When Liu Shi encountered Jiang Yanyi, she knew her current situation was awkward and didn’t speak to Jiang Yan Yi.

Jiang Yanyi pretended not to see her.

Just as she was about to leave after making the medicine, Liu Shi suddenly spoke up, “I really did hear a man’s voice in your room that day.”

Jiang Yan Yi looked at her drab appearance and didn’t deny it. “What does Aunt want to say?”

Liu Shi said excitedly, “Since you’re with that commoner, could you please not compete with Shubao for a man?”

Jiang Yanyi was baffled. “What?”

Liu Shi angrily said, “Don’t pretend! That day, General Chi came to the residence and gave you something. Although I don’t know when you two got acquainted, you can’t have your cake and eat it too! Give General Chi to Shubao!”

Jiang Yanyi fell silent; she finally understood why Liu Shi had acted strangely that day.

However, Chi Qing and Chu Shubao had no connection whatsoever, so why did Liu Shi make it seem like they had something going on?

She twitched her lips and said, “Rest assured, I have no interest in General Chi.”

Liu Shi didn’t believe her and angrily retorted, “General Chi is handsome and talented! I don’t believe you would cling to a commoner! You think that commoner is the King of Liaonan? You’d better swear an oath that you will never set your sights on General Chi in this lifetime!”

Jiang Yanyi found it quite absurd; Liu Shi’s audacity was truly nauseating.

She glanced at Liu Shi and said, “I won’t make such an oath, but I’ll offer a piece of advice: If you really care for your daughter, you should keep your distance from her in the future and not ruin her. You are right about one thing: the person I like is indeed the Prince of Liaonan.”

With that, she picked up the medicine and left.

Liu Shi spat, watching her retreating figure. “What use is your liking?”

---

The next day, when it was time to pick up Jiang Yangui from the residence, the carriage Jiang Yanyi had arranged did not arrive, but instead, a carriage from the Feng family came.

The wheels of the carriage were made of iron, twice the size of ordinary wheels.

The carriage was spacious, made of yellow pear wood, and the three horses pulling it were robust and healthy, their coats shiny.

The driver was articulate, and in a few sentences explained the reason for coming: “Miss Jiang lives next door to the royal residence. The prince and the empress dowager enjoy the food from Miss Jiang’s shop, and the two families are on good terms. Since Miss Jiang needed a carriage, the prince kindly sent one over.”

Jiang Yanyi was taken aback.

How did Feng Shuo know she was picking up Jiang Yangui today?

She glanced at the expressions of the Chu family members and felt a chill run down her spine.

Remembering that Feng Shuo had said that Chu Changping already knew about her situation, she dared not look at him and forced a smile at the driver. “Thank you for your trouble.”

The entire Chu family was gathered at the gate to send them off.

The Chu family men had already sensed something was amiss at the banquet due to Feng Shuo’s attitude.

Now that a carriage from the Feng family had come to pick someone up, their suspicions became clearer.

Liu Shi stood at the gate, her expression like she had seen a ghost.

The driver’s words sounded grand, but which wealthy family would voluntarily lend out a carriage, especially such a fine one?

Liu Shi suddenly realized that what Jiang Yanyi said in the kitchen yesterday was true.

If Jiang Yanyi truly had a relationship with the Princr of Liaonan, once she entered the royal residence, how would her family have a good outcome?

Liu Shi’s heart sank; if she hadn’t been leaning against the wall, she might have fallen over.

Jiang Yangui had now entered the Chu family’s family tree, taking on the Chu surname.

When Chu Changping personally carried him out and placed him into the luxurious, comfortable carriage, he said with a hint of meaning, “Yangui, take good care of your sister when you’re outside.”

After all he had been through, Jiang Yan Gui was already perceptive and nodded.

Chu Changping turned to the guard, Chu Zhong, who was tasked with looking after Jiang Yan Gui. “If anything happens over there, inform me at the first opportunity.”

“Understood,” Chu Zhong cupped his fist in salute.

Old Madam Chu had lived for more than half a lifetime and had seen through many things.

At the steps, she held Jiang Yanyi’s hand and said, “Yi girl, if anything happens, you can come back here anytime.”

Jiang Yanyi nodded vigorously. “Of course, I’ll come to see you often. The street where the Duhu Mansion is located isn’t far from here. If you want to eat something, just send someone to the shop, and I’ll make sure to deliver it myself.”

Old Madam Chu patted her hand. “My Yi girl is skilled. The soups and pastries you’ve made during these days, I love them dearly. Nothing sold outside compares to what you make. You can be a shopkeeper; my Yi girl is very promising.”

While everyone believed women should stay in the inner chambers, raising children and managing the household, Old Madam Chu’s words touched Jiang Yan Yi’s heart.

