Princess Ruining's hot spring villa was located about ten miles west of Shuojing, which was not far.
The road was an official road, and Zhao Cai, carrying a heavy load, was moving slowly. So Lu Zhao'an put away his whip and led the way, swaying leisurely.
Even so, the group arrived outside the manor in less than an hour.
When Linlang saw them arrive, she smiled and went forward to greet them, instructing the servants in the manor to fetch things and lead the way, and led the group into the manor.
Bitao carried two exquisite food boxes, both of which Gu Yaoniang had made herself before she set off.
One of the containers contained shark fin cake, rose pastries, and some other snacks, while the other held a large jug of peanut pudding. She carried it herself, following behind her masters.
The hot spring resort is built against the mountain, and there are many steps leading up the mountain. Linlang was a little out of breath.
However, Yao Niang and Bi Tao, because they practiced running laps with Master Lin every day, had no pressure at all.
Lu Zhaoan was somewhat surprised to see that the two women were neither red-faced nor out of breath, and he secretly glanced at them several times.
Linlang led the group directly to the main hall.
Princess Ruining, Zhao Yang, and Wang Zhilan were drinking tea and chatting in the hall when they heard their voices and looked towards the door.
Gu Yaoniang was already quite familiar with Princess Ruining and Wang Zhilan, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Before the group even stepped into the hall, Lu Jing'an saw them and stormed out angrily, demanding, "Second Brother! Why did you pat my horse's rump!"
His words were amusing, as if Lu Zhao'an were flattering him, and everyone in the room couldn't help but smile.
Lu Zhao'an remained calm and composed, seemingly unaware of the ambiguous meaning in Lu Jing'an's words, and innocently retorted, "Weren't you in a hurry today?"
Lu Jing'an was furious, but he didn't know how to refute his elder brother, and he certainly didn't dare to take action. So he sat down to the side and sulked.
Yao Niang took the food box from Bi Tao and said with a smile to Princess Rui Ning, "I made some snacks before I came. Although they are not as exquisite as the food in the princess's residence, they are at least something new."
After saying that, she was about to hand it to the maid next to Princess Ruining, but unexpectedly Princess Ruining took it herself and thanked Yaoniang.
Yao Niang was somewhat flattered.
Zhao Yang asked in surprise, "I never imagined that Madam Gu would be so virtuous and have such skills?"
Gu Yaoniang disliked the way he stared at people, but since he was the only son of the emperor, his arrogance was to be expected. She dared not say anything.
Ever since she decided to make her own way in the world, what she hated most was being praised for being virtuous. Cooking was clearly her hobby, but praising her for being virtuous was as if she were saying she was trying to please her husband and waiting for a better price.
She doesn't like it.
Upon hearing Zhao Yang's question, she lowered her head and replied politely, "They are just some trinkets, unworthy of Your Highness's praise."
Seeing that she answered so formally, Zhao Yang felt bored and turned to talk to Wang Zhilan instead.
Lunch was served in the main hall. It consisted entirely of local produce; though simple, it was fresh.
After the meal, the men wanted to go hunting. All three were regulars at the manor, and Princess Ruining didn't interfere, letting them lead their horses out on their own.
Princess Ruining, Wang Zhilan, and Yaoniang, accompanied by their personal maids, went for a walk in the back courtyard.
Yao Niang asked, "Where is A Qiu?"
She was a little curious. Usually, Wang Zhilan and Xie Danqiu were practically inseparable, so why was it only Wang Zhilan today?
Princess Ruining hesitated for a moment, but Wang Zhilan was quite uninhibited and said, "Cousin Xie is getting married in a few days! She can't go anywhere these few days; she has to stay at home embroidering her wedding dress!"
The entire hot spring resort was built on the mountain, and there were many steps in the backyard. Before long, Princess Ruining and Wang Zhilan were both sweating, so they sat down to rest in a small pavilion at a high place.
