Yummy Yummy Yummy

Princess Fuhui had said she would visit, and indeed, she often dropped by. Like Lord Lin, she usually chose the afternoon or after dinner. She would always send a servant ahead to check if Shen Shaoguang was present before coming—without any pretense, making it clear she was here for Young Lady Shen. Unlike Lord Lin, who used dining as an excuse, insisting on an extra meal even when he wasn’t hungry.

Outside, the rain pattered softly, and the candlelight on the table flickered gently. Shen Shaoguang sat by the window, teaching A Yuan how to cut floral stickers.

A Yuan had been learning this skill half-heartedly, starting in spring and continuing through summer and autumn, yet she still hadn’t mastered even the most common flower shapes. Fortunately, neither the student nor the teacher was in a hurry.

This was the leisurely scene Princess Fuhui walked into.

Shen Shaoguang stood up to greet her.

Princess Fuhui smiled first. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I was about to leave when my maid told me my cat was vomiting."

Fellow cat lover Shen Shaoguang quickly asked, "How is it now?"

"I gave it a pill, and it hasn’t vomited since."

Shen Shaoguang nodded. "It might be the weather. Feed it less these days, especially meat that’s hard to digest, to let its stomach recover."

Princess Fuhui sighed. "That’s what I thought too. I’ve had this cat since my days in the palace—it’s over ten years old now. Who knows how much longer it’ll stay with me?"

The remark turned melancholic, and Shen Shaoguang nodded sympathetically.

Princess Fuhui shook her head with a wry smile. "I’ll never keep another cat after this. Going through this heartbreak every decade or so is too much."

Who would have thought Princess Fuhui was such a sentimental person? Shen Shaoguang changed the subject. "Your Highness, try the almond paste I made today."

Almond paste was similar to walnut paste in preparation—soaking almonds in hot water to remove the skins, then grinding them with soaked rice and glutinous rice, straining the mixture, and simmering it in a small pot. It could be served with osmanthus syrup, sugar, or milk.

Along with the almond paste, Shen Shaoguang brought out a few pastries and fruits. Neither of them was hungry; it was just a way to pass the time.

Princess Fuhui stirred the paste with a silver spoon, took a sip from the small bowl, and said, "It has a lovely almond fragrance. Simple things like this taste the best."

Exactly! The imperial version of almond tea was nothing like this paste—it was practically an eight-treasure porridge, packed with grains, beans, nuts, and cane sugar, topped with goji berries and longan. While sweet and rich, it barely tasted of almonds.

Shen Shaoguang then offered her the gorgon fruit chestnut cake.

Having seen the menu in the shop, Princess Fuhui recognized the cake’s proper name and teased Shen Shaoguang. "Why not just call it ‘gorgon fruit chestnut cake’ plainly? Why go with ‘Fisherman-Woodcutter Cake’ and imitate those pedantic scholars?"

Shen Shaoguang admitted frankly, "To earn their money, you have to cater to their tastes."

Princess Fuhui laughed.

"But this way, you at least have something to talk about with your reserved Lord Lin."

Shen Shaoguang hurried to clarify. "Your Highness, that’s not accurate. He’s not ‘mine’—Lord Lin belongs to himself."

Princess Fuhui gave her a sidelong glance. "Stop pretending!"

"I’m not pretending. Our statuses don’t match."

"But it’s clear there’s mutual affection between you two..."

"Still, our statuses don’t match," Shen Shaoguang said, taking a sip of almond paste.

Princess Fuhui thought about it and agreed. Marriage was about uniting two families. Then, thinking of herself and Pei Fei, she couldn’t help but sigh softly.After a long pause, Princess Fuhui gave a mischievous smile. "Since that's the case, don't ask about the future. Just muddle along like this."

Shen Shaoguang wanted to say that was exactly what she was doing—neither in a relationship nor out of one, yet drowning in ambiguity. She was nearly pulling her hair out from frustration when the princess added, "Just sleep with him first and see."

