A cheerful voice came from outside the door.
Jiang Ling turned around. “Oh, you’re the gentleman from yesterday… I mean, last time.”
He smiled. “Since this is our second meeting, we can consider ourselves acquainted. You can call me Cheng Fang.”
At that moment, Jiang Yi was galloping on horseback!
“Faster! Gale! Run with all four legs! We must get His Highness to the shop before it closes! If something goes wrong again this time, you’ll have to shovel horse manure with me!”
He raced straight toward the military camp!
“May I ask for your esteemed name, miss?”
“I’m Jiang Ling.”
Cheng Fang looked curiously at the yellow packaging in her hand.
“What is this in your hand, Miss Jiang Ling? Is it something edible?”
Jiang Ling held up the pack of spicy beef-flavored instant noodles.
“This is a type of noodle called instant noodles. Have you had breakfast yet, Mr. Cheng Fang? If not, why not stay and have some together?”
Cheng Fang hesitated for a moment, then said a bit sheepishly, “Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. Then I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Jiang Ling.”
His task was to buy time—you better run fast, Jiang Yi, you rascal!
“It’s no trouble at all. Can you handle spicy food, Mr. Cheng?”
“Yes! I can handle anything!”
“Alright. Please take a seat for a moment, Mr. Cheng. The noodles will be ready soon.”
Jiang Ling picked up two packs of spicy beef-flavored instant noodles and went into the kitchen.
Add water, turn on the heat, wait for the water to boil, add the noodles, crack in two eggs, and fish out two wilted vegetables from the refrigerator.
Cooking two packs of noodles together took about the same amount of time.
Today, Cheng Fang wore a light green upper garment, well-tailored. A year in the military camp had worn away his youthful softness, and his physique was now strikingly defined. His looks were among the finest of aristocratic young men, and paired with this outfit, he looked refreshingly clean and tidy from a distance—a perfect color for summer.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
Summer cicadas, scorched by the sun, protested with their buzzing cries.
Cheng Fang quietly observed the shop, which was less than a hundred square meters.
This was his second time inside. The last time had been on a rainy night—he had hurried in to buy a lighter and left without taking a proper look.
The shop was clean, the shelves orderly, and the products dazzling in variety.
After walking around, he couldn’t find a single familiar item among the goods.
It truly felt a bit strange…
Jiang Ling brought out the noodles, and Cheng Fang had already taken his seat.
“Sorry for the wait, Mr. Cheng.”
The aroma of instant noodles wafted over!
The bold scent made Cheng Fang’s mind go blank for a moment.
“This is the ‘instant noodles’ you mentioned? It smells amazing!”
His stomach, which hadn’t been hungry before, instantly began to rumble.
Jiang Ling smiled slightly. “Try it quickly, Mr. Cheng. These noodles are best eaten hot.”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony!”
Cheng Fang was stunned after his first bite!
The translucent noodles paired with the rich broth were utterly irresistible!
He slurped one mouthful after another, unable to stop!
“Delicious, truly delicious! It’s just a bit spicy!”
In the sweltering heat, a bowl of such fiery hot noodles instantly made sweat bead on his forehead.
Jiang Ling was now wearing ancient-style clothing too and wasn’t faring much better.
“Let me get something to drink!”
Jiang Ling walked to the icebox in the back and took out two bottles of cola. She handed one to Cheng Fang.
As soon as Cheng Fang touched it, he felt an intense chill. He stared at the brown liquid inside the bottle.
“What is this?”
“This is called ‘Happy Water’!”
“‘Happy Water’? What a strange name. Does drinking it make people happy?”
Jiang Ling gave a mysterious little smile. “Perhaps. Try it quickly, Mr. Cheng.”
Cheng Fang quickly twisted the cap off.
The brown liquid inside began to fizz, releasing a refreshingly sweet aroma.
Jiang Ling had already unscrewed her cap and taken a big gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh!
Scorching summer days and ice-cold cola were a perfect match!
Not to be outdone, Cheng Fang tilted his head back and took a big swig.
The moment it entered his mouth, it was an experience he’d never had before—as if countless bubbles were bursting against his palate. The icy liquid rolled down his throat, and he could almost feel it flowing clearly down his esophagus into his stomach.
Instantly, it felt like all the pores on his body opened up!
The heat inside him was driven away in a flash!
Amazing!
