Chapter 43: Chapter 43: A Five-Year-Old Is Already an Adult

"I don’t know... How about we get a bowl?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two of them found the only remaining spot in the restaurant, each sitting on half of the bench. "Miss Xiao Chun, we’d like two bowls of Golden Jiji Qiong Ban over here."

"Coming right up!"

Xiao Chun had heard the argument among the Imperial College students outside. She was about to go out and confront them. ’On what grounds could they say her young miss’s noodles were no good? They haven’t even tried them, so how can they just spout such nonsense?’

But she was stopped by Ming Lingyi.

"What are you going to do?"

"They’re talking nonsense!" Xiao Chun said angrily. "Everything... Everything Miss Ming makes is delicious..."

Ming Lingyi placed a hand on her forehead, looking at Xiao Chun with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She wasn’t angry at all; she just found it amusing how thick Xiao Chun’s rose-colored glasses were when it came to her.

"Some people will like it, and some won’t. Taste is a very personal thing. Why do you need others to validate your own preferences?" Ming Lingyi said as she scooped noodles out of the pot. She then set a bowl down, her movements pausing. "Besides, you just yelled for all those people to come eat noodles. Now, look for yourself."

The water in the noodle pot was no longer boiling. Ming Lingyi had closed the iron door of the stove below, cutting off the air supply. The firewood inside naturally stopped burning, and the water in the pot grew still.

It was only then that Xiao Chun seemed to notice the situation. She asked in surprise, "Are the noodles all gone?"

She had clearly made a lot this afternoon.

Ming Lingyi chuckled. "Yes, they’re all sold out. So, you don’t need to go outside and hawk our wares anymore."

The shop she had bought was truly not large; in total, it could barely squeeze in twenty to thirty people.

When she first opened the shop, Ming Lingyi hadn’t been that ambitious. She had originally planned to just make enough to get by, supporting herself with her skills. So, after cooking all the dough Xiao Chun had kneaded today, she was planning to close up shop!

How could a person spend all their time working and making money? ’It wasn’t easy to get a second chance at life; I should be savoring these days of free and easy breathing.’

Xiao Chun blinked, then nodded emphatically. She carried the last few bowls of noodles out, looking thoughtful.

The chubby student from Yizhai and his classmate, who was similarly built like a small mountain, were squeezed onto a single bench, and their rears felt exceptionally uncomfortable.

But soon, when Xiao Chun emerged from the back kitchen, their attention was no longer on their rears, but fixed on her hands.

Well, the hands carrying the noodles.

The moment Xiao Chun placed the noodle bowls on the table, the two chubby fellows picked them up.

They took a taste. Then, as if their chopsticks had a mind of their own, they grabbed a huge mouthful and stuffed it into their mouths.

CHEW CHEW CHEW. ’Delicious.’

Another bite.

CHEW CHEW CHEW. ’It smells amazing!’

’What is this sauce? I can’t quite place it.’ Another bite. CHEW CHEW CHEW.

The students from Yizhai, as well as C Hall and D Hall, were all waiting for the two chubby guys to give their verdict on the flavor. Instead, the crowd just watched as Shangguan Jun and Qiao Ming inhaled their food like a storm.

Never underestimate the speed at which a chubby person can eat.

"Hic~" Shangguan Jun put down his bowl and glanced at the complimentary side dish of boiled greens. As if he had suddenly discovered a treasure, he picked up a vegetable leaf with his chopsticks. Then, everyone watched as this young master, who still wore a longevity lock made of red gold around his neck, meticulously used the green leaf to wipe up every last bit of the earthy-gold sauce from his empty noodle bowl. He then popped it into his mouth, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Everyone: "..."

’It... it can’t be that good, can it?’

"Is it really that good?" someone in the crowd asked.

Shangguan Jun gave a thumbs-up, his small eyes squinting. "The best in Shangjing!"

"Really?"

Nearby, many of the Class A students who had already finished eating sneered when they heard this. "Of course it’s good. You lot were the ones spouting nonsense just now without even tasting Boss Ming’s cooking. Did all your studies of the classics go to the dogs?"

