Adorable Food Goddess

Helian Jing immediately backtracked laughingly. “Alright, alright. You were delivering some good food for the Prince and you just happened to say a few flatteries to him.”

Ye Jiayao lifted her hand, wanting to knock him again. “I think you are looking for trouble.”

“Guests, I prepared some sugar water egg,” Auntie Jiang announced with a warm smile as she got back from the kitchen.

Helian Jing was the first guest in this small courtyard so Auntie Jiang naturally wanted to entertain him properly.

“What is that? That’s the first time I’m hearing about that. I have had phoenix eggs, quail eggs, spiced corned egg, fried egg, scrambled eggs, but… sugar water egg? Oh! Auntie Jiang, you gave me a double-yolked egg!” It was now Helian Jing’s turn to suck up. He wanted to come here often in the future so he wanted her to like him.

Ye Jiayao thought that sounded weird, too.

Auntie Jiang laughed and said, “That’s my first egg and it’s a double-yolked egg. That’s a good sign.”

Ye Jiayao and Xia Chunyu both spat out their tea.

Helian Jing looked at them curiously. “What? Are you jealous that Auntie Jiang gave me eggs to eat? We can share if you’d like. Auntie Jiang’s eggs taste really good – for real.”

“No need to share, there is more in the pot. I will bring them up now.” Auntie Jiang walked away happily.

Ye Jiayao was laughing so hard that her sides ached. Xia Chunyu, too, could barely keep up his dignified image.

“Aye, what’ s wrong with you two?” Helian Jing felt unsettled by their laughter. He didn’t have anything on his face, does he?

“Auntie Jiang’s egg. Hahahaha! Her first egg… aiyo, stop!” Ye Jiayao doubled over, clutching her stomach.

Xia Chunyu was more controlled in his laughter. “Only hens lay eggs! Why would you say it like that?”

Helian Jing’s eyes widened in realization and the three of them laughed together.

Xia Chunyu said in a serious tone, “Stop laughing. Eat. These are Auntie Jiang’s eggs, very precious.”

Ye Jiayao busted out laughing again. She cried, “No, no, I am done! My cheeks hurt so much. You go eat. I will change my face and wash clothes.”

Xia Chunyu and Helian Jing looked at her.

“What are you looking at? Eat your eggs,” Ye Jiayao told them.

Helian Jing said stonily, “Yaoyao, don’t change your face. Your face is already quite good.”

Ye Jiayao then realized her mistake.  Ugh! That was monumentally stupid!

She spluttered, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Ye Jiayao then hurriedly walked away.

Helian Jing said to Xia Chunyu, “Change his face? That’s creepy.”

Xia Chunyu nodded and played along, “It is creepy. If he has the other face, though, I want to see that.”

“No, I like the way he is,” Helian Jing said as he ate his sugar water egg.

The gleam in Xia Chunyu’s eyes was different when he teased, “Why do you like him?”

Helian Jing looked taken aback for a second before he flushed red. He carefully said, “What do you mean? I’m just used to him the way he is. I don’t want any change.”

Xia Chunyu’s raised a brow and faked a smile. “I’m just asking. Why is your face red?”

Helian Jing was getting more embarrassed. “It’s not red.”

He was afraid that people would start asking this kind of question. At times, he was very determined to think that his relationship with Yaoyao was very simple. However, there were still moments that he was confused. He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling toward Yaoyao.

But, why would Brother Chunyu ask that? Did he find anything wrong with how he was acting?

Xia Chunyu stopped his questions with a faint smile. Yaoyao was still a woman. Even though she dresses and acts like a man, her appeal as a girl was still undeniable. Xia Chunyu just vowed to pay close attention to the friends that surrounded Yaoyao.

He still wasn’t sure what Little Jing thought and felt for Yaoyao, but based on his reaction, Xia Chunyu knew that it was nothing casual or normal.

Perhaps Little Jing had already discovered Yaoyao’s original features. Maybe he was just inexplicably attracted to her. It could also be that Little Jing himself was not sure about his feelings for Yaoyao.

Ye Jiayao returned to her room, washed her face with water, and was just about to get dressed when she saw a box on the table.

The material of Huanghua pear was carved on it with a beautiful pattern of tangled flowers. When she opened it, there was a deep, soft red velvet lining inside.

Chunyu…

With a smile, Ye Jiayao moved the Wish Jade to the box that Xia Chunyu brought. This box was definitely worthy of the Wish Jade’s preciousness.

“The rain stopped,” Xia Chunyu observed.

“Ah, it stopped,” echoed Helian Jing.

“You’re still not going back?

“Are you not going either?”

“Well, my house is nearby.”

“Mine is just two streets away and I have a horse cart.”

“Time to go.”

“Well, it is a bit late.”

But neither of their feet moved.

Ye Jiayao looked on at the two idiots.

“It is late, guys, go home. I’ll get you your mooncakes tomorrow,” Ye Jiayao said to them. She needed to make ice cream and she doesn’t have the time to chat with them.

Xia Chunyu nodded at Helian Jing. “Okay, we’ll leave now.”

Helian Jing said, “Come ride with me, I have a cart.”

