Chapter 180 It wasn't easy to get some sweets in ancient times.
Cheng Jiaojiao was clearly a regular customer, and she led them to a private booth by the window on the second floor, where she enthusiastically ordered several of their signature dim sum dishes:
Crystal shrimp dumplings, crab roe soup dumplings, almond tofu, steamed lion's head meatballs, and honey lotus seed paste cake.
The snacks were served one after another, and they all looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
"Sister Jiang, you must try this crab roe soup dumpling!"
Cheng Jiaojiao eagerly picked one up, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to Jiang Ling, her eyes sparkling.
"I always eat two baskets every time I come here. The crab roe inside is so fresh and sweet! It's so delicious!"
Jiang Ling took the crab roe soup dumpling, gently bit into a corner, and the delicious juice immediately burst in her mouth, filling it with the fresh aroma of crab roe. It truly lived up to its reputation. She smiled and nodded.
"It's really delicious, even fresher than anything I've had before."
Xiao Yi held a small porcelain bowl and carefully scooped out almond tofu with a spoon. The cool, sweet taste made his eyes light up, and he whispered to Xiao Ran:
"Brother Xiaoran, this is so delicious, it tastes like candy made from ice!"
Cheng Fang sipped his tea slowly and said to Jiang Ling, "This teahouse has a long-established reputation in Beijing for its dim sum, especially its morning tea, which is loved by many high-ranking officials and nobles."
For the first time, Cheng Jiaojiao forgot about eating herself and kept urging Jiang Ling to eat, even putting another piece of honey lotus seed paste cake on her plate.
"Sister Jiang, you must try this! It's a specialty of Yuelai Tea House! It's sweet and sticky, and so delicious!"
Jiang Ling did as she was told and picked up a piece. The lotus seed paste cake melted in her mouth and was sweet and fragrant, but the sweetness was indeed far beyond her expectations.
She didn't like overly sweet foods to begin with, and this lotus seed paste cake was almost twice as sweet as modern pastries. She took a couple of bites, put down her chopsticks, and casually remarked:
"The pastries are indeed exquisitely made, but I personally don't like sweets. This lotus seed paste cake is a bit too sweet for me."
Seeing that she said that, Cheng Jiaojiao stopped recommending it. "I also think it's too sweet. Sister Jiang, try this tiger-skin shumai. It's made with the tenderest pork tenderloin."
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a soft, clearly disapproving snort came from the next table.
"This young lady must be new to the capital, right? The honey lotus seed paste cake at Yuelai Tea House is made with the finest golden jujubes and aged honey, meticulously crafted by a master chef. It's sweet but not cloying, glutinous but not sticky—the tea house's signature dish. Many people travel thousands of miles to the capital just to taste it. How could it be too sweet?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old sitting at the next table. She was wearing a pale yellow dress and had a red gold hairpin with a ruby inlaid in her hair. She was accompanied by two maids and was clearly a girl of high status.
Jiang Ling turned around and saw that the person's gaze was fixed on her. Those words were clearly meant for her.
Jiang Ling was somewhat puzzled.
Why can't I even decide what kind of food I like in this capital city?
She didn't say that others couldn't eat this stuff.
Before she could speak, Cheng Jiaojiao stood up and retorted to the girl without any politeness:
"What? It's none of your business what my sister Jiang likes to eat? This teahouse isn't yours to say!"
"I think she's just a country girl who doesn't know what's good for her!"
"Liu Wan'er, if you open your mouth again, do you believe I'll have you thrown out!"
"Cheng Jiaojiao, how dare you! Do you own this teahouse?!"
Jiang Ling glanced at Cheng Fang. No wonder he didn't stop her; they knew each other.
Cheng Jiaojiao frowned and was about to speak when Jiang Ling gently tugged at her sleeve.
Jiang Ling smiled gently at the girl:
"Please don't be offended, young lady. It's just that I have a rather bland palate and can't handle overly sweet food, so I'm not able to enjoy this delicious treat. It's not that the pastries are badly made. I suppose you understand me, as you can appreciate their true flavor."
Jiang Ling wasn't angry. It wasn't easy to get some sweets in ancient times, so it was normal for young girls like them to have a sweet tooth.
Seeing that several shop assistants and the manager had gone upstairs to check the situation, Jiang Lingcai, who was only in the capital for the first time, felt there was no need to argue with a young girl.
She's here to have fun, not to fight.
Liu Wan'er was clearly taken aback by Jiang Ling's response and paused for a moment.
His gaze swept over them one by one, leaving only one sentence: "Hmph! What are you pretending for!"
Then he left with his maid.
Cheng Jiaojiao's anger hadn't subsided: "Liu Wan'er, don't let me see you again next time!"
Jiang Ling pulled her to sit down and asked, "Jiaojiao, do you know her?"
Cheng Jiaojiao drank a large cup of tea before she could barely suppress her anger.
"She's the daughter of the Prime Minister, and she's always been domineering! What she likes, others have to like too; what she doesn't like, no one else can like! She's used to being arrogant and domineering, and few people in the capital dare to mess with her... But I'm not going to put up with her!"
She glanced at Cheng Fang, then swallowed her words, only saying:
"In short, Sister Jiang, you don't need to be polite to her next time you see her! Otherwise, you'll only embolden her!"
Jiang Ling smiled calmly: "Alright, don't be angry. We're here to have fun, don't let these little things ruin our mood."
After having morning tea, the group took a car towards Xishan.
The sun was already quite high in the sky.
As the carriage drove away from the city, the hustle and bustle faded into the distance, and the autumn wilderness and mountains gradually came into view.
Cheng Jiaojiao clung to the car window, pointing to the gradually clearing red mountains in the distance, her voice filled with excitement:
"Sister Jiang, look! That's West Mountain! Right now, the maple leaves are all red, like they're on fire!"
Xiao Yi also came closer, her little head pressed against the car window, her eyes wide open:
"It really is red, much redder than the maple trees in the village."
He had only seen a few scattered maple trees in Jishui Village, and they were only light red in late autumn. He had never imagined that the whole mountain would be covered with red leaves.
Xiao Ran couldn't help but peek out, staring intently at the red mountain in front of her, and exclaimed "Wow!"
Cheng Fang responded loudly, gently placing his riding whip on the horse's back. "The maple trees on West Mountain are century-old trees of a special variety. They turn completely red after the first frost. There was a scholar who once said, 'The autumn maples of West Mountain burn the heavens,' which refers to this scenery."
Jiang Ling looked out the window and saw layers upon layers of mountains in the distance, the forests dyed a deep crimson, forming a striking contrast with the azure sky and giving people a strong visual impact.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "It truly lives up to its reputation; it looks beautiful even from afar."
About half an hour later, the carriage stopped on the bluestone platform at the foot of West Mountain.
Once the carriage came to a stop, everyone disembarked and walked. When they were truly immersed in the maple forest, they were even more awestruck by the sight before them.
A gust of autumn wind carried a few red leaves over and landed on Jiang Ling's cloak.
Jiaojiao ran out first, caught a swirling maple leaf, and held it up to the sunlight: "Sister Jiang, look! Doesn't this leaf look like a little palm?"
They are truly beautiful; each piece is worthy of being collected.
"Let's go, let's walk up this path. From the Wangfeng Pavilion at the top of the mountain, we can see all the maple leaves of the West Mountain."
Cheng Fang led the group along a mountain path, the path covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves that rustled underfoot.
The maple trees on both sides of the road grew denser and denser, their branches intertwining to form a natural archway. The red leaves piled up overhead, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light spots on the ground.
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