355 Too Scheming
What a joke. She was determined to get her cousin’s Zongzi. How could she make such a low-level mistake?
Her cousin had said before that the more you wanted something, the less anxious you had to be. You had to be patient. You had to be calm and thorough. Your heart needed to be calm, and your body would move like lightning.
As soon as she attacked, she needed to hit her target.
Once she made a move, she had to be completely confident in preventing any accidents and any possibility of complicating matters. She had to control the situation in her heart.
Only then could she achieve her goal.
Yu Shanyan nodded. “It’s indeed Second Sister’s arrow that was released first. Eldest Sister’s arrow caught up and hit the Zongzi. The rules say that we should shoot one by one. Although Eldest Sister took advantage of the loophole in the rules, it’s not against the rules.”
Yu Shuangbai’s cheeks puffed up in anger.
Yu Shanxin said, “Eldest Sister’s arm strength is not bad. When she nocks the bow and draws the string, the arrow’s momentum is great. Naturally, she shoots faster than Second Sister. Yes, this is Eldest Sister’s ability. It’s not against the rules.”
Yu Shuangbai was speechless. She glared at Yu Youyao. “Big Sister, you’re too cunning. Hmph!”
Yu Youyao’s lips curled up. “This is called all’s fair in war. In times of need, we naturally have to do extraordinary things. Learn more in the future. Don’t study too hard. If you don’t know how to be flexible, your studies will be in vain.”
Her cousin had said this.
She felt that it made sense.
Yu Shuangbai stomped her feet. “Isn’t it just a Zongzi? Do you have to do this!”
Yu Youyao snorted. “This is the first Zongzi that my cousin has wrapped in his life. It’s not an ordinary Zongzi. I can’t let you get it.”
Yu Shuangbai was furious. She turned around and said, “Big Brother and Second Brother, Big Sister is bullying others just because she’s good at archery. Why don’t you care?”
Yu Shanxin spread his hands. The situation was already so bad that to make it worse made no real difference. “Second Sister, you have to accept your loss. Don’t be a sore loser!”
What a joke. Cousin Zhou was just sitting there like a tiger watching its prey. Who would dare to control his eldest sister?!
Did she think that life was too easy?
Or was it because he had eaten too much egg fried rice that was so salty that it hurt?
Yu Shanyan cleared his throat. “Eldest Sister won the Zongzi with her own ability. Second Sister, if you shoot well, you’ll definitely be able to hit one in the next round.”
He was still counting on Cousin Zhou’s notes for Heavenly Works.
Yu Shuangbai was stunned and angry. “I’m so angry. You’re not my biological brothers, right? Definitely not!”
Yu Shanxin and Yu Shanyan looked elsewhere.
At this moment, Yu Youyao was already squatting in front of her cousin. She peeled off the Zongzi layer by layer. In the sparkling and soft glutinous rice, there were lotus seeds, red beans, and red dates. They looked very beautiful.
Yu Youyao gently broke the Zongzi into two and handed one half to her cousin. “Cousin, this is a Zongzi that you personally wrapped. You have to try it.”
He had originally thought that the little girl liked sweetness, so he had included sweet ingredients. Now, he regretted it a little.
However, Zhou Linghuai had never rejected the little girl. He reached out and took it. “Cousin, it’s not easy to get this. Naturally, I have to try it.”
Thinking of the little girl’s brown eyes just now, the smile in his eyes deepened.
Yu Youyao could tell that he was implying something. She pouted. “Hmph, I shot the Zongzi with my own ability, and I also ate the Zongzi with my own ability.”
Zhou Linghuai chuckled and took a bite of the Zongzi. The soft brown meat had the fragrance of red beans, a hint of sweetness from the red dates, and the pink glutinousness of the lotus seeds. It tasted good but was a little sweet.
After the women finished shooting, it was the men’s turn.
Yu Shanli went first.
Mr. Hushan had the Six Arts of the Gentleman in his class. He easily shot the Zongzi, but he did not eat it. Instead, he gave the palm to Yu Fangfei.
Yu Fangfei took the palm and immediately beamed. “Thank you, Third Brother!”
Next, it was Yu Shanxin’s turn. As his family had specially hired a martial arts master for him, there was naturally no need to mention his riding and archery skills. He took the lead and shot a Zongzi.
He went forward to take the Zongzi and handed it to Yu Lianyu.
Yu Lianyu thanked him happily.
Next was Yu Shanyan. He had learned the Six Arts of a Gentleman well, so it was naturally easy for him to shoot the Zongzi. However, he was unlucky. Zhou Linghuai had taken a fancy to one of the Zongzi.
Zhou Linghuai remembered that the little girl had wrapped five salted egg yolk Zongzi.
That was one of them.
Hence, he imitated Yu Youyao and shot an arrow into the Zongzi.
Yu Shanyan was speechless. He spread his hands and looked at Yu Shuangbai. “You can’t blame me!”
Although Cousin Zhou was weak, he did not fall behind in the Six Arts of a Gentleman at all.
If he made a move, what else could they do?
Hence, Yu Shuangbai no longer had a Zongzi. She clutched her chest and looked at Yu Youyao resentfully. “Why am I always the one who gets hurt?!”
Yu Youyao almost cried from laughing. She took the small bow from her cousin’s hand and released a wooden arrow. With a whoosh, the wooden arrow left the bow and shot into a Zongzi.
The maidservant brought the Zongzi over.
Yu Youyao handed it to Yu Shuangbai. “Be good. I dote on you.”
Yu Shuangbai was so touched that her eyes welled up with tears. “Boohoo, Big Sister, you’re still the most reliable. If I’m only counting on my two useless brothers, when will I be able to eat Zongzi?”
The unreliable brother, Yu Shanxin, turned his face away and coughed.
However, Yu Shanyan turned to look at Zhou Linghuai.
Zhou Linghuai had peeled the Zongzi and broken it in half, revealing the salted egg yolk inside. He suddenly realized that when he was wrapping the Zongzi just now, his eldest sister had wanted to wrap the salted egg yolk Zongzi.
Second Sister had also said that salted egg yolk was edible?
So, Cousin Zhou had also taken a fancy to the Zongzi that his eldest sister had wrapped?!
...
Zhou Linghuai handed half of it to Yu Youyao. “Try it. You wrapped them yourself.”
Yu Youyao accepted it happily and took a bite.
The salted egg yolk brown was better than she had imagined, but she preferred the sweet Zongzi. “Cousin, this tastes good. You should like it.”
Zhou Linghuai took a bite and smiled. “Not bad indeed!”
With this cousin and sister sharing the food, Yu Shuangbai and the others also distributed their share to their brothers.
Yu Youyao and the others played a few more rounds.
They were full from eating Zongzi.
Yu Youyao had ordered someone to brew some hawthorn tea early in the morning. Everyone drank the hawthorn tea and chatted. Unknowingly, it was time for lunch.
Yu Youyao instructed the servants to send each dish to the Tranquil Heart Residence, the Huanhuan Courtyard, the Songtao Courtyard, and the Hanlu Courtyard.
Even Concubine He and Concubine Qiu were given a few good dishes.
Concubine He was locked in the courtyard and could not come out.
...
Concubine Qiu had yet to start a family for the Yu Residence, so it was naturally not appropriate for her to come out on such an occasion.
The banquet was organized by Yu Youyao alone. There was calamus wine on the table. There were nine dishes and a soup. Not only did it look, smell, and taste good, but it also took into account everyone’s taste.
Whether the banquet was held well reflected a person’s etiquette for treating guests. It also showed a household manager’s ability.
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