The vast majority of these noble young maidens were in their teens, so they very quickly forgot the fact that this was a competition and gleefully began to enjoy creating their own desserts. There were dexterous young maidens who chose to decorate delicate little cakes with swirls of frosting and dots of bright jam. Then there were those who knew that they were more clumsy and chose, instead, to make their own chocolates. They added all sorts of nuts to them and some even melted fruit candies to add to the insides, which created a symphony of flavors. Some of them used all sorts of preserved fruits and arranged them together to create a colorful piece of art…
In short, this group of maidens had some that idly chatted with each other, some who put in a lot of effort into making their own desserts, some who happily judged other’s works, and there were even some who couldn’t resist the temptation to try out their own goods and gleefully sampled them in bliss.
The matrons who were here had also been infected by the liveliness and happiness of the young maidens. They walked out of the shaded pavilion to arrive at the setting where the young maidens were currently having fun. Some of them arrived next to their daughters to help them come up with ideas or give them tips. Some of them sampled a few of the failed products that had occurred so far. There were even some who washed their hands and began to personally experience the novelty of making their own desserts…
Princess Consort Jing had been silently observing the young maiden from the Han Family this entire time. This young maiden, who had been called General Mu, was a bit tanner than the other maidens because she spent most of her time in the southwest, where the sun was much harsher. However, she wasn’t super tan as her skin was more like a healthy wheat color.
Her skin condition, on the other hand, was quite good. It had a good texture and seemed to glow with health. Her facial features were pretty and somewhat heroic. Her eyebrows were thick and her eyes looked pure and clear. When she was concentrating on her task at hand, her lips slightly curled up and one could sense a hint of stubbornness and perseverance coming off of her...
Compared to the other noble maidens, she was dressed much differently. She was wearing a set of simple and easy to walk in attire. Her hair had been combed up in a high bun and only a very simple jade hairpin acted as decoration. Her face was bare of cosmetics and she revealed a sort of pure and simple type of beauty.
Princess Consort Jing was very curious as to what type of desserts the Han Family’s young maiden had decided to make. She pretended to inadvertently walk over. When she saw the ‘masterpiece’ in front of the young lady, she almost burst into laughter. The pastry in front of the girl didn’t look much different than the ones in front of the children around ten years of age. She had used the molds to make quite a few horse shaped cookies and there were even some that looked a bit crooked on the side as if they had been beaten with a rod. After baking, there were some that became a bit deformed.
Princess Consort Jing remembered what her second son had told her about this maiden. She had grown up without a mother and spent most of her life at the borders with her father, learning most of the things that young men did. Without a maternal presence by her side, there was likely no one at the borders to teach her any of the things that women were supposed to learn, such as cooking or embroidery. Her feminine skills likely ranked at zero.
Han Xiaomu wasn’t just fooling around. In fact, she was just really concentrated on making her cookies. She wanted to create a scenery that showed a very powerful army at war, but the little horse cookies she made wouldn't stand up on their own. She was getting pretty flustered by this.
Princess Consort Jing saw how this child had ended up breaking a few cookies in a row without succeeding in letting them stand. She couldn’t help but give her some advice, “You could sandwich two cookies together using a filling in between. There are soft candies, cream, and chocolate there. All of those could be used.”
That was right ah! With two cookies stuck together, they’d become thicker and likely be able to stand up! A smile appeared on Han Xiaomu’s face and she expressed her sincere gratitude to the graceful noble matron in front of her.
Princess Consort Jing observed the young maiden with increasing pleasure. Although the younger lady’s bearing and demeanor was not as elegant and refined as the other noble maidens’, she was a very courteous and thoughtful individual.
In the end, Han Xiaomu ended up choosing chocolate and strawberry cream to act as the filling. She had surreptitiously tasted them before and these two flavors were her favorites out of the bunch. She wasn’t sure whether the host of this event would allow her to take these sandwich cookies home. Tomorrow, her martial brother would be going back to the border and it was the perfect opportunity to allow her father to try these cookies she had made. She had personally crafted them! Her father had always poked fun at her, claiming that the food she made wasn’t fit for humans to eat. These cookies would definitely make him see her in a new light!
“Young Miss, I don’t think horses eat bugs…” Princess Consort Jing saw that the young maiden was placing the finished horse-shaped sandwich cookies with some cookies that were shaped a bit like a wiggly worm together and couldn’t help but open her mouth to let her know.
Han Xiaomu had originally had a lot of confidence in her ‘very powerful army at war’, but after hearing what the noble matron said, she looked again at the swords she had made. They truly did somewhat resemble earthworms instead. Amused, she burst out into chuckles. Princess Consort Jing noticed that the young maiden’s laugh was open and unrestrained, which was very similar to her own daughter's personality. Thus, she also began to laugh too.
Zhu Junya, who had been at a nearby table with her children, saw that her lady mother was laughing merrily with a young maiden. She hurried over and asked, “What are you talking about to make you so happy?”
“Go! Go watch your children, there’s nothing here for you to see!” Princess Consort Jing noticed that her daughter was currently rolling some cookie dough in her hands and even had some flour on her face. Although her voice was filled with disdain, she reached over with a handkerchief to wipe the flour off of her daughter’s face.
Han Xiaomu watched this somewhat enviously. She had lost her mother at a very young age and had grown up with her father. No matter how good her father was to her, it wasn’t enough to make up for the gentle love of a mother. At the border, she would sometimes see the common people interacting with each other, such as the deep love between a mother and her daughter. She would always observe them for a long time and imagine herself as that child who was being tenderly cared for. She would also comfort herself, telling herself that if her mother was still alive, she would be the same as all of the compassionate mothers out there and love her very deeply.
