Chapter 225 – The Foolish Prince Consort’s Farming Struggles – A Possibly Familiar Face (08)
Lin Xiaoshuang huffed and puffed her way up the mountain path. By the time she was halfway there, Old Gao had already arrived at Miaoxin Hall with the carriage.
The carriage stopped in front of Miaoxin Hall, and Uncle Gao knocked on the carriage door. “Young Master, it’s time to get out.”
Because Gao Luo didn’t want outsiders to see Bai Tang, he didn’t disembark as leisurely as usual. Instead, after opening the carriage door, he placed the veiled hat that Uncle Gao had prepared onto Bai Tang’s head.
“Uncle Gao, hurry!” Gao Luo urged.
Uncle Gao thought to himself: Your Highness the Seventh Prince, are you aware that your appearance draws even more attention than Bai Tang’s…?
Seeing that there weren’t many people around, Uncle Gao quickly ushered the two of them inside.
Uncle Gao was a familiar face at Miaoxin Hall. He brought Gao Luo for a consultation once a month, and they also bought many common medicinal herbs from here.
“Doctor Chen.”
“Housekeeper Gao.”
After exchanging some pleasantries, it was time for Doctor Chen to examine Gao Luo.
While checking Gao Luo’s pulse, Doctor Chen stroked his beard.
“Young Master Gao, please turn your head.”
He then examined the back of Gao Luo’s head, shook his head, and wrote a prescription on a sheet of xuan paper.
“Doctor Chen, has that Zhengxi Grass we mentioned last time come in yet?” Uncle Gao asked.
Doctor Chen shook his head. “Zhengxi Grass is very rare.”
Uncle Gao quickly took out the Zhengxi Grass that Bai Tang had given him. “Doctor Chen, take a look at this. Will this one be effective?”
The moment Doctor Chen saw the herb in Uncle Gao hand, he was overjoyed and quickly asked, “Where did you get this?”
Zhengxi Grass grows in extremely damp places and is very difficult to harvest. Miaoxin Hall had been out of stock for a long time, with no supply channels in sight.
If Uncle Gao had a way to acquire more, that would be ideal.
However, Uncle Gao didn’t reveal that Bai Tang had picked it. He simply said he came across it by chance, which disappointed Doctor Chen greatly.
Doctor Chen returned to his desk and quickly wrote another prescription. He handed it to Uncle Gao. “This formula is meant to be decocted with Zhengxi Grass. If you don’t have the herb, then use the first prescription.”
“Thank you, Doctor Chen.” Uncle Gao called one of the apprentices in the hall to fill the prescription.
Gao Luo suddenly pushed Bai Tang, who had been standing off to the side, forward. “Doctor, please take a look at my wife—no, I mean, take a look at my Tang Tang.”
His wife was way too thin. Could it be due to poor health? He absolutely couldn’t get sick—if he did, he’d have to drink bitter medicine!
Doctor Chen took Bai Tang’s pulse. “This young man’s overall health is quite decent. However, a long-term poor diet has led to spleen and stomach imbalance. Other than that, he’s just a bit weak. With proper nourishment and a healthy diet, he should be fine. But if you’re worried, I can prescribe a mild restorative formula.”
The moment Bai Tang heard the word “medicine,” he quickly shook his head and waved his hands. “No, no, no, that won’t be necessary…”
Since Bai Tang insisted, Doctor Chen didn’t prescribe anything, though it clearly pained Gao Luo.
Holding Bai Tang’s hand tightly, Gao Luo said, “Tang Tang, you’re not allowed to be picky anymore. You need to eat more meat. Yesterday, you only ate vegetables…” He then began listing out a string of dish names one after another.
Inside the little white room, Qiu’er commented, “Wasn’t it the male lead who fed Tang Tang yesterday? And now he’s blaming Tang Tang?”
Xiao A replied, “That’s what deep love looks like~”
Bai Tang responded to all of Gao Luo’s reminders with obedient nods and verbal agreements.
Since they were picking up a month’s worth of medicine, Uncle Gao, following his usual routine, brought Gao Luo to the restaurant to check the accounts before returning to collect the herbs.
