Chapter 292: Really Afraid I

He looked at the recipe, a little at a loss, "Which of these looks good to you? Just pick whatever you think is tasty."

"Do you prefer sweet, sour, or spicy‑numbing flavors?"

"I, an old man, am not picky; just take the best you sell and bring a few dishes."

"Alright."

Yubao stood beside the Old Emperor, who signaled him to sit with a glance, "Out and about, have a seat?"

"Isn't that a bit improper?"

"Sit if I let you sit; I, uh, also ordered for you. Look, the shop's sign says order as much as you eat, don't waste—food is the hard work of the common folk. It's no surprise, being a member of Yuan Jiaqi's family, even a small trade keeps the people in mind."

"Lord Yuan is a good official; I heard some places in Nanfang were hit by disaster this year. He sent people to buy grain for relief, the silver came from his wife, and with his meager salary it's hard to support a family."

"Hmm, many court officials are like that; I do not permit them to engage in commerce."

As soon as the person left, Jin Mama broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly had someone watch the shop, and rushed to Yuexian Pavilion to look for Qiao Mai.

"Yes."

Suoxing tossed the Memorial aside, sat straight at the table, sampling this now and that now—truly never gets tired of eating.

"Ah, rest assured."

He quickly filled a small bowl to the brim and handed it, chopsticks in hand, to the Old Emperor.

"Mmm, very tasty."

"How has business been over this past month?"

Yubao had no choice but to open the jar, take a bowl, and try one first.

"Hmm, our legitimate trade need not fear."

"This is spicy and numbing; seems there's also a pot of sour‑spicy?"

Jin Mama glanced around; she knew the Emperor was out of palace in disguise and didn't want anyone to notice.

"If you sip like that, the milk and fruit bits will go straight to your mouth."

She hurried forward, offered a gentle bow, "Servant has seen the Emperor; I once served as a palace maid beside Empress Xian Fei. Now aged, I was released."

"Come, let's go check that shop over there."

"What catches your eye that I may present to you?"

"That's just a reflex; you're not a tiger, you don't eat people."

"Yijian per cup, indeed refreshing."

"Go ahead, open it, try again, see what's different."

The Old Emperor saw him keep swallowing, realized he hadn't eaten well, "Enough, no outsiders—take a bowl and eat together; after finishing, we'll go purchase."

"That brown layer on top—what kind of chocolate is that? Some like it, some don't much, but the majority prefer it."

"No, it's just the boredom of staying in the palace; stepping out for fresh air, I heard our shop's business is booming. Surely you ate your fill at Qiao Ji Snack Puzi, then strolled to your shop to aid digestion and perhaps bring some gifts for the concubines back."

Jin Mama left; the Old Emperor returned to the palace with a pile of gifts, gave some to his favored concubines, and kept the rest in his own residence.

As expected, guarding a heap of food, the Old Emperor no longer felt like reviewing the Memorial.

"Hmm, remember to keep calm; we won't provoke trouble, nor fear it, and if trouble arises, no need to panic."

Yubao pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve, "Pack up some of the fresh food left in your shop."

"Shouldn't it be golden‑yellow?"

"Alright."

"Hmm."

The Emperor saw her and thought she looked familiar, "Who are you?"

"You scared me to death."

Qiao Mai stepped out of the house; the two sat in the Yuanzi, and Qiao Mai poured her a cup of hot tea.

The Old Emperor strolled through the shop, observing and nodding, "Not bad, this shop is well done; your family's embroidery goods are many, even surpass those in the palace."

"Qiao Niang?"

"This is crispy rice, crispy; the more you chew, the more fragrant."

Jin Mama lifted the curtain and stepped out; upon seeing the Emperor, her face turned pale with fright.

Yubao, delighted, also took a bowl; the Old Emperor ate a mouthful and fell in love with that spicy, fresh, fragrant, crispy‑crunchy taste.

"No rush."

"From now on have the palace go out to shop daily; no, you yourself should come out to buy once—things must be fresh."

Even the Emperor cannot refuse these snacks; one can imagine how popular they are in Jingcheng.