Princess Ruining then ordered some refreshments to be served, and Yao Niang was surprised to find that they were the ones she had brought herself.
Princess Ruining glanced at Gu Yaoniang first, then smiled at Wang Zhilan and said, "Try it, it's made by Yaoniang. I've eaten it several times! It's delicious!"
Then he said to Yao Niang, "My brothers are finally gone! Yao Niang made this herself, so I can't let those stinking men have it!"
Yao Niang felt a warmth in her heart. Her intention in bringing it today was to share it with everyone.
Princess Ruining was indeed thoughtful; she probably worried that giving the pastries she made herself to a few men would cause trouble, so she only brought them out now.
The maid served shark fin cake and rose pastry on small plates, and also brought a bowl of warm peanut custard to one person.
The shark fin cake is golden and soft, with a milky aroma, which is very appealing.
The rose pastry is wrapped in layers of flaky pastry. The pastry is delicate and cannot withstand repeated plating. Some of it has already fallen off, revealing the bright red rose filling inside.
The interplay of red and white is visually stimulating, making one's mouth water at just one glance.
Wang Zhilan suddenly twitched her nostrils, sniffed, and her gaze lingered on the shark fin cake and rose pastry on the table. She said, "Did you add osmanthus to any of them? They smell so good!"
Princess Ruining also smelled the fragrance of osmanthus and tentatively pointed to the shark fin cake, asking Yaoniang, "Is this it?"
Gu Yaoniang smiled and shook her head.
Wang Zhilan asked suspiciously, "Could it be that osmanthus flowers were added to the rose pastry? Wouldn't that cause the aromas to clash?"
Gu Yaoniang shook her head again.
Princess Ruining and Wang Zhilan were even more puzzled. Suddenly, their eyes swept across the room and they saw the pearly white peanut jelly in the porcelain cup beside them. They asked in unison, "Could it be this?"
Gu Yaoniang nodded.
Peanut milk, despite having the word "milk" in its name, does not contain any cow's milk. It is made by peeling roasted peanuts, washing and soaking them together with high-quality white glutinous rice, grinding them into a fine paste with a stone mill, adding rock sugar, and simmering over low heat until it boils.
Peanut butter is thick, so it needs to be simmered over low heat with extra care, stirring constantly with a long spoon to prevent it from sticking to the pot and burning.
The cooked peanut pudding is as white as snow, melts in your mouth, and is sweet and smooth – truly a fine dessert.
Seeing Gu Yaoniang nod, Wang Zhilan still didn't believe it: "But this peanut pudding looks all white, there's no trace of osmanthus! Yaoniang, are you lying to me?"
Yao Niang didn't say much, only saying, "Ah Han, try it and you'll know!"
Wang Zhilan took the small spoon from the rim of the bowl, scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, her eyes lighting up.
The aroma of peanuts blends perfectly with the fragrance of glutinous rice. The peanut custard is thick yet not heavy, bursting with flavor in the mouth. Savoring it slowly, you can also taste the lingering fragrance of osmanthus.
She believed what Yao Niang said, but after stirring the bowl with a spoon again and again, she still couldn't find any osmanthus flowers.
Princess Ruining was the same. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "How is this possible? There is the fragrance of osmanthus, but I can't see any osmanthus flowers!"
Although osmanthus flowers are fragrant, their petals have a slightly bitter taste. She both loves and hates osmanthus flowers.
Yao Niang smiled gently and said, "After I cooked the peanut milk, I added osmanthus petals and stirred it well, bringing out the fragrance of the osmanthus while it was still hot. Once the peanut milk was just warm, I used coarse gauze to filter out the osmanthus petals. In this way, the peanut milk still looks like plain white peanut milk, but it is already osmanthus peanut milk!"
Wang Zhilan was already spooning the food into her mouth, and when she saw Yao Niang looking at her, she smiled shyly: "Yao Niang, it's really delicious!"
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