Yummy Yummy Yummy

Lin Yan and Pei Fei sat across from each other playing chess.

The exhausting Dragon Boat Festival had finally passed. The citywide revelry along the Qujiang River had gone smoothly without any major stampedes or injuries. The imperial procession had come and gone without incident, and envoys from foreign lands and various regions who had come to present gifts were now beginning to leave the capital. The Jingzhao Office had finally ended its period of requiring all officials to remain on duty.

Lin Yan was enjoying his normal day off, and Pei Fei had once again come to the Lin residence to freeload food and drink.

Within half an hour, Pei Fei tossed his piece in surrender, pulling a leaning pillow over to recline on the couch, his handsome brows faintly shadowed with melancholy.

Lin Yan quietly gathered the chess pieces and board.

Suddenly, Pei Fei noticed a flash of colorful silk thread in Lin Yan’s sleeve—it looked like a Longevity Thread. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Truly, you’re favored by His Majesty. Even something like a Longevity Thread, the Emperor remembers you.”

Lin Yan nonchalantly tugged his sleeve down to cover it. “This one wasn’t bestowed by His Majesty.”

“Did the Dowager tie it for you?” Though many colleagues wore these during the fifth month, knowing Lin Yan usually avoided such adornments, Pei Fei couldn’t help but ask.

“No.”

Pei Fei suddenly thought of another possibility. “Could it be—?” Impressive! They’ve already exchanged tokens of affection! Thinking of his own tangled fate with Princess Fuhui, Pei Fei felt a pang of envy. How was An Ran so fortunate? Smooth sailing in both career and love.

“Don’t overthink it. It’s not what you imagine,” Lin Yan explained, pressing his lips together.

Pei Fei raised an eyebrow. “Not a gift from Young Lady Shen?”

Lin Yan closed the chess piece container. “About the matter with the Princess—you should think carefully. The capital’s rumor monitors have been mentioning it frequently.”

During the Dragon Boat Festival banquet at Qujiang, the story of Princess Fuhui returning in the same carriage as a young official had spread far and wide, embellished with vivid and scandalous details.

Pei Fei began to explain, “What happened that day wasn’t as people say…” Halfway through, he abruptly chuckled wryly, then sighed deeply. How similar this was to what An Ran had just said—it seemed everyone had their own troubles.

Pei Fei spoke earnestly, “If you’ve set your sights on someone, don’t let the chance slip away. If you can see Young Lady Shen’s virtues, others surely can too. If someone else gets there first, and you miss each other despite mutual feelings…” He sighed again, his voice trailing off.

Lin Yan set the chessboard aside and returned to sit cross-legged on the couch, clasping his hands on his lap. His right index and middle fingers slipped into his left sleeve, tracing the knots of the Longevity Thread—a newly formed habit.

Knowing his temperament, Pei Fei assumed he wouldn’t respond. But after a long pause, Lin Yan finally said, “I must first be certain of her feelings.”

Pei Fei: “…”

Despite his own romantic woes, Pei Fei couldn’t help but laugh. “You mean you’re still unsure of her feelings? Lin An Ran, of all people, is plagued by doubts! Back in Hedong, how many young ladies sent you hair ornaments through intermediaries? And later, during your postings and here in the capital, there must have been plenty. You, the dream of so many gentlewomen, actually…”

Pei Fei thought to himself—this Young Lady Shen must truly be remarkable. Not only had she caught An Ran’s attention, but from the looks of it, she didn’t seem particularly preoccupied with him…

Misery loves company, and Pei Fei nearly burst out laughing. Ha! So even Lin An Ran has his day!

As childhood friends, Lin Yan knew exactly what he was thinking. Pressing his lips together, he shot Pei Fei a glance, then after a moment, chuckled himself.

Though unconventional, Pei Fei still had tact. When Lin Yan went to Shen’s Shop for pastries that afternoon, despite his burning curiosity, he restrained himself from tagging along.As soon as Lin Yan entered, he saw Young Lady Shen chatting happily with a young gentleman. Her eyes were narrowed in delight, looking as if she had earned a fortune. Suddenly, Pei Fei's warning flashed through his mind.

