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Chapter 138: Cherry Treats
Chapter 138: Cherry Treats
Suisui assured them that she was fine, which put everyone's minds at ease.
After all the excitement, the children were tired.
Ying Ningzhi whined that he was thirsty, and as soon as Su Xiang heard that, he said he wanted a drink too.
They were fine before, but now that they mentioned it, Suisui felt a bit parched as well.
The children returned, chattering noisily, and Qiu Gugu had already prepared refreshments for them.
Suisui was led by Ying Zhi on her left and Liu Hemeng on her right, the three little girls returning happily together.
Ying Junzhi followed with his brothers in tow, like loyal and dependable knights.
Once inside, Qiu Gugu directed them to a table to enjoy their snacks.
"The cherries from the estate ripened early this year," she said. "They've just turned red and might still be a bit sour, so the kitchen cooked them with milk and added osmanthus honey and crushed walnuts. Come, give it a try, young masters and mistresses. If it's still too sour for your taste, there's some sugar on the side that you can add."
"As for snacks, we have lotus pastries, pickled plums, and candied walnuts."
...
As Qiu Gugu led them to their refreshments, she also briefed them on what was prepared for the day.
With the Grand Princess and her entourage expected to arrive, the kitchen staff had been busy preparing since early morning.
And it wasn't just here—the classroom where the Feng brothers were still studying had also received similar treatment.
At this moment, the Feng brothers were still unaware that their house might be robbed while they were away at class.
Ying Zhi had already started whispering in Suisui's ear: "Suisui, do you want to come back to my mansion with me? It's so much fun there. You can hug me and sleep with me, and I'll share my clothes and toys with you. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Liu Hemeng also had thoughts of kidnapping Suisui, but knowing a bit about her situation, she hesitated to say more.
After some thought, she decided to restrain herself.
She recalled what her grandfather had said—she was here to accompany Suisui, not take her away.
The princes from the royal palace were not to be trifled with.
Unlike Ying Zhi, who had several older brothers to back her up in case of a confrontation, she couldn't afford to be so bold.
As for her own brother...
Just thinking about him made Liu Hemeng's head hurt.
He was a formidable opponent when they fought.
But when they went out, he behaved like a perfect gentleman.
What a headache!
Today's refreshments were something Suisui had never seen before.
Cherries.
They were grown in Qingzhou as well, just not in Suisui's village.
The cherries were almost ripe, but not quite in season yet.
They had to be carefully selected from the trees, choosing only those kissed by the sun.
Even so, they were still a bit tart, not yet at their peak of sweetness when the sour and sweet flavors would be perfectly balanced.
Noticing Suisui's curious gaze fixed on the bowl, Ying Zhi leaned in and asked, "What is it? Do you see gold in there?"
Suisui, unfazed by the teasing, pouted and softly replied, "Little red fruits."
The cherries had been pitted and cooked with processed milk. After bringing the mixture to a boil, it was allowed to cool slightly before adding osmanthus honey and crushed walnuts.
Now, the cherries floated in the liquid, looking absolutely mouthwatering.
Hearing Suisui's description, Ying Zhi nodded. "Yes, these are probably the early-ripening variety. They need careful tending to mature properly. My father said it's not easy to grow them here in the capital because of the colder climate. If we were further south, in Qingzhou or Xinzhou, we'd probably be enjoying them freely by now."
After speaking, Ying Zhi tilted her head, a thought occurring to her. "Come to think of it, were the cherries ripe around this time last year?"
The cherry trees in Young Prince Qi's estate have borne fruit, so the ones back home should be ripe too, right?"
She quite liked eating them.
"I'll ask Mother and the others if they're ripe when I return to the manor today.
I want to go to the estate and pick some cherries!" As Yingzhi thought about it, she met Suisi's confused gaze, and she smiled, pushing aside the jumble of thoughts in her mind as she continued, "This batch is a bright vermilion, but they're not actually the best ones. I prefer the wax cherries; that batch has tender skin and is sweeter. They taste great even without cooking, and if you candy them and then rinse them with tea... Ah, they're delicious!"
Her description was so vivid that Suisi couldn't help but start drooling.
Not wanting her drool to be visible, Suisi quickly lowered her head and took a sip of the day's drink.
Actually, calling it a drink wasn't quite right, as there was no base tea today; it was simply a fruit beverage.
Upon sipping, the subtle sweetness of osmanthus honey filled her mouth, and only after this drink had wandered through her lips and teeth did Suisi perceive the sour-sweet flavor with a slight hint of astringency that belonged to cherries.
Because the cherries had just ripened, there was still a hint of tartness.
However, this hint of tartness was quickly overwhelmed by the osmanthus honey, transforming into a mouthwatering sour-sweet flavor.
It left one anticipating more.
The walnuts had been roasted and then crushed, and when sprinkled into the drink, they carried with them the fragrance of milk and the sweetness of cherries as they wandered capriciously in the mouth, providing a delightful sensory experience that was both sweet and fragrant.
Suisi had originally sipped out of greed.
But after drinking, the beautiful roundness of her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Sister, this is delicious!"
The little girl's eyes widened, making her look even more like a little fox.
Yingzhi could hardly control her hands.
She thought: When I return to the mansion today, I'll ask Mother if she has time to give me another little sister.
Yingzhi didn't think Suisi was inadequate in any way; it was just that...
Her brothers were really useless, and she estimated that they wouldn't be able to beat these young masters from the Qiwang Manor.
So, if they couldn't win in a fight, what could she do? She could only think of a way herself, and that was to have another sibling!
However, it would take time for Mother to have another child...
How long would it take for that child to grow to Suisi's age?
And would that child be as adorable as Suisi? With these thoughts in mind, Yingzhi became uncertain.
Liu Hemeng, on the other hand, didn't have as much of a burden, and she sat quietly next to Suisi. After thanking Aunt Qiu, she first tasted the drink, and it was indeed very good.
However, Liu Hemeng's family background wasn't bad either, and these kinds of treats were, for her, seasonal snacks that she often ate. As a result, she didn't find them novel.
Compared to enjoying delicious food herself, Liu Hemeng was more inclined to feed her little sister.
Without even glancing at Yingzhi's covetous eyes, she had already prepared to pick up a lotus pastry.
Liu Hemeng felt that she couldn't fall behind!
She set her sights on the candied walnuts, intending to pick some for Suisi!
As the children ate and drank, the adults also chatted about the previous explosion.
It was because the Grand Princess and her entourage had brought up this topic that the Princess Consort of Qi finally asked tentatively, "So, will you still let Junzhi research these things in the future?"
Since he was little, Ying Junzhi had always been interested in fireworks and such.
His talent wasn't bad, and he had a good memory.
It was just that these things had poor stability, and there were quite a few points to pay attention to when storing them.
If one wasn't careful, it could easily explode halfway through like it had before.
The Princess Consort of Qi remembered that the Grand Princess had previously been unwilling to let Ying Junzhi research these things.
It was just that later, because the children liked them, she had had no choice but to compromise.
Now that they had exploded like this, would they still let the children continue their research?
(End of Chapter)
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