Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 30
by Little PandaVolume 2: The Captivating Splendor of Jingdu
Even delicious pastries should be eaten in moderation.
Su Yi had a weak constitution and couldn’t eat ordinary pastries. Only bazhen gao1, made with mashed dates mixed with wolfberries and lotus seeds, was easy to digest. People with weak spleens and stomachs could eat some, so when she craved it, her mother would have the kitchen make some.
However, her mother was afraid she would upset her stomach, so she limited her intake of these treats. She was only allowed one plate per month, at most, and no more.
The control of the quantity was previously done by her mother. Later, after Ji Qingchi became her fulang, her mother entrusted the task of preventing her from overeating to Ji Qingchi.
When Su Yi heard Ji Qingchi mention ” bazhen gao,” she had a bad feeling. When she turned around and saw her holding two plates of pastries, she felt awful.
Wuwuwu, since she came to the capital, she hadn’t touched any delicious food. After enduring for so long, she finally looked forward to some pastries. The female protagonist is truly too cruel.
Su Yi looked at them longingly. Ji Qingchi noticed her gaze, the corners of her mouth curled up, and she said to Gancao, “You’re still a child and growing. You can’t go hungry. Here, take these and eat them all.”
The two plates combined only had about twenty pieces, slightly larger than quail eggs. It wasn’t much, and even if she finished them, she probably wouldn’t be full.
Gancao had left early today and had spent a lot of energy running around in the streets. She was already hungry, but when she saw the pastries, she quickly shook her head, “No, these are what Miss likes to eat.”
“Your Miss is tired of them, that’s why she left them.”
Ji Qingchi smiled and said, looking at Su Yi, she said coquettishly, “Qizhu, am I right?”
Wuwuwu, my pastries.
Su Yi was crying tears in her heart, but meeting Ji Qingchi’s smile, how could she dare say anything? Between her life and pastries, she could only choose the former. “That’s right, Fulang is right. I don’t have an appetite this morning. You take them all and eat them.”
Gancao’s stomach conveniently let out two growls. She looked at her own lord embarrassedly, then at Miss. Seeing their concerned gazes, she finally accepted them, “Thank you, Lord, thank you, Miss.”
Su Yi rubbed her face, and the bit of reluctance in her heart vanished like smoke. “Why are you thanking me? You look like you can barely keep your eyes open. Didn’t you sleep well last night? Take the pastries back to your room and eat them. After you eat, don’t go to sleep immediately. Walk around for a while to let the pastries digest before you sleep, understand?”
“Got it.” Gancao gave Su Yi a silly smile and carried the pastries back to her room.
Su Yi looked at her silly appearance and shook her head with a smile, “She’s really just a child.”
She watched Gancao’s retreating figure, and Ji Qingchi’s words came to her ears, “Qizhu, do you want to eat pastries?”
The female protagonist really knows the answer but still asks. She had endured for a month just for that little treat, so you tell me if she wants to eat.
Su Yi was indignant inside, but she had to keep a straight face and shake her head, “I don’t want to eat.”
Ji Qingchi let out an “Oh,” “But the expression on Qizhu’s face doesn’t say that.”
Look, look, how infuriating the female protagonist is. It’s one thing not to let her eat, but she has to provoke her.
The tears in Su Yi’s heart were almost flowing into a river, but she still had to act nonchalant, “No, Fulang, you saw wrong.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, I’ll turn my face, and you can look.”
After Su Yi finished speaking, she tried hard to suppress her expression. When she turned her face, another plate of bazhen gao appeared in front of her, suspended in the air.
She looked up in surprise and saw Ji Qingchi looking a little puzzled, “But isn’t this Qizhu’s favorite pastry? If you don’t want to eat it, I’ll take it away.”
As she spoke, she made a move to take it away. Su Yi quickly grabbed her arm, “Ahem… I… I didn’t mean what I just said… Fulang, just pretend you didn’t hear it.”
