Ning Xi'er didn't think she could influence Xie Zhun's emotions, but she remembered the carriage curtain she had lifted back then...
It still evokes a little pity.
So he lifted his feet, his consciousness sinking into the space, and found a lot of candy in the imperial kitchen supplies.
Ning Xi'er spotted a type of orange candy carved into the shape of a crescent moon, took a handful from her spatial storage, and wrapped it in a handkerchief.
Eunuch Xu reported on Ning Xi'er's behalf, and Ning Xi'er only heard a soft "hmm" before getting into the carriage.
Xie Zhun leaned against the car wall, his expression unchanged, but his eyes were a little paler than usual.
Ning Xi'er felt a strange unease in her heart.
She sat down next to Xie Zhun and mentioned, "Once the outside is tidied up, we'll prepare a medicinal bath..."
Xie Zhun nodded slightly.
Ning Xi'er took a piece of gummy candy from her handkerchief and instructed Xie Zhun, "Open your mouth and take your medicine."
Xie Zhun did as instructed, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt something much larger than a regular pill being stuffed into it...
Just as I was about to ask, I detected a sweet taste on the tip of my tongue...
Surprisingly, it still tastes familiar.
Xie Zhun's eyes welled up with tears, and his nose tingled slightly, but with Ning Xi'er present, he took a deep breath and held back.
Chewing slowly, the familiar taste in his mouth calmed Xie Zhun's expression considerably.
As the last bit of sweetness melted away, Xie Zhun suddenly spoke up, "Didn't you say you were going to take your medicine?"
Ning Xi'er smiled and said, "Yes, this isn't for treating illnesses, it's for calming the mind!"
Xie Zhun looked at her fair and radiant face, and, infected by her smile, gently curled the corners of his lips.
He then asked, "How do you have this kind of candy?"
Because of its intricate craftsmanship and delicate carvings, he was absolutely certain that it was the same kind he often ate in the palace, the moment his tongue touched it.
Ning Xi'er lied through her teeth, "On the day of my exile, my brother put it in my bundle when he saw me off. I guess he thought the carving was exquisite and that I might like it..."
"As for where it came from, I really don't know. But my brother has a friend who works in the Imperial Guard, so maybe one of those friends gave it to me."
Xie Zhun did not ask any further questions.
Ning Xi'er reached out and stuffed the remaining gummy candies wrapped in her handkerchief into his hand.
Xie Zhun opened his mouth in confusion, and Ning Xi'er had never seen such a wonderful expression on his face before.
Excitement, shock, nostalgia, sadness...
It is a mixture of many emotions.
But he didn't say anything, and Ning Xi'er didn't ask. She was about to get off the carriage when she heard Xie Zhun's voice behind her.
"These candies were originally made for me by my mother..."
Ning Xi'er turned around and sat down again.
Xie Zhun recounted in detail those memories that had been sealed away for many years, those longings that he had never easily confided to anyone, and for some reason, he spoke them out so easily to the person in front of him.
"When I was little, my mother doted on me immensely, treating me like a precious gem, afraid I might melt in her mouth or break in her hands..."
His face revealed an expression that Ning Xi'er had never seen before.
A happy and joyful expression.
"When I was a child, I suddenly caught a cold and coughed day and night. I absolutely refused to take the medicine prepared by the imperial physicians..."
"My mother was worried and tried all sorts of ways to coax me into taking my medicine, even offering me food. She heard that syrup made from boiled oranges could soothe my throat..."
"The Empress Dowager then had the palace servants make soft candy with glutinous rice flour and orange juice to coax me to drink my medicine. After I finished a mouthful of medicine, I could eat a mouthful of candy."
"Children speak without thinking. I casually remarked that the candies were round and ugly, not pretty at all. So my mother had them all carved into the shape of my favorite moon..."
Because these gummies had a throat-soothing effect, were brightly colored, and had a beautiful shape, they were passed down in the palace.
When he was secluded in the palace, naturally no one would send him these soft candies anymore.
My maternal grandfather and uncles still remember that they would always bring some with them whenever they visited.
It was a rare comfort for him during those years of being trapped in the deep palace.
Unexpectedly, it ended up in Ning Xi'er's hands...
"Eat slowly. I've saved some. Once we reach the desolate region, I'll have Eunuch Xu find someone who knows how to make sweets, so you can have them every day..."
Perhaps with the intention of coaxing him, Ning Xi'er spoke to him much more gently than usual today.
They used to be just going through the motions and doing things strictly by the book, but now they're like friends who can share secrets.
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