The three of them arrived at the restaurant just in time for a meal.
Gao Luo led Bai Tang straight to the private room reserved for the manager—only he and Uncle Gao used it; it wasn’t open to regular customers. Now, Bai Tang was added to that short list.
Before going upstairs, Gao Luo told the server, “Bring up all your best meat dishes—everything that tastes good.” Then, pouting at Bai Tang, he added, “They’re always so slow… I’m going to dock their pay later…”
Muttering complaints, he clung to Bai Tang and headed upstairs.
The server stood frozen in shock. In just one month, Young Master seemed… even sillier than before.
Still, he wasn’t worried about getting his wages docked—only Uncle Gao had the final say on salary matters. Since Young Master gave the order, he’d just send the dishes anyway.
Seated in the elegantly decorated private room, Bai Tang gave a thumbs-up at the interior design.
“Uncle Gao really has a great eye. The room’s layout is very tasteful.” After serving as empress a few times, Bai Tang had seen plenty of fine things, and his aesthetic standards had risen by several levels.
Gao Luo puffed out his chest proudly. “I arranged it!” Quick, praise me, praise me, praise me!
If Gao Luo had a tail, it would’ve been wagging proudly by now.
Bai Tang stroked Gao Luo’s head and smiled. “Ah Luo is amazing.”
No matter what, Gao Luo had once been the Seventh Prince. A child raised by the royal family wouldn’t have poor taste. Besides, the male lead had lived through many lifetimes—even if he had lost his memory and become a bit foolish, some things etched into his bones wouldn’t change.
The dishes Gao Luo had ordered were quickly brought to the table, along with Uncle Gao, who was holding the account books for the month. These were the records Gao Luo needed to review.
You could say Gao Luo was foolish, but not entirely. He had an extraordinary ability for mental arithmetic and a sharp sense for numbers. When it came to checking accounts, he never missed a detail. The deputy managers under him knew better than to try fudging the numbers in front of him.
But on the flip side, there were basic, everyday things he knew nothing about. If it weren’t for Uncle Gao constant protection, he’d likely become a laughingstock.
Gao Luo kept picking out food for Bai Tang—this time, all the dishes he personally disliked the most: meat.
Bai Tang was dying inside, but when he saw Gao Luo’s eyes filled with such eager anticipation, he braced himself through the “excruciating pain” and forced the meat down.
Then, he took a bite of a particular fish. It was crispy, with a sweet and sour flavor—it tasted amazing.
Curious, Bai Tang asked, “What is this dish?”
Right now, Uncle Gao saw Bai Tang as the Seventh Prince’s lifeline—after all, he was the one who had found the rare Zhengxi Grass. Smiling cheerfully, Uncle Gao answered, “That’s called squirrel fish, it’s—”
The moment Bai Tang heard the word squirrel, his expression changed completely. He could no longer hold his chopsticks—they slipped from his hand and fell to the table.
“Tang Tang, what’s wrong? Is it not good?” Gao Luo asked in confusion.
Snapping out of his daze, Bai Tang suddenly let out a loud “Waaah!” and vomited up everything he had just eaten.
He ate squirrel. How could he eat one of his own kind?!
“What’s going on?” Uncle Gao was completely baffled.
Gao Luo hurried to wipe Bai Tang’s mouth with a handkerchief and handed him a cup of tea to rinse.
Tears were falling from the boy’s eyes in fat droplets, and it made Gao Luo’s heart ache terribly.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, okay? I’ll scold the kitchen for you!” Gao Luo said furiously, thinking the kitchen must’ve cooked something that didn’t taste good.
“Child, if you don’t like it, then don’t eat it. It’s okay,” Uncle Gao said awkwardly. He had seen his fair share of bloodshed, but comforting someone was a first. Even when Gao Luo was being disobedient, he never cried like this.
