Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Domineering Possessiveness

When Ming Lingyi heard his words, thick with the sound of crying, she felt a pang of pity, yet also found it somewhat amusing.

Such a self-righteous accusation that she didn’t care about him didn’t come across as annoying or demanding; instead, it felt strangely natural.

Ming Lingyi sighed internally. "Weren’t you the one who wouldn’t talk to me? Why are you blaming me now?"

Li Yan: "..."

Her words seemed sound enough, but he just wanted Ming Lingyi to soothe him a little more.

’But... but why should she?’

"...Your shop is too small!" After holding it in for ages, he finally found a reason that didn’t sound completely shameless, though it still came across as rather roguish.

’If the Grand Tutor heard such a nonsensical, pestering excuse, he would surely be disappointed in me.’

"One must not deceive a child, and a child should not be dressed in furs and finery."

Li Yan still remembered his tutor’s lesson, recited to him not long ago.

’Even if one is young, one must still know the rules and understand reason.’

But Ming Lingyi was not the Crown Prince’s Tutor.

When Ming Lingyi heard this, she couldn’t help but laugh.

"Alright," she said. "Will you stop being angry now?"

As she spoke, as if performing a magic trick, she suddenly produced something with a dark, scorched-looking surface.

It was unremarkable in appearance, but it gave off a tantalizingly sweet aroma.

"This is an apology gift for you. How about you turn around and take a look?" Ming Lingyi coaxed gently.

Li Yan finally stopped sobbing. It was hard to say if it was because of Ming Lingyi’s words, or because he felt a little embarrassed and was forcing himself not to cry anymore.

The moment he turned around, his attention was captured by the object in Ming Lingyi’s hand. But he only glanced at it before pressing his lips together, putting on an air of feigned composure. It was just that his red-rimmed eyes and nose made him look both cute and pitiful.

"...Alright." His tone was clearly reluctant, but Li Yan considered himself a magnanimous person. Since he’d been given an out, he decided to take it.

Ming Lingyi chuckled, then motioned for Xiao Chun to bring over some water. She personally wiped the face of the Little Bun before her.

Li Yan had wanted to do it himself, but in the palace, he was a young master who was always waited on. He made a complete mess of trying to wring out the cloth. In the end, Ming Lingyi caught his little paws, and he had to let go sheepishly, his ears turning red.

This time, his blush wasn’t from feeling wronged or angry, but from sheer embarrassment.

Normally, when Aunt Yu Yi and Aunt Yanxia wiped his face, he never thought anything of it. But now, he felt strangely embarrassed.

Ming Lingyi soothed the ruffled little cub and wiped his chubby face clean. Then, she broke open the roasted sweet potato. She had bought the honey-sweet variety with a red, syrupy center, which had been roasted thoroughly over a wood fire. The moment she broke it apart, the sweet potato’s natural "honey" looked like it was about to ooze out.

The sweet fragrance filled the entire shop.

Li Yan had never seen such a thing before. The Imperial Chefs in the palace would never dare serve something so "unpresentable," a commoner’s food, to the Crown Prince.

He watched with curiosity, yet hesitated to reach out and take it.

"What is this?" the Little Bun asked with great seriousness.

Ming Lingyi: "Something delicious. A sweet potato. Want to try it?"

Nearby, Jianzhen couldn’t help but gulp. He knew he was supposed to be dissuading his master. The thing looked rather unsanitary; he had just seen the woman pull it out from the ashes of a wood fire with his own eyes. It was utterly "filthy."

But...

It smelled so good!

Unbelievably good!

Jianzhen felt he was not a qualified personal little eunuch. ’I really want to eat it!’

Ming Lingyi guessed that Li Yan had probably never eaten a roasted sweet potato before. She sighed. Perhaps it was because of her childhood asthma that her family had raised her with such delicate care. As a result, when she first went to the Great Desert, she couldn’t acclimate to the new environment and was bedridden for a long time. Later, after they were engaged, Li Yun had shown her a world completely different from the one she knew. He had taken her to the food stalls lining the streets and alleys. Only then did she realize that in her decade and more spent in the confines of her maiden chambers, her view of the world and her understanding of it had been so very limited.

The world’s many sights were not reserved for the rich and powerful alone. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The hustle and bustle of the common folk was its own kind of intoxicating scenery.

The same was true even for food.

If one spent a lifetime seeing only the refined dishes of the palace and the great noble houses, one would miss out on countless humble delicacies from the world of common folk.

How was that not a loss, a regret?

Ming Lingyi had resented Li Yun for many things, but for this one thing—that he had taken her to see so many different sights of the world—she was deeply grateful.

If Li Yun hadn’t led her out of the "square well" of her sheltered youth, she would have found it difficult to realize how vast the world outside truly was. It also would have been much harder, after being reborn, to so quickly and calmly accept her new identity as the daughter of a minor merchant, one who even had to shoulder the burden of her family’s "honor."

She first took a bite in front of Li Yan, while Xiao Chun, beside her, was already starting on her second one.

Li Yan awkwardly took the sweet potato from Ming Lingyi’s hand and took a big "CHOMP."

The next moment, his wide eyes grew even wider.

So sweet!

His tongue felt as if it were enveloped in caramel. A rich fragrance spread across his taste buds, masterfully conquering his entire mouth. The dense, golden-red flesh, carrying a gentle warmth, traveled down his throat and into his stomach, a single bite seeming to warm his entire body.

Steam curled from his lips—truly the taste of the mortal world.

After two more bites, Li Yan couldn’t help but lift his head and look around.

Ming Lingyi teased him, "What are you looking for?"

"Where is he?" Li Yan pressed his little lips together, but asked anyway.

Ming Lingyi hadn’t expected Li Yan was actually looking for someone. Hearing his question, she was a bit baffled.

"Hm? Who?" Ming Lingyi asked.

Li Yan didn’t dare meet Ming Lingyi’s gaze. ’What if she notices how petty I’m being? What if she starts to dislike me?’

He still really liked her plum blossom cakes, and he liked this roasted sweet potato too. For now, just for now, he didn’t want to be chased away. Li Yan made an excuse for himself in his heart.

"That... that kid of yours," Li Yan said. He tried to sound nonchalant, but failed rather miserably. "I saw him. Just have him come out. This young master doesn’t mind."

It took Ming Lingyi a moment to react before she realized who this "kid of hers" the little bun was talking about.

Connecting this to how the Little Bun had been standing with his back to her shop, crying secretly, Ming Lingyi suddenly understood why Li Yan had come all the way to her shop but hadn’t entered, and why he had looked so aggrieved.

It really was a misunderstanding.

However...

Ming Lingyi thought for a moment. ’Isn’t this Little Bun a bit too possessive?’