Xiao Yu had already finished mincing the filling.
Bai Zhi instructed him to light both stoves—one for cooking porridge and the other for frying flatbreads.
Meanwhile, she chopped some napa cabbage, sprinkled it with salt to draw out the water, and then prepared the filling with chopped scallions and ginger.
The dough had been kneaded very soft, and she even brushed a layer of oil over it.
After pouring a little sesame oil into the iron pan, Bai Zhi tore off a piece of dough and flattened it into a round disk with her hands.
She wrapped it around the prepared filling, sealed it, flattened it again into a cake shape, and placed it into the pan.
The iron wok was enormous.
It could fry three stuffed flatbreads at a time, each slightly larger than an adult’s palm.
Bai Zhi made five batches.
Fifteen flatbreads in total.
That would be enough food for the entire day.
The porridge finished cooking as well.
She added a large spoonful of white sugar.
There was no need to worry about cavities.
Given their current living conditions, tooth decay would hardly be caused by sugar.
Finally, she made a cold cabbage-heart salad dressed with a sweet-and-sour sauce to cut through the richness.
The two carried the food back to the room.
The three of them enjoyed a hot, fragrant meal.
“So good!”
“Imperial Sister-in-law, your stuffed flatbreads are amazing!”
“And this cabbage too!”
“I never liked cabbage before.”
“Imperial Sister-in-law, you’re incredible…”
Compliments spilled out of Xiao Yu’s mouth as if they cost nothing.
Bai Zhi couldn’t help thinking of an old saying:
Whoever feeds you becomes your mother.
After breakfast, Xiao Yu washed the dishes.
The remaining fire in the stove conveniently heated water for cleaning.
At this point, Bai Zhi was completely certain he had been reborn.
Even the most neglected prince wouldn’t know how to scrub pots this skillfully.
Especially the giant iron wok used for frying flatbreads.
It was huge and permanently built into the stove.
Yet Xiao Yu knew exactly how to use a small broom made from sorghum stalks to sweep out the dirty water little by little before rinsing repeatedly with clean water.
Even Bai Zhi had never done that before.
After cleaning the kitchen, Bai Zhi sat down to sew quilt covers.
And dragged Xiao Yu along.
“I can’t do this!”
“I really can’t!”
Xiao Yu was horrified.
“What man does needlework?”
“I’ll teach you.”
“Nobody is born knowing how.”
Truthfully, Bai Zhi wasn’t much better.
Back in the base, she’d occasionally patched up her clothes.
But she’d never sewn an actual quilt cover before.
Under Bai Zhi’s persuasion, all three of them ended up sewing together.
Xiao Zelan joined voluntarily.
“I have nothing else to do while sitting here. This doesn’t require much effort.”
“Make your stitches smaller.”
“Those stitches are huge. It’ll split open.”
“Ah!”
That was Xiao Yu pricking his finger.
“Hiss—”
That was Xiao Zelan.
“Damn it!”
That was Bai Zhi.
By the end, they managed to finish four quilt covers.
Each person got one quilt.
The last cover was intentionally made larger.
Bai Zhi stuffed two quilts into it, creating an extra-thick mattress.
It was intended for the cart during exile.
At noon, everyone ate another stuffed flatbread.
The porridge this time was millet porridge.
In the afternoon, they began selecting items that could be sold for money.
Bai Zhi sent Xiao Yu to monitor the shift changes of the guards at the side gate.
“No need,” Xiao Yu said.
“I’ve already watched them before.”
“They change every two hours.”
Bai Zhi nodded and began mentally listing everything they would need to purchase.
The villa contained a surprising amount of cloth and porcelain vases.
Every room had bedsheets, bed curtains, decorative vases, and similar items.
There were also cosmetics, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Anything larger would be difficult to move.
Xiao Zelan selected two inkstones.
“The quality isn’t bad. These can be pawned.”
Then he untied a jade pendant from his waist.
“This should bring in some silver as well.”
Xiao Yu immediately panicked.
“Imperial Brother!”
“Mother Consort left that to you!”
“You can’t sell it!”
His eyes were already red.
Xiao Zelan gently rubbed his head.
“Why can’t I sell it?”
“Mother Consort wouldn’t mind.”
Then he turned to Bai Zhi.
“You shouldn’t leave the villa.”
