She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

"It smells so good! It smells so good!"

"This fragrance is so overpowering!"

"My saliva is already drooling, paving the way for me!"

……

The group of young people, some standing and some sitting, were all tempted by the barbecue, but they remained quite reserved. Only the playful Zheng Lingyi openly expressed her anxiety.

The maid's hands were rapidly flipping the sizzling, oily roasted meat.

The first batch of roasted meat is ready.

Jiang Ruining first let Gongsun Changming take a plate, and the rest were divided equally among everyone.

I didn't expect so many people to gather around. There was a huge plate of meat, but each person only got two slices.

Jiang Ruining noticed that most of the women present were slim, so she said, "Those who aren't afraid of oil can eat it directly from the first bite, while those who are afraid of oil can wrap it in cabbage leaves before eating."

But they had never eaten such fragrant barbecue before. Even the ladies who disliked greasy food ate it directly the first time.

Jiang Ruining took a deep breath and ate the grilled meat in one bite.

The moment the flavor exploded in her mouth, she was so moved she wanted to cry.

So fresh and tender!

What a familiar taste!

It tastes almost exactly like the marinated meat she made at home back in modern times. Because it's wild game, it's naturally fresher than meat bought from supermarkets. This taste... she absolutely has to eat it for seven days straight!

The expressions on the other people's faces were even more interesting.

The young men and women in this group were all used to eating delicacies, but they were still conquered by the fresh and unique taste of this barbecue. The word "delicious" was written all over their faces!

After eating a few slices of meat, Jiang Ruining started to caramelize the tea leaves. When the white sugar changed color, she immediately poured it into the milk. Once it boiled, she added the brown sugar pearl balls that she had prepared in advance. After cooking the pearls until they were soft, she poured them into a row of teacups, one small cup for each person.

"Here, have some milk tea!"

When it was handed to Shao Yunting, she was stunned for a moment.

Why is he here?

Shao Yunting gazed intently at her, his voice melodious: "The barbecue is delicious."

Jiang Ruining didn't say anything, just smiled politely, and turned back to continue distributing the milk tea.

With the delicious barbecue leading the way, everyone was quick to try the milk tea.

After they finished singing, everyone thought it was very good.

Especially the ladies, they all love it!

"It's sweet, with a great balance of tea and milk flavors. It's delicious!"

"The county princess has such a clever idea!"

Seeing that everyone enjoyed the food, Jiang Ruining felt a surge of accomplishment: "It's great that everyone is having a good time and enjoying the meal!"

The next round of grilled meat was distributed to each person's plate.

A bite of sizzling, oily grilled meat wrapped in cabbage leaves is crisp and refreshing, and a sip of hot caramel pearl milk tea with chewy pearls crunching on your lips and teeth is simply divine!

Those who don't like sweet milk tea, however, enjoy their meal with some wine.

Nobody spoke!

The only sounds were the occasional "Wow!" and "Hmm~", along with the movement of the cheeks.

Xiao Qing somehow managed to squeeze next to Jiang Ruining. She watched as others quickly snatched roasted meat from under the servants' hands, while she herself ate very little. She even grabbed several pieces for Jiang Ruining, saying, "You eat too!"

"Thank you." Jiang Ruining saw him, a beautiful smile blooming on her pretty face. She then said in a light, playful tone, "Have you had too much to drink? Your face is all red! Be careful you don't fall off your horse tomorrow and become someone else's prey!"

Seeing how brightly she smiled at others, Shao Yunting felt the milk tea she drank taste bitter.

Xiao Qing's handsome face, tanned to a wheat color, was flushed with two red patches, not from drinking, but from admiring her beauty up close, imagining everything from holding her hand to their married life... He was blushing from imagining all of this!

Zheng Lingyi, recalling a funny incident, swallowed the roasted meat and pointed at Xiao Qing, laughing, "Speaking of being drunk and mistaken for prey, we can't forget the blunder he caused!"

Xiao Qing clearly knew what she was going to say, so she quickly reached out to cover her mouth and pushed Xie Lanheng away.

Xie Lanheng: "..."

Jiang Ruining, curious, tugged at Xiao Qing's sleeve: "Hey! What's all this nonsense? I want to hear it too!"

Xiao Qing gritted her teeth and decided not to stop her.

He was willing to go to any lengths to win a smile from a beautiful woman!

Zheng Lingyi raised her eyebrows, her voice barely able to contain her laughter: "Last autumn, there was no hunting. Several elders from our families took us out to camp and hunt. The night before, he drank too much, and when we gathered the next day, he was nowhere to be seen. Everyone was frantic, searching everywhere for him. Guess where we found him?"

Jiang Ruining tilted her head to look at Xiao Qing, her bright eyes sparkling: "Didn't you fall under the bed?"

Her gaze was so close and focused that Xiao Qing's heart pounded even faster: "No..."

