Smiling Under Lanterns-Chapter 93 - 62 Uncle Liu Kun_2

Lu Tong: "She’s my aunt by marriage." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Yin Zheng was somewhat surprised and just about to speak when the server brought over two bowls of noodles. The fragrant aroma of the noodles diverted Yin Zheng’s attention, and she instinctively remarked, "That smells delicious."

The stir-fried eel noodles were served in a deep blue enamel bowl. The bowl was large and deep, the noodles thin and springy, and strands of eel were spread across the top. A big spoonful of bright red hot oil was poured over it, releasing a pungent aroma.

Lu Tong picked up her chopsticks without saying a word.

The best noodles that Wang Chunchi made were stir-fried eel noodles.

So much time had passed that Lu Tong could barely recall the appearance and voice of this aunt by marriage—she only remembered that the stir-fried eel noodles she made were very fragrant.

Back then, the Lu family was poor, and Lu Qian often took Lu Rou and Lu Tong to catch eels in the fields. The mudfish they caught were placed in a basket and brought home, and next-door Wang Chunchi would stir-fry the eels, giving each person a large bowl of eel noodles. It was one of the few times Lu Tong indulged in this delicious memory.

She used to call Wang Chunchi "Auntie" and Liu Kun "Uncle". Liu Kun’s temperament was entirely different from her father’s. Her father was stern and strict, while Liu Kun was kind and affable. He would lift her high onto his shoulders, and when her father punished her to face the wall in contemplation, he would secretly pass her candy.

Wang Chunchi and Liu Kun stayed in Changwu County for many years until the year Lu Tong turned seven, when Liu Kun borrowed fifty taels of silver and took his family to Shangjing to do business. Since then, they had lost all contact.

Latterly, when the pestilence struck Changwu County, Lu Tong went to the mountains with Lady Yun, and before she knew it, seven years had passed. She had almost forgotten that she once had such relatives until she heard their familiar names again from Lord Cao’s people.

That was why she wanted to come and see this "distant relative", who had been signaling to the Imperial Court and had once made her stir-fried eel noodles on summer evenings.

Wang Chunchi didn’t recognize Lu Tong, which was natural, after all, Lu Tong had changed a lot compared to before.

As for Wang Chunchi...

Lu Tong lowered her head and silently took a bite of the noodles.

Her aunt by marriage no longer had the simplicity of the past. She had aged a bit, but also looked much more polished.

The steam rising from the bowl of noodles blurred Lu Tong’s vision, and in her ears, she heard Wang Chunchi chatting away with regular customers on the opposite side.

"Madam, the imperial examinations are just around the corner. Your young master will surely pass with flying colors this year!"

Wang Chunchi laughed and pretended to hit him, "How could he pass so easily? Every year there are so few names on the list in the autumn examinations. It’s Liu Zide’s first time, and if he can finish the exams smoothly, that would be good enough. Why dream so big?"

"Madam, don’t be so modest. We all know how capable your two sons are. The elder one passed two years ago, and so the younger one will surely follow suit. When Liu Zixian passes this time, don’t forget to invite us over for a drink!"

Compliments left Wang Chunchi beaming with joy, repeatedly agreeing with enthusiasm, as if Liu Zide’s name on the list was already a done deal.

Lu Tong paused with her chopsticks in mid-air.

Liu Kun and Wang Chunchi had two sons, Lu Tong’s cousins Liu Zixian and Liu Zide.

However...

In Lu Tong’s memory, these two weren’t exactly scholarship material.

She picked up another chopstickful of noodles but didn’t put them in her mouth. The spicy fragrance from the bowl slowly wafted up, steaming her cheeks to a rosy flush.

Lu Tong’s eyes grew heavy with thought.

Liu Kun’s two sons, the elder Liu Zixian and the younger Liu Zide, were her cousins.

Unlike her uncle and aunt, Lu Tong didn’t really like these two cousins that much.

They were arrogant and condescending, accustomed to placing themselves above others while avoiding work. Back in Changwu County, to shirk their duties, they often dumped their own chores onto Lu Qian. Lu Tong resented this, but Lu Qian was good-natured, thinking they were brothers after all, and it was alright to do a little extra work and not to nitpick.

Yet, Lu Qian’s tolerance never earned gratitude.

Lu Qian and these two brothers attended the academy together, with Liu Zide being even two years older than Lu Qian. However, Lu Qian far outdid the Liu brothers in his scholarship. Perhaps out of jealousy, Liu Zixian harbored resentment towards Lu Qian, always speaking to him with sarcasm and disdain.

And now, this elder cousin, whose scholarship was mediocre at best and writings a jumbled mess, had somehow passed the imperial examinations the year before last, becoming a Juren, and might even get a chance to serve in a position if he passed the further assessments.

While it’s said that one should "respect a new scholar as though he were a new person," this change felt excessively sudden.

As for his younger brother, Liu Zide...

Lu Tong remembered that he couldn’t even write his own name properly.

Now with Liu Zixian having passed, Liu Zide was about to take part in this year’s imperial examinations, and looking at her aunt’s demeanor, though she tried to hide it, her confidence was palpable.