Chapter 805:The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 805: A Marriage Granted, Never to Part (1)
Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t like sweet pastries. No, he didn’t eat pastries at all! Whether sweet, savory, or of any other flavor, no matter how delicious or delicate, in his more than twenty years of life, he had never touched one.
Faced with the determined gazes of the onlookers, Xiao Ruiyuan stopped Yan Junyu, who was about to speak, and, too lazy to explain, simply extended his long fingers. As they wished, he picked up a piece of the sweet pastry that the sixteenth prince had sent over and took a bite, his eyes, however, fixed on Mo Yan.
Mo Yan, too, happened to look up at Xiao Ruiyuan. She wasn’t very familiar with his tastes and couldn’t recall whether he had ever eaten sweets when visiting her home. She wasn’t sure if he liked sweet pastries.
Now, seeing him eat one, she assumed he must like them. After all, who could force him to eat something he didn’t want? Mo Yan absentmindedly touched the jade bracelet on her wrist as thoughts of various sweet pastry recipes began to form in her mind. She didn’t notice that Xiao Ruiyuan, with a furrowed brow, was forcing himself to swallow the pastry.
The sweet and fragrant taste of the pastry was overwhelming. Just a small bite had completely ruined Xiao Ruiyuan’s appetite, and his throat felt uncomfortably sticky from the sweetness. He poured himself a cup of tea and, with a calm face, ate three more pieces of pastry, despite the disapproving looks from Yan Junyu and Chu Heng. He even gave a lukewarm compliment, saying, "Not bad."
The pastries at the New Year’s feast were mostly rushed out of the imperial kitchen overnight, so naturally, they weren’t as refined as usual. On the surface, they looked as delicate as ever, but the taste didn’t necessarily surpass those made by the pastry chefs in the minister's households.
This was something everyone in the hall was aware of. Therefore, at every year’s feast, the pastries were more for show, and no one would seriously taste them. While the ministers were fine with this, most of the ladies had a natural fondness for sweets.
However, in such a public setting, to avoid appearing greedy, the ladies rarely ate the pastries. Moreover, eating pastries often made them thirsty, which led to drinking more water. Drinking too much water meant frequent trips to the restroom, a very inappropriate behavior at such a grand event!
Thus, the pastries at large banquets, such as the New Year’s feast, were usually just for decoration. They were placed on the table during the event and then taken back down afterward, most likely eaten by the kitchen staff themselves.
Seeing Xiao Ruiyuan eating with gusto, many of the ministers and ladies who hadn’t had a chance to eat something to stave off their hunger suddenly felt hungry. The sixteenth prince was one of them.
He swallowed his saliva, decisively took a piece of pastry from the plate of the fifteenth prince, who was sitting next to him, and took a bite along with some warm tea. He nodded, impressed, and thought the taste wasn’t bad at all.
Most young children enjoyed sweets, and this was no exception.
Once someone started, others who had been holding back their hunger also began to help themselves to the pastries. But, to their misfortune, they found the pastries far too sweet, making their throats uncomfortable. The texture also wasn’t as delicate as the pastries from home. Soon, the entire hall was filled with the sound of people pouring water.
This only further confirmed to everyone that General Xiao’s taste was indeed unique!
Curious, Mo Yan also picked up a pastry and took a bite. However, her pastry was savory with pepper and salt, and the taste was just right—not too strong, not too weak. Though it wasn’t as good as the ones she made herself, she never liked to waste food. The pastries provided a nice way to pass the time, so she nibbled on them, unconsciously finishing three pieces.
Xiao Ruiyuan, who had been paying attention to Mo Yan the entire time, let out a barely noticeable smile. Suddenly, he didn’t think the pastry was so bad after all, and he ignored the slight discomfort in his throat.
[End of Chapter]
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