“Just have the vegetable supplier sell these things for us.”
“If we get less money, so be it.”
“Even if you avoid the guards, you’re still a young girl.”
“You’ll attract unwanted attention.”
Bai Zhi pushed the jade pendant back toward him.
“Don’t worry.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Keep the pendant.”
“It’ll be useful later.”
There would be plenty of places to spend silver after arriving at the place of exile.
Carrying too much silver wasn’t convenient.
Keeping a valuable jade pendant as an emergency reserve was safer.
Knowing how stubborn his young wife could be, Xiao Zelan stopped arguing.
Suddenly, Bai Zhi looked at the inkstones on the table and had an idea.
“Do you think anyone buys secondhand books?”
Both brothers turned to look at her.
There were two entire studies filled with books.
Xiao Zelan hesitated.
“Probably.”
Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.
“Definitely.”
Books were precious educational resources in ancient times.
Not only would people buy them—
They were likely worth a lot.
Bai Zhi fetched paper and brush and began drafting a shopping list.
Xiao Yu immediately started criticizing her handwriting.
“Your writing is awful.”
“Not just ugly—characters are missing strokes.”
“And what are these weird symbols?”
“Why is this number one written vertically?”
He continued babbling nonstop.
Bai Zhi stared at him expressionlessly.
“I don’t know how to write with a brush.”
“If I had a charcoal pencil, I’d definitely write…”
She paused.
“…better.”
Xiao Yu: “…”
Do you think I believe that?
Xiao Zelan, however, thought it perfectly normal.
Bai Zhi had grown up on a country estate.
The fact that she could recognize a few characters was already impressive.
As for writing…
Well.
At least she tried.
That evening, neither Bai Zhi nor Xiao Yu felt like cooking.
They planned to finish the remaining stuffed flatbreads.
Unexpectedly, the cook delivered dinner herself.
Soft white steamed buns.
Stir-fried shredded potatoes.
Pork stewed with cabbage.
And a thick millet-and-sweet-potato porridge.
The old woman bowed deeply.
“This old servant was blind before.”
“From now on, I’ll prepare meals properly and serve all of you well.”
After speaking, she actually knelt and knocked her head against the floor.
Her attitude was astonishingly humble.
Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow.
“Fine.”
“Then cooking will be your responsibility from now on.”
“I’ll unlock the cupboard tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Your Highnesses.”
“Thank you, Princess Consort.”
The woman thanked them repeatedly and left.
The three occupants stared at each other.
“What happened to her?”
“Did she suddenly change personalities?”
“Or is she trying to make peace because she’s afraid she won’t get any more benefits?”
Xiao Yu asked.
Both Bai Zhi and Xiao Zelan looked at him simultaneously.
Xiao Yu chuckled awkwardly.
“Was I wrong?”
“Didn’t you say before that everyone knows the difference between one full meal and being full every day?”
He had learned quickly.
Unfortunately, he was still a child.
His thinking remained too simple.
Bai Zhi explained:
“The problem is that she used to be full every day.”
“Now, because of us, she can’t eat even one full meal.”
“If it were you, would you beg for half a meal?”
Xiao Yu considered it.
Then shook his head firmly.
“No.”
“Exactly.”
“Then what’s her plan?”
“Poison us?”
“Would she dare?”
Xiao Zelan answered quietly:
“She definitely wouldn’t dare poison us.”
“Even if nobody investigated, our deaths would make her worthless.”
“She’d lose her source of income.”
Xiao Yu nodded.
“Then what about the food?”
Bai Zhi glanced at the dishes.
“The vegetables and porridge definitely shouldn’t be touched.”
“The buns are probably safe.”
“Let’s keep them and see what she’s planning.”
That night, they ate the leftover flatbreads again.
Cold ones.
As for the suspicious dishes and porridge—
Every bit of it was dumped into a large decorative vase.
The steamed buns were wrapped up and stored in a cupboard.
When the cook came to collect the bowls and saw that the food appeared to have been eaten, her face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.
The smile was almost unsettling.
Afterward, the three simply rinsed their mouths and pretended to go to sleep.
Deep into the night—
The door quietly opened.
Something had tampered with the lock.
A shadow slipped inside.
Moving silently through the darkness.
And headed straight for Xiao Yu’s couch.