When a male customer entered, the two servant girls froze, then quickly shouted inside.

"Yes."

Saying that, Yubao pinched a piece to test for poison; the Old Emperor, seeing it safe after eating, promptly pinched a grain and placed it in his mouth.

"Ah."

"Indeed, the servant's eyes are all hot with desire."

Yubao supported the Emperor and went to the Jixiang Embroidery Puzi, where two servant girls were attending guests.

"Truly delicious; how many silver pieces do they sell this jar for?"

"Extremely good; they say they could make a fortune daily."

As they spoke, sour milk was served, then a set of four large platters, each brimming with snacks, were placed on the table.

"Go, finish eating; I'll go out to aid digestion, and we won't have dinner tonight."

The Old Emperor selected a few items in the shop, had Yubao settle the bill, lingered no longer, and left.

"Your Majesty, you really overindulged."

Go, open that platter of boneless chicken feet for me; I want to eat.

Then you just go.

He just by eating chicken feet ate several different styles; the boneless ones came in three varieties, plus tiger‑skin, pickled pepper, and fragrant marinated ones, which opened the Old Emperor's eyes.

Ten liang, about two jin.

Hmm, no wonder it looks familiar; after you came out, did you go to the Yuan Family?

Is this your miss's shop?

What is this?

The clerk took the silver and left; the Old Emperor lowered his head and watched the suction, Yu Bao quickly looked around, learned it himself, and then sucked with his mouth.

Qiao Ji Snack Puzi has dozens of varieties; the elderly eunuch serving the emperor even fears that he might overfeed the emperor to death.

Serving the ruler is like serving a tiger; if he is displeased even once, my life is gone, and I fear he'll set his sights on our family.

Even pork skin that wealthy families usually don't eat, he devours it with oil dripping from his mouth.

Please try it; it's incredibly tasty.

Did the Embroidery Goods shop have an incident?

I… I saw the Emperor in the shop today.

The Old Emperor, after tasting all four snacks, leaned comfortably against the chair back, "This is the life of an immortal, not bad. From now on, when there's nothing to do, we should go out more often."

Four snacks, each costs five hundred wen; two cups of sour milk, a cup is one liang of silver. If Your Majesty wishes to order more, settle separately; our shop's rule is to settle immediately after the items are served.

Hmm, we came here by carriage; later you go into the shop and buy a few of each of everything inside, and I'll return to savor them slowly.

After eating their fill, they went for a stroll, had another meal, and then continued tasting.

After a while, Memorial glanced at the food on the table, "Yu Bao, no wonder his family is so generous with the children; these two shops' earnings equal those of a dozen other shops."

Yu Bao thought to himself, "You won't eat? Go fool around. As long as you see that pile of food on the table, you'll definitely can't resist trying."

Please try this; it's called popcorn, I heard it's made by popping corn kernels.

It's getting late; should you return to the palace?

Yes, I am now tutoring the Yuan Family's Nü'er.

Jin Mama, there's a male customer.

Oh, if that's the case, that would be fine; I wouldn't have to worry about anything.

The Old Emperor lightly sucked in the way he did, his mouth filled with fruity and milky fragrance; he chewed and swallowed, and the sour‑sweet taste made him let out a satisfied sigh.

Yes.

Not expensive; how many chickens does it take to fill this platter, and it's made so tasty.

Your Majesty, let's wait a bit longer; eating tonight would be fine. Your current meal is already excessive and not good for your health.

I am not a robber.

The Emperor, having eaten and drunk his fill, turned and glanced at the Embroidery Goods shop not far away.

Shopkeeper Niu gritted his teeth and set the price of each snack outrageously high, yet he still couldn't prevent the shop's seats from being packed every day.

From the moment the doors open in the morning until they close at night, there isn't a single empty seat.

The Old Emperor is very satisfied with Yuan Jiaqi, and consequently holds no bad impression of Qiao Mai.

After all, one can make money, the other helps the common folk; this pairing is perfect—one knows how to earn, the other knows how to spend. The Old Emperor wishes every household were like that, so he could worry less.

(End of Chapter)