An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Brother, what is that red thing?" Xue Cheng asked, pointing to the rows of bright red meat pieces on the stall next door, before he finished the pastry in his hand.

"That's barbecued pork, pork roasted in honey." Xu Zize looked at Xue Cheng, "Would you like to try it? But each person can only have a small piece."

Wangshu immediately raised his hand: "I want it, I want it!"

Xu Zize smiled and shook his head, "Greedy little cat, you haven't finished the Lunjiao cake yet." Having said that, he still called Qingfeng at the next table and went over to buy two small plates of barbecued pork.

The barbecued pork in Lingnan is not as thin and tough as the one in the north. The honey-colored sauce is crystal clear in the sun. It has the right sweetness and saltiness when you bite it, and the meat is tender and juicy.

"Is it delicious?" Xu Zize glanced at Jing Chunxi, but his gaze finally fell on his three younger brothers and sisters who were picking up their chopsticks non-stop.

"Delicious!" Yun Shu replied slurringly, his mouth greasy. "It's even better than what the imperial chefs in the palace make!"

Xu Zize's expression changed slightly, and he quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one in the noisy market paid attention to his innocent words. He squatted down and said in a low voice, "Yunshu, don't mention the palace affairs outside."

Yun Shu blinked his eyes and nodded, seeming to understand. He had only said this carelessly; he didn't even know where the palace was.

Jing Chunxi noticed that Xu Zize didn't say this harshly, but with protective caution.

"Brother, I want to drink that white soup!" Wangshu's attention has shifted to another stall, successfully resolving the embarrassment just now.

Xu Zize looked in the direction of his hand. "That's almond tea, a dessert made from ground almonds and milk." He looked at Jing Chunxi. "Chancheng's almond tea is very famous. Would you like to try it?"

How could she say no? She wanted to try everything on the street.

The group came to the almond tea stall. The stall only had a small tea table. It was full of people and there was no place to sit. However, several maids and old women were waiting in line with copper kettles.

The stall owner, a lean middle-aged man, was stirring a large pot of milky white liquid with a long-handled copper spoon. Xu Zize ordered a bowl for each person, specifically asking that two of the bowls be lightly sugared.

"The food from Lingnan is so sweet that it's cloying. If you eat too much, you won't be able to eat your next meal." He explained, then gave Jing Chunxi a bowl of sugar-free food.

"Mother said that eating too much sugar is bad for children's teeth." Xue Cheng took the bowl from the maid and handed it to her brother first, patiently teaching him and reminding him, "Be careful of the heat."

The delicate fragrance of almonds from the coarse porcelain bowl filled her face. She took a sip, the warm liquid sliding down her throat, the perfect sweetness, with a hint of almond bitterness and a lingering aftertaste.

"Sister, you have a white beard around your mouth!" Xue Cheng suddenly pointed at the corner of her mouth and smiled.

Before Jing Chunxi could wipe it, Xu Zize handed him a plain white handkerchief.

When she took it, she noticed that it was the handkerchief she had given him last year. There were only a few plum blossoms embroidered on the four corners. Perhaps it was a little worn out from frequent use and washing. She couldn't help but think of giving him a few more handkerchiefs.

"Brother, why is almond tea white? Aren't almonds yellow?" Wangshu asked with his little face raised.

Xu Zize patiently explained, "Because almonds are peeled and ground into pulp, their color turns white. Just like..." He looked around, his eyes landing on a tofu stall, "just like soybeans are ground into soy milk."

"Brother, you know so much!" Yun Shu was full of admiration. He was so happy that his brother came back this time, but his stay was too short.

Xu Zize ruffled his hair. "I've only eaten there a few times before." He turned to Jing Chunxi, his eyes filled with the joy of sharing. "How about we try the salty pancakes? It's said that old shop has been passed down for three generations."

They made their way through the bustling crowd and arrived at a small shop with a sign that read "Chen Ji." It wasn't a big shop, but there was a long line outside, and the sizzling sound of frying pans could be heard constantly.

"So many people..." Jing Chunxi hesitated.

Xu Zize, however, was confident. "Wait a moment." He walked to the front of the team, whispered a few words to an old man, gave him a silver coin, and soon came back with a few oil-paper bags.

"Do you know that old man?" Jing Chunxi asked curiously.

"He is the father of a palace soldier." Xu Zize answered briefly. It was because of this that he deliberately gave more silver.

He then opened the oil-paper package, and the steaming salty pancake was golden and crispy, sprinkled with sesame seeds. "It's best to eat it while it's hot."

Xue Cheng took the pancake and took a careful bite. Her eyes immediately lit up, "It's salty and smells so good!"

"It tastes like fermented bean curd." Jing Chunxi was surprised that this simple food could be so delicious.

Xu Zize nodded and said, "The secret recipe of Chancheng people for making salty pancakes is to add fermented bean curd and fragrant powder." He looked at the three children eating with relish, with a satisfied look in his eyes.

"Brother, you eat too." Wangshu held up the pancake he had taken a bite of and stood on tiptoe to pass it to Xu Zize.

Xu Zize took a small bite from his little hand and said, "Hmm, it's really delicious."

This natural and intimate interaction warmed Jing Chunxi's heart. Xu Zize completely let down his guard in front of his family, showing his truest side as a teenager.

"What do you want to eat next?" Xu Zize asked, his eyes sweeping over everyone. "There's also double-skin milk, ginger milk, fried milk... Chancheng's dairy products are also very famous."

"Eat them all!" the three children shouted in unison, then looked at each other and giggled.

Jing Chunxi couldn't help but smile. The sunlight shone on Xu Zize's profile, gilding his resolute features with a soft golden edge. In that moment, she seemed to see a completely different Xu Zize—a brother enjoying ordinary happiness with his younger siblings.

"Then go and try them one by one. Don't blame your big brother for not giving you food." Xu Zize said with a smile, reaching out to gently brush away the sesame seeds from the corner of Xue Cheng's mouth with gentle movements.

"will not."

"Why do you still want to eat?"

"That is, what's good about the meal?"

The three little brats enjoyed tasting the food more than Jing Chunxi did. If the princess knew, she would definitely not let them go out again.

It would be nice if I had an older brother like this.

As soon as this thought flashed through Jing Chunxi's mind, he became annoyed. He had many cousins ​​at home, and it seemed that he was not missing one more.

……

The carriage sped along, and was filled with fragrance. Xuecheng and the twins sent quite a few bouquets of jasmine and strings of magnolia flowers, which Chuntao carefully hung on the roof of the carriage.

The pure white jasmine and the elegant magnolia were intertwined and swayed gently as the carriage bumped along, scattering tiny petals in the carriage and condensing the breath of early summer into a fragrant cloud.

The fragrance is sometimes strong and sometimes weak, sometimes like the breeze drifting from distant mountains, and sometimes like a garden close at hand, making people feel as if they are in a sea of ​​flowers.