And indeed, Shen Shaoguang had made quite a bit of silver!

After setting up stalls by the Qujiang River several times and with the help of the Tanhua scholar as her brand ambassador, her Flower Cakes had gained some fame. Some even claimed they were better than those from the renowned cake workshops in the East and West Markets. Shen Shaoguang had initially dismissed it as mere polite flattery, but to her surprise, someone actually relayed those words to the cake workshops. And now, here was the young master of one such workshop, paying her a visit.

This young man was indeed surnamed Shao, named Jie, with the courtesy name Yingxian. His family ran Guixiangyuan, the most famous Flower Cake shop in Chang'an. Guixiangyuan had been making Flower Cakes for over a hundred years. Yuanjue had once mentioned that in the East Market, there was a cake workshop whose owner had earned an honorary official title due to his exceptional Flower Cakes—nicknamed "Flower Cake Official." That man was none other than Young Master Shao's grandfather.

Nowadays, the Shao family had expanded their business ventures and no longer relied solely on Flower Cakes to make a living. However, this was still their ancestral trade, and every direct descendant was required to spend some time in the Flower Cake workshop upon coming of age.

Shao Jie had been working in the workshop recently. When he overheard two customers praising the exceptionally good Flower Cakes sold by the Qujiang River—available only during festivals—and later learned they were from Shen Ji, a tavern in Chongxianfang, he decided to pay a visit while in the area.

The tavern was small but impeccably clean and lively. Shao Jie glanced at the paintings and decorations on the walls and thought it was no surprise such a place could produce excellent Flower Cakes.

After meeting the proprietress, sampling several varieties of Flower Cakes, and enjoying a pot of chilled sour plum drink, Shao Jie made up his mind.

"If you're from the esteemed Guixiangyuan in the East Market, how could you possibly take an interest in our humble cake recipes?" Shen Shaoguang asked with a smile.

She had once visited Guixiangyuan out of curiosity and tried several of their signature Flower Cakes—all delicious, especially their renowned Osmanthus Cake. Sweet, soft, and not at all dry, with just the right level of osmanthus fragrance for northern tastes, it truly had its own unique charm.

Her own pastries were delicate, but they weren't particularly difficult to replicate—especially for experts. A few tastings and experiments would yield something quite similar. In an era without patents, it was rather odd for this young master to offer a hundred taels of silver for the recipes of Pea Flour Cake and Mixed Fruit Cake.

"Young Lady is too cautious!" Shao Jie laughed. "Then I shall speak plainly. While these two cakes are excellent, what truly impresses me is your marketing strategy. Earlier, I overheard your maid mention seasonal gift boxes—'Bright Future,' 'Blossom and Full Moon,' 'Fortune and Longevity'—each containing an assortment of pastries with appropriately themed patterns..."

"Though I haven't seen them myself, after tasting the samples and observing the designs, I can imagine how these gift boxes must look. Unfortunately, I detest joining festive crowds, or else I wouldn't have to speculate here. So, I'd like to borrow some inspiration. But it wouldn't feel right to simply take your ideas without compensation..." Shao Jie grinned, revealing a pair of small canine teeth.Looking at this young man with his rather adorable smile and hearing such straightforward words, Shen Shaoguang almost had the illusion of returning to modern times. People of this dynasty were too accustomed to subtlety—whether it was the epitome of teasing like Lord Lin or ordinary folks, it was rare to encounter someone who "spoke their mind" so openly.

As the saying goes, this kind of "innovation" isn't even as valuable as a cake recipe—it's something anyone could freely use. Yet this Young Master Shao was willing to pay a hundred taels of silver for it. Whether it was due to a century-old shop cherishing its reputation or a young man's untainted conscience, it ultimately showed respect, which was endearing—especially compared to the Cloud Arriving Tavern in the same district. Despite both being in a competitive relationship with differentiated offerings, this young man's attitude was far more admirable!

