Feng Shuo thought she was referring to his drinking habits, feeling that this little cook was typically capable and straightforward but very timid when it came to matters of the heart, which made her quite adorable.

He smiled and said, “I’m not that unreasonable a person; why would I blame you?”

She didn’t like him drinking outside, so he simply wouldn’t drink anymore.

Jiang Yanyi was confused.

Was the general today so understanding?

This attitude didn’t seem like it was directed at someone who had deceived him for so long and forged household registration documents.

Although he didn’t get along with the emperor, her nominal half-brother was still the emperor’s favorite concubine, and her father, a fool with a water-logged brain, had recently gained favor with the emperor again.

From his perspective, she looked like someone placed there by the emperor to act as a tragic spy…

She had been hiding her identity all along, partly out of fear that the emperor’s people would discover her and attempt to kill her again.

Secondly, she was afraid that this general would not believe her at all. After all, people in their positions usually had more tricks up their sleeves than others; they would rather wrongly kill a thousand than let one go free.

Feng Shuo was unaware that Jiang Yanyi’s mind was becoming muddled.

He had felt depressed earlier and hadn’t noticed he was hungry, but now feeling happy, he realized his stomach was empty and asked, “Is there anything to fill my stomach?”

Jiang Yanyi temporarily cleared her muddled thoughts. “Yes, I’ll get it for you right away.”

Returning to the kitchen, she recalled that she had simmered a pig’s trotter an hour ago.

At this point, she could poke it with chopsticks, and it would easily pierce through the pigskin.

The meat separated effortlessly from the bones.

She had deep-fried the pig’s trotters before stewing them in soy sauce for an hour, giving the skin a bright red color.

She had used the back legs, which, while having less lean meat than the front legs, were better suited for long cooking times and resulted in a firmer texture.

Jiang Yanyi found the large bowl she had used to serve Feng Shuo’s rice last time, filled it with half a bowl of rice, topped it with half of the pig’s trotter meat, and spooned a few ladles of the braising sauce over the rice before bringing it out to Feng Shuo.

Feng Shuo had initially planned to have a casual meal, but seeing the bowl of rice topped with pig’s trotter meat and smelling the rich aroma of meat made his fingers twitch with anticipation.

The pig trotter meat was tender and soft, rich but not greasy, with the gelatinous meat next to the bone being delicate, and the tendons being soft and bouncy, providing a rich variety of textures.

He took a bite of the rice, which was soaked in the sauce, and it was imbued with a deeper meat flavor.

After finishing the bowl, he felt a bit unsatisfied, but recalling how he had almost eaten all the rice from the pot last time, leaving her with insufficient food, he didn’t bring up wanting more this time.

After setting down the bowl and just as he reached into his sleeve pocket, Jiang Yanyi thought he was going for money and hurriedly said, “General, you’ve been kind to me; I cannot accept your payment for the meal!”

Feng Shuo disliked her timid and reserved demeanor around him.

His sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly as he said, “There’s no need to be so formal with me.”

With such a timid nature, what would happen if she encountered his mother in a rage?

He had intended to take out some silver notes, wanting to help this little cook live a bit better.

However, he realized he had rushed out without bringing much money, so he thought that giving her a small amount of silver was insincere and made it seem like he didn’t care.

He decided he would buy her a gift at the market later!

Thinking about gifts made Feng Shuo restless. “I’ll go out for a bit and bring you something later.”

As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something important.

He turned around, looking at Jiang Yanyi with a serious expression and said, “I will help you find your fiancé, Chen Ergou. Once we find him, we’ll break off the engagement.”

Jiang Yanyi: ???

Chen Ergou?

So he hadn’t realized her true identity at all?

Then what had he been saying earlier?

What did breaking off the engagement even mean?

She was bewildered. “What’s wrong with Ergou?”

Could it be that Feng Shuo had found out about a person named Chen Ergou who might have been someone she fabricated as a fiancé?

Had he discovered that this person was already married with children and was expressing sympathy for her?

Seeing her confused expression, Feng Shuo’s face darkened.

Afraid of scaring her, he softened his furrowed brows and said, “Since you think I’m great, don’t think about others anymore.”

Pausing, he added, “I will take care of these trivial matters for you.”

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Jiang Yanyi watched his retreating figure in a daze.

Wait… why was the situation becoming increasingly strange?

Jiang Yanyi carefully recalled the conversation between them just now and suddenly felt a wave of panic as her eyes widened.

This… this was the so-called best way to get over a breakup—by quickly entering the next relationship?

Jiang Yanyi was now a bit flustered.

What if that little couple had only quarreled?

Feng Shuo might turn to her just to vent his frustration about the girl he liked.

The girl he liked must be an exceptional young lady from a prominent family, right?