Shen Shaoguang was grateful she hadn't been sipping her almond milk at that moment, or she might have sprayed it in shock.

"Sleeping with him might settle your mind. Maybe afterward, you'll realize he's not as great as you thought?"

Shen Shaoguang found Princess Fuhui's logic somewhat... questionable.

Noticing her expression, the princess sighed enviously, "If you wanted to sleep with Lord Lin, he'd probably welcome you with open arms—unlike that Pei fellow..."

Could "welcoming with open arms" even be used that way? The palace's physical education instructor must have been pulling double duty.

The princess grumbled, "Won't let me sleep with him, won't let me sleep with anyone else—what a jealous man."

Shen Shaoguang couldn't help but laugh, though she knew it was unkind.

Princess Fuhui glared at her, then chuckled as well.

After her laughter faded, Shen Shaoguang felt a pang of melancholy. Who would have thought that Pei Fei, with his rakish demeanor, would have such principles and boundaries?

"So, Your Highness and Young Master Pei... are also just muddling along like this?"

Leaning against the armrest, Princess Fuhui smiled carelessly. "Muddling along, yes. If he refuses to marry, I can certainly endure it too."

Shen Shaoguang didn't know it then, but Princess Fuhui and Pei Fei would remain locked in this stalemate for over a decade. By then, the princess's husband would have passed away, and Pei Fei would have risen to the position of a minister and even been granted the title of "Chancellor Pei"—yet he never married. Meanwhile, Princess Fuhui kept her word, becoming a paragon of virtue among imperial women. Most unexpectedly, after settling her late husband's affairs, she would take vows as a Female Taoist Priest, traveling the world like the late Princess Anqing before her. By then, the old mockery would have turned to sighs—after all, "perseverance" and "missed chances" were themes that never failed to stir emotions.

But that was all in the future.

"I heard a song the other day," Princess Fuhui said, urging her on. "'Pluck the flower when it's time to pluck, lest you wait till the branch is bare.' Go ahead, pluck it—don't regret it later."

Regret... Shen Shaoguang imagined herself in old age, silver-haired, lounging by the window on a summer night, listening to the chatter of her maids, gazing at the starry sky where the Cowherd and Weaver Girl shone brightly. Would she suddenly recall the dashing young man she had known in her youth?

Probably.

On this autumn night, beneath the autumn rain and by the autumn window, two wistful souls shared their melancholy.

Shen Shaoguang took a sip of her now-cooled almond milk. "Let me fetch you some flower-infused water, Your Highness. I still have some osmanthus sent from your estate earlier—I steamed it and mixed it with honey. Perfect for nights like this."

Princess Fuhui downed the last of her almond milk. "No need. I'll come another day for it. It's getting late—I should go."

Her maids helped her into her cloak and held an umbrella as her carriage, waiting under the awning, pulled up to the steps. The princess boarded, lifted the curtain, and waved at Shen Shaoguang, who watched until the carriage disappeared into the night.

Back inside, reflecting on the princess's words, Shen Shaoguang suddenly no longer found her logic flawed. Instead, it carried a faint, elusive wisdom—like the teachings of Zen.Thinking of Buddhist philosophy, Shen Shaoguang suddenly remembered the fortune stick she had drawn at Qinglong Temple during the New Year. The verse on it, written by some unknown monk, read: "Where the heart finds peace is home; where the heart leads is the path."

"Where the heart finds peace is home; where the heart leads is the path..." Lying in bed, Shen Shaoguang murmured the words of the princess and this verse, listening to the annoying autumn rain outside, tossing and turning for a long time before finally falling asleep.

The next day, after finishing his duties, Lord Lin passed by Shen Ji in his carriage and spotted A Yuan feeding the stray cats at the entrance. Had she returned?

Changing into casual clothes, Lin Yan went to Shen Ji's tavern and was greeted by the aroma of roasted chestnuts as soon as he entered.

"You've come at the right time, my lord! Try our roasted chestnuts."

Seeing her smiling face, Lin Yan couldn't help but smile as well, replying gently, "It smells wonderful."