Watching Cheng Fang’s expression, Jiang Ling felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
How could a kid from ancient times resist something that even modern people can’t turn down, despite drinking it every day?
People in ancient times often seemed mature beyond their years, but Cheng Fang clearly looked younger than her.
After their two encounters, she found him quite interesting.
Making friends in this era might not be such a bad idea.
Cheng Fang took a big gulp of the cola, driving away the heat in his body, and seemed to calm down instantly.
He looked at the cola in his hand, then at the bowl of aromatic noodles.
A thought flashed through his mind.
“Miss Jiang Ling… are you a deity?”
Jiang Ling choked on her noodles! The spiciness shot straight up her nose!
“Cough, what—cough—nonsense?!”
Cheng Fang’s eyes widened. “Miss Jiang Ling… could you actually be a ghost or a spirit?”
Jiang Ling: “……”
Could that scoundrel Jiang Yi have been right? Otherwise, how could a young woman like her possess so many strange, never-before-seen items?
If he had to choose between the two, he’d rather Miss Jiang be a deity.
But if Miss Jiang really was a ghost or spirit…
Cheng Fang looked up at Jiang Ling’s face, flushed from choking… Such a beautiful ghost or spirit didn’t seem that scary after all.
If Jiang Ling knew she had just been classified as a ghost or spirit by Cheng Fang, she’d probably take the bowl of instant noodles in front of her and feed it to the dog!
Calling her a deity was one thing—she could take that as a compliment.
But calling her a ghost or spirit? That was practically an insult!
“Mr. Cheng Fang, what’s the weather like outside today?”
Cheng Fang turned to look outside the door.
“The sun is shining brightly today.”
Right—ghosts can’t be exposed to sunlight!
“Then… that means Miss Jiang, you’re a deity!!!”
Jiang Ling sighed helplessly. “Can’t I just be human?”
Cheng Fang froze for a moment, seeming to genuinely consider the possibility.
“But how else can you explain Miss Jiang possessing so many things never seen before, along with those miracle pills that can bring the dead back to life?”
Jiang Ling paused. “Miracle pills? What miracle pills?”
Don’t mess with this! Dabbling in supernatural nonsense in a feudal era could easily get you killed! She hadn’t made enough money yet!
Cheng Fang set down the cola in his hand, straightened his back, and even his expression grew more serious.
“Does Miss Jiang remember? Three days ago, a woman came with an official kiln vase to exchange for medicine. You gave her pastries, grain, and three miracle pills that could bring the dead back to life.”
Three days ago? Meaning… yesterday?
A vase?
“Oh, you mean Dashan’s mother?”
“Yes, she’s also called Zhao Liu-shi.”
Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief. “Those aren’t miracle pills. They’re just a strong fever reducer. They have pain-relieving, fever-reducing, and anti-inflammatory effects.”
She had to explain this clearly, or she might end up tied to a stake and burned!
Cheng Fang was taken aback by this explanation and remained stunned for a long time.
Not miracle pills?
Then what were they?
What kind of medicine could have such miraculous effects? Capable of bringing the dying back to life?
The Great Yu Dynasty was considered the most powerful among nations, yet even they hadn’t developed such medicine!
But looking at Jiang Ling’s expression, it didn’t seem like she was lying.
“To be honest with you, miss, I’ve seen that medicine. Just one tiny pill can save a life. Are you sure it’s not a miracle pill?”
……She’d been careless.
Ibuprofen works fast and powerfully. For ancient medical technology, the impact was too great.
She could only push the explanation outward…
“To be honest, that’s a life-saving medicine my father acquired from a small western country during his travels. It’s the result of research and experimentation over more than ten generations. It’s just particularly effective—it really isn’t a miracle pill.
“It only has pain-relieving, fever-reducing, and anti-inflammatory effects. It can’t bring the dead back to life. You could say those three pills just happened to be used correctly. If given to patients with other illnesses, they wouldn’t have any effect.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fang couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
Then, he seemed to remember something and abruptly stood up.
He bowed to Jiang Ling, his head lowered almost to his waist.
“Cheng Fang apologizes to you here!”
Jiang Ling was puzzled.
“To be honest, I’ve been here to buy time. After the flood, an epidemic broke out. Currently, hundreds of people in the military camp have persistent high fevers. His Highness the Crown Prince learned that you have miracle… I mean, strong fever reducers here, and he is on his way…”
Jiang Ling: ……!