Shen Shaoguang was also a straightforward person: "In that case, I thank you for your esteem, young master."

She spread out paper and wrote down the recipes for two types of cakes on the spot, then generously asked A Yuan to look for any remaining packaging boxes. She assembled two boxes of the cakes currently available in the shop. "Our humble shop doesn’t sell many cakes, just a few homely varieties. I hope you won’t find them lacking."

Shao Jie laughed. "Direct and decisive! Truly, the young lady rivals even the men!"

When he took the handwritten paper from Shen Xiao Niangzi and saw the lean, vigorous, and elegant calligraphy, he groaned as if his teeth hurt. "Truly rivaling men! Even your handwriting is this refined... If I could write like this, how proud I’d be among my brothers."

Shao Jie exposed his family’s shortcomings: "To be honest with you, young lady, my family has been skilled with their hands for generations—just not in reading or writing..." He burst into laughter.

Shen Shaoguang genuinely liked this young man. Without ample self-confidence, it would be hard to laugh so freely at one’s own flaws.

She smiled. "To be equally honest, young master, I’m also skilled with my hands—just not in needlework or embroidery. The New Year’s banners hung in the courtyard are thankfully placed high, or they’d be quite embarrassing..."

Shao Jie roared with laughter.

Shen Shaoguang joined in.

Yu San, who had gone to the backyard to fetch cured meat: "..."

Lin Yan, who had just entered: "..."

Shao Jie was startled upon seeing Lin Yan and quickly stood up to bow. "Greetings, Lord Lin."

As a major merchant in the West Market adjacent to the imperial city, he often had dealings with the authorities. He had seen this Deputy Chief of the Capital twice before but had never spoken to him.

Lin Yan glanced at him and smiled faintly. "And you are?"

After Shao Jie introduced himself, Lin Yan nodded and took his usual seat by the window.

Shen Shaoguang served him the usual fruit drink and asked what he’d like to eat, going through their daily routine.

Not wanting to disturb this distinguished guest, and with the servants having delivered the hundred taels of silver, Shao Jie exchanged a few pleasantries with Shen Shaoguang, bid farewell to Lord Lin, and left the tavern.

When Lord Lin first entered, his expression had been quite stern. But when Shen Shaoguang brought out the dishes, she noticed he had since softened. Hah, a man’s heart is as unfathomable as the ocean’s depths, and Lord Lin’s face changes like the weather in June. When would he ever be as straightforward as Young Master Shao, who had just left? Probably never—old habits die hard.

Since she had packed up all the presentable Flower Cakes for Young Master Shao, Shen Shaoguang instructed Yu San to prepare a few quick dishes for Lin Yan: fried quail, celery with lily bulbs, shrimp with cucumber, salted egg yolk-braised tofu, along with a bowl of mung bean and rice porridge prepared for dinner, and two small scallion oil rolls.The portions were modest—small plates with a refreshing and appealing mix of red, white, green, and yellow hues; tiny bowls of porridge, lightly sweetened to suit his preference for subtle flavors over cloying sweetness, paired with savory dishes.

As he took a spoonful of porridge, the rice and beans were perfectly cooked, offering a hint of sweetness without overpowering the porridge's natural aroma. Lin Yan's eyes curved slightly in satisfaction.

Shen Shaoguang, blessed with sharp eyesight in this life, caught a glimpse of the delicate threads at his wrist as he reached for the rolls. Her playful teasing faltered for a moment.

Gazing at Lord Lin's handsome features, broad shoulders, slender waist, and those pale, slender fingers, Shen Shaoguang suddenly recalled another voluptuous beauty—the "Precious Sister" who shyly adorned herself with red musk bracelets, and naturally, Baoyu's lament over not being able to touch them.

Shen Shaoguang felt a pang of regret herself, reminded of that embrace from before—the feel of it had been quite nice. He looked lean in clothes, but undressed—she imagined there must be some substance beneath...

Lin Yan glanced up, meeting Shen Shaoguang's intense gaze. She responded with a narrowed-eye smile, prompting him to look away—though the corners of his lips curled upward.