The plum blossom cakes on the stall looked exceptionally exquisite. In terms of appearance, they could even rival those from the famous Xiangman Garden in Shangjing City.
"What is this?" asked a young master, the first to arrive at Ming Lingyi's stall.
Ming Lingyi: "Jade Plum Shocking Snow Cake."
She had renamed them, inspired by the saying that a plum blossom's fragrance comes from the bitter cold. The winter snow makes the flower seem even more aloof and pristine, impossible to ignore.
"What an elegant name!" A few students from the Imperial College who had just walked over couldn't help but blurt out upon hearing Ming Lingyi's answer.
"How much is it?"
"What's the price?"
"I'll take four!"
In an instant, business at Ming Lingyi's stall had begun.
"Distinguished customers, our Jade Plum Shocking Snow Cake is twenty copper coins each. Today, we have a limited supply of twenty-eight, first come, first served," Ming Lingyi said with a warm smile.
Originally, there had been thirty, but after her gluttonous little maid ate one, she still felt like she hadn't had enough.
Of course, Ming Lingyi wasn't going to let Xiao Chun go hungry just to sell one more plum blossom cake. She told Xiao Chun to take a few more for herself.
But who would have thought that Xiao Chun would manage to restrain herself, eating only two in total.
"Miss, we don't have much money right now. We should focus on earning some first." 'These beautiful pastries were made by my lady,' Xiao Chun thought. 'As her maid, not only have I not been of much help, but now it seems like my lady is just feeding me for free. I refuse to be a freeloader!'
In Xiao Chun's eyes, twenty copper coins for a single plum blossom cake was far too expensive, but to these Imperial College students, it was practically nothing.
Soon, more than half of the plum blossom cakes on Ming Lingyi's stall were sold.
When Li Yan came out of the Imperial College, he naturally noticed a stall in the distance that he had never seen before.
Aunt Yu Yi and Aunt Yanxia never allowed him to eat food from outside, fearing it might be unclean and make him sick.
But now—perhaps because of the noisy chatter from the crowd, or perhaps because he was too curious watching his classmates wolf down the pastries—Li Yan clutched his small cloth satchel and walked toward the crowded stall.
The Imperial College required students to wear uniforms and forbade them from bringing servants, ensuring everyone was equal within its walls. However, despite Li Yan's youthful face, not a single person dared to look down on him.
This was the Crown Prince of the Dayan Dynasty. Who didn't know of his noble status?
So, when people noticed Li Yan approaching, many subconsciously parted to make way for him.
Inside the Imperial College, there were only students, not princes. Although everyone followed the rules and didn't openly acknowledge Li Yan's identity, their respectful posture was plain to see.
If Li Yan had initially walked up to Ming Lingyi's stall out of simple curiosity, that changed the moment he looked up and saw her face clearly. His feet seemed to take root on the spot, and he suddenly found himself unable to move.
The heart-pounding sensation he had felt that day when passing through Vermilion Bird Street on his way to play polo had returned.
"Young Master, what would you like to buy?"
When Ming Lingyi saw the Little Bun who was only a tiny bit taller than her stall, it took her a great deal of effort to conceal the emotion in her eyes.
Seeing Li Yan staring at her without speaking, she couldn't help but ask again in a soft, gentle voice.
The moment Ming Lingyi spoke, Li Yan snapped back to his senses.
As Ming Lingyi looked at him, he felt as if his whole body was soaking in a hot spring—warm all over, and very comfortable.
He didn't have time to figure out what this feeling was before his face turned red.
Li Yan pressed his lips together tightly. He could, of course, feel the heat rising in his cheeks, but no matter how hard he tried to control it, blushing seemed to be something he had no power over. He couldn't even stop the impulses welling up inside him, one after another, to get closer to the young woman before him.
"I... I mean, I'll take one of these little buns." Li Yan forced himself to control his eyes and stop staring at the young woman behind the stall. He fixed his gaze on the last two plum blossom cakes on the counter, then suddenly said, "Actually, make it two!"
He hadn't really paid close attention to these plum blossom-shaped pastries before. Now, trying to distract himself, Li Yan realized how truly intricate the plum blossom cakes looked.
The petals were layered one on top of the other, so lifelike. He felt that even the chefs in the palace didn't possess such skill.
Of course, Li Yan didn't know that this skill had originally come from the General Mansion. It was only after Empress Hui Ming passed away that the Emperor forbade any similar pastries from ever appearing in the palace again.
Only Ming Lingyi could make these pastries; no one else was allowed to.
As for the Crown Prince, he had, of course, never seen such a pastry in the palace.
Ming Lingyi: "That will be forty copper coins in total."
The Little Crown Prince fumbled in his pocket and finally placed a piece of silver on the counter.
He didn't carry any copper coins.
While Ming Lingyi had been collecting money earlier, Xiao Chun had been stringing the Copper Coins together beside her. A thousand coins made one string of cash, which was also equivalent to one tael of silver.
Having sold twenty-six plum blossom cakes earlier, Ming Lingyi's earnings for the day were only five hundred and sixty Copper Coins.
Even counting the few copper coins she had left over from before, she didn't have enough to make change.
Ming Lingyi first handed the already packaged plum blossom cakes to the Little Bun in front of her, only to see him turn to leave.
"Young Master," Ming Lingyi called out.
Li Yan turned back. "Is there anything else, miss?"
Ming Lingyi held out the string of coins Xiao Chun had prepared. "You gave me far too much. This is your change, but it's still not enough. How about..."
Before Ming Lingyi could finish, the Little Bun in front of her said with a straight face, "Keep the change."
Ming Lingyi chuckled. "Well, we'll be setting up our stall here again tomorrow. How about I save some plum blossom cakes for you then, Young Master?"
Li Yan had originally intended to refuse. He'd only bought the plum blossom cakes today out of novelty and wasn't even sure he would eat them. But now, seeing the woman's bright smile, he found the refusal he had prepared getting stuck in his throat.
'She's coming back tomorrow?'
That thought lingered in Li Yan's mind. The next second, he was already nodding obediently, completely forgetting that he hadn't planned on breaking the rules to buy them a second time.
'Father Emperor once told me I needed self-control. That even if I desperately wanted something I knew I shouldn't have, I must not do it.'
And yet now, even though Li Yan knew perfectly well that he shouldn't be touching this food from outside, he couldn't stop himself from agreeing to Ming Lingyi's offer.
He even felt a sense of joy in his heart.
Ming Lingyi watched with a smile as the Little Bun, carrying his large book bag, walked toward the entrance of the alley. The carriages belonging to the families of the Imperial College students could only wait outside.
Ming Lingyi's gaze followed Li Yan the entire time. When she saw the Little Bun open his mouth and take a big bite of the plum blossom cake she had made with her own hands, the smile on her lips softened even more.