Gu Yanxi had prepared twenty catties of potatoes and eight catties of cold noodles today, which made her start later than usual.
As soon as she rented her stall, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of students.
Most of the students were returning customers from yesterday, while some had come after hearing about her reputation.
“Boss, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for so long!”
“Boss Gu, I’ll have one order of Liangmian and two orders of Tieban Tudou.”
“I want five orders of Liangmian and two orders of Tieban Tudou!”
“Give me ten orders…”
Even while Gu Yanxi was still preparing the ingredients, customers were already placing orders.
Seeing that business was even more booming than yesterday, Gu Yu rolled up his sleeves, full of energy.
“Everyone, please queue up here for orders. Let’s take turns, no pushing!”
The small stall was bustling with activity.
Meanwhile.
An ordinary carriage slowly emerged from the palace, accompanied only by one chief eunuch, with countless hidden guards stationed in the shadows.
As the carriage reached the back gate of Yunchang Academy.
Huangfu Heng suddenly caught a whiff of an intense aroma.
He couldn’t quite identify what it was, but he was certain it was food!
“Stop the carriage.”
Upon hearing the movement inside, Yuansheng quickly ordered the carriage to halt.
He respectfully said, “Your Majesty, we have just arrived at Yunchang Academy. We still need to cross this street to reach the Grand Tutor’s residence.”
Huangfu Heng lifted the carriage curtain and saw from a distance that the alley was filled with stalls.
Most stalls had no customers, but one stall had a long queue in front—it must be that one.
“Xiao Shengzi, go see what they’re selling and buy a portion.”
“Your Majesty, your dragon body is precious. The food from these street stalls might not be…”
“Just go!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the stall.
Gu Yanxi was busy mixing cold noodles and frying potatoes.
Just then, a voice spoke up, “Boss, what are you selling here?”
Without looking up, Gu Yanxi replied, “Tieban Tudou and Liangmian.”
“One of each.” Yuansheng generously placed twenty coins.
“Please queue at the back.”
Suppressing his anger, Yuansheng said, “Do you… know who I am?”
As the emperor’s favorite, he was usually the one others rushed to flatter. This was the first time someone had made things difficult for him, and it was a young girl at that!
Only then did Gu Yanxi look up and notice the man had no beard, immediately guessing his identity.
No wonder his voice didn’t sound like a normal man’s.
However…
“Regardless of your status, please queue at the back.”
In front of so many students, Yuansheng couldn’t say much and obediently went to the back of the queue.
Secretly thinking to himself, he would see what skills this girl had. If the food didn’t meet the emperor’s standards, he would make sure she regretted it!
Fifteen minutes later.
The food finally reached Huangfu Heng’s hands.
One portion was hot, the other cool.
Both portions were tightly wrapped in lotus leaves.
They looked plain and unremarkable, with nothing particularly novel about them.
Huangfu Heng felt somewhat disappointed.
But in an instant, a unique aroma spread.
It was exactly the same scent he had smelled earlier!
Curious, he first unwrapped the cooler portion.
As the lotus leaf opened, the aroma instantly filled the entire carriage.
Fragrant, spicy, and fresh, with a hint of sourness and sweetness.
It turned out to be noodles!
He had eaten countless types of noodles in the palace, but he had never seen anything like this.
The noodles had no soup, topped with a few peanuts and chopped scallions, mixed with shredded carrots and cucumbers.
It looked like an ordinary portion of noodles, yet it emitted an irresistible aroma.
He couldn’t wait to take a bite.
The noodles were delightfully chewy and smooth, slipping into his mouth with just a gentle slurp. First came a slight coolness, followed by the rich flavors of various seasonings—salt, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, chili oil—though he couldn’t identify the rest.
All the seasonings blended together seamlessly, far from dry, and tasted even better than what the imperial chefs could make!
With the second bite, he encountered shredded carrots and cucumbers, their crisp sweetness spreading across his tongue and stimulating his taste buds, making it impossible to stop eating.
After finishing one portion of noodles, he was already looking forward to the other dish.
Unwrapping the lotus leaf packaging, the food inside revealed itself—it was actually potatoes!
This aroma… was truly overpowering!
Fragrant, even more so than the noodles!
He picked up his chopsticks to grab some, but Yuansheng quickly handed him a bamboo skewer. “Your Majesty, this Tieban Tudou is best enjoyed skewered with a bamboo stick.”
Seeing the Emperor finish a portion of Liangmian in just a few bites and still have an appetite for the potatoes, Yuansheng felt relieved.
Since summer began, the Emperor had been eating less, but now his appetite was back to normal.
He had to admit, that young girl truly had remarkable skills!
He decided to forgive her for earlier rudeness!
Huangfu Heng skewered two pieces of potato and put them in his mouth.
With a gentle bite, the aromas of oil-seared fragrance, onion, and sesame instantly intertwined on his palate. The potatoes had a thin, golden-brown crust on the outside, while the inside was crisp yet tender—perfectly cooked.
The accompanying vegetables absorbed the flavors of the potatoes and various seasonings, offering a unique and delightful taste.
Even though the imperial kitchen carved potatoes into intricate flowers, they couldn’t compare to the flavor of this simple potato dish.
Today’s outing was definitely worth it!
“Your Majesty, shall we proceed to Su Taifu’s residence?”
Yuansheng was overjoyed to see the Emperor finish both dishes.
While cleaning up, he inquired about the next part of their itinerary.
Huangfu Heng wiped his mouth with a yellow silk handkerchief embroidered with dragon patterns and waved his hand. “There are still two piles of memorials to review. We return to the palace.”
“Xiao Shengzi, these potatoes and noodles have pleased me greatly. Reward her!”
Gu Yanxi held a ten-tael silver ingot, turning it over and examining it, unable to process what had happened for quite some time.
She had never seen such a large piece of silver before!
After studying it for a moment, she finally turned her attention to the person in front of her.
“You’ve already paid.”
As she spoke,
Gu Yanxi handed the silver ingot back to him.
Yuansheng hadn’t expected her to be so straightforward, and his admiration for her grew.
Pushing the ingot back toward her, he said, “Miss, your Tieban Tudou and Liangmian are exceptional. They’ve cured my master’s loss of appetite. This is his reward for you. Please keep it.”
Noticing the steaming Tieban Tudou in the pan, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
No wonder the Emperor loved it—even he was getting cravings just by looking at it.
Gu Yanxi didn’t refuse further. She immediately packed several portions of Tieban Tudou and Liangmian and handed them to him. “In that case, thank you, sir. Please take these extra portions to enjoy.”
Impressed by the young girl’s thoughtfulness, Yuansheng happily accepted the food and praised, “You have remarkable skills, miss. Your business will surely thrive.”
With that, Yuansheng left.
At 9:30 in the morning,
Gu Yanxi was preparing to close her stall.
An elderly figure hurriedly approached her.
“Little girl, pack five portions of Tieban Tudou and five portions of Liangmian for me.”
“Grandpa Su, you’re late today. I only have three portions of Tieban Tudou left.”
“I’ll take them all.” Old Su waved his hand grandly.
As he spoke, he kept looking around restlessly, appearing unable to sit still.
Seeing him like this, Gu Yanxi asked, “Grandpa Su, are you looking for someone?”