While these kinds of marketing concepts still didn't really exist in this era, they were very well developed in the modern times Su Tang was from. Modern society had already entered an era where division of labor was king and even the art of targeting certain groups of consumers had been refined to a science, and the idea of targetted goods was prevalent.

Thus, since Su Tang herself was from modern times she, of course, was familiar with these concepts. However, the average businessmen of this era probably wouldn't understand the idea of targeting smaller groups in the name of creating an overall sales direction for a company.

Even after sitting there and mulling it over for a while, Luo Xingchen still couldn't figure it out, so she decided to eagerly run outside and have a look for herself. Seeing her like this, Su Tang just smiled wryly and then pulled two fish out of her space.

She then went and handed the fish over to Zhang Cuilan to gut and clean. Seeing Su Tang bring out fresh fish in the dead of winter cause both Zhang Cuilan and Yu Caihe to feel very surprised. After all, it was currently so cold that the Qing River had frozen solid to the point that you could even run a carriage around on the ice.

Nowadays even frozen fish were rare but Su Tang actually managed to get her hands on fresh fish from somewhere. However, despite their shock, none of the members of the family dared to say anything.

Su Tang just casually said a line about buying the fish outside and, of course, none of the servants dared to contradict her. Meanwhile, Su Nuo solemnly made a noise of agreement, but in his heart, he was sure that the fish must have been given to Su Tang by the River God.

Thus it could be seen how great it was for Su Tang to have a 'River God' around to always carry the pot for her.

In addition to the fish, Su Tang also brought out a few kinds of green vegetables. Of course, in the dead of winter like this, fresh green vegetables were even rarer than meat. But by now even the resilient Su Tang was feeling sick of eating nothing but dried vegetables. It had already been more than a month since winter began and now whenever she saw another shriveled dried green sprout she would feel a bit like throwing up.

Therefore, she decided to use this as an excuse to treat herself to some fresh vegetables.

After she brought out the vegetables Su Tang saw Zhang Cuilan was done cleaning the fish and put her in charge of beginning the grilling process. Meanwhile, she went over to Yu Caihe and gave step-by-step instructions to teach her how to make the soup base and how to properly cut the vegetables. Before long, everything was done and ready to be cooked together.

For herself and Su Nuo, Su Tang planned to cook the same vegetarian dish as last time and began taking the steps needed to do so.

Finally, they produced two of Su Tang's Hot and Sour Grilled Fish dishes. When they were done, Su Tang quickly took a portion to be sent over to Song Yi. After all, she had asked him for a day off with the excuse that her friend had come to town and Song Yi had helplessly agreed, so this was a small way of making it up to him. Fortunately, her grilled fish was very delicious.

Meanwhile, she let the rest for Luo Xingchen. Of course, when that foodie saw the Hot and Sour Grilled Fish she immediately dove in and began eating with gusto, really causing all of her usual 'refined young gentleman aura' to disappear.

"Don't eat too much. I'm going to bake a cake in the afternoon, so don't be so full that you can't eat any when it's done." Su Tang warned softly.

While Luo Xingchen was eating her grilled fish with a euphoric expression, Su Tang and Su Nuo also started on their own vegetarian dishes. Although their side of the table was all vegetarian, the vegetables from the space were actually very delicious so the two of them were still very happy.

When Luo Xingchen heard Su Tang's warning, she reluctantly set down her chopsticks and said "But it's just too delicious. The fish is so flavorful and tender. Tang, if you decided to open up a grilled fish business and sold dishes this delicious then you would definitely never run out of customers."

After she finished speaking, Luo Xingchen couldn't help herself and immediately picked up her chopsticks again while muttering, "I can still eat a little more."

Seeing her eating so eagerly, Su Tang felt a little speechless. Eventually, she managed: "Second Young Master Luo, aren't you at least the promising young master of the Luo family? Is this really okay?"

For the young master of the richest family in the north to eat like a starved wolf like this, could that be okay? Also, the key point was that she was really destroying her image as a dashing young man!

Despite detecting the subtext in Su Tang's question, Luo Xingchen's response was indifferent: "What promising? When compared to you what kind of thing is 'promising'?

Su Tang directly covered her face with her hands. She began to wonder if she should never have exposed her cards to Luo Xingchen back then. Why did she feel that she was being blamed a lot these days?

Fortunately, in the end, Luo Xingchen managed to control herself a little bit and didn't stuff herself to bursting like last time. When she finally set down her chopsticks there was still more than half of a grilled fish left over, but she quickly asked Su Tang to leave it aside so she could finish eating it in the evening.

Naturally, Su Tang agreed.

After lunch, Pu Wei and Baohe returned to working the cafe out front while Su Tang brought Yu Caihe and Zhang Cuilan to help her with a task. She had 'bought' both brown sugar and cassava flour beforehand, and she had them mix both ingredients with water in a large pot and begin stirring them all together. Soon, a thick brown-colored dough was produced.

Luo Xingchen and Su Nuo both stood right next to Su Tang and watched as she directed the servants over the pot. Su Nuo couldn't help but wonder out loud, "Is my sister making sugar?"

