Nuomi hugged the pastries and hurried down the steps, just about to leave, when she was stopped by a crisp, charming female voice. She turned to look and saw it was the girl selling candied hawthorns!
“Miss, you dropped your sachet.”
Jiang Mo, holding a candied hawthorn in one hand, smiled and opened her palm. A goose-yellow sachet lay quietly in the center of her palm. Nuomi touched the corner of her dress—the sachet was indeed gone.
“Thank you, Miss.” She retrieved the sachet and bowed in gratitude. Jiang Mo bowed in return.
Nuomi secretly stole a glance at the glowing candied hawthorns. She wondered if this was fate.
“This sachet was a gift from my young mistress. You warned me and saved me from losing it; I truly don’t know how to thank you.”
“It was just a small favor, don’t mention it,” Jiang Mo said.
Nuomi grew anxious. “That won’t do. I… I’ll buy two skewers of your candied hawthorns!”
Jiang Mo paused, feeling a strange sensation that this person had been eyeing her treats all along. “Of course.” She pulled two skewers, wrapped them, and said, “Seventy coins for two.”
Nuomi didn’t hesitate and handed over seventy coins immediately. Once she was far enough away, she pulled out one, took a bite, and amidst the bustling market, she heard the sound of the sugar shell shattering.
Her tongue first met the crisp, sweet sugar coating with its faint, caramelized aroma, followed by the pitless, sour-tart hawthorn in the middle, which had a soft, mealy texture. Before the sourness could really kick in, it was masked by the charred sweetness of the sugar. The two flavors gradually intertwined—sour with sweet, crispy with soft! With one bite, her mouth was watering!
Nuomi’s eyes brightened instantly. This is so good. I’ll save the other skewer for my mistress. After finishing one, she wrapped the other carefully and hurried back to Salsin Terrace with the pastries.
Lu Yiyao and her two friends were drinking tea, waiting for the snacks. Seeing Nuomi out of the corner of her eye, she felt a bit annoyed. “Nuomi, why did you only just return? It’s been so long.”
Nuomi bowed. “Please forgive me, Miss. The Furi Building was very crowded; the slave had to wait in line for quite a while.” She placed the pastries on the table for the three ladies to enjoy. As she was about to retreat, Lu Yiyao suddenly spoke up, “Wait, what’s that in your hand?”
Under the gaze of the three noble ladies, Nuomi stammered, “I ran into a peddler selling candied hawthorns on the way and brought one back for you to try, Miss.”
A miscalculation! How could she have forgotten the other two? There was only one skewer—how could the three of them share it?
“Candied hawthorns?” Lu Yiyao asked, puzzled. “Is that a new snack? I’ve never seen it before. Let me see.”
She peeled back the outer layer of kraft paper. A bright, crystal-clear candied hawthorn skewer appeared. The yellowish sugar coating was clean and translucent, reflecting the glass lanterns above; through that layer, every spot on the hawthorn was visible. It looked… very tempting.
Lu Yiyao looked up and met the tiger-like glares of her two friends. “…Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it tastes good. I’ll try it first,” she said calmly. Then, with her slender fingers, she picked up the skewer and bit into the top fruit.
Lu Yiyao chewed twice, and her small face changed slightly. She put the remaining half-skewer back on the kraft paper, looking indifferent. “The taste is just so-so; it can’t compare to the pastries from the Furi Building.” She gestured to her friends, “Quick, come and eat your pastries.”
Ning Ruyan, sitting across from Lu Yiyao, let her gaze slide from the candied hawthorn to the pastries. For some reason, she still felt that the beautiful treat looked more appetizing.
“Since it’s not good, let me have a taste. I’ve never eaten mountain fruit like this before…” She reached out to take the skewer. She had expected a smooth movement, but as soon as her hand landed on the kraft paper, Lu Yiyao swiped her hand down to pin the skewer, her movement swift and surprisingly sharp.
Ning Ruyan: “……?” She slowly looked up and met Lu Yiyao’s eyes.
The room fell into silence. Ning Ruyan sneered, withdrew her hand, stood up, and leisurely smoothed her sleeves. Lu Yiyao rose as well, squinting her eyes and clenching her fists.
Under the nervous gaze of the many maids—they began to play a game of “finger-guessing” (morra)???
“Brothers are good! Three stars shine! Four joys, five leaders, six-six-six…”
The maids: “…” They didn’t know whose mistress was shouting louder.
Qin Jingxian, the most ladylike of them all, sat expressionless, reached out, and took the candied hawthorn. Crunch, crunch. Huh? It was actually pretty good. Let’s eat another one. Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Lu Yiyao, having triumphed over her rivals to win back the skewer, turned her head—and her smile froze.
Ahhh!!! Where did her big skewer of candied hawthorns go??!
Lu Yiyao looked sorrowful. Sob… She had only tasted one!
“Miss.” Nuomi stepped forward hesitantly. “The ones selling them were two girls—one wore a veil and carried a very tall straw pole, which was quite eye-catching. If we look now, we should still be able to catch up.” Whether there were any candied hawthorns left, however, was another matter.
Lu Yiyao’s spirit revived. “Good! Quickly, go buy them! Everyone, go! I want two more! No, three!”
Ning Ruyan, once again the composed beauty, ordered her own maids, “You go too.”
Qin Jingxian sipped her tea and signaled her personal maid. The maid acknowledged and withdrew.
Jiang Mo had no idea anyone was looking for her. After finishing her own skewer, she put her veil back on and used a toothpick to pop a hawthorn off a skewer to offer as a free sample to curious customers. This method proved quite effective; she sold over a dozen skewers in the blink of an eye.
“Eh? It’s you! The boss who sells chicken soup wontons!”
Before Jiang Mo could process it, someone appeared in front of her. She smiled warmly, “What a coincidence, young master. Just finished your shift?”
It was Han You, the young bailiff who had bought her wontons that morning. He hadn’t even changed his uniform, so Jiang Mo recognized him immediately.
“It really is a coincidence. I was patrolling Salsin Bridge with the Magistrate; I just finished my shift.” Han You’s gaze landed on the candied hawthorns, and he was instantly captivated. “What are you selling?” Wow, those skewers are beautiful! They look like rubies!
“Candied hawthorns. Would you like to try a skewer, young master?” Jiang Mo smiled.
Han You nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes.” He took the skewer, licked the sugar coating with lingering desire, and then carefully ate one fruit.
Jiang Mo felt like she was watching a large dog eating its food with deep appreciation. The moment the food touched his tongue, his ears perked up, and his eyes filled with little stars. Those little stars were sparkling.
Han You chewed the hawthorn and fished a piece of silver from his pocket. “Give me seven more,” he said, his mouth full.
Jiang Mo weighed the silver, estimating it to be about half a tael. She cheerfully wrapped up seven skewers and even gave him one skewer of candied strawberries as a bonus.
Han You happily carried the pile of skewers back to his group. The Magistrate, Shen Zhengze, dressed in plain white robes, was still standing in front, his hands behind his back, discussing official business with the Assistant Prefect, and hadn’t noticed him sneaking away.
He brought out the candied hawthorns to share with his fellow bailiffs. “Quick, quick, I bought something delicious!”
After Han You said this, he noticed that none of his brothers were moving. Just as he was puzzled, Shen Zhengze, who had his hands behind his back, turned around.