Xia Chunyu said indifferently, “Nah, I like taking a walk.”

“Only the elderly likes to walk,” Helian Jing muttered.

“What does a child know?” Xia Chunyu gave him a haughty look and walked away.

“Aye, Brother Chunyu, the door is over here,” Helian Jing called when he saw Chunyu walking in the wrong direction.

Xia Chunyu said in a low and muffled voice, “I am saying goodbye to Uncle Jiang.”

“Right. I will say bye to Auntie Jiang, then.” Helian Jing followed.

Ye Jiayao said, “Auntie Jiang is in the kitchen.”

When the two nobles returned, Helian Jing said, “Yaoyao, I’ll look for you after I finish my duty.”

Xia Chunyu’s face turned dark and he stared at Yaoyao warningly.

Ye Jiayo resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “If you come after duty, you won’t have any food to eat as the seats are fully booked. You should come after dinner.”

“Alright, I will come after dinner,” Helian Jing said with disappointment.

Ye Jiayao finally sent them away.

Jiang Yue came over and handed her a note. “Sister Yaoyao, the Heir-Son Lord asked me to give you this.”

Ye Jiayao opened it. Leave Heavenly Residence using the back door tomorrow night. I will wait for you in the alley.

The next day, Ye Jiayao made about 600ish mooncakes and left eight each for Little Jing, Chunyu, and Zhao Qixuan.

If possible, the sales were even hotter than yesterday. Most of the buyers yesterday were governors and today was predominantly businessmen.

People who came yesterday even brought two to three people with them so they could purchase more.

After a busy lunch, Ye Jiayao sat in the seat on the street to rest and drink some tea. She was feeling terrible because of the heavy workload she had these past two days.

Twenty minutes before 1 PM, people who were lined up outside the restaurant under the sun were swimming in sweat.

Ye Jiayao called Ah Fu over and whispered something to him. Ah Fu happily left to comply with her request.

After a short while, Cui Dongpeng and Wang Mingde came out with a big teapot. Ah Fu and Ah Xing were just behind them carrying numerous bowls.

Cui Dongpeng loudly announced, “Anyone like to have some tea?”

There was suddenly a buzz.

“I want, I want…”

Ye Jiayao smiled, pleased. Making more money was really just about seizing business opportunities when they present themselves.

Although tea doesn’t really generate a lot of money, it didn’t matter. Money is still money.

When the people in line had quenched their thirst with a bowl of tea, their irritation subsided. The wait was not so anxious anymore and they started to chat with one another.

“Hey, did you hear about the affairs of Assistant Minister Mu’s nephew?”

“Of course, I heard it! Everyone in the city has heard of it.”

“I heard that he’s still the scholar of the Ji Nan government. He might be knowledgeable but he acts like a despicable dog.”

“I know, right? Second Lady Ye is a horrible person as well. A poisonous woman! You know, I think that they murdered First Lady Ye.”

“Such a terrible couple!”

“They should be forced to ride a wooden donkey and paraded in the streets.”

A few more people added to the gossip.

Ye Jiayao inconspicuously listened to what the people were talking about. At this rate, Wei Liujiang and Jinrong would be ranked the worst couple in the history of Huai Song by the end of the week. She wasn’t sure if the public derision was also part of Chunyu’s plan.

“Come on, mooncakes are on sale. Everybody, line up!” Deng Haichuan shouted.

The people immediately left their gossip groups and returned to their original position.

Ye Jiayao looked at the rough estimate of the people in the queue and knew that the six hundred mooncakes were not enough.

Other materials were easy to obtain, but the amount of agar and butter were limited. She couldn’t do more even if she wanted to.

Suddenly, Ye Jiayao saw Eunuch Little Chuan, who was always by the Prince’s side, walk towards Heavenly Residence.

Ye Jiayao got up and welcomed him enthusiastically.

“Eunuch Little Chuan, is it the Prince’s lady’s order?” The Prince’s lady told her last night that she’d think about what she wanted to eat and would just send someone over to tell her.

Little Chuan replied, “No, I’m here to buy ice cream mooncakes. Today, Empress Mei Fei went to see the Prince’s lady and tried the mooncakes you sent last night. Empress Mei Fei was impressed by them so she wanted to bring some back. The Prince’s lady asked me to come here and buy some more.”

“No, no, you don’t need to buy that. How many do you want? I’ll give them to you,” Ye Jiayao said.

“Can I get ten?”

“Yes, of course! Wait here.”

Ye Jiayao called Ah Xing and told him, “Take ten mooncakes out for this eunuch.”

Little Chuan handed her some money but Ye Jiayao just pushed them back to his hands. “I told you, there’s no need to pay for it.”

He smiled and said, “I will go back and tell the Empress that this is your filial piety.”

“What kind of food can the Prince’s lady have?” Ye Jiayao asked.

“Prince’s lady wanted to eat something sour and delicious. She said it’s up to you what to make.”

Suddenly, people in the queue started shouting, “That’s unfair!”

“We lined up in the heat for these mooncakes!”

“Why are you giving it so easily?”

It seemed that Eunuch Little Chuan’s special treatment did not go unnoticed by the people.