Luo Xingchen was a bit more knowledgeable than Su Nuo so she shot that idea down, "It should be some kind of dessert, I think?"

Su Tang was free for the moment since Yu Caihe and Zhang Cuilan were busy stirring and rolling the dough so, hearing the spectators were curious, she began to explain: "It's similar to a dessert. Maybe instead of dessert, it would be better to call this thing a dessert accessory. Of course, it's also quite sweet and can be eaten as a dessert by itself."

Finally, the dough was rolled into two long noodle shapes and then cut into many small pieces. From there, the small pieces were rolled into small balls that were roughly equal in size. When that was done all the little brown sugar balls were placed in a large bowl.

Luo Xingchen looked at the inside of the bowl curiously and said, "A dessert accessory? You mean it needed to be served with something else?"

Su Tang nodded. "En, that's right. I call them pearls. Don't you think they look like little black pearls?"

The little guy was young and brutally honest. He took one look at the little brownish-grey balls and shook his head. "No."

"Pff!" Luo Xingchen couldn't help herself and laughed.

Su Tang rolled her eyes and said, "Well that's because it's still not ready yet, Ms. He, put them in this boiling water."

While the two servants had been busy handling the dough, Su Tang had boiled some brown sugar water. And, after the pearls were tossed into the boiling water, a magical transformation occurred. The little grey-brown balls slowly turned a glossy black color and immediately became beautiful to the eye.

Su Tang used her ladle to slowly stir the pearls in with the brown sugar water and, after a moment, she pulled one up to show to Su Nuo and Luo Xingchen, "What about now? I call it a black pearl."

Su Nuo looked at the 'black pearl' with a surprised expression. "Wow, it really changed. Now it's so black and bright, it looks good!"

Of course, Luo Xingchen had seen a real black pearl before. Looking at this so-called 'black pearl' that Su Tang had created she knew at a glance that it was a fake, but she still nodded along and said, "Well, it seems a little interesting."

"These pearls are dessert accessories that can be added into milk tea and also put on top of cakes. Of course, for my purposes, its most important function is how it can be added to my milk tea to make pearl milk tea."

In Su Tang's previous life, pearl milk tea had been everywhere and had come in all sorts of varieties and flavors. Su Tang was looking forward to doing the same with her milk tea, perhaps she could find coconut or other interesting flavors.

"Pearl milk tea?" Luo Xingchen heard the name and nodded, "That sounds good."

"It doesn't sound 'good', it sounds expensive and high-end, okay?" Su Tang said quickly retorted. In fact, Su Tang had always felt that the name 'Pearl Milk Tea' was quite impressive. She had respect for the talented mind that managed to combine pearls and milk tea together to create an intuitively high-end product name.

"Haha, that's true as well!" Luo Xingchen said.

Su Tang laughed along for a moment and then asked Yu Caihe to go to the cafe in front and bring back a fresh pot of milk tea for them. Once that was done, she poured a cup for all three of them and added a few of her new 'pearls' to each cup. After she finished serving everyone else Su Tang took one of her small teaspoons and scooped out a pearl and some milk tea and ate them together.

The chewy brown-sugar taste of the pearl, coupled with the sweetness of the milk tea, came together to create an excellent taste, and Su Tang's eyes narrowed happily.

Seeing her like this, Su Nuo and Luo Xingchen quickly tried their own cups as well. Su Nuo liked all kinds of sweets, so he was happy after the first mouthful and exclaimed: "It's so sweet. It's good"

Luo Xingchen tried it as well and was stunned. She had tried the milk tea that was made by those northwest herdsmen, but the milk tea that Su Tang made was completely different compared to what they made. And now, with the addition of these 'pearls', it was even more different. "Hmm, it's delicious. Also a bit chewy."

After the pearl was cooked, it would be chewy, sweet, and fragrant. Then, when combined with the unique taste of Su Tang's milk tea, it created an interesting and delicious taste.

"En. Anyway, I'm going to bake some more desserts a bit later. I guess I won't be able to give you a proper New Years gift this year, so you can just take them with you and have them on the way." After seeing that both Luo Xingchen and Su Nuo seemed to like the Pearl Milk Tea, Su Tang smiled and spoke again.

Of course, there was no way Luo Xingchen would turn down Su Tang's offer. She had watched Su Tang bake a lot of cakes already earlier in the day, so she was curious about how they tasted. Obviously she had already eaten a lot for lunch, and also eaten a lot earlier over tea, but she was happy to eat more of Su Tang's cooking. Thinking about it, she felt like she had really done well for herself today.

After that, Su Tang started baking again and, as she worked on the cakes, she also made some fresh milk tea to go along with the pearls. Getting to taste these excellent desserts one after another, Luo Xingchen ate so happily that she simply didn't want to leave.

She still wondered why Su Tang's shop only served female guests but, unfortunately, it seemed that Su Tang was determined to make her think for herself this time. Even until now, she hadn't been able to come up with an answer, and Su Tang wouldn't tell her.

In the end, she could only resign herself to thinking about it slowly. At the same time, Su Tang finally packed all of the desserts she had made into a big box and gave it to Luo Xingchen for her to eat on the road.

