156 Spirit in Heaven
Xiao Juan returned quickly.
He changed into rough clothes and put away the saber at his waist. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong and muscular forearms. He wore a bamboo hat on his head and carried a bamboo basket on his back.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary farmer who had come into the city to shop.
He raised his hand to lower his bamboo hat, covering most of his handsome face.
She wouldn’t have recognized him unless she looked closely.
Yu Niaoniao circled him and clicked her tongue in wonder.
“You’re quite fast at changing clothes.”
Xiao Juan explained, “There are Eagle Guards spies nearby. I borrowed some clothes from them.”
His disguise proved very successful.
This time, no one noticed Xiao Juan. He silently followed behind Yu Niaoniao and watched her bargain with others and help her carry her things.
They were in luck today. Someone in West City sold beef.
The Dayan Dynasty explicitly forbade the killing of cows, but there were also exceptions. For example, if some cows died from serious injuries, they could be sold after obtaining the approval of the government.
Beef was expensive, and it was rare. There were many people who were willing to spend money on meat.
The meat stall was crowded with people.
Yu Niaoniao also wanted to squeeze in, but she was stopped by Xiao Juan.
‘You stand here. I’ll go.’
He shoved the basket into Yu Niaoniao’s arms and squeezed into the crowd.
Yu Niaoniao shouted toward him.
“Remember to buy tendons!”
There were a lot of people buying meat, and none of them had any intention of queuing up. Everyone squeezed forward. In any case, whoever was stronger could squeeze to the front.
Yu Niaoniao hugged the bamboo basket and stood on tiptoe, stretching her neck to look into the crowd.
At this moment, a woman with a flower basket leaned over and asked eagerly.
“Young lady, do you want to buy flowers? Look at how beautiful my flowers are. You can buy two for a copper coin. Do you want to buy two for your lover?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “How did you know I had a lover?”
The woman pouted in the direction of the crowd. “I saw it just now. Your lover asked you to wait here. He went ahead to buy meat.”
Towards the end, she could not help but smile ambiguously.
“Tell me the truth. Did you go out with your lover in private?”
Yu Niaoniao was puzzled. “A private meeting?”
The woman winked.
“I saw it just now. Your man is wearing rough clothes. It’s obvious that he came from a peasant background, but you’re dressed like a young lady. You must be from a rich family. Your family definitely won’t agree to let you marry a peasant. If you want to meet your lover, won’t you have to meet him in private?”
Yu Niaoniao did not expect the woman to have imagined so much in such a short period of time.
She saw that the bamboo basket the woman was carrying was filled with peonies.
Those flowers bloomed beautifully and had the effect of lifting moods.
It just so happened that Madam Xie liked peony flowers the most when she was alive.
Yu Niaoniao said, “How much is it? I want it all.”
The woman did not expect that her casual conversation would attract big business. She said happily.
“There’s a total of thirty flowers here. They’re supposed to sell for fifteen copper coins. If you buy a lot, that’s twelve copper coins.”
Yu Niaoniao counted twelve copper coins from her purse and handed them over.
The woman placed the peony in her bamboo basket.
The business was done. Logically speaking, the woman should have left, but she could not help but say a few more words.
“Young lady, don’t blame me for being nosy. A woman’s marriage is equivalent to her second reincarnation. You have to open your eyes and consider carefully. Your lover’s background is low and doesn’t match your family. If you marry him, your life in the future will definitely be difficult. Look at your delicate skin and tender flesh. You might not be able to withstand such hardship.”
Yu Niaoniao blinked. “But he’s good-looking.”
The woman sighed. “You silly girl, can good looks be eaten? If you marry him in the future, you’ll have to eat lettuce with him and work in the fields with him. You’ll have to do everything. Are you sure you want to live like that?”
Yu Niaoniao said seriously, “But he’s really good-looking.”
The woman looked at her as if she was an innocent little girl who had been deceived.
“Why don’t you understand? The most important thing for a man is to be able to support his family. If he can’t even support you, he can’t have you no matter how beautiful you are!”
Yu Niaoniao said, “I understand what you’re saying, but he’s really too good-looking.”
The woman said nothing.
She sighed weakly. “Why are you so obsessed?”
A deep voice suddenly spoke.
“What are you talking about?”
Yu Niaoniao and the woman looked in the direction of the voice at the same time.
They saw Xiao Juan walking over.
As there were too many people buying beef, the bamboo hat on Xiao Juan’s head fell off. At this moment, he was holding the bamboo hat in one hand and a piece of fresh beef in the other.
His handsome face was completely exposed to the sun.
The woman’s eyes widened.
She had seen good-looking men before, but not as good-looking as this!
At this moment, she finally understood why Yu Niaoniao was so stubborn.
If it were her, she would also be stubborn in the face of such a good-looking lover!
Yu Niaoniao said, “I bought some flowers from this big sister. Do they look good?”
She handed the peonies in the bamboo basket forward.
Xiao Juan replied calmly, “Yes.”
He carried the bamboo basket on his back and asked Yu Niaoniao what else she wanted to buy.
Yu Niaoniao shook her head. “There’s nothing else to buy.”
Xiao Juan said, “Then let’s go back.”
“Yes!”
Yu Niaoniao waved at the woman selling flowers. “Goodbye.”
The woman could not help but say when she saw that they were handsome and beautiful.
“I wish you happiness!”
Yu Niaoniao smiled.
After the two of them left West City, Xiao Juan returned to the carriage to change.
They returned to the Langjun Imperial Palace.
Yu Niaoniao immediately rolled up her sleeves and started working.
She first had a chicken killed, washed and cut into pieces, and placed them in an empty coconut. She added cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and ginger, then poured in coconut juice and covered it.
She then placed the coconut and chicken into the pot and steamed them with water.
Then, Yu Niaoniao made a coconut cake.
Dang Gui tasted a piece and immediately announced.
“From now on, coconuts will be my favorite fruit in life!”
It could yield juice, and pulp, and make candy, pastries, and dishes.
There were so many ways to eat it. It was simply the favorite of foodies!
Yu Niaoniao washed the beef she had bought this afternoon and cut it into thin slices. She sprinkled salt on them evenly and placed them near the stove. She dried them with the remaining warmth of the firewood and placed them on the steamer.
Dang Gui asked as she fanned the fire.
“Are you making lamp shadow beef, Miss?”
In the past, she had seen Miss make this food and knew how it was made.
Yu Niaoniao replied, “Yes.”
Madam Xie loved to eat lamp shadow beef when she was alive, but because beef was very difficult to buy, it was difficult for her to eat it all year round.
Tomorrow, Yu Niaoniao would go to the Ten Thousand Dharma Temple to light the eternal lamp for Madam Xie. She wanted to make some of Madam Xie’s favorite food to comfort her soul in heaven.
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