Jin Weilan hugged her brother tightly, overwhelmed with the surreal sensation of having narrowly escaped death.
Jin Jingxiu patted her on the back, panting heavily. "As long as you're safe, thank goodness... You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No," Jin Weilan shook her head.
Jin Jingxiu then looked over at Jiang Ning.
As she spoke, Xu Zhichun untied a large burlap sack, pulled out a sweet potato, and handed it to Aunt Zhu'er. "Here, Aunt Zhu'er, go wash this off and try it to see how it tastes."
To tell you the truth, even though she only has twelve burlap sacks out in the open, she can quietly pull out quite a bit more whenever she wants, so there's really no need to feel bad about eating them.
Let's start with a hot and sour shredded potato stir-fry for tonight.
"Ah, the chef said it has to simmer for four hours to get the finest donkey meat broth."
"Come to think of it, it should be ready by now."
Ah Xuan paused in his tracks, giving a slight nod beneath his mask. It was precisely because it needed to simmer for four hours that he had wanted to head outside the city to check on the battle situation.
Along the way, seeing the wounded soldiers being sent back, he realized just how fiercely formidable Lady Lei truly was—single-handedly chasing a hundred-thousand-strong army on the run.
As soon as Wen Qingwan finished speaking, she saw her previously dejected stepbrothers break into beaming smiles, the light in their eyes sparkling as brilliantly as the Milky Way.
Xiao Lichun grinned, revealing a pair of canine teeth and a playful, childlike mischief. "I actually thought we wouldn't have any dinner tonight!"
Seeing them smile, Wen Qingwan couldn't help letting out a chuckle. "Why wouldn't there be dinner?"
The pleasure boat turned a blind eye; it didn't row away, nor did it come over to rescue them, simply watching from a safe, neither-too-far-nor-too-close distance.
"Help! Save us, please..."
Jin Weilan had shouted until her throat was practically hoarse, yet the pleasure boat still showed no sign of movement.
In high spirits, the Crown Prince instructed the boatman to dock, preparing to return to the imperial palace.
"Your Highness, won't we cruise the lake for a little longer?" Jiang Mengyue asked, looking up.
"There's no need, let's return to the palace!" At the thought of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince frowned slightly, a flash of irritation crossing his eyes. Lately, the Crown Princess Consort had become completely paranoid; whenever she saw him leaving the palace, she would fix him with a deeply aggrieved stare.
The next morning, Jiang Ning got up bright and early to do her hair and makeup.
Having agreed to Jin Weilan, she was going boating on the lake.
Chunlan stood behind her to comb her hair, picking up a floral hairpin as she asked, "My lady, would you like to wear this one today?"