"..."

Although they had just been rebuked by the students from Class A, at least those who hadn’t eaten the Golden Jiji Qiong Ban now knew that Zhang Zhidong and the others hadn’t been putting on a show. One of their own had now confirmed that this Golden Jiji Qiong Ban was indeed delicious. It was already mealtime, and many of their stomachs were rumbling with hunger.

Seeing the Class A students finishing up, they couldn’t help but urge, "Why aren’t you leaving after you’ve finished eating? Miss Xiao Chun, I want a bowl of noodles."

"Me too."

"Two bowls over here as well."

Ming’s Restaurant became bustling once more.

Xiao Chun’s face was cold. She hadn’t forgotten the smug looks on these people’s faces just a moment ago. She wasn’t her young miss; she held a grudge.

Therefore, Xiao Chun didn’t have a pleasant expression for the students now shouting for Golden Jiji Qiong Ban.

"You’re too late. Our restaurant’s Golden Jiji Qiong Ban is sold out for today. If you gentlemen wish to eat, please come back earlier tomorrow. Otherwise..."

Xiao Chun didn’t finish her sentence, only offering a small smile. ’Her young miss’s cooking is so good, and the daily portions aren’t that large. It’s definitely first come, first served. It’s going to be in high demand!’

The students, who had been clamoring to order just a moment ago, were instantly dumbfounded.

"What? It’s all gone? How is that possible?"

Xiao Chun’s expression didn’t change. "Our humble shop is short-staffed, so we have a limited daily supply."

"You won’t even take our silver when it’s offered!"

Xiao Chun: "..."

Meanwhile, the students from Class A who had already finished eating burst out laughing, gloating at the others’ misfortune.

"What do you call this? ’Why so arrogant before, and so humble now?’"

"No, no, no, this should be called, ’Yesterday you cast me aside like dirt; today you gaze upon me as if I were a cloud in the heavens.’ HAHAHAHA!"

Amid the roaring laughter of the Class A students, the students from the other three halls flushed red with embarrassment.

As for Shangguan Jun and Qiao Ming, who were still seated, they couldn’t help but rub their stomachs. They glanced at each other, and both saw the same thought reflected in their small eyes—

’I really want another bowl!’

Meanwhile, in the backyard of Ming’s Restaurant, the very Golden Jiji Qiong Ban that the students in the front yard were practically raising the roof over was now in Li Yan’s hands.

Li Yan had taken a carriage to Huaidei Fang today specifically for this.

However, using the excuse that his classmates from the Imperial College were all there, he ordered Cheng Yi to wait outside while he himself entered Ming’s Restaurant with Jianzhen, who had met Ming Lingyi before.

While the Imperial College students used the main entrance of the shop, Li Yan and Jianzhen came in directly through the backyard.

"Mother!" Li Yan called out cheerfully the moment he saw Ming Lingyi.

He actually wanted to run forward and hug her, but the etiquette and upbringing he’d had since birth made him stand in place and greet her properly. Especially after returning to the palace last time; whenever he recalled bawling his eyes out in front of his mother, Li Yan felt utterly humiliated.

’I’m a five-year-old prince, after all. How can I act like a clueless toddler and throw a tantrum? It’s not dignified at all...’

Ming Lingyi didn’t care for so many rules. She stepped forward and hugged the Little Bun, who was standing there dressed in the standard Imperial College uniform, though it looked many sizes too small for him.

"Little Huachao," Ming Lingyi said, her voice full of warmth and laughter.

The Little Bun’s body stiffened slightly. He desperately tried to suppress the corners of his lips, which wanted to curl upwards, and maintained a serious expression. "Mother, this is against the rules."

His words immediately earned him a thorough hair-ruffling from Ming Lingyi. Li Yan’s ears couldn’t help but turn red. Though he could have resisted and escaped Ming Lingyi’s "demonic claws," he just stood there obediently, not moving an inch.