Madam Fu naturally had no objections, so she took Fu Mingzhu back first.
After a short while, the servant returned with the incense.
Old Madam Xiao had it lit, sniffed it, and frowned, "Why is the scent so far off?"
Fu Shinian smelled it and found it indeed different.
"Perhaps I should make it again with someone watching?" Fu Shinian suggested, to prevent the marquis' household from thinking she had given them a flawed recipe by intentionally altering the quantities.
"That sounds good." The old madam nodded.
Making incense for Xiao Chengyu naturally couldn't be entrusted to just anyone.
The old madam had her own companion Ying Chun and Xiao Chengyu's Shaoyao take responsibility.
The two of them brought the ingredients from the recipe and learned from Fu Shinian.
Whatever Fu Shinian placed and in whatever quantity, they followed suit.
All in perfect accordance with the recipe.
Yet the final scent was still different from Fu Shinian's.
Shaoyao stood up and said, "Old madam, young lady, making incense requires talent and years of honed craft; our own meager skills are truly far inferior."
Nanny Wang chimed in, "Besides, this is the second young lady's recipe, and we can't just take it outside to find an incense maker."
The old madam sighed and looked at Fu Shinian with earnest eyes, "Could the second young lady come to the marquis's residence often in the future to make incense? We have all the materials here, and you just need to come. In the meantime, you can teach these useless ones here, and once they're learned, they can do it."
"Making incense isn't particularly troublesome, and I often do it at home," Fu Shinian said with difficulty. "But, old madam, as a young lady, frequently visiting the marquis's residence might invite rumors."
An unmarried young lady like Fu Shinian coming to the marquis's residence every day would surely have people whispering behind her back that she was trying to curry favor with the marquis's family.
Possibly even aiming for the Marquis Changping.
"That's simple, I'll tell everyone we're close friends, and I invited you here to the marquis's residence to hang out," Xiao Yingyue said, who also liked Fu Shinian. "Anyway, I'm often quite bored at home, and having you to accompany me would be perfect."
"Indeed." The old madam quickly followed, "And you can bring along this little mischief of mine, at least let her learn some skills a young lady of a noble family should have, and not just climb trees all day."
"If that's the case, then I humbly accept." So long as there were no rumors that could shame the Fu Mansion, Fu Shinian had no objections.
"Right," Fu Shinian took out a packet of seeds, "These are mint seeds, needed for making mint incense balls. The mint that elder sister's uncle brought back from his business trip was indeed good, as verified by a doctor I consulted. I tried using it to make incense balls, and unexpectedly, it worked."
"However, with the Western Regions being so far, fresh mint is hard to preserve, and what they bring back is already dried. So, I asked my uncle to bring back some seeds to try growing at home, and surprisingly, it worked," Fu Shinian said, "Thus, there's no need to buy from elsewhere."
"That's excellent," the old madam said happily, relieved from worrying where to buy mint.
"It's getting late, if the old madam has no other matters, I'll take my leave," Fu Shinian said, rising to her feet.
"No rush, no rush, after keeping you here this long, how can I let you leave on an empty stomach?" The old madam, surprisingly, personally took Fu Shinian's hand, "It's almost mealtime, why not dine here before going back? I'll send someone to notify your residence."
Before Fu Shinian could respond, the old madam had already sent someone to the Fu Mansion.
Fu Shinian had no choice but to stay.
Nanny Wang observed from the side, thinking that if before, the old madam just wanted to wait and see, after hearing what the second young lady said to the old aunt, she had now made up her mind regarding this young lady.
During dinner, the old madam had Xiao Chengyu stay as well.
"It's just the four of us, no one else," said the old madam, so Xiao Chengyu and Fu Shinian felt no need to avoid each other.
After all, having received Fu Shinian's kind gesture, the old madam asked, "I heard your brother is also studying at the academy, preparing for the imperial examinations?"
Xiao Fengxing had studied at the Imperial College, and it was during his time at the college that he met the cross-dressing Lin Qingqing and fell in love with her.
At that time, Xiao Fengxing had already been betrothed to Fu Mingzhu, but he couldn't let go of Lin Qingqing. Hence he devised a sinister plan to ruin the Fu family and the Cheng family.
Thus acquiring the Cheng family's wealth and marrying Lin Qingqing.
However, Fu Changqin, due to his average abilities, couldn't get into the Imperial College.
"Yes," Fu Shinian nodded, naturally unable to dampen her brother's ambitions in front of outsiders.
Though Fu Changqin's level was fairly known in the capital.
The old madam was no exception, so she said, "Mr. Changshan resides at the marquis's residence, and maintains a deep friendship with my lord. If your family is willing, the marquis can speak with Mr. Changshan about having your brother come and study with him."
"Really?" Fu Shinian looked at the old madam in surprise.
Mr. Changshan was a renowned scholar in Great Xi, with many hoping to study under him, often facing rejection.
"I heard Mr. Changshan no longer accepts students," Fu Shinian said nervously, "If he could really study under Mr. Changshan, it would be the best possible outcome. No need to ask my parents; they would definitely be delighted."
The old madam said indifferently, "He's in the residence tending to flowers and birds all day, idle anyway, best to give him something to do."
Xiao Chengyu's chopsticks carrying lotus root paused slightly; fortunately, Mr. Changshan hadn't heard the old madam's assessment of him.
"Since it's agreed, when you go home, have your brother come to study under Mr. Changshan," the old madam said warmly, "When the marquis is home, he can also mentor your brother."
"I have long heard of the marquis's exceptional talents and vast knowledge," Fu Shinian smiled at Xiao Chengyu, "My brother is actually quite smart, but being a bit lively, he finds it difficult to settle down for studies. If the marquis sees him, discipline him as needed, no need to hold back."
Xiao Chengyu: "..."
It sounded as if she were entrusting a child.
"Don't worry, leave it to Chengyu." Unknowingly, the old madam's way of addressing Xiao Chengyu changed when speaking to Fu Shinian.
"Thank you, my lord," Fu Shinian softly expressed her gratitude.
Xiao Chengyu never had a big appetite, so the marquis's residence took special care with meals, making them particularly delicate, even adding medicinal dishes for health.
It had to be said, it tasted better than what the Fu Mansion's cook prepared.
Fu Shinian couldn't resist, eating one bite after another.
Especially the squirrel mandarin fish, done with a perfect balance of sweet and sour.
The thick, tangy sauce poured over the top didn't detract at all from the fish's crispy surface.
There were also lychee shrimp balls, looking exactly like lychees, but biting into them revealed a crispy texture, with the finely chopped shrimp inside maintained its bounce.
Fu Shinian took bites from left and right, her cheeks stuffed full.
Her cheeks bulged, eating with squinted eyes, resembling a satisfied squirrel stuffing its mouth with food.