As the carriage drove away from the Chu family, Jiang Yan Yi leaned out the window and waved goodbye to Old Madam Chu.

Early in the morning, the snow on the street hadn’t been cleared yet, and the carriage left deep wheel tracks behind.

The sun rose in the east, casting golden light over the uneven roofs, bringing a different kind of warmth.

As the carriage passed by the steamed bun shop, Jiang Yan Yi bought several steaming hot meat buns and gave two to the driver and two to Chu Zhong, keeping one for herself and one for Jiang Yan Gui.

The buns looked plump and attractive in the steamer, but when Jiang Yan Yi picked one up to eat, she began to pick out flaws: the skin was too thick, the dough hadn’t rested properly, the filling was too greasy, and the flavor was poorly balanced.

Jiang Yanyi had recently become a bit spoiled by her own cooking; she could only take two bites before losing her appetite.

Seeing that Chu Yanguo had only managed to eat half of his portion, she said, “When we get to the shop, I’ll have my sister steam a small basket of dumplings for you.”

After leaving the Chu family, Chu Yanguo seemed to feel much lighter in spirit.

A smile curved at the corners of his mouth, revealing two small dimples. “Sure.”

---

Everything at the shop was just as it had been before.

When their carriage arrived, Qiu Kui had already opened the shop doors.

During Jiang Yanyi’s absence, Qiu Kui had been scared alone, so she had asked Aunt Guo to stay with her.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi back, Qiu Kui was overjoyed, bustling about to offer tea and water.

Chu Zhong took Chu Yanguo to the room that had been prepared for him since early that morning.

Though the room was not large and furnished with nothing particularly valuable, it had a charcoal brazier that made it warm and cozy right upon entering.

The blankets and bedding on the bed were all goose down, very warm.

On the nearby desk, there were plenty of writing supplies, and on the bedside cabinet, some books were placed to help him pass the time.

Every corner had been thoughtfully arranged.

Chu Yanguo felt that all the gloom from his time at the Chu family had vanished, and he, like a decayed piece of wood, suddenly felt revitalized.

Jiang Yanyi brought a plate of snacks into the room. “The place is a bit small. You can stay here for now, and when I find a new place, we can move.”

Chu Yanguo shook his head. “Sister, this place is great. I like it here. If Mother were still around, living simply as a family wouldn’t be a bad thing…”

Mentioning Madam Jiang brought a hint of sadness to his eyes.

Jiang Yanyi set the plate of pastries on the low table beside his bed. “Don’t think about those things. Mother would also want us to be happy. Here are some pastries; eat a little to fill your stomach. I’m making congee in the kitchen. We’ll have dumplings with it later.”

As Jiang Yanyi turned to leave, she nearly tripped.

Looking down, she saw the chubby orange cat she hadn’t seen in a while.

It had grown even plumper since she left and was rubbing against her leg, being adorable.

“It’s Zibao! How did you get so much fatter than your siblings?” Jiang Yanyi petted the fat cat, which purred contentedly.

The little cats were all round, but perhaps due to the ‘Big Orange Law’, this particular chubby orange cat was the plumpest, resembling a fluffy ball.

After Jiang Yanyi left the room, Zibao didn’t follow but instead stared at Chu Yanguo with big eyes.

They exchanged glances for a while.

Chu Yanguo thought for a moment, then looked at the pastries on the low table.

This was almond pastry, golden and flaky on the outside, covered with thin slices of almond.

The mixed aroma of nuts and wheat, with a hint of cream, was delightful.

He picked up a piece, broke it into crumbs, and placed them on the ground.

Zibao sniffed it, opened its mouth, and ate the small piece, then looked up at Chu Yanguo with round eyes, meowing sweetly.

A smile tugged at the corners of Chu Yanguo’s mouth—this was a genuine smile. He continued to break the snacks into pieces and feed Zibao.

---

Jiang Yanyi was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

The congee was simmering in a clay pot, and she found a clean wooden basin to knead the dough.

A skilled dough maker emphasized the “Three Lights”: the dough should be smooth, the basin clean, and hands free of dough.

Her kneading skills were certainly top-notch.

After the dough was well-kneaded, she covered it with a clean damp cloth to rest while she prepared fresh pork for the filling.

The pork was just bought from the butcher and couldn’t be fresher.

Jiang Yanyi cut a small piece, cleaned it, and marinated it with ginger and cooking wine.

This piece of pork was intended for the preserved egg and lean pork congee she was making.

During her time in the military, Jiang Yanyi had seen Captain Zhao struggling with how to handle duck eggs due to a lack of salt and had thought that this era didn’t have preserved eggs.