Shen Shaoguang served him a small plate of chestnuts—each plump, uniform in size, reddish-brown, split open, and exuding a caramelized fragrance. "What do you think, my lord? Aren't our chestnuts different from others?"

Lin Yan played along, "Indeed, they're especially glossy and vibrant."

Shen Shaoguang grinned proudly. The first attempt at making sugar-roasted chestnuts had been a success, proving that culinary skill was truly a divine gift.

"It's all about the sugar," Shen Shaoguang explained the art of roasting chestnuts. "You must choose chestnuts of similar size—uneven ones won't cook evenly, with the larger ones undercooked and the smaller ones burnt. Don't cut slits in the raw chestnuts beforehand, or the flesh will dry out and lose its richness. Just wait for the right heat, and the shells will crack open naturally. Stir them frequently with a large spatula to ensure even roasting..." She got carried away before catching herself and clearing her throat. "That's how you get them just right."

At this time, the phrase "even roasting" didn't carry the suggestive connotation it would later acquire in palace dramas. Li Bai had once used a similar expression—"unworthy of the rain and dew's favor"—so Lin Yan didn't pick up on Shen Shaoguang's mischievous implication, merely finding her analogy rather amusing. A Qi always had a playful way with words.

Looking at Lord Lin's gentle smile, Shen Shaoguang recalled the words she had inscribed outside the Renren Ward: "A feast for the eyes." He truly was a feast for the eyes. For some reason, her mind uncontrollably wandered back to the cheeky remark she'd once made about roosters and the allusion to Tang Monk. To the female demons, the venerable monk must have been nothing short of "a feast for the eyes."

A man like Lord Lin—even if times were hard, I couldn't bear to eat him...

While her thoughts ran wild, Shen Shaoguang said aloud, "Would you like a cup of light tea, my lord? Chestnuts can be hard to digest."

Lin Yan smiled. "Certainly."

Lin Yan sensed something different about the young lady today—her eyes held a certain glint... It reminded him of the fox he had once caught during a hunt but let slip away.

As Shen Shaoguang set down the tea, Lin Yan asked, "Is everything settled in Renren Ward now?"

Shen Shaoguang nodded with a smile. "It's running smoothly now." After a pause, she added, "I'll only need to check in occasionally from now on."

Lin Yan looked at her, his eyes crinkling.

Shen Shaoguang raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this what he meant? Worried I'd overwork myself, wanting to see me every time he visits...

Lin Yan smiled. "Very good."

Very good... Before Shen Shaoguang could think of a response, Lord Lin continued, "I noticed some of your paintings are remarkably lifelike."Shen Shaoguang relaxed, picking up Ming Nu as she stroked the cat while peddling her half-baked knowledge of painting—things like proportions, shading, and how different brushstrokes created varying textures.

Lin Yan had originally just wanted to chat with her, feeling like it had been quite a while since they last had a peaceful conversation like this. But now, he found himself genuinely engrossed in her words.

Shen Shaoguang then veered into the topics of realism and freehand brushwork.

Speaking of freehand brushwork, she praised, "The lotus pond screen your family sent—though just a few simple strokes—exudes a sense of leisurely ease, somewhat reminiscent of Wang Wei's idea that 'there is poetry in painting.'"

Lin Yan couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. Today, A Qi's words were truly sweet.

Seeing his smile, she knew she had guessed right. Shen Shaoguang was well-versed in the art of flattery—when showering someone with sugar, she'd add a pinch of salt. A dash of spice wouldn't hurt either. She narrowed her eyes with a grin, "Though I wonder—is this screen a standalone piece, or part of a four-season set?"

Gazing at her smiling face, Lin Yan was reminded of that fox again.

Author's Note:

Yu San, brandishing his large spatula: Hmph, talking so much as if the chestnuts were fried by the young lady herself...

Lin and Shen, immersed in their discussion of art (flirting): Chestnuts? What chestnuts?

Yu San: ...