’Was he storming off just because he saw Zhang Hu?’

Ming Lingyi: "You were already here. Why did you turn around and leave?"

She didn’t answer Li Yan’s previous question.

Li Yan took another bite of the honey-roasted sweet potato. The rich, sweet aroma enveloped him, and he gradually calmed down. Thinking back to his childish behavior just now, Li Yan couldn’t help but feel his face flush.

’How mortifying!’

He avoided Ming Lingyi’s gaze, but he was terrible at lying.

Stammering and halting, Li Yan still answered honestly—

"Hmph. I... I was just... a little upset."

If Li Yan had made up some other excuse, Ming Lingyi might not have gotten angry at all.

She had already discovered that although the Little Bun was so small, he had an incredibly strong sense of pride. He was reserved and afraid of losing face, yet he was also tentatively trying to get closer to her.

But Li Yan hadn’t lied. His single, conflicted, and hesitant reply made it feel as if a soft rain had started to fall in Ming Lingyi’s heart.

A steady, endless drizzle that left it feeling thoroughly damp inside.

"I’m sorry." Ming Lingyi stroked Li Yan’s head.

"I let you get the wrong idea," she added.

Li Yan had originally wanted to dodge her hand, but her touch was so gentle that he couldn’t bring himself to. Lingering in the warmth of the gesture, he sat perfectly still, letting Ming Lingyi do as she pleased with his hair.

He looked up at Ming Lingyi, his eyes filled with confusion.

"That’s Little Hu Zi, the neighbor’s child. As for my own..." Ming Lingyi paused deliberately and saw the little cub beneath her palm immediately prick up his ears, a flicker of vigilance even appearing in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but find it hilarious.

"Isn’t he right here?" Having dangled the bait long enough, Ming Lingyi finally said with a grin.

Li Yan: "...How audacious."

Once he realized what she meant, he couldn’t help but feel a little thrilled inside, but he still had to go through the motions of protesting. This was highly improper, after all.

Jianzhen, who had been silent at the side, widened his eyes when he heard what Ming Lingyi said. He thought she was being incredibly bold.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’she doesn’t know our master’s identity, so maybe... maybe it’s fine? Besides, this roasted sweet potato is just too delicious! I’ve already eaten two. They’re so warm, they’ve completely shut me up!’

He suddenly understood why His Highness had insisted on finding Miss Ming today!

If it were him, he’d come too, just for a warm bite in the dead of winter!

After saying his piece about her audacity, Li Yan went back to "battling" the sweet potato in his hands.

It was as if a weight had been lifted from his heart, and he felt so light he could fly.

Even the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously.

’This is nice.’

’She doesn’t have a child of her own,’ he thought.

’And this sweet potato is delicious!’

"...Wait a minute. Why are you roasting something like this at home? Don’t you know... don’t you know that for the ten days before the New Year, we’re supposed to eat cold food?" Li Yan finally realized something was amiss. He tilted his head, looking at the woman beside him with a complicated expression.

He felt that breaking the rules was a very serious matter, but... this roasted sweet potato was just so good!

’What a dilemma!’

Ming Lingyi: "Well, Young Master, do you think it’s truly right to eat cold food in the dead of winter?"

What Ming Lingyi really wanted to say was, ’Did the person who made this rule really make a good one? Is there something wrong with the mind of the ruler who established it?’

But considering her current status and the danger of speaking out of turn, Ming Lingyi chose a more tactful approach.

Although her "tactful" approach wasn’t very tactful at all, causing both Li Yan and Jianzhen to stare at her with wide, disapproving eyes on their young faces.

Li Yan pressed his lips together, his feelings in turmoil.

Even if he hadn’t known before, he understood now that this decree from the Imperial City was something his Imperial Father had stubbornly pushed through against all opposition.

It was originally meant to mourn his Empress Mother. He had never seen anything wrong with it before; even the Grand Tutor had never questioned him about whether it was right or wrong. But now, faced with Ming Lingyi’s question, Li Yan felt a little uncertain.

"’There is a saying in the *Zuo Zhuan·Ai Guo Yuan Nian*: ’When a state is to flourish, it treats its people as if they were wounded; when it is to perish, it treats its people as dust and weeds.’ Mozi also said, ’The work of a benevolent person is to seek to promote the benefits of the world and eliminate its harms,’" Ming Lingyi recited casually. "The weather is freezing in the twelfth lunar month. The common folk don’t have the means for heated floors, and even charcoal braziers must be used sparingly. Going without hot food is an unbearable hardship for many families."

Her words made her stance clear: she thought this method of mourning was an utterly foolish move.

Ming Lingyi even suspected that bastard Li Yun was deliberately trying to get people to curse her.

’Did I ever agree to this?! To be mourned with such a stupid method?’

Li Yan: "...!"

For a moment, he couldn’t find any reason to refute her. In fact, he was even faintly convinced by her words.

Meanwhile, Jianzhen’s eyes were wide. He had originally thought the shop owner was just an ordinary merchant, but it seemed she was actually quite formidable.

’Her tone is just like one of those scholars.’

Xiao Chun, on the other hand, wasn’t too surprised. She believed her lady was "well-read and scholarly" to begin with. If not for the sudden misfortune that had befallen their family, she could have easily earned the title of a "talented lady"!

If Ming Lingyi knew of the high hopes Xiao Chun held for her, she would have blushed with shame.

’Not to that extent, not at all...’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Although Li Yan was somewhat convinced by Ming Lingyi, he had lived under imperial authority his entire life. He knew that no one could refute his Imperial Father’s words, nor could they be wrong.

"But, this is Father... the Emperor’s command," Li Yan said in a small voice.

His gaze toward Ming Lingyi was tinged with worry. "You can’t say things like that outside." For such a little person, he certainly had a lot to worry about!

"It’s an offense punishable by beheading!" Li Yan added.

Ming Lingyi nodded as if she had been duly chastised. She found his worried expression incredibly endearing. She figured that if she didn’t agree with him now, the Little Bun would have a hard time resting easy even after he returned to his residence.

Seeing this, Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he thought for a moment, leaned close to Ming Lingyi’s ear, and whispered, "Actually, what you said makes a lot of sense! But let’s just think it secretly, okay?"

He respected his Imperial Father, but he also liked Miss Ming very much. He didn’t want Ming Lingyi to think he didn’t agree with her.

’If it’s a secret, his Imperial Father won’t find out, right?’

Hearing this, Ming Lingyi laughed out loud.

Li Yan looked at Ming Lingyi, a little baffled, not understanding what she was laughing about.

Ming Lingyi was laughing at her Little Bun. He was truly a master of keeping everyone happy!

But then she thought of the Little Bun’s cautious expression from just a moment ago, and her heart softened. She could feel that her Little Huachao wanted to be close to her and didn’t want anything to create a rift between them.

Ming Lingyi didn’t know if this could be considered a mother’s natural instinct, that even though she had never personally held the Little Bun before, he was still unconsciously drawn to her.

"Stay for lunch," Ming Lingyi said, smiling at Li Yan. "Even though I haven’t prepared, a bowl of longevity noodles isn’t complicated for me. I’ll make you something delicious."

Li Yan seemed uninterested. He had just eaten a roasted sweet potato, and his little belly was already round and full. He wasn’t very hungry.

"What are we eating?" he asked.

Ming Lingyi: "Noodles."

Li Yan, who had been completely nonchalant a moment ago, suddenly turned his head and stared at Ming Lingyi in a daze.

He felt his heart begin to beat a little faster.