“These are pastries I bought from a store called Jixiang Grocery Store. They have a unique flavor, no less skilled than the Imperial Kitchen. Your Highness must try them.” As Cheng Fang spoke, he opened the packaging for him.
Cheng Fang proudly picked up the milk bottle, deftly unscrewing the cap. A rich, sweet milky aroma filled the air.
“Especially this bottle of milk—I’m not exaggerating. Even the Imperial Kitchen couldn’t produce something like this!”
Though the sun had risen by now, the army’s meal preparations had just begun.
Due to the flood disaster, many homeless villagers had been added, so military rations had to be allocated for relief efforts.
Meals had been reduced from three a day to two.
Noble as he was, the Crown Prince, to stabilize military morale and the people’s hearts, had to dine with the army.
At the Crown Prince’s age, when he was still growing, his stomach had long been empty.
The enticing milky aroma wafted into his nostrils, and the hunger in his belly could no longer be suppressed.
Qin Zhao hesitantly took the bottle, finding it slightly heavy. “Is this cow’s milk inside?”
“Yes. Your Highness, please try it.” Cheng Fang urged eagerly.
Under Cheng Fang’s expectant gaze, Qin Zhao brought the bottle to his lips and carefully took a small sip.
He had braced himself for a gamey, fishy taste, but the flavor shocked him!
An unprecedented, wonderful sensation exploded in his mouth!
Warm, smooth, and silky, the rich milkiness wrapped around just the right amount of sweetness.
Qin Zhao’s eyes widened sharply. “This milk—it’s so sweet and fragrant! No fishy taste at all! How was this achieved?”
“Your Highness, try this biscuit too.” Cheng Fang handed over a sandwich biscuit.
Qin Zhao instinctively took a bite.
Crunch!
The crispy outer shell shattered, and the savory and sweet filling blended perfectly on his tongue!
This sweet and salty flavor instantly won Qin Zhao over!
Ever since he was named Crown Prince as a child, he had been taught to be cautious and restrained, to hide his emotions no matter the situation.
Even when eating, he couldn’t show preferences.
Growing up, his younger siblings could indulge freely in pastries, but he alone would be chided every time he ate one:
“Your Highness, these are things only children eat.”
Forgetting that he, too, was still just a child.
Cheng Fang also understood his cousin’s plight—always required to maintain decorum, watched by a crowd in everything he did.
Though only twelve, he seemed more rigid than Cheng Fang, who was sixteen.
So, from time to time, Cheng Fang sought out novel things to cheer him up.
Qin Zhao ate several pieces in a row—honey bread, ice-skin mung bean cakes, breakfast biscuits, sandwich biscuits—each one delicious!
Milk paired with biscuits was truly a perfect match!
By the time he finished the last sip of milk, few pastries remained on the table.
For the first time, the Crown Prince of the Great Yu Dynasty had eaten pastries until he was full!
A pure sense of satiety and happiness filled his entire body, easing much of the fatigue from the past days.
Qin Zhao burped and asked, “Cousin, where did you buy these pastries? They’re truly ten times better than the Imperial Kitchen’s. Where is the pastry chef? I shall recruit him into the Imperial Kitchen as head chef.”
Cheng Fang cleared the table. “I bought these last night when I went to get firestarters, from a store called Jixiang Grocery Store. The shopkeeper is a woman. She said these things weren’t made by her but bought by her father from merchants during his travels.”
“The shopkeeper is a woman?” Crown Prince Qin Zhao suddenly had a flash of thought. “Where is Jixiang Grocery Store located?”
“It’s in Jishui Village upstream, at the foot of Bailong Temple mountain.”
The store at the foot of Bailong Temple mountain…
Qin Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean that grocery store at the foot of the mountain has opened?!”
“Yes!”
“Is the shop run by a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen?”
“Yes, how did you know, Your Highness? I even helped her hang the signboard.”
Qin Zhao took the snack packaging from the table. The densely packed small characters on it felt strangely familiar.
He pulled out the Yunnan Baiyao spray he carried with him and compared them—the font and writing style were exactly the same!
Just then, the tent flap was pushed open, and Jiang Yi walked in from outside.
As soon as he entered, he met the Crown Prince’s urgent gaze.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
“Jiang Yi, did you know that the grocery store at the foot of the mountain opened last night?”
The grocery store at the foot of the mountain?
Jiang Yi looked bewildered. “Your Highness, I didn’t know! I’ve been busy with disaster relief these past few days and haven’t had time to check…”
Qin Zhao sighed deeply.
These past few days, he had been too busy with disaster relief to send someone to watch the store.
Who would have thought the store would open!
“Jiang Yi! Prepare the horses!”
…
Meanwhile, the grocery store welcomed a long-awaited guest.
As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, she rushed over. Seeing Jiang Ling was like seeing a lifeline!
Without even needing to ask, Jiang Ling knew who had come just by the scent.
“Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! You’re finally open! I want the fragrant soaps! As many as you have!”
Madam Chen had bundled herself up tightly in the summer heat. Anyone unaware might think she was ill.
In fact, every piece of her clothing had been scented overnight with incense. Wearing so many layers was simply to mask her body odor.
But it seemed ineffective.
Wang Yue was truly afraid of this feeling of having something and then losing it. It felt more despairing than never having had it at all!
She had thought the rest of her life would be spent in this lingering odor.
That brief happiness felt like a blessing, but even more like a punishment!
Today was the sixth day. Heaven rewards the diligent—she had finally waited for the shopkeeper to open!
This time, even if it meant bankrupting herself, she would buy all the fragrant soaps!
“But, Madam, of the fragrant soap you bought last time, the shop only has five left.”
Jiang Ling hadn’t expected that the first item to sell out would be the soap she had set aside on a high shelf, thinking no one would like its overwhelmingly strong fragrance.
Wang Yue felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her!
“Five! Five is fine! Better than none! I’ll take them all!”
Then, as if afraid she might be too late, she quickly took the purse from Xiaocui’s hands and placed it steadily on the counter.
“Here, shopkeeper, this is the payment. Please wrap them up quickly!”
Seeing her urgency, Jiang Ling didn’t ask further. She immediately fetched a stool and went to the storeroom to retrieve the remaining soaps.
Wang Yue held the soaps firmly in her arms, breathing in the familiar scent. Only then did her heartbeat settle, bringing an unprecedented sense of security.
What a pity! Only five left!
“May I ask, shopkeeper, can I place an order here? I’d like to order twenty—no, fifty bars of soap! I can pay in full right now!”
Jiang Ling hadn’t expected to encounter a lady with such a preference for strong fragrances.
But considering her body odor, it made sense.
“Of course, Lady Chen. However, the shop needs to source goods from a very distant place. You may have to wait a bit longer.”
Wang Yue asked anxiously, “How long will I have to wait?”