The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became. If Ji Qingchi hadn’t practiced martial arts, she wouldn’t have been able to hear her voice, which was as quiet as a mosquito.
It was rare to see Su Yi with such an expression. The depression that had come from nowhere a moment ago was instantly swept away. Ji Qingchi was in a great mood and chuckled, “Alright, then this plate of pastries is all Qizhu’s. I won’t give it to anyone else.”
Su Yi, afraid she would change her mind, quickly grabbed the plate and carefully picked up a piece of pastry with a handkerchief. After chewing it a few times, she realized something was wrong.
Why does this taste different from what she had eaten before?
Could the kitchen have improved it?
Yes, that should be it. It’s not strange for the people in the kitchen to study the flavors every day.
She happily held the pastries, savoring the taste, and no longer wondered why the pastries tasted different.
Ji Qingchi looked at her expression, and the smile on her face deepened unconsciously.
Sure enough, Su Yi only had eyes for food. She was originally worried that Su Yi would taste the difference and ask, making her find a bunch of excuses for nothing.
On their wedding night, she had discovered that Su Yi couldn’t eat a lot of things made with glutinous rice flour. Although the Su family head later had the kitchen make this bazhen gao, she tasted some and found that it wasn’t suitable for Su Yi, who had a weak spleen and stomach, to eat a lot of.
Fortunately, the imperial palace was particular about food. They researched what foods nourished the spleen and stomach and what foods nourished the spirit. Having grown up immersed in the imperial palace, she was quite familiar with these things. When she had nothing to do, she went to the kitchen and saw the cook making pastries, so she advised the cook to change the recipe.
The cook made several test batches. The two plates given to Gancao were the ones before the improvement. The ones Su Yi was eating now were made with tonic herbs, which were beneficial for Su Yi. If a child like Gancao ate them, it would be too much, and she might get a nosebleed.
Su Yi ate four in one go and was about to take another when her wrist was grabbed. She looked up pitifully and saw Ji Qingchi shaking her head and smiling, “Qizhu, Mother said you can’t eat too much.”
Everything in moderation, after all. No matter how delicious and easy to digest something is, there must be a limit.
Su Yi tried to widen her eyes to show Ji Qingchi how pitiful she was, “But Fulang, I can only eat this once a month…”
Meeting her pitiful gaze, Ji Qingchi thought for a moment, then handed the pastries back, smiling, “Alright, eat a few more, and then I’ll have Miss Feng give you a few more needle jabs.”
Feng Ruoqing’s medical skills were undoubtedly very high, but she had a fatal flaw: her acupuncture was very painful. The first time she was treated by her, Su Yi screamed like Ziwei2 being pricked by Rong Momo3, crying tears of pain.
Hearing that she would be pricked by Feng Ruoqing, Su Yi compromised. She looked at the pastries longingly but pushed her hand away, “I was joking, Fulang, quickly take it away, quickly take it away. How could I overeat? I won’t overeat.”
Ji Qingchi was amused by her appearance, “Qizhu is truly strict with herself.”
Su Yi felt that Ji Qingchi was mocking her, but she had no proof.
Watching Ji Qingchi put away the pastries with longing eyes, Su Yi was full of grievance. She began counting on her fingers, calculating when she would be able to eat them again.
Footnotes
- 八珍糕 | bā zhēn gāo | Eight-Treasure Cake; a traditional Chinese pastry made with various medicinal ingredients, often including Chinese yam, lotus seeds, and芡实 (qiàn shí – foxnut), believed to be beneficial for digestion and the spleen.
- 紫薇 | Zǐwēi | Referring to a character from the popular TV series “My Fair Princess” (还珠格格), who is known for her dramatic reactions to pain, particularly during acupuncture scenes with Rong Momo (容嬷嬷).
- Rong Momo is the cruel and strict嬷嬷 (mómo – a senior female servant, often a nanny) who frequently uses acupuncture needles to punish Ziwei.
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