Her father had sensed the deep thirst she had for a mother’s love and had drawn the five to six year old her into his arms and gently told her stories about her mother. When her mother was pregnant with her, her mother had been excited at the prospect of meeting her and would often hold her pregnant belly and talk to her and read stories for her. He told her that her birth had been very difficult and her mother had used all of her strength and life to bring her out in the world so that she may live. Before her mother had left this world, she had looked at her with a loving gaze. Her last words had been to implore him to take good care of their daughter for her…
Since then, she had never envied people for their mothers and didn’t feel at a loss that she didn’t have her mother by her side. This was because she knew she had the most gentle, most compassionate mother who loved her the most in the heavens, watching over her!
Han Xiaomu looked away and a gentle smile appeared on her face. She brushed away a naughty strand of hair from her face and lowered her head to knead the dough. She wanted to make a sword-shaped cookie that was very straight and wouldn’t make other people mistake it as a worm. Suddenly, she felt something gently brush the side of her face. She turned her head around and saw that the noble matron from earlier was helping her wipe her face. Her large dark eyes shone with astonishment.
“Forgive me for being presumptuous——you had some flour on your face!” Princess Consort Jing had perceptively sensed the flash of envy that had gone through the young maiden. She felt sorry that she had lost her mother at a young age and saw that the young lady had something sticking to her face, so she couldn’t help but reach over and help her wipe it off. It was only when she saw the obvious surprise in the young maiden’s eyes did she realize that she was being a bit rude.
Han Xiaomu’s eyes curved up into crescents and she quietly thanked her, “Thank you, my lady! You are truly a gentle and good mother!”
Princess Consort Jing wanted to say that she wasn’t just a good mother but also a good mother-in-law! However, this maiden hadn’t seemed to have detected her true status so she didn’t want to say it out loud and scare her prematurely.
“Mmmm…cookies with chocolate filling are quite delicious ah!” Zhu Junya had already stepped forward and had taken one of the small horse cookies her future sister-in-law had made and bit into it. Her face had a look of pleasant surprise on it. The crispy fragrant cookies paired with the dense flavor of chocolate made the cookies taste even better than them on their own. How come she hadn’t thought of this idea? She needed to make some sandwich cookies now instead of just making plain ones with her children!
Han Xiaomu watched in dumbfounded amusement as she saw a ‘stupid big sister’ boldly eating one of the cookies she had prepared to give to her father. A complicated feeling arose in her heart. Didn’t her father say that the noble maidens in the capital were all hard to understand and kept their feelings hidden behind smiling faces ah? Then why was this maiden...matron similar to herself, open and carefree and someone who would easily offend others without even knowing?
Han Xiaomu originally didn’t want to attend this event after receiving the invitation from Zhu Junxi because she felt like her personality wasn’t suitable for hanging out around other noble maidens! Zhu Junxi didn’t tell her the true motive behind this gathering as he was afraid she might be too embarrassed.
When he saw her hesitation, he knew exactly what sort of misgivings she had. Zhu Junxi did his best to describe the event in the most interesting way possible and also told all of the stories he knew about Princess Consort Xu to her. Han Xiaomu became incredibly intrigued in this character, who had taken an official’s position at the Ministry of Revenue at the tender age of thirteen and had managed, in only a few years’ time, to cultivate high-yielding wheat, corn, and potatoes. Furthermore, this legendary figure had established so many successful and popular businesses at the same time. She hoped that this future sister-in-law of hers wouldn’t be like the vast majority of noble maidens who liked to laugh at others behind their backs.
However, Han Xiaomu didn’t dislike this adorable young matron in front of her despite the fact that the other person had eaten one of her cookies. In fact, she quite sympathized with the other woman’s direct and bold personality.
“Older Sister, are you eating someone else’s handiwork again? Earlier a lot of young maidens had complained to me about this! For lunch, I have Zhenxiu Restaurant and Medicinal Cuisine House cater the food. If you become full from eating too many desserts and have no room to eat delicious foods, don’t blame me as your younger sister-in-law for not reminding you ah!”
The sound of a crisp and clear voice paired with the direct words and a hint of laughter made Han Xiaomu involuntarily raise her head to look for the owner of that voice. She saw an adorable young maiden, dressed in a married woman’s attire, happily walking over toward her. The smile on her face was so bright that it even made the glittering sunlight in March seem to lose its luster!
“Miss Han, are you having a good time ah? I’m the hostess of this event, so if there any aspects that are lacking, please forgive me...that’s right, this is some tiramisu that I’ve made. Do you want to try some?” Yu Xiaocao had also seen Princess Consort Jing and her daughter surround this young maiden. She was afraid that it might become awkward and they would end up scaring off her future second sister-in-law! However, it looked like the three of them were getting along quite well.
Zhu Junya also belatedly realized that she had been a bit uncouth and might have angered the other maiden. She hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, just look at me, always barging around in an ungainly manner. Earlier I didn’t get your permission before trying one of your cookies...how about I make one in return to make it up to you?” Her offer seemed a bit ridiculous seeing as the other person may not be impressed by her handiwork.
Han Xiaomu, however, shook her head with a smile, “That cookie was only one of my practice attempts and it wasn’t very successful. Older Sister, it’s fine that you ate it and there's no need to apologize!”