The carriage moved forward through the snow-covered road, its wheels crunching and creaking as they pressed down on the snow.

Bai Zhi leaned against the side of the carriage, looking out through the curtains.

The snow had stopped in the morning, but the sky remained overcast, the sun hiding behind a thick mass of dark clouds. A cold wind howled beneath the gloomy sky, sounding like ghosts lurking outside the car, which unsettled her.

"Driver, how much longer until we reach Ganxi Valley?" She stood up and patted the carriage.

The driver cracked his whip and said, "After we pass the hill ahead, it'll be another seven or eight li or so."

"Can you go faster?" Bai Zhiyi urged.

The coachman said with some helplessness, "Miss Bai, these two horses ran all the way back from the General's Mansion, they were so tired they were foaming at the mouth. They set off again without eating or drinking, it's already quite good that they can go this fast."

Bai Zhiyi had no choice but to sit down and pound her legs with her fists.

Lin Fei sat on the other side of the seat, playing cat's cradle with the maid. After playing for more than a dozen rounds, he got a little bored, threw the rope away, and said, "This is so boring, it's the same old thing over and over again."

The maid said, "If the third young master doesn't like it, let's find something else to play with."

Lin Fei rubbed his stomach and said to Bai Zhiyi, "Cousin, I'm hungry."

Bai Zhiyi's mind was filled with thoughts of Wei Jingzhuo, and she wished she could rush to Ganxi Valley immediately. Only after Lin Fei reminded her did she realize that she hadn't eaten anything since she got up in the middle of the night.

Not wanting to waste time on the road, she said to her maid, "Xiaoju, is there any food in the carriage? Get some for Xiaofei."

The maid squatted down and searched around, but couldn't find anything to eat after a long time. She then checked her pockets and said, "Miss, I don't have any food on me."

Lin Fei was furious. He was used to being waited on hand and foot and had never gone hungry. Now, having come out with Bai Zhiyi without even having breakfast, he started to complain, "Cousin, you're so mean! You didn't give me any food!"

Bai Zhiyi was already irritable, and Lin Fei's nagging made her even more upset. She got up and patted the carriage, asking, "Driver, is there a restaurant up ahead?"

The driver said, "Miss Bai, there's one at the foot of the mountain ahead. They sell breakfast there, including porridge, steamed buns, and fried dough..."

Before the driver could finish speaking, Lin Fei jumped up, grabbed Bai Zhiyi's arm and shook it wildly, shouting, "Cousin, I want to eat fried dough cakes! I want to eat fried dough cakes!"

Bai Zhiyi said, "Okay, okay. Stop shaking it, I'll buy it for you when we get there."

She got up, drew back the curtains, and peeked out. She saw a hill not far ahead, and at its foot a small eatery, smoke billowing from its chimney. Seven or eight carriages were parked in front of the eatery, and a dozen or so people were standing there.

She sat back in the carriage and said to the maid, "Xiaoju, get out of the carriage later and buy two fried dough sticks for Xiaofei... and a bowl of porridge. We won't go to the shop, we'll eat in the carriage."

The maid said somewhat aggrievedly, "Miss, please don't just buy things for the Third Young Master. Neither of us has eaten anything."

Bai Zhiyi said, "Okay, you can buy whatever you want. I'm not hungry, you don't need to buy anything for me."

The carriage arrived at the restaurant, and the maid took some loose silver and got out of the carriage.

The eatery was just a large wooden shed, surrounded by planks for shelter from the wind. A dozen or so people were squatting or standing at the entrance; some were drinking steaming bowls of porridge, others were eating steamed buns. A few people huddled together, talking in hushed tones, but their conversation was indistinct.

We went inside the shop. There were four or five simple tables, all of which were full of people eating.

The maidservant approached the proprietress and said, "Boss, two fried dough sticks, a bowl of porridge, and..."

The proprietress, dressed like a village woman, was wiping the table with a rag. Hearing the maid speak, she replied without looking up, "That's all, sold out."

The maid said, "Sold out. What about the steamed buns?"

"Sold out." The proprietress put down the rag and picked up a stack of empty steamer baskets. "There were so many people today, we sold out. Look, the room is full, and there are more than a dozen people standing outside."

The maidservant, unwilling to give up, leaned over the counter to look at the porridge bucket and said, "There's no porridge left at all?"

The proprietress placed the steamer basket in the basin, stood up, and said, "Why do you keep asking questions, little girl? We already said it's sold out."

The maid placed the silver on the counter and said, "I'll give you the money, make something right away. Neither we, master and servant, have eaten anything."

The proprietress, who was initially impatient, suddenly brightened up when she saw that this small piece of silver was worth three or four hundred coins. She grabbed the silver and stuffed it into her pocket, saying, "Miss, you just said you wanted fried dough sticks and porridge? Please wait a moment, they'll be ready in no time."

She turned and went into the kitchen, saying to the two waiters who were eating, "Stop eating."

The two men had been busy all morning and had just sat down to rest. They had each drunk half a bowl of porridge and hadn't even eaten their fried dough sticks yet when the proprietress snatched the fried dough sticks off their chopsticks and threw them into a plate. She also picked up their porridge bowls and poured them together into one bowl.

The fire in the stove was still burning, and the proprietress placed the porridge on a steamer to heat it up. She then fried two pancakes in the oil again, wrapped them in oil paper, put them in a small bamboo basket, and then came out with a smile, carrying the porridge and pancakes, saying, "Miss, you've been waiting a long time. Your pancakes are here."

The maid took the bamboo basket and said, "It's done so quickly?"

"That's right," the proprietress said with a smile, wiping her hands with her apron. "Since you're in such a hurry, I'm in a hurry to make it."

The maid, unaware of these intricacies, asked, "What about the steamed buns?"

The proprietress said, "That's all we have on hand. The buns need filling, but we can't make any right now."

The maid was displeased and said, "The fried dough and porridge are all made, but why can't the steamed buns be made? I've already given you the money..."

As she was speaking, Bai Zhiyi opened the car door and called out, "Xiaoju, stop talking so much. Get in the car quickly, we have to go."

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