Song Shuyu took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her face.
“Watch your mouth!”
“When did it become the place of a mere maid like you to meddle in this Princess’s affairs?”
Song Shuyu glared at the maid.
“If you dare say a word to Nanny Rong after you get back, I’ll have your legs broken!”
The maid shuddered and hurriedly nodded.
“Rest assured, Princess. This servant didn’t see a thing.”
Song Shuyu was satisfied.
“I’ll treat you to an iced drink later!”
Song Shuyu knew that the maid would not be able to conceal her meeting with her mother. For now, all she could do was win the maid over and try her best to keep her royal father from finding out that she had met her birth mother in secret.
The carriage stopped in front of a shop with a long line stretching outside.
“Princess, we’ve arrived.” The coachman lifted the curtain.
With the maid’s help, Song Shuyu stepped down from the carriage.
She glanced at the line, so long that its end was nowhere in sight, and raised her chin.
“Go reserve a private room!”
The “Mixue” iced-drink shop sold drinks to customers waiting in line outside, but it also had a tearoom upstairs.
The tearoom was extremely expensive. It was nothing like the ordinary tea stalls where one could buy a large bowl of tea for a few copper coins.
That was why most people were willing to wait in the long line outside, buy their drinks, and leave.
The coachman immediately went to find the shopkeeper. With her chin held high, Song Shuyu walked into the shop under the envious gazes of the people outside.
The moment she entered, a wave of cool air washed over her.
Song Shuyu felt every pore on her body relax at once.
Very pleased, she sat down.
She turned to the maid. “I’m going to stay here for a while. You don’t need to wait on me.”
“I’ll give you an hour. Go walk around the shops.”
“However, you must come back on time after one hour!”
“This Princess will not wait for you.”
“If you fail to return and get punished, this Princess will not plead on your behalf!”
The maid stared at her in astonishment, unable to believe her ears.
When had the Princess ever been so considerate toward her servants?
She was actually letting her go shopping?
After her initial delight, the maid regained her senses.
“Princess, this servant cannot leave you here alone.”
“If anything happens to you, Nanny Rong will beat me to death!”
Song Shuyu had little patience. Seeing that the maid was being so obtuse, she let her small face fall.
“Are you cursing this Princess?”
“I’m just sitting here for a while, not wandering around! What could possibly happen?”
“I kindly thought that you should enjoy yourself since you finally had the chance to come out, but you don’t appreciate it!”
Seeing that Song Shuyu was angry, the maid hurriedly explained, “Please calm down, Princess! This servant absolutely didn’t mean it that way!”
“This servant is only worried about you!” The maid hesitated.
“I simply hate having someone hovering in front of me. I want some peace and quiet!”
“You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.” Song Shuyu’s expression hardened.
“If you won’t go shopping, then go stand downstairs!”
The maid jumped in fright.
The weather was so hot today. If she went downstairs to stand outside, she would surely suffer heatstroke!
“Princess, please don’t be angry! This servant will go shopping!”
“Princess, is there anything you would like me to buy? I’ll go get it!”
The maid wanted an excuse so that she would not have trouble explaining herself if someone questioned her later.
When Song Shuyu saw the maid give in, a triumphant smile flashed through her eyes.
“Go to Fuduoduo and buy their signature imperial pastries!”
“I want every kind!”
The pastries at Fuduoduo were extremely popular, especially the ones modeled after the Imperial Kitchen’s pastries.
There had originally been only one variety, but now there were four.
To buy all of them, one had to wait in line for at least half an hour.
When the maid heard Song Shuyu’s request, her face immediately lit up with a smile.
“Yes! This servant will definitely manage it!”
Once she had bought the pastries, she would still have half an hour to stroll around.
The maid felt that Commandery Princess Funing was not as difficult to deal with as the rumors claimed.
After going downstairs, the maid did not forget to instruct the coachman to keep watch below.
Song Shuyu picked up the iced drink on the table and carefully scooped it up with a spoon.
It was a new item on the shop’s menu called ice cream.
With its milky fragrance and soft, grainy texture, it was impossible for Song Shuyu to stop eating.
Before long, she had finished one serving of ice cream.
Still craving more, she ordered another.
Song Shuyuan entered the shop with Madam Song.
It was Song Shuyuan’s first time in such an upscale establishment, and he looked around with undisguised envy.
This iced-drink shop was famous throughout the capital.
Naturally, the prices inside were just as famous.
Song Shuyuan had heard his cousins mention it when they were chatting.
These days, when the scholars of the capital gathered, they no longer went to tea houses. Instead, they came to this iced-drink shop.
Song Shuyuan had long wanted to come and see it for himself, but his cousins had brushed him off every time.
He saw Song Shuyu holding a white item and eating it in small bites.
Curious, he asked, “Little Sister, what is that?”
Song Shuyu licked the milk from the corner of her lips. “This is called ice cream.”
“Oh, right. Here’s their menu. Mother, what would you like to eat?”
Only then did Song Shuyuan notice that every table had a menu.
He picked it up and saw that every item had a picture, with the price written beneath it.
His eyes immediately fell on the price of the ice cream Song Shuyu was eating.
“Gasp! It’s that expensive?” he blurted out.
Madam Song sat down. Ice basins had been placed in all four corners of the room, spreading a faint chill through the air.
The heat clinging to her body disappeared at once.
“Shuyuan, isn’t it normal for things in the capital to be expensive?” she asked, somewhat surprised by his dramatic reaction.
Her eldest son was a child prodigy and had a brilliant future ahead of him.
How could he act as though he had never seen the world before?
“Mother, look.” Song Shuyuan handed the menu to Madam Song.
Even someone who could not read would be able to understand this menu.
“The ice cream Little Sister is eating costs two taels of silver!”
The ice cream Song Shuyu had been eating was not even as large as her palm.
Yet such a tiny thing cost as much as their entire family’s food expenses for a day.
When Madam Song saw the price on the menu, she hurriedly set it back on the table.
“That’s far too expensive!”
Then she noticed the empty cup in front of Song Shuyu. She had already finished one serving.
“Shuyu, you’ve already eaten one?” she asked, her eyes widening.
Song Shuyu nodded proudly.
“That’s right! Mother, what would you like to eat?”
“Order whatever you want. It’s my treat!”
Upon hearing that his sister was paying, Song Shuyuan immediately picked up the menu and began studying it carefully.
Since his sister was treating them, he would not hold back.
That way, when he told his classmates about it later, he could say that he had eaten at “Mixue” too.
Madam Song hesitated.
She remembered the reason she had come today.
She waved her hand. “I’ll pass. It’s too cold. I’d rather not have any.”
“Shuyu, you should eat less too!”
Song Shuyu was displeased.
She had finally gotten to enjoy some food, and just as she was having a good time, her mother had to spoil it.
Pulling a long face, she finished the ice cream in two or three bites.