It wasn’t until she arrived in Xizhou City to open her shop that she discovered preserved eggs were indeed available in the markets.

In ancient times, making preserved eggs was a family craft that outsiders couldn’t easily learn.

After washing the remaining pork, she chopped it for the filling.

To balance the texture, she used pork with eight parts lean and two parts fatty.

After adding various seasonings, she chopped some ginger to eliminate the fishy smell and mixed everything in one direction.

To enhance the flavor, Jiang Yanyi added broth three times while mixing the filling, finally incorporating chopped green onions.

Once the rested dough was rolled into strips and cut into thumb-sized pieces, she used a rolling pin to flatten them into round thin wrappers.

Qiukui was learning nearby, but each time she rolled out a wrapper, it would tear, which discouraged her greatly.

Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, “Skill comes from years of practice. Just take your time.”

She filled the dough wrappers generously, and even though it looked like she wouldn’t be able to close them, her fingers deftly folded the pleats. With a final pinch, all the filling was sealed inside.

The dumplings were plump, their pleats even, with a small indent on top, looking quite charming.

Qiukui watched, afraid to blink.

When she tried to fill her dumplings with the wrappers Jiang Yanyi made, she didn’t dare to add as much filling.

Despite having the same ten fingers, she couldn’t figure out how Jiang Yanyi managed to pleat the dough.

After several failed attempts, she ended up tearing the wrappers and spilling the filling.

Feeling disheartened, Qiu Kui stopped trying, ignoring Jiang Yanyi’s reassurances, and ran to the stove to focus on the fire, which made Jiang Yanyi laugh and cry at the same time.

The dumplings were steaming away, and Jiang Yanyi used a small stove to boil water, washing the marinated lean pork clean and slicing it into thin strips.

After cooking it until it changed color, she removed it, peeled a preserved egg, diced it, and added it to the clay pot with rice congee to cook together.

Once the congee was done, Jiang Yanyi added a bit of sesame oil, as oil maximizes the flavor of the lean pork.

After adding salt and sprinkling some chopped green onions, the aroma was irresistible.

She scooped the congee into a bowl; it was thick, white, and creamy, dotted with pork and preserved egg, making it very appetizing.

The dumplings were steamed for about fifteen minutes before the heat was turned off.

Jiang Yanyi didn’t have a small steamer, so she used a large one.

The staff at her shop didn’t stand on ceremony and directly moved the large steamer outside, placing it on the table.

Each person was given a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee.

They sat around the table, grabbed a dumpling, and put it in their mouths, exhaling hot air while not being able to stop eating.

Due to his mobility issues, Chu Yanguo could only eat in his room.

Jiang Yanyi brought him a bowl of congee and a plate with eight dumplings.

The steamed dumplings had puffed up quite a bit, but the skin was too thin, causing them to slightly collapse as the steam escaped.

Chu Yanguo picked one up with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The dumpling skin was soft, the inside seemed soaked with broth, flavorful and delicious.

The seasoning in the filling was just right; even with the addition of fatty meat, there was no greasy taste because the broth enhanced the flavor.

A bite of congee warmed his entire stomach.

This meal left Chu Yanguo feeling more satisfied than ever.

Yang Xiu and Bing Shao arrived early and joined for breakfast.

Since they had all worked under Chu Changping before, they were quite familiar with each other.

Chu Zhong had a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee in one hand and a dumpling in the other, chatting with the two, “Do you eat this every day at Miss Biao’s place?”

Yang Xiu replied, “On our first day, we had roasted whole lamb, lamb soup pot, and smoked lamb chops.”

Bing Shao added, “Recently, we had spicy crispy pork pot, which was also quite good.”

Chu Zhong suddenly found that the congee and dumplings in his mouth didn’t taste as fragrant.

After a lively breakfast, Aunt Guo and Qiukui eagerly volunteered to help clear the dishes, leaving Jiang Yanyi free to relax. She sat at the counter, keeping an eye on the accounts while petting a cat.

Though it was a pleasant morning, she felt as if she had forgotten something.

---

At this moment, in the next room, while playing chess with himself, Feng Shuo couldn’t help but ask the steward, Fu Xi, “Are you sure you told the carriage driver that I asked him to go pick someone up?”

In the past, she would have been delighted to learn that he was secretly helping her, and she would have come to his door early in the morning.

Fu Xi presented him with a cup of hot tea and said, “The old servant has done as instructed.”

Feng Shuo waved his hand irritably. “Alright, you can leave now.”

Fu Xi understood that he had been waiting for someone all morning and was probably in a bad mood, so he tactfully withdrew.

Feng Shuo tossed the chess pieces back into the box, murmuring in a low voice, “The little ungrateful one.”