Neither Jiang Yunshu nor Xie Lin had ever imagined that their first real meeting had actually taken place over a decade ago.
Jiang Yunshu recalled Xie Lin’s childhood appearance and couldn’t help but laugh. "Back then, I thought I’d stumbled upon a little beggar."
Xie Lin eyed her skeptically. "Your Ladyship was only three years old at the time. How could you possibly remember such a trivial thing?"
Jiang Yunshu grinned. "Well, it was my first time seeing such a pretty little beggar."
Even now, she remembered Xie Lin’s delicate features—his finely sculpted brows and eyes, like a celestial child beside the Goddess of Mercy, or a porcelain doll that might shatter at the slightest touch.
At her words, the tips of Xie Lin’s ears flushed pink, and he pressed his lips together. "Then, Your Ladyship, do you recall what color I was wearing that day?"
He was certain she wouldn’t know. Remembering his face was one thing, but how could she recall such details after so many years? She’d only been three.
To his surprise, Jiang Yunshu answered without hesitation. "White, though it was a bit dusty."
Xie Lin was stunned. She truly remembered. His ears, which had only tinged slightly before, now burned crimson, the flush spreading down to his neck.
That day, he had indeed worn white—chosen to blend into the snow as he endured his adoptive father’s harsh test in the freezing wilderness. He remembered the color for that reason alone. But how could Jiang Yunshu, just a child, recall it so clearly?
Suddenly, Xie Lin asked, "What did you have for dinner two nights ago?"
Jiang Yunshu blinked, struggling to recall. "Rice? Porridge? Or maybe noodles?"
Xie Lin shook his head. She’d guessed three things, none of them correct. She couldn’t even remember a recent meal, yet she remembered his appearance from so long ago…
Seeing his baffled expression, Jiang Yunshu smiled faintly but offered no explanation.
The truth was, she remembered so vividly because she was a transmigrator.
Had she been an ordinary three-year-old, she certainly wouldn’t have retained such memories. But back then, she’d just been allowed outside the Marquis's Mansion for the first time, eager to see the world of the Great Qi Dynasty she’d been reborn into.
Every outing had been a shock—how thin the common people were, how everyone scrambled to make way for the Marquis's carriage, how many beggars roamed the streets…
So when she’d found Xie Lin, half-starved and unconscious, her first thought was that he must be another beggar.
That evening, a plate of ruyi cakes appeared on the dining table.
Xie Lin picked one up, savoring it slowly.
Jiang Yunshu had never liked ruyi cakes. As a child in the Marquis's Mansion, she’d had little say in the sweets served, most of which she disliked. Still, today, she took a small piece and nibbled at it, wrinkling her nose. To her, the cake was unbearably sweet…
Suddenly, she blurted out, "Master Xie, have you always had such a sweet tooth?"
Xie Lin swallowed the last bite before answering quietly, "It began the day I met Your Ladyship."
Even after rising to his high position and tasting countless delicacies, nothing had ever compared to the sweetness of the ruyi cake Jiang Yunshu had pressed into his mouth that day.
Jiang Yunshu sighed inwardly. If she’d known then what she knew now, she would’ve fed him something else.
Back then, she’d had other, far tastier treats hidden in her sleeves—ones she hadn’t been willing to share. Instead, she’d given him the cloyingly sweet ruyi cakes she couldn’t stand.
Who could’ve guessed that those two casually offered cakes would haunt her over a decade later, leaving her to beg the kitchen staff, time and again, for desserts with "less, less, less sugar!"