Zheng Lingyi, seemingly oblivious to his excited and exuberant mood, loudly announced the embarrassing answer: "He fell into a hunter's trap! He's fast asleep, cuddling an injured fawn!"

"He was lucky he fell into a trap without any sharp bamboo stakes, otherwise he would have been covered in bloody holes!"

Jiang Ruining's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh?"

That was really close!

Xiao Qing scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled as he recounted what had happened: "I didn't know that wine was so potent. My mischievous friend deliberately didn't warn me, just to prank me. I thought it tasted good, so I drank the whole jar."

"I didn't feel anything at the time. I only got excited after we all went back to our tents. The servant said that when I went out in the middle of the night, I walked straight and didn't look drunk at all."

"He wanted to follow me, and I clearly told him not to. When I found out he was still secretly following me, I went back and knocked him unconscious. I don't remember how I fell into the trap at all. No one was with me, and no one saw how I fell in."

"I guess I was knocked unconscious from the fall, so I just went to sleep. When I woke up again, I found a group of people crouching at the entrance of the trap, watching me..."

Zheng Lingyi added excitedly, "He woke up and, like an idiot, asked us why we were watching him sleep. He was so embarrassed! If the Princess Consort hadn't been holding him back, the Prince would have jumped down and given him a good beating!"

Not many people know about this embarrassing incident.

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Fall into the trap...and watch him sleep..."

"He's going to be shy... hahaha... so funny..."

Xiao Qing rolled a large piece of meat in a cabbage leaf, haphazardly formed it into a ball, and shoved it into Zheng Lingyi's mouth: "Eat yours! You always talk the most!"

Zheng Lingyi's speech was unclear; she was chewing on a cabbage-wrapped meat sandwich while mumbling something unintelligible.

Xie Lanheng looked at her adorable appearance with gentle eyes and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

Jiang Ruining glanced at Xie Lanheng subtly, then smiled and said to Xiao Qing, "Others get drunk and act crazy, but Young Master Xiao is so adorable. That shows he has excellent manners when drunk!"

cute?

This was the first time Xiao Qing had ever heard someone describe him like that, and his face turned even redder.

Now I'm really embarrassed!

"Well, it's alright!"

He was an outgoing person. When talking to a girl he liked, he was shy but didn't hold back in expressing his feelings, immediately extending an invitation: "Many of us often go out together. Would you like to join us, Princess?"

Zheng Lingyi chimed in enthusiastically, "Yes! Yes! Ningning, please agree! You've never played with any of my other friends before. If you don't agree, I'm going to cry!"

Back then, the original owner was completely fooled by Cui Jingwei and was always called upon to be a mere intellectual foil, so she had little contact with other people. In addition, the original owner was foolish, impulsive, and had a bad temper, so most of Xiao Qing's friends, except for Zheng Lingyi, kept their distance from her.

Now that his reputation has turned around, it's natural to expand his circle of friends!

Jiang Ruining readily accepted the invitation: "Sure! Then I'd like to bring my cousin Chu Jin along, is that alright?"

She agreed, saying she'd bring not just one more person, but a whole bunch of people!

Xiao Qing immediately nodded: "Of course! Miss Chu, come too, it'll be more fun with more people!"

Chu Jin was eating and drinking quietly when her name was called, and she was taken aback for a moment.

Knowing that Ningning brought her along so that she could have more contact with the sons of powerful and wealthy people in the capital, she did not go against Ningning's good intentions, nor did she feel that she was being given charity. As long as Ningning was happy, that was all that mattered!

He nodded and smiled, "Okay!"

Her natural beauty and elegance, combined with her mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, gave her a confident and outstanding temperament. Her radiant smile captivated many eyes.

Jiang Ruining saw it all.

I've memorized all those pairs of eyes. I'll investigate those people thoroughly later, and then let Chu Jin decide for herself which one to contact.

It's best to contact all the suitable ones and choose carefully.

The female protagonist in a female-oriented novel chooses the male lead. Since Shao Yunting is unwilling to be the male lead, then let's find a more outstanding and suitable husband to be him!

Seeing how readily Jiang Ruining accepted the invitation, and remembering how he himself had been rejected, Shao Yunting felt a pang of resentment.

"oops!"

"We've finished the barbecue!"

Everyone was still eager for more.

Jiang Ruining didn't expect so many people to gather here; the barbecue she prepared was gone before she could even finish three rounds.

Xiao Che's seat wasn't far from them, and his voice of regret was so loud that it was hard for him not to hear it.

However, he didn't get to eat a single piece of meat, nor did he get to drink a single sip of the milk tea she had cooked!

That heartless bastard didn't even think of him!

I never expected that he would not only stop there, but also chat so happily with other men.

The other person's lecherous thoughts were written all over his face. Didn't she see it?

If you understand everything, why are you still getting so close to people?

You've got your eye on him?