Gluttonous Crown Princess

Gluttonous Crown Princess Chapter 13.2

“I made candied preserves and dried jerky today.” Tao Ti took the food container from Linglong and set it down on the side of his table. “Weren’t the candied preserves from the Sweet Preserves Bureau too sweet? So, I made some that are less sweet. And this dried pork jerky, I made them with sesame seeds, and it’s both savoury and sweet. If you get hungry while dealing with official affairs, you can eat some to pad your stomach.”

As she spoke, she set out the candied preserves and dried pork jerky.

Pei Yan motioned for Fu Xirui to bring her a stool, then set his gaze on the things she had brought.

Tao Ti’s gaze followed his; seeing him looking at the brightly coloured dried pork jerky, she said, “Although the weather is not particularly hot nowadays, this kind of baked jerky won’t last very long. It’s best that you eat them within three days, otherwise, it won’t taste good anymore.”

Seeing him looking at the candied preserves, she added, “I’ve made four kinds of candied preserves: candied ginger, honeyed kumquats, snowflake hawthorn balls, and dried apricot slices. Don’t worry, they are not very sweet. Eat these four jars first, if you find them to your liking, tell me, and I’ll make them for you again.”

Pei Yan said in a warm voice, “That’s too much trouble for you.”

“It’s no trouble, these are not difficult to make,” said Tao Ti with a face full of sincerity. “Speaking of which, you’ve helped me out several times. I can’t do anything for you, so I can only make you some food…”

If he had pursued the matter of her ingesting poison, she would probably be in jail right now. Or maybe, all the heads in the Marquis Yongwei clan would have fallen to the ground? What’s more, he even promised to give her a letter of annulment—it wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that his goodness had given her a new lease on life.

She was now just making some food to feed him with, it was nothing at all.

Seeing her serious expression, Pei Yan didn’t say any more, but picked up a pair of chopsticks to take a piece of candied ginger.

The instant the candied ginger was brought to his mouth, he could smell a refreshing and spicy fragrance. When it was put in his mouth, a faint sweetness spread out in his mouth, and with each chew came the unique refreshing and spicy taste of ginger mixed with the sweetness of honey, relieving any greasiness and stimulating his appetite.

He looked at Tao Ti, who was sitting on his side, and praised, “This is the best candied ginger I’ve ever eaten.”
This was the truth.

He had never eaten such a good candied preserve before. The taste of the ginger itself was well preserved, unlike the other candied preserves he had eaten before which only tasted sweet and nothing else.

“It’s good that you like it.” Tao Ti’s beautiful smiling eyes curved into crescent moons.

Being acknowledged by others was something to be happy about, not to mention being acknowledged by such a handsome guy, it was simply double the happiness!

“You’re so skilled at cooking, who did you learn it from?” Pei Yan asked carelessly, but his deep eyes were fixed on her face.

Sure enough, he caught the flash of dumbfoundedness in her eyes with precision.
She. Was. Panicking.

Tao Ti squeezed her fingers together unthinkingly, then blinked her glistening eyes and said with a smile, “I haven’t learned from anyone. I just like to read about this and that in my spare time, especially notes about food. When I see something that interests me, I would try to figure out how to make it......”

Long jade-like fingers tapped gently the tabletop. Pei Yan’s expression remained impeccable, and he said mildly, “Oh, so that’s how it is?”

Tao Ti nodded her small head and said with a straight face, “Unfortunately, when I was in the Marquis residence, because there were many people watching, and all four branches share a large kitchen, it wasn’t convenient for me to keep using the large kitchen, so I never cooked much in the past. Now, it’s all thanks to Your Highness that I have a small kitchen to fuss around in at will… I am really grateful.”

Back when she requested for a small kitchen, Tao Ti had guessed that someone might ask questions. After all, the original body did not cook much, and for her to become fond of cooking after she came, it would inevitably attract attention.

She had thought that the first to ask questions would be those dowry maids and nannies, but did not expect the first to raise a question would be Pei Yan.

A pure and innocent little angel like Pei Yan should be quite easy to fool, right? After all, they were not familiar with each other in the past.

She reassured herself like this and also complimented herself for her quick-witted response and calm acting skills.

Hearing her words, Pei Yan, who was sitting at the table, raised his thick eyebrows slightly. This explanation was logical, and he would accept it for the time being.

It’s just that, while explaining herself, she didn’t forget to throw in some flattery…

What a sly and ingratiating little fox.