Roll the red beans, steam the glutinous rice.
Meng Yao was making white jade red bean rolls.
They looked great, were simple, and weren't too much trouble to make.
When Zhao Dajiang entered the kitchen, Meng Yao was already slicing them.
"You're just in time. Take a portion to Xiu'er, and have some yourself," Meng Yao said.
Zhao Dajiang never asked why; as long as it was his mother's request, he just did it.
Meng Yao cut the rest, then took them to Zhao Xiaoshu's room.
Zhao Xiaohua had a look of utter despair.
Even Zhao Xiaoshu rarely showed any expression on his face—helplessness.
"How's the studying going?" Meng Yao asked with a smile.
Though she didn't need to ask to know the answer.
"Mom, I couldn't teach her," Zhao Xiaoshu said a bit embarrassed.
"Learning isn't something that happens overnight, it takes time and goes step by step," Meng Yao said.
It was just the beginning; they couldn't crush the little girl's confidence. Otherwise, if she developed a rebellious mindset, it would be even harder.
"Mom, am I very stupid?" Zhao Xiaohua sniffed, feeling a bit wronged. She had tried very hard, but somehow, she just couldn't recite as fluently as Xiaoshu.
She stammered, and kept forgetting.
"Who said you're stupid? Intelligence isn't measured by just one standard. Someone who can study well might not be good at other things. Can you call them stupid? Obviously not, because they can study! Similarly, you can't determine someone is stupid just because they don't study well. Like Xiaohua, you're not good at—" Meng Yao suddenly got stuck.
From her original memory, she couldn't recall what Zhao Xiaohua was good at.
Sewing seemed tiring to her, so despite the original person's talent in needlework, Zhao Xiaohua, as her only daughter, didn't inherit her expertise.
All Meng Yao could think of was scenes of Zhao Xiaohua eating.
Under Zhao Xiaohua's expectant gaze, Meng Yao blurted out, "You're good at eating."
Zhao Xiaohua's lips pouted, and tears started rolling down.
"Mom, you're making fun of me," Zhao Xiaohua said, feeling particularly wronged.
She was already feeling bad, and instead of comforting her, her mom used her flaw against her.
"No, no, I didn't mean to make fun of you," Meng Yao quickly soothed her, "Being able to eat well is also a skill."
Zhao Xiaohua looked at Meng Yao angrily, wondering what kind of skill that was.
She wanted to hear how her mom would justify this nonsensical talk.
"Being able to taste the deliciousness in food is a great skill. I remember once when I took you to eat wontons, I found them delicious, but you said something was missing. The shopkeeper wasn't happy and questioned you, and you told him what was lacking. Later when we went back, the shop's business was booming, and the owner even offered us several bowls of wontons." Meng Yao quickly explained.
In the original memories, this was something that truly happened.
It's just that the original person didn't pay much attention, while Zhao Xiaohua was just immersed in the joy of eating several free bowls of wontons.
Reflecting now, wasn't Zhao Xiaohua amazing?
In modern terms, this makes her quite the connoisseur.
"What's the big deal about this!"
What Meng Yao said didn't comfort Zhao Xiaohua at all, no matter how Meng Yao explained it, Zhao Xiaohua firmly believed this didn't count as being smart.
"How about we have some snacks first, and then continue our discussion?" Meng Yao could only try to shift Zhao Xiaohua's attention.
Food seemed to hold magical powers at any time, attracting Zhao Xiaohua's attention with the red bean white jade rolls.
Meng Yao placed a small plate in front of Zhao Xiaoshu and another in front of Zhao Xiaohua.
"Delicious," Zhao Xiaoshu said, looking satisfied.
He had never tasted anything like it before, soft, glutinous, fragrant, and sweet.
"They are quite good, but Mom, if you add a little less sugar, they'll be even better. Right now, the fragrance of glutinous rice and red beans is overshadowed by the sugar," Zhao Xiaohua casually commented.
Meng Yao thought children preferred sweeter foods, so she intentionally added a bit more sugar.
But could she actually taste that?
That's impressive!
"Xiaohua, you're amazing! My hand shook when I was adding the sugar, and I accidentally added too much. You could tell that," Meng Yao sincerely praised.
Zhao Xiaoshu agreed, genuinely praising Xiaohua. He had overheard customers in the carpenter's shop talking about people who specialize in tasting dishes at restaurants.
Meng Yao was shocked that people in ancient times were this fashionable.
Seizing the moment, Meng Yao told the two little ones about talents, breaking it down, helping Zhao Xiaohua finally believe that different smarts manifest in different areas.
Zhao Xiaoshu was smart; he was quick-witted and handy.
After all, he wasn't daunted by scholarly work, and carpentry skills came naturally to him.
"If you can't learn it in one day, then take two. Read more, and you'll get it eventually," Meng Yao encouraged Zhao Xiaohua.
So, Zhao Xiaohua pulled Meng Yao to look at blueprints of bone structures.
And then Meng Yao discovered that some people's intelligence was quite peculiar. She might not be able to memorize the Three Character Classic, but when it came to joint positions and acupoints, she could remember them after being told just once.
Zhao Xiaohua was delighted, "Mom, does that mean I don't have to study the Three Character Classic anymore?"
"It's always good to learn more, no harm in that," Meng Yao said, "But don't put too much pressure on yourself."
With no pressure on her shoulders, Zhao Xiaohua happily agreed, "I'll listen to Mom."
During her break, Meng Yao drew a sketch of human acupoint distribution and an organ distribution map.
Compared to the skull structure, Zhao Xiaohua received these two quite calmly.
Once again, Meng Yao realized that indeed, everyone had different talents. For example, Zhao Xiaohua was a true gourmet and at the same time, a promising student of medicine.
Moreover, Zhao Xiaoshu was even more remarkable.
His learning ability was strong. Though he wasn't as good in medicine as Zhao Xiaohua, he was far above the average person.
Especially when Meng Yao spoke about which organs if seriously injured could be fatal, and what would happen when particular acupoints were struck hard, he remembered quickly and could extrapolate to ask questions.
However, his questions left Meng Yao in a bit of a predicament.
In summary, he seemed keen on applying this knowledge to finding ways to kill.
In his past life, Zhao Xiaoshu was ruthless and merciless.
In this life, though Meng Yao had temporarily changed his fate, a person's inherent traits are not easily altered.
Zhao Xiaoshu just had an innocent-looking face.
If provoked...
Meng Yao hoped her journey in raising him would be smooth and without complications.
"Mom, my dad really was amazing!"
At the end, Zhao Xiaohua looked both hopeful and admiring, "If only my dad were still here."
Indeed, everything Meng Yao knew now was taught by Zhao Ting.
In the past, she was heartbroken and unwilling to show it. Now, she had come to terms with it, and she had to raise the children well to do Zhao Ting justice.
Meng Yao: Actually, she didn't really care about doing right by Zhao Ting; after all, he was the original person's husband, not hers.