Ming Lingyi hadn’t actually said what kind of noodles she was making, but when Li Yan heard the word "noodles," the phrase "longevity noodles" subconsciously popped into his head.

He knew his expectations were a bit unrealistic. After all, he had never told Ming Lingyi that today was his birthday.

But he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope.

In the Eastern Palace, the ten-day Cold Food Festival was strictly observed. Even though the palace had its own small kitchen, he still had to follow the rules.

Back at the Imperial College, Li Yan had heard many of his classmates say their families would cook them a bowl of longevity noodles on their birthday.

The flavors varied from one family to another.

But the meaning was always the same—it was a good omen and a blessing from one’s family.

Li Yan had also heard many classmates complain in hushed tones about their mothers’ poor cooking skills, saying the longevity noodles were terrible. Whenever he heard such things, he was filled with immense envy.

He couldn’t say whether he was envious that others got to eat longevity noodles, or because those noodles were personally cooked by their mothers.

Either way, he had neither.

But now, hearing Ming Lingyi say she was making noodles for lunch, he felt as if a Chinese hwamei had been placed in his heart, joyfully fluttering its wings and singing.

Before Ming Lingyi could even give instructions, Xiao Chun had already headed to the back kitchen to prepare the noodle ingredients.

And Ming Lingyi was, in fact, planning to make longevity noodles.

The chicken broth had actually been simmering for a while. Ming Lingyi hadn’t expected Li Yan to show up today, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to make a bowl of longevity noodles.

Even if she couldn’t give it to her Little Bun personally, she still wanted to make it.

She just never imagined that heaven would grant her such a wonderful surprise today.

Hand-pulled noodles required patience. The single, long strand of the longevity noodle looked smooth and even. After being boiled, it was lifted out and placed into a porcelain bowl filled with chicken broth, its fragrant aroma filling the air.

Besides the noodles, Ming Lingyi also fried a small plate of crispy pork. Coated in egg wash and flour, the crispy pork had a crunchy, fragrant, and delicious shell, good enough to be eaten as a snack.

Li Yan and Jianzhen, who had thought they were already full, couldn’t help but stretch their necks and lick their lips as they sat in their seats, taking in the aroma.

’It smells so good!’

When the food was served, Ming Lingyi and Xiao Chun each took one of the boys to the sink in the backyard to wash their hands.

When Li Yan came to the table, Jianzhen remained standing on the ground, hesitating to sit.

Living outside the palace, Ming Lingyi had long since stopped caring for so many formalities. Besides, Yu Yi and Yanxia, who were with her back then, were practically sisters to her. She wasn’t one for strict rules.

"Come sit and eat with us," Ming Lingyi said.

Jianzhen glanced toward Li Yan. He knew this was highly improper.

"Sister Ming told you to come up, so come up," Li Yan said.

He had learned her surname yesterday.

When Ming Lingyi heard him say "Sister Ming," she almost burst out laughing.

However, in her current appearance, she looked like an unmarried young woman in the prime of her youth. The title "Sister" didn’t seem out of place.

The rich aroma of chicken broth had long made Li Yan’s mouth water. He eagerly picked up his chopsticks and was just about to take a big slurp of noodles when his hand suddenly paused.

The four bowls of noodles on the table seemed identical, aside from the different sizes of the porcelain bowls. They all contained noodles in chicken broth, which was a brilliant yellow and topped with an alluring layer of glistening oil.

But just now, as Li Yan lowered his chopsticks, he felt something underneath the noodles.

He looked up and saw that the other three at the table were already eating their noodles without anything being out of the ordinary. He lowered his head again and saw the fried egg his chopsticks had lifted from the bottom of his bowl.

There was a folk custom that on a child’s birthday, a fried egg should be hidden at the bottom of the longevity noodles.

A fried egg hidden in longevity noodles represented hidden blessings and was also a surprise.

Li Yan was indeed very surprised. The joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He took a bite of the fried egg, and the golden, runny yolk immediately flowed out. Mixed with the rich chicken broth, it wasn’t gamey at all; in fact, it was incredibly savory.

A look of pure satisfaction spread across Li Yan’s face.

When he lifted the noodles again, he paused, realizing that the noodle in his bowl seemed to have no end.

A whole bowl made from a single noodle. He knew this was a very common "little dish" that almost everyone had eaten since childhood. But he alone had never had it, and no one had ever personally made such noodles for him.

’These are longevity noodles.’

But it seemed no one else at the table had noticed anything unusual about the noodles.

’Is this a coincidence?’

Just as Li Yan’s mind became a tangled mess, he suddenly met Ming Lingyi’s gaze.

She smiled, her eyes curving. He wasn’t sure if it was a hallucination, but he felt that her smile was exceptionally gentle. For a fleeting moment, he thought the person before him bore a striking resemblance to the woman in the portrait he had once seen in his Imperial Father’s study.

Like they were the same person.

Li Yan quickly lowered his head. He felt his eyes begin to itch.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, he loved it.

Even if this was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.

After the meal, no matter how much Li Yan wanted to stay with Ming Lingyi, he had to prepare to leave. He had only used an excuse to get out today and had to return to the palace. If he was out for too long, Aunt Yanxia and the others would become suspicious.

Ming Lingyi walked them to the door. Li Yan and Jianzhen stood outside the threshold and gave Ming Lingyi a proper bow.

"Thank you for your hospitality today, Sister Ming. When I have the chance, I will treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

Ming Lingyi chuckled but didn’t dismiss his words as childish banter, replying with a sincere promise. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She watched the two little buns and Xiao Chun depart before turning back inside, ready to do some dusting for the upcoming New Year.

Just as Ming Lingyi turned around, two rhythmic knocks sounded at the door. KNOCK KNOCK.

"Who is it?" Ming Lingyi turned back. She was in an excellent mood, and a faint, gentle smile graced her face.

But when Ming Lingyi saw who it was, the smile on her face froze.

For a moment, she couldn’t process it.

In contrast, Yu Yi, who had been waiting outside for a long time, had eagerly come over the moment she saw His Highness leave. The instant she saw the figure inside the humble little shop, tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

"My Lady—"

Yu Yi’s voice was choked with sobs.

In truth, Ming Lingyi didn’t look exactly like Ming Yao. But having occupied this body for a long time, her appearance seemed to have undergone subtle changes. People who saw her every day would naturally find it hard to notice, but this was Yu Yi’s first time seeing her. To her, the person standing before her perfectly overlapped with the image of her lady from her memories.