14. Qiyou Candied Haws
Gong Yiling waited at the alley entrance for a long time.
She kicked the pebbles around for a while, even wondering if the girl had been kidnapped after entering the alley, before there was any movement.
“Sorry for the wait.”
Yan Chuyue emerged from the alley, her appearance completely transformed.
Her face was radiant, her skin fair with a healthy blush, like plum blossoms in the snow.
Her long hair cascaded down her back, tied with a red ribbon, a small strand framing her face, accentuating her gentle and charming features.
Her clothes were the same simple, light green dress, but now, paired with her beautiful face, she looked like a breathtaking beauty.
Although Gong Yiling knew that Yan Chuyue’s beauty would eclipse most self-proclaimed beauties if she didn’t hide her face, she hadn’t expected…
Her to be this stunning, her beauty rivaling her own.
—Wait, why was she comparing herself to this girl? Shouldn’t she be comparing handsomeness instead?
“So beautiful…” Gong Yiling, after regaining her composure, praised her sincerely. “Chuyue, you’re truly stunning.”
“It’s alright.” Yan Chuyue chuckled and gestured modestly with two fingers. “Just a little bit better than average.”
A little bit… more like a lot.
Those delicate fingers held the weight of twenty-four Han Dynasty emperors!
“Why do you still hide your face, Chuyue?” Gong Yiling smiled. “Your talent and unparalleled medical skills are evident now. There’s no need to hide anymore.”
“You don’t understand.”
Yan Chuyue shook her head. “It was necessary before. Otherwise, the First Prince wouldn’t have broken off the engagement so easily.”
That was true.
If he saw Yan Chuyue’s current appearance, he would probably regret it deeply and try to reinstate the engagement.
Compared to the current Yan Chuyue, Yan Zilan was…
Nothing!
“Besides, you’re also hiding your face, Youyuan.” Yan Chuyue pointed at Gong Yiling’s veil. “I’m quite curious about what’s beneath it.”
“I’ll let you see it eventually.”
Gong Yiling shrugged. “If the opportunity arises.”
“Eh… it depends on the opportunity? What opportunity?”
“Who knows?”
Gong Yiling gave a noncommittal answer and started walking, calling out to the bewildered Yan Chuyue, “Come on, didn’t you want to visit the night market?”
“Yes!”
—
—
“Freshly baked golden smiley faces! Juicy and delicious! Ten copper coins for two! Ten copper coins for two!”
“Better than next door! Come and see! Four Gods Seafood Buns! Four different fillings! Ten copper coins for two! Ten copper coins for two!”
—Seafood buns for ten copper coins? This guy must be a philanthropist.
Besides these two loud vendors, the others only called out occasionally.
Of course, their offerings were no less tempting: grilled chicken gizzards, braised pork trotters, fried tofu…
And there were also fruit salads, tea stalls, and soup stalls to cleanse the palate.
Among them, the largest stall, seemingly part of a chain, was called Qiyou Candied Haws.
In the novel, there was no such place, but here, it was the largest and most popular stall in the entire Yanlie City night market.
Gong Yiling found herself suffering from a severe case of indecisiveness.
Aaaaaaaah—she didn’t know what to eat!
Holding a “Qiyou Candied Haws Deluxe Set Free Trial Coupon,” she had a bold thought.
—Did mercenary queens eat candied haws?
They spent about thirty minutes choosing their food, then sat down at a communal wooden table to eat.
However…
Seeing what Miss Gong had bought, Yan Chuyue burst out laughing.
“What did you even buy?”
In Gong Yiling’s hands were…
A large bunch of various candied haws and a bowl of plain beef soup.
“I couldn’t decide, so I just bought some random things,” Gong Yiling admitted honestly.
“You bought candied haws because you couldn’t decide?” Yan Chuyue examined her purchases.
There were standard candied haws, candied strawberries, candied apples, candied bananas, and a mixed fruit skewer.
Then there were some more peculiar items.
Like a single candied hawthorn dipped in northern-style sesame sauce, candied strawberries dipped in Sichuan-style spicy sauce, and even more bizarrely…
A new “Hell Spicy” candied hawthorn.
This one was individually wrapped in a paper bag with a large flaming mountain drawn on it.
Good heavens… what was going on in Gong Youyuan’s mind?
Were these the so-called discarded ideas? The AI probably couldn’t come up with something this weird.
“Is this the Qiyou Candied Haws Deluxe Set!?”
Yan Chuyue’s excitement grew, much to Gong Yiling’s confusion.
So this mercenary queen really liked candied haws? Or was this all an act?
“I got a free trial coupon when I passed by earlier.” Gong Yiling opened her beef soup, staring at the thin slices of beef, thinner than Lanzhou lamian noodles, lost in thought.
Because of the long line for candied haws, she had randomly chosen a deserted noodle shop called “Sanchuan Lamian” and ordered the quickest dish, beef soup.
There was a reason why this place was deserted.
If the food was good, there would be a line, right?
“Why did you order this?”
Yan Chuyue, already munching on her candied strawberries, pushed her garlic roasted pig brain towards Gong Yiling.
“I ordered a bit too much. I also got two servings of tripe noodles. You can have this for now.”
However…
Seeing the roasted pig brain, Gong Yiling shuddered.
She had never tried such a thing.
When she first saw pig brains as a child, she mistook them for strawberry jam with peanuts and took a large bite.
That… experience traumatized her for a long time.
Gong Youyuan, on the other hand, loved it.
Cooked, of course.
—
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