be allowed to push for more land reclamation.

Even though she was a woman, if she could resolve the urgent needs of the court, there might be a chance to make an exception for her.

Chu Lan then glanced at Lu Yuhong’s enthusiastic look and said, “You may admire her, but don’t let any other thoughts come into your mind. Regardless of how she may be, she’s still the legitimate daughter of a noble family, and it’s not possible for her to leisurely cook for you.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Lu Yuhong, who felt exposed, asked.

“Your thoughts are never hard to guess.”

“As long as you know my thoughts, you should help me come up with a solution instead of dousing cold water on me. Where do I not know that she’s a legitimate daughter from a noble family? Where do I not know that it’s not appropriate to ask her to cook for me at will?”

“Well, if you need a solution, there is one. Just marry her. Then, you can enjoy as many dishes cooked by her as you wish.” Chu Lan suggested.

“That’s not helpful at all.”

Not to mention that Lu Yuhong’s marriage was not his to decide, even if he could, he wouldn’t gamble his marriage for delicious food.

###

Following Wei Ruo’s instructions, Yusheng Tea Garden’s first batch of black tea was produced.

Looking at the black tea leaves, Shopkeeper Shen was extremely worried.

Master Xiu, this tea has a pitch-black color, how can it fetch a good price?”

Green tea is valued for its vibrant green color. The darker it is, the lower its price. Now, it was rather surprising that Master Xiu had directly turned the tea leaves black.

“That’s not necessarily the case, smell this tea, doesn’t it have a unique aroma?”

Fan Chengxu smiled, looking quite interested.

Shopkeeper Shen was doubtful, stepped forward, got a small pinch of tea leaves in his palm and then placed it in front of his nose to take a careful sniff..