Chapter 28
"You mischievous monkey, where have you been running off to today?" The Old Princess couldn't help but smile when she saw Xu Qingshi.
"Grandmother." Xu Qingshi obediently took The Old Princess's hand, thinking to himself that if his father decided to punish him later, his grandmother would surely protect him.
"Your Highness, the young master must be hungry. Perhaps I could arrange some food for him and Your Highness?" Li Zhiwei, seeing the joyful interaction between the grandmother and grandson, didn’t wish to disturb them and instead offered with a smile.
"Stepmother, since you came from Li'an County, why don’t you make us some local specialties?" Now that Xu Qingshi had his grandmother’s support, he felt he no longer needed Li Zhiwei, and his mischievous thoughts began stirring again.
The Old Princess didn’t refute Xu Qingshi’s words. Li'an County wasn’t far from the capital, and she was somewhat curious about its local delicacies.
However, she didn’t expect Li Zhiwei to actually know how to cook them. Surely, among the servants Li Zhiwei had brought, there must be a cook. At most, Li Zhiwei would just give instructions.
"If the young master wishes, I’d be happy to prepare something for you and The Old Princess." Li Zhiwei was momentarily taken aback by Xu Qingshi’s request.
Truth be told, back at home, aside from accompanying her father to the shops to learn about business, she had also enjoyed experimenting with food.
Thinking of Xu Qingshi and The Old Princess—one young, one old—Li Zhiwei already had an idea of what to make for them.
"Then Qingshi and I are in for a treat," The Old Princess said with a chuckle.
Li Zhiwei took the fresh cow’s milk that Cuiguo had prepared for her earlier and set about making double-layered milk custard for The Old Princess and Xu Qingshi.
This wasn’t exactly a Li'an County specialty but rather something she had stumbled upon by accident.
When Li Zhiwei brought two bowls of the custard to them, Xu Qingshi eyed the milky dessert skeptically.
"What is this thing?" he asked, even though his gaze was practically glued to the fragrant dessert.
On his face, he still wore an expression of disdain.
"Zhiwei, what is this called? It looks quite unusual," The Old Princess remarked, drawn in by the sweet aroma.
"Your Highness, this is double-layered milk custard. Please try it." Li Zhiwei handed a bowl to The Old Princess.
"You didn’t poison it, did you?"
Just as The Old Princess was about to take the bowl, Xu Qingshi suddenly blurted out.
Li Zhiwei’s hand froze.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
"Child, what nonsense are you spouting?" The Old Princess finally snapped out of her daze and quickly took the bowl from Li Zhiwei.
"Grandmother, I’m just worried she might have ulterior motives," Xu Qingshi grumbled.
"Wasn’t she the one you brought here? Or are you trying to harm your own grandmother?" The Old Princess ignored the boy’s tantrum, her attention fully captured by the dessert in front of her.
The Old Princess took a small spoonful.
Though she had a sweet tooth, she usually didn’t indulge much due to her age, preferring light and soft foods over anything too rich or hard.
Still, since she regarded Li Zhiwei as her daughter-in-law, she intended to humor her by eating a few more bites.
But when the custard melted in her mouth, The Old Princess was stunned.
The sweetness was just right—not overpowering—and the texture was silky smooth.
She couldn’t resist taking another spoonful.
"Grandmother, is it awful?" Xu Qingshi swallowed hard, hoping to hear his beloved grandmother declare it inedible.
"Mmm!" The Old Princess hadn’t enjoyed a dish this much in a long time.
She took several more bites, deliberately teasing her grandson with her response.
"I knew it—you couldn’t possibly make anything good," Xu Qingshi said triumphantly, crossing his arms and smirking at Li Zhiwei.
"If the young master doesn’t want his, this servant can take it away for The Old Princess," Nanny Luo suggested, seeing how much Her Highness was enjoying it.
Xu Qingshi was about to say, "Throw it away," when he noticed his grandmother happily savoring her portion.
"Grandmother!" Realizing he’d been tricked, Xu Qingshi scowled and snatched the bowl from Nanny Luo.
He defiantly scooped a spoonful into his mouth—only to find it just as delicious as it smelled.
In no time, he had finished the entire bowl.
Still craving more, he could only stare longingly at Li Zhiwei.
The Old Princess, having set her bowl aside, wasn’t as eager for seconds as her grandson.
"Who knew Zhiwei had such skill? Is this really a Li'an County specialty?" The Old Princess asked warmly.
"Your Highness flatters me. This is just something I came up with in my spare time," Li Zhiwei replied with a modest smile.
"Good, good! My son is fortunate indeed." The Old Princess was even more pleased with Li Zhiwei now.
This daughter-in-law of hers was gentle and kind, able to amuse her grandson and cook such delightful food. Surely, she would take good care of both father and son, easing The Old Princess’s worries.
"Stepmother, I want more."
Seeing that Li Zhiwei showed no intention of serving him another bowl, Xu Qingshi sulked.
If not for how delicious the custard was, he would never have lowered himself to ask.
"Young master, we’ve run out of milk for today. I’ll make more for you next time," Li Zhiwei said with a knowing smile.
In truth, she had prepared two extra bowls—one for herself and one for Xu Heming.
Besides, she believed it wasn’t wise to overindulge.
"Then have someone buy more milk tomorrow!" Xu Qingshi decided he would definitely brag to his friends about his stepmother’s amazing milk custard.
"What is this?" Xu Heming frowned at the bowl on his desk, which resembled steamed egg custard.
"Your Highness, the new princess sent this over. She personally prepared it for The Old Princess and the young master earlier and thought you might like to try her cooking as well," Qingsong explained with a smile.
"Take it away." Xu Heming had little interest in such trivial snacks and waved dismissively.
"Yes, Your Highness." Knowing his master’s temperament, Qingsong didn’t dare press further.
"Wait." Just as Qingsong was about to leave, Xu Heming changed his mind.
"Bring it here."
He supposed he might as well taste it—after all, it was Li Zhiwei’s kind gesture.