She feared she might be seen as the kind of malicious supporting character who takes advantage of the situation.

If he held a grudge against her, she would definitely be in trouble!

In an instant, Jiang Yanyi felt overwhelmed.

She thought it necessary to explain her situation to Feng Shuo, or else she wouldn’t have time to flee with her house in tow.

Jiang Yanyi walked to the shop entrance and looked out, only to find that Feng Shuo’s figure had already vanished from the long street.

Remembering his words that he would return soon, she decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

She tidied up the bowls and chopsticks before heading to the backyard to continue processing her batch of garlic.

She had peeled two layers off the purple garlic, soaking it in clean water for nearly a day, which had reduced the spiciness quite a bit.

She fished out the garlic and laid it on a winnowing basket to dry.

Soon, she would pack it into jars with salt water.

After three days of pickling, the garlic would mostly lose its spiciness.

Then she would need to repack it into jars with sugar.

To make the sweet garlic tasty, this last step of sugar preparation was crucial.

The traditional method was to use brown sugar, but Jiang Yanyi thought the color of sweet garlic made with brown sugar was too dark and didn’t look as good as that made with white sugar.

She had bought a lot of dried osmanthus flowers earlier and was thinking of adding some during the pickling process so that the sweet garlic would have a faint osmanthus fragrance.

While Jiang Yanyi was busy in the courtyard, someone outside the shop shouted, “Is the shopkeeper in? The porcelain bowls and dishes you ordered from the kiln have arrived!”

Jiang Yanyi quickly called out to the okra, who was chopping firewood nearby: “Let’s go pick up the bowls!”

For a hot pot restaurant to stand out, flavor was certainly a priority, but creating a set of unique tableware that couldn’t be bought on the market would also impress the customers.

It was always good to pay attention to the details.

People who were knowledgeable would recognize that the food at her place was genuinely delicious, while those who weren’t would think that the establishment had a unique charm.

Jiang Yanyi led Qui Kui out of the backyard, with the shop just ahead.

Outside the shop, a bull cart was parked, and a man in his sixties was preparing to unload the porcelain bowls and plates from the cart.

Another person got down from the cart, wearing a sky-blue long coat, handsome and exuding a scholarly air.

It was none other than Lu Linyuan.

He rolled up his long sleeves a bit, revealing arms that, although appearing slender, were not weak as he helped the old man.

He said gently, “Let me help you with some of these, sir.”

The old man quickly replied, “Young master, I’m already so grateful for your ride. How can I trouble you further?”

Lu Linyuan smiled humbly: “It’s no trouble at all; it was on my way to bring you here.”

As he spoke, he had already picked up a stack of small pear-shaped bowls made by the kiln.

They weren’t particularly exquisite, but they had a unique shape.

He praised, “The craftsman at your kiln has great skill.”

The old man noticed that although Lu Linyuan was also dressed like a scholar, he didn’t seem arrogant or disdainful when speaking with commoners, which made him feel a bit warmer towards him.

He smiled and said, “The molds weren’t made by the kiln’s craftsmen; they were made by the shopkeeper here.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Linyuan became even more curious about the shopkeeper and, as they walked up the three stone steps at the entrance, they coincidentally met Jiang Yanyi and Qui Kui coming out from the courtyard.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi, Lu Linyuan’s brow instinctively furrowed.

However, the old man had already enthusiastically greeted Jiang Yanyi: “Shopkeeper Jiang, I’ve brought you the items you ordered. Take a look.”

Shopkeeper Jiang?

So these porcelain bowls and dishes were ordered by her?

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Linyuan’s eyes as he scrutinized the shop.

The store was very clean, with tables and chairs neatly arranged.

The decor wasn’t particularly elegant, but it had a sense of cultured charm.

Jiang Yanyi was taken aback when she saw Lu Linyuan, vividly recalling their last unpleasant conversation.

But as the old man mentioned the bowls and plates, she pulled her attention back, pretending not to see Lu Linyuan.

She joined the old man in checking the porcelain items, finding that nothing was damaged or missing, and she settled the payment.

“Thank you for coming all this way to deliver these to me,” Jiang Yanyi poured a cup of tea for the old man.

On the day she entertained Feng Shuo, she hadn’t even offered a cup of tea.

Afterward, Jiang Yanyi bought a variety of floral teas.

They weren’t expensive, but they looked pretty once brewed and tasted acceptable, making them perfect for serving to customers as complimentary tea in her shop.

The old man accepted the tea with gratitude, saying, “That kiln is quite remote; I waited for a long time and didn’t see a single bull or mule cart pass by. Luckily, this young master was kind enough to give me a ride; otherwise, who knows when I would have delivered them to you.”

Now Jiang Yanyi understood why Lu Linyuan was here.

She politely thanked him, afraid he would misunderstand again, and had Qui Kui pour the tea instead.