The moment Qiu’er saw Bai Tang crying, he hurried to explain, “Tang Tang, squirrel fish isn’t made from actual squirrels and fish. It’s just a dish where the fish is sliced along the back with a knife in a special way to keep the meat connected, then deep-fried…”
As a foodie, Qiu’er knew cooking methods inside and out. Once squirrel fish is prepared, its beautiful golden color and the outward-flaring crispy tail resemble the fluffy tail of a squirrel—that’s why it’s named squirrel fish.
“R-Really?” Bai Tang asked hesitantly, still unsure. Was Qiu’er lying to comfort him?
Xiao A opened up the recipe for squirrel fish, clearly showing the ingredients—there wasn’t a trace of squirrel listed. Only then did Bai Tang finally relax.
“Don’t cry, okay? We won’t eat fish anymore. Let’s eat fruit, eat fruit,” Gao Luo said as he carefully wiped the water off the fruit and even peeled the skin, revealing the tender, white flesh inside.
Hic… hic…
Bai Tang had stopped crying, but his hiccups hadn’t gone away yet. Looking at the two people so worried for him, he said softly and shyly, “I thought… that dish had squirrel in it. I don’t eat squirrels.”
Uncle Gao chuckled. “Squirrels move too fast and are hard to catch. We can’t even get our hands on one. Besides, there’s not even as much meat on a squirrel as on a chicken. It would take a lot of time and effort to catch them—not worth it.”
As the owner of the restaurant, Uncle Gao had naturally become more business-minded. If something wasn’t profitable, he wouldn’t bother with it. The restaurant existed to provide a comfortable life for the Seventh Prince, not to chase fame. If they started making exotic dishes just for the sake of being unique, it would only attract unwanted attention.
After the false alarm, Bai Tang smiled sheepishly at them.
“Let’s eat. The food’s getting cold,” said Uncle Gao.
The three of them continued eating. This time, Gao Luo didn’t dare give Bai Tang any more meat. Instead, he carefully picked out a pile of vegetable dishes for him—his wife needed to eat well, after all.
After the meal, Bai Tang went to rest on the rocking chair, while Gao Luo sat at the desk to review the account books.
Half an hour later, Gao Luo had finished checking the books—everything looked fine.
Seeing Bai Tang sleeping soundly, Gao Luo didn’t have the heart to wake him. But Uncle Gao was still waiting to take them back in the carriage.
It was already getting dark, and the mountain roads would be difficult to travel at night.
Gao Luo moved gently, softly shaking Bai Tang. “Tang Tang, time to wake up. We’re going home.”
Bai Tang, still half-asleep, instinctively stretched out his arms. “Carry me~”
Gao Luo’s heart bloomed with joy—his wife was asking to be carried!
He scooped Bai Tang into his arms and slowly made his way down the stairs, afraid the jostling might wake the boy.
Once they were in the carriage, the bumps from the road were unavoidable. The motion roused Bai Tang from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a small yawn.
“Ah Luo, what time is it?”
“It’s already the hour of Shen1,” Gao Luo replied. “Are you hungry, Tang Tang? I asked the waiter to prepare some sugar-roasted chestnuts.”
Gao Luo pulled out a paper bag and opened it. The sweet aroma of chestnuts quickly filled the carriage. He had a gut feeling his wife would love them.
Sure enough, Bai Tang’s face lit up with delight. He hadn’t had sugar-roasted chestnuts in a long time.
Gao Luo peeled the chestnuts for him while Bai Tang ate and lifted the curtain to look out the window.
In the crowd, a man dressed in white with a jade-like face turned his head—and happened to catch a glimpse of the young boy inside the carriage, and the man sitting beside him.
That side profile… why did it look so much like Imperial Brother?
The man in white furrowed his brows and decided to get closer to investigate.
But just as he was about to approach, a sudden commotion occurred. A wooden cart rolled out and blocked his path.
“Ah—sorry, sorry, young master! I’m new at this… not used to pushing the cart yet, I’m really sorry…” The man pushing the cart apologized repeatedly. Judging from the young man’s elegant attire, he was clearly someone wealthy or noble. If he got scratched or injured, a poor commoner like him could never afford the compensation.
Author’s Note:
Sorry for the late update~
Note :
- The hour of Shen (申时) corresponds to 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. ↩︎