Chapter 534: Forever Only Yours
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation ‘ Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Is this the night market?”
Xiao Jin nodded and held Su Ying’s hand as they walked down the street.
Two yellow lanterns hung in front of all the stalls. The illumination enveloped the entire street in a warm glow.
Mm-hmm. In the past, I would always sneak out of the palace to eat a particular food here. I still remember the taste even now.”
Xiao Jin led Su Ying across a small stone bridge and arrived in front of a white-haired old man.
Before she had even gotten close, Su Ying caught a whiff of the fragrance of deep frying oil, which instantly aroused her craving.
“Mister, are there any more taro balls?” Xiao Jin looked at the golden fried taro balls in the pan, and a look of longing showed up in his eyes.
“Yes, five copper coins for a stick. How many do you want?” The old man might be old and his movements were not very agile, but his hands were exceptionally steady when he flipped the taro balls in the pan.
“Give me two sticks first.”
“Alrighty. They will be ready soon.”
Su Ying watched from the side as the old man took out some mashed taro from a large bowl. He then rolled it into a ball and coated it with batter before throwing it into the oil pan.
The steps couldn’t be simpler, and there was no technical skill involved at all. Su Ymg was very curious to know how such an inconspicuous snack could lead Xiao Jin to drag her all the way here to taste it.
Soon, the taro balls were ready.
The old man skewered the fried taro balls one by one with a bamboo skewer
and brushed a thin layer of honey on them.
“Alrighty. Hold it well, you both.”
The old man then raised his head and handed them two sticks of taro balls.
Xiao Jin extended his hand to accept them and thanked him.
The old man looked at Xiao Jin and sized him up carefully.
“Are you that little mudskipper? In the blink of an eye, you are already all grown up and even got yourself a wife?”
Little mudskipper?
Su Ymg looked at Xiao Jin with an amused expression. This rascal had quite a few nicknames.
Xiao Jin didn’t mind the old man calling him by his nickname. He simply smiled and said, “Mm-hmm. I haven’t been here for many years. I didn’t expect to still see you here, Mister.”
The old man chuckled merrily. “I’m still here. As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep working.”
Xiao Jin blew on the stick of taro balls, and after it wasn’t so hot anymore, he brought it to Su Ying’s mouth.
Su Ying had already been attracted by the fragrance earlier, and she didn’t care if it was still hot. She chomped down on it immediately.
When her lips touched the taro ball, the skin was sweet and crispy. After taking a bite, her whole mouth was filled with the fragrance of the taro. She could even taste the faint fragrance of flowers inside.
With all these flavors layered in there, it was no wonder that Xiao Jin, a member of the Imperial Family, kept pining for its taste.
Xiao Jin looked at Su Ying, his eyes filled with affectionate tenderness. “Is it delicious?”
Su Ying licked her lips. “It’s delicious.”
The old man looked at the two of them and smiled until his eyes were squinting. “I have always thought in the past that you would definitely dote on your wife in the future. But why does this wife seem to have changed after she grew up? Hah! A woman really changes a lot after the age of eighteen. She has become more pretty now.”
Su Ying raised her eyebrows and looked at Xiao Jin with an ambiguous expression.
Xiao Jin’s eyebrows twitched. After making payment, he left with Su Ying.
Su Ying took the stick of taro balls from Xiao Jin’s hand and devoured each ball with a single bite. “It looks like you’ve brought your wife to eat taro balls before.”
Xiao Jin blinked his eyes and appeared extremely guileless. “Do you want to listen to my explanation?”
“No, there’s no need. You’re mine now anyway.”
Xiao Jin chuckled softly. His deep laughter reverberated from his chest, and every pore of his body was clamoring with joy at this moment.
“Right. I am yours. I am forever only yours.”
Su Ying glanced at the unfinished stick of taro balls in his hand and reached
out to snatch it over before eating it in one bite.
“Mmm! It’s delicious!”
Xiao Jin’s dark eyes gazed into the light in her almond-shaped eyes. It was the light that illuminated her and it was also the light in his life.
That night, the two of them returned to the palace very late and they had to enter through the back door of the palace.
Zhang Shuming detected the street smells on the two of them and thought that the couple must have been up to some mischief.
Who would have thought that the emperor of a kingdom and the mother of a kingdom would have to sneak in through the back door when they returned to the palace…
In the days that followed, Su Ying personally went to the academy to begin the reorganization. She personally reviewed every single person she hired and only allowed them to stay in the academy after she gave her approval.
This incident had already caused a credibility crisis in the entire academy. If something bad happened again in the future, the reputation of the entire academy would crumble to nothing.
After settling the matters at the academy, Su Ying arrived at an inconspicuous little courtyard house in the capital city.
Mr. Zhao’s family jumped out of their chairs in shock when they saw Su Ying arriving.
After that day, their family was settled in this courtyard house and had been living there until now.
Mr. Zhao and the others only found out after the incident that the person who didn’t mind their poverty-stricken house at all and happily praised them for their delicious pounded rice cakes was actually the current Empress.
“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying stepped forward to help them up. “Since we’re outside, there’s no need for formalities. Just address me as ‘Mistress’ like those people in the past.”
Mr. Zhao quickly responded, “Mistress, please… please come inside.”
Su Ying followed them into the house. “Are you used to living here?”
“Thank you for your concern, Mistress. This place is very good. We have never lived in such a good place in our entire lives.”
Su Ymg saw that their complexions were much better than before. “How’s Moon?”
The family members’ faces sank slightly at the mention of Moon.
Su Ying understood immediately when she saw their expressions. “I’ll go take a look at her.”
They had arranged for Moon to stay in a room in the back courtyard. The servant girl standing guard outside the door bowed to Su Ying and pushed open the door to let her in.
Su Ying gestured for everyone to wait outside the door while she entered the room alone.
The illumination in the room was very good. A ray of sunlight shone on Moon through the window. It looked bright enough to dispel the gloominess overhanging her body.
Moon heard the commotion and turned around. She was a little surprised to see that it was Su Ying.
“Are you feeling better?”
Moon immediately recognized Su Ying’s voice. Her parents had told her that it was the Empress who saved her, but she didn’t understand. Wasn’t the Empress the one who had harmed her to this extent?
It was only when she saw Su Ying that she chose to believe her parents’ words.
She believed that Big Sister would never hurt her.
“Big Sis…Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying walked over to Moon’s bed and sat down. She looked much better now, but she was still in low spirits.
“Are you feeling better?”
Moon nodded slowly. The pain in her body was no longer a big deal. What was difficult was the pain in her heart, which would not be so easy to soothe.
“Moon, do you know how the moon in the sky is illuminated?”
Moon looked at Su Ying with a puzzled expression.
Su Ying continued, “The moon in the sky is illuminated by the sun. I hope that the rays of golden light outside can not only illuminate the moon in the sky but also illuminate you, Moon. If you don’t want to stay in the capital city, I’ll arrange a place for all of you to go. I’ll let your family go to a place where no one knows you and welcome the sunlight again, okay?”
Moon looked at Su Ying as her eyes gradually became red-rimmed. “Big Sister,
can I really start over? Do I deserve to see the light?”
Su Ying’s hand holding Moon’s hand tightened a little. “As long as you’re
willing, there’s light waiting for you just ahead..”