Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Wanting to See Her

Of course, Li Yan never imagined he would regain his freedom so quickly, all because his dear mother had complained a bit to his imperial father.

Li Yun was, frankly, a little jealous.

He was jealous that Li Yan could so easily receive Ming Lingyi’s attention, and jealous that Li Yan was someone Ming Lingyi cherished.

Once upon a time, he had also been the one Ming Lingyi cherished.

In the past, no matter how late he returned, a lamp was always left lit for him in her room.

No matter how tired he was, the moment he returned to a place where Ming Lingyi was, he would unconsciously feel completely at ease.

In the five years without Ming Lingyi, he had barely slept through a single night.

Even when lying beside the Kunshan Cold Jade Bed, holding the hand of the woman upon it, he still couldn’t sleep.

In Kunning Palace, the scent that belonged to Ming Lingyi faded more and more with the passage of time.

He had explicitly ordered the palace staff not to open the doors or windows, and to forbid anyone from entering or exiting. He feared someone might disturb the person inside, and that the presence of others would muddle the air, washing away the scent of Ming Lingyi that lingered in Kunning Palace.

But even as he painstakingly tried to hold on to this comforting and familiar scent, it still gradually vanished.

With the air now devoid of that familiar, comforting scent, Li Yun could no longer sleep soundly through the night. Even falling asleep had become a difficult task.

But now, he had found the person he had lost and found again, only to be told by her that he was no longer the one she held dear.

Li Yun gripped the memorial, his hold so tight he nearly crumpled the entire thing.

He shot up from his seat.

"Guards! Prepare a horse. I’m leaving the palace."

Li Yun knew that Ming Lingyi had gone to Leyou Garden today.

Even if Ming Lingyi didn’t want to see him, he grew restless at the thought of not being able to see her.

’Even if Ming Lingyi still wants nothing to do with me this time, I have patience,’ Li Yun thought. ’I just need to find a place to watch her from a distance.’

Ming Lingyi didn’t know Li Yun was on his way to find her. She was in a very good mood.

When Xiao Chun and Shi Mingyue set out the green balls, they immediately attracted the attention of the young men and women who had come for a spring outing.

Ming Lingyi had placed a small label on each flavor, indicating what it was.

She had made the most of the red bean and salted egg yolk flavor. This one had also received the stamp of approval from her focus group—Xiao Chun and Shi Mingyue—so Ming Lingyi decided to go all in.

Quite a few people were drawn over by this savory type of green ball. It seemed her earlier idea was correct.

To attract customers with an existing food, you always need to do something different from the norm.

Jiang Yuchuan was accompanying a friend to Qinglong Temple for a matchmaking meeting today. His friend wasn’t from the Capital City. Fortunately, thanks to his mentor’s guidance and his mentor’s wife playing matchmaker, a meeting had been arranged with the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Public Works.

Jiang Yuchuan was just there for support. After seeing his friend getting along well with the young lady from the Minister of Public Works’ family, he tactfully excused himself and took a walk around the area.

He was standing in a pavilion not far from the main gate of Qinglong Temple. Looking down, he could see Ming Lingyi standing beneath a lushly blooming pear tree at the bottom of the steps.

Actually, what first caught Jiang Yuchuan’s eye wasn’t Ming Lingyi herself, but the sign on her small pushcart.

The moment the two words, "Ming’s Restaurant," entered his sight, Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t help but marvel internally, ’What fine calligraphy.’

The calligraphy showed character; it was powerful and vigorous, yet possessed an unrestrained flair reminiscent of a freethinking scholar.

Then, Jiang Yuchuan saw Ming Lingyi standing not far from the sign.

Seeing the sun was out, Ming Lingyi had shed her padded jacket for a wide-sleeved dress of indigo-dyed cotton. Its color was like a mountain after rain, crisp and clean. The skirt was cut wide for easy movement, and an off-white cloth sash was tied loosely at her waist, knotted at the side. Her sleeves were rolled to her forearms, revealing a pair of slender, fair arms.

For the sake of cleanliness and hygiene, Ming Lingyi usually wore a slightly worn white headscarf to hold all her hair back when she worked, with just a few stray wisps falling across her forehead.

This prevented stray hairs from accidentally falling into the food.

The plain-colored scarf was knotted beneath her thick, dark hair, its ends draping over her shoulder and swaying gently with her movements.

It was clearly just an ordinary scene of a woman at work, but after one glance, Jiang Yuchuan found he couldn’t look away.

He saw that the woman under the pear tree wore a gentle smile. The customers frequenting her cart ranged from noble ladies in splendid attire to common folk in plain cloth. But no matter who approached her stall, the young woman in green seemed to wear the same smile—subtle, yet possessing an affability that made it nearly impossible to dislike her.

When Jiang Yuchuan realized he had been rudely staring at a young woman whose name he didn’t even know for quite some time, he hastily averted his gaze.

’What am I doing?’

Jiang Yuchuan pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling as though he had been bewitched just now.

"Cousin? What are you doing here? What a coincidence!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Just as Jiang Yuchuan was reflecting on his recent loss of composure, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded near him.

He turned to see a young woman in pink not far away and cupped his hands in a slight bow. "Cousin."

Zhao Shu was the second young lady of the Duke Jing Mansion. Her family was illustrious, and she was used to getting whatever she wanted. She had been fond of her older cousin since childhood, but unfortunately, Jiang Yuchuan spent nearly all his time at the Ministry of Justice, leaving him with practically no free time for romantic dalliances.

She had asked Jiang Yuchuan to go on a spring outing with her a few days ago, but he had directly refused, saying he already had plans.

But now, Zhao Shu looked around and confirmed there was no one here that Jiang Yuchuan knew. She felt a little angry.

"What were you looking at just now, Cousin?" Zhao Shu asked curiously as she walked over.

Knowing her personality well, Jiang Yuchuan subconsciously tried to block her view of the person down the hill. "It’s nothing."

But Jiang Yuchuan underestimated a woman’s innate intuition in such matters. Although Zhao Shu wasn’t certain, she followed the line of sight from where Jiang Yuchuan had been standing and naturally saw Ming Lingyi’s small pushcart.

At that moment, Ming Lingyi was introducing the red bean and salted egg yolk green balls to a mother and son. Because of the added egg yolk, these green balls were much more expensive than the others, costing thirty wen each.

Children from poor families mature early. Upon hearing that one small green ball cost a whole thirty wen, the little boy, whose cuffs were worn and frayed, turned his head and said he didn’t want it anymore.

But his mother behind him decisively took out thirty wen. "Could you please wrap one up for us? Thank you."

Ming Lingyi cheerfully took the money while Xiao Chun, with nimble hands, had already wrapped it in oil paper and handed it over.

Zhao Shu watched for a moment, then sneered, "Is that woman completely obsessed with money? Setting up a stall on a festival day, of all things."

After saying this, she turned and started down the hill. "I’m going to go see for myself just what it is she’s selling."