Finally, after the Jiang family carefully prepared three dishes for Yun Ni, put them into the food box and left, Yun Xi finished making her first bowl of fermented glutinous rice balls.
"Alright, it's done!"
Yun Xi put the fermented glutinous rice balls into a porcelain cup with good heat - preservation properties, then placed it in the food box and closed the lid.
Yu Zhu carefully stirred the bird's nest in the clay pot and said in surprise:
"Miss, that won't do! Even if we can't make dishes as elaborate as Second Miss's, we should at least make more."
Although fermented glutinous rice balls are a specialty of Jiangcheng and rarely tasted in the capital, just one dish seems too meager.
"Oh, why make so many? One bowl of fermented glutinous rice balls is enough. Anything else is redundant!"
Yun Xi knew her own capabilities. She was an expert in eating, but cooking was too difficult for her. Yu Zhu's cooking skills were only decent when it came to making fermented glutinous rice balls; in other aspects, she was not much better than Yun Xi.
Seeing that Yun Xi had made up her mind, Yu Zhu looked at the bird's nest in the clay pot hesitantly.
"What about this bird's nest? Won't it be wasted?"
Just now, Miss had said she wanted to make another dessert, and it was almost ready. It would be a pity if they didn't take it.
"How could it be wasted? Have you forgotten about your miss?"
Yun Xi's eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips with a smile.
"I haven't eaten anything this morning. I've been waiting to have a bowl of bird's nest to warm my stomach!"
Yu Zhu twitched the corner of her mouth and had a black - lined face.
It turned out that all Miss's careful instructions to cook the bird's nest well were for herself!
Yu Zhu didn't know where to start complaining, so she simply stopped talking and silently shared the pot of bird's nest with Yun Xi.
Finally, the two of them carried the food box and took the carriage to the girls' academy together.
To welcome the Empress Dowager's visit, the girls' academy was newly decorated, and carpets were laid in the middle of the paths. So as soon as she entered the door, Yun Xi was dazzled by the scenery. She stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately, she was caught in time by the person behind her.
"Are you okay?"
A gentle and mellow voice sounded above her head. She suddenly looked up, and a smile brighter and warmer than the morning sun crashed into her eyes.
"Y - Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
Because of the sunlight behind him, apart from the bright smile, Yun Xi could hardly see his face clearly. She could only judge from his aura and outline.
Qi Yu's hand was around Yun Xi's waist. He exerted a little strength to help her straighten up.
Noticing the inquisitive looks from the crowd, after Yun Xi stood firm, he automatically took two steps back to keep a proper distance between them.
"It's me. I haven't seen you for a few days. How have you been?"
Qi Yu was dressed in a silver - gray brocade robe and wore a white jade crown on his head. His features were handsome, and his thin lips curved into a gentle smile. He was like the clear moon and gentle breeze, instantly captivating the hearts of many young ladies.
Feeling the needle - like gazes around her, Yun Xi couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle.
She thought that the Crown Prince's charm was truly undeniable. Just being helped by him for a moment, she already felt like she was being scrutinized. If she talked to him any more, wouldn't she become the public enemy of the whole academy?
So for the sake of her peaceful academy life in the future, it was better for her to play it safe!
"Oh, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Yun Xi put on an obsequious smile and distanced herself from him again.
Then her eyes swept over Zhen Bao who had just entered the door, and she immediately said to Qi Yu:
"Your Highness, you must be busy. My friend is here. Goodbye!"
With that, she scurried over to Zhen Bao. Under Zhen Bao's surprised gaze, she affectionately took Zhen Bao's hand and said:
"You're finally here. I've been waiting for you for ages! Let's quickly take the food box to the designated place."
According to the academy's regulations, for easy supervision, each female student had to put their food boxes in the designated place in the academy, and a few special people were responsible for taking care of them.
Actually, Yu Zhu had already taken the food box there early in the morning, so Yun Xi didn't really need to go.
Yun Xi and Zhen Bao passed by the Crown Prince together. Zhen Bao glanced at Qi Yu, whose eyes were always on them, and pinched Yun Xi's arm, saying:
"Why do you look so guilty? Did you steal something from the Crown Prince?"
Seeing that they had walked far enough, Yun Xi let go of Zhen Bao and rubbed her arm that Zhen Bao had pinched.
"What did you eat when you were growing up? Your hands are so strong!"
Compared with ordinary women, Yun Xi was not short but more delicate, and her skin was almost transparent. Zhen Bao, on the contrary, was a bit shorter but had a very strong build, and her skin was a healthy wheat color.
Yun Xi was very envious, but she also knew that she had a heart problem and couldn't play as freely as Zhen Bao.
"Did I hurt you? Aren't you good at overcoming the tough with the gentle?"
Zhen Bao said with a smile and pretended to pinch Yun Xi again. Yun Xi dodged, but 'coincidentally' bumped into several people, and two splashes of sewage instantly soiled her skirt.
"Oops, I wondered who was so blind. It's actually the eldest miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion!"
A sharp voice rang out. Yun Xi and Zhen Bao looked over together. It was the ugly trio who had soiled Yun Xi's painting before.
The girls glanced at Yun Xi's skirt and snickered:
"You bumped into us yourself. Don't blame us for soiling your skirt!"
These girls had limited talents and got into the academy through family connections. Instead of making progress, they always liked to surround Yu Xueming. They were used to fawning on the powerful and bullying the weak to raise their own profiles.
Therefore, since Yun Xi entered the academy, she had become their new target of bullying.
Yun Xi shook off the sewage on her skirt. The stain had seeped into the fabric and was probably hard to wash off. However, she just smiled slightly:
"Don't worry. I'm magnanimous and won't bother with you."
Then her eyes shifted, and she saw Juan'er, Yu Xueming's maid, carefully carrying a food box in the distance, seemingly going to the designated place.
So Yun Xi changed her tone and provocatively said to the ugly trio:
"However, in the food competition, you may not be so lucky! I'll make you lose completely!"
Yun Xi winked at them proudly and pulled Zhen Bao, who was about to get angry, away.
"Is this your so - called hidden strength? You're such a coward!"
Zhen Bao looked at Yun Xi contemptuously, clearly looking down on her timid appearance.
Looking at Zhen Bao's indignant look, Yun Xi patted her on the shoulder and smiled cunningly:
"That's not necessarily true! How about we make a bet? From today on, they won't dare to do any more evil. Moreover, I'll show you the power of 'overcoming the tough with the gentle'!"