Watching her act so carefully, as if she feared being entangled with him, added complexity to Lu Linyuan’s emotions, which had finally settled over the past few days.

He couldn’t remember what the Jiang Yanyi from his past life had been like, but just thinking of her brought back the habitual disgust he felt.

However, at that moment, he found that the person before him had no resemblance whatsoever to the one he usually loathed.

He held the cup of tea in his hand but did not drink.

From their conversation, Lu Linyuan gleaned that she intended to open a shop here.

He wondered what fortune Jiang Yanyi had encountered in this life, allowing her, a former pampered young lady who had never touched a drop of rain, to open a restaurant in this remote place.

But what did any of this have to do with him?

As he was leaving, Lu Lingyuan made a slight bow to Jiang Yanyi at the steps outside the shop. “Lu wishes the shop great success.”

She had already put the past behind her, so why should she cling to old grievances?

However, when she heard the words “thank you” spoken with such grace, a moment of inexplicable sadness welled up in his heart.

A gentle breeze brushed across his cheek, as if the girl who had liked him for over a decade had vanished with that single “thank you.”

---

When Feng Shuo returned with a cart full of carefully selected gifts, he happened to see Lu Lingyuan bowing to Jiang Yanyi’s shop, and she returned the gesture.

It seemed that the two had some disagreements in the military camp, so how had they suddenly reconciled?

He had been preoccupied with trivial matters lately and hadn’t had time to investigate their relationship.

However, from a distance, they appeared to be quite a match, and for some reason, he felt an inexplicable discomfort at the sight, making his expression darken.

“Whoa—” The cart stopped in front of Jiang Yanyi’s shop, and Feng Shuo stepped down with his long legs.

“Your Highness!” Upon seeing Feng Shuo, Lu Lingyuan felt his earlier melancholy dissipate, replaced with joy and admiration for this virtuous man.

This was what a hero should look like!

Feng Shuo gave a cold nod in greeting. “Why are you here, nephew?”

Lu Lingyuan quickly replied, “I encountered an old man on the road who was trying to send some porcelain but couldn’t find a bullock cart, so I offered him a ride.”

In the bustling capital, one wouldn’t see bullock carts, but outside the city, horses had been conscripted into the military, so the common folk had to rely on bullock carts or mule carts for transport.

Only the wealthy had horse-drawn carriages.

Feng Shuo glanced at the old man delivering the porcelain.

The old man was intimidated by his imposing presence and dared not say a word.

After Lu Lingyuan finished speaking, the old man merely nodded in agreement.

Upon learning that Lu Lingyuan’s presence here was coincidental, Feng Shuo’s expression improved slightly.

He casually asked, “It seems you are somewhat acquainted with this shopkeeper?”

Lu Lingyuan didn’t want the man he respected to know that he had deceived him, so he quickly denied it. “Not at all. I only learned from this old man that the female shopkeeper was opening a store here, so I offered my congratulations.”

Hearing this explanation, Feng Shuo felt completely at ease.

Although his face remained stern, it somehow seemed a bit more amiable.

Noticing that there were several stacks of books and some miscellaneous items in Lu Lingyuan’s bullock cart, he casually asked, “Have you found a place to stay?”

Lu Lingyuan had been demoted to the western state, from a clerical position, handling documents, with a rank of the ninth grade, which was a naked humiliation for someone from a prominent family.

However, he showed no signs of resentment.

At his age, being so open-minded and uncomplaining made Feng Shuo think this young man was quite promising.

Since their parting at the military camp, Lu Lingyuan hadn’t received any summons from Feng Shuo.

He had been a bit anxious, but now that Feng Shuo took the initiative to ask about his residence, he felt a surge of excitement and quickly answered, “It’s at Shipan Alley behind the Protectorate Office.”

It wouldn’t take more than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick to travel from Shipan Alley to the little cook’s shop.

Although Lu Lingyuan repeatedly denied knowing the little cook, Feng Shuo trusted his instincts more.

He didn’t show any signs of this and simply said, “The road from Shipan Alley to the yamen is a bit far. I remember there are some vacant residences near the auspicious building, so nephew should go there with my token to settle in.”

“Is it appropriate to trouble Your Highness over such trivial matters?” Lu Lingyuan had already experienced the cold shoulder from the officials at the local government office in his past life, where they looked down on someone from the capital.

He had expected to be treated similarly this time, so he didn’t feel the same resentment as before.

However, Feng Shuo’s response was beyond his expectations.

Lu Lingyuan wanted to say more, but Feng Shuo had already tossed a token over. “Go, don’t refuse any longer.”

Lu Lingyuan felt a surge of admiration; truly, this was the wise man he admired.

Even before he became one of his subordinates, Feng Shuo was already concerned about his living arrangements.