Although she was reluctant to part, Luo Xingchen still got up early the next morning and left in a hurry. After all, with the Spring Festival coming up she had no choice but to hurry home and deal with things there, and she also had to take care of the plots of land in her hands quickly, so she really couldn't afford to linger. Of course, Su Tang went along to the town entrance to send her friend off.

When she was done she headed back to the small rented courtyard. When she got back, she told Zhang Cuilan and them that it was about time for them to move. Thankfully, Luo Xingchen had come at a good time and took all of the soap she had stockpiled off her hands, so there were fewer things to move now. It was a good chance for her to finally move out and save herself a lot of effort.

When Zhang Cuilan heard that Su Tang had finally decided to move out, she hurriedly began to pack up all of their things. Of course, Su Tang and Su Nuo had only lived in the rented courtyard for a month or so, and when they had arrived they didn't bring much luggage with them since they had only come because their old house collapsed, so they didn't actually have much that needed to be packed up.

Instead, the most troublesome things to pack were the large custom-built boxes that were used to make soap. In the end, Zhang Cuilan went out and hired a donkey cart and brought it back. After that, they loaded all of the luggage onto the cart and the Su siblings and their four servants finally officially moved to the courtyard behind the Dessert Cafe.

Carpenter Wang had worked very quickly. By now basically all of the things Su Tang had ordered for her and her brother's rooms had been built, which meant that their rooms were more or less done. He still hadn't finished building the shelves for storing goods that would be placed in the back room, as well as the tables, chairs, and cabinets for the servant's quarters. However, he was confident he would finish those things before the end of the year.

Of course, without these things it meant that life for the four servants would be a bit inconvenient for a while, but they would just have to put up with it for a few days until the furniture was completed. After all, both Su Tang and Su Nuo felt that, since they already had their own house, they shouldn't keep living in the rented place. Thus, they decided to move in as soon as possible.

Of course, even though they moved out, the small rented courtyard was still paid for, so Su Tang could continue to use it, and she had an idea for that. Luo Xingchen and Su Tang had already established their intention to cooperate together, so Luo Xingchen thought that she would probably have to come back to Qinghe Town frequently in the future, so she asked Su Tang to help her buy a house in Qinghe Town that she could live in whenever she came.

There was no hurry to buy a new house, even if she only started looking after the next time Luo Xingchen dropped into town it wouldn't be too late. After all, now that Su Tang's family had vacated it, the rented courtyard could be used for the time being.

From when Su Tang sent Luo Xingchen off to when she decided to move and began transferring all of their belongings, there were no unexpected incidents at all. Before long the group had smoothly transferred everything to the new house. Once they arrived, Su Tang told Su Nuo to do self-study while she herself left again for the Song residence.

However, as she approached, she was surprised to see that there were two carriages parked in front of the Song residence, and there were men moving things from the carriages and bringing them inside.

Pengmo was overseeing the process from the side, so Su Tang went over and asked: "Pengmo, what's going on?"

Seeing that Su Tang had arrived, Pengmo quickly saluted and then replied, "Ah, young miss, you're here. These are the New Years gifts from the capital. The master is currently in his study, young miss you should hurry and go see him, don't let him find an excuse to scold you again!"

Hearing that the carriages contained New Years gifts, Su Tang nodded with understanding and then headed inside. Meanwhile, the men moving the gifts saw how Pengmo was so respectful to this young girl and they all looked at her curiously.

When Pengmo saw these servants gawping at Su Tang, he said coldly, "Before you arrived here, didn't your master tell you what and what not to do?"

These servants hadn't thought much, only thinking that seeing such a small girl being treated so respectfully was a fresh and curious sight, but after being reminded they all quickly lowered their heads and returned to their work.

Once inside, Su Tang began to head toward the study but stopped when she saw that her master was unexpectedly meeting with a messenger in the main hall. The person her master was meeting with was a young man who still had traces of boyish features on his face. Seeing that her master was busy, Su Tang didn't interrupt him, she just continued on toward the study to learn by herself.

A while later she noticed it was almost time for lunch, so she went to find Pengmo and asked: "It's almost time for lunch, but what should we do about these servants?"

Talking about status, Su Tang was officially Song Yi's disciple. She was an honorable young miss, while Pengmo was a servant. And ever since Song Yi had accepted Su Tang in, Pengmo had changed his manner to be more respectful to Su Tang. However, while they lived in an era that placed great emphasis on the difference between masters and servants there were, after all, only three people total who usually stayed in the Song residence. Su Tang cooked for Song Yi every day anyway, so adding one more dish wasn't really any more work, so she usually cooked for all three of them.

Of course, mindful of the status difference, Pengmo could only barely allow himself to eat Su Tang's handmade food, but he wouldn't ever eat at the same table with Song Yi and Su Tang. So, considering how they usually did things, Su Tang wasn't sure how much she should cook when she saw that there were so many extra people today.

"Young miss, you only need to prepare food for the master and yourself. They are all just servants, there's no need for you to serve them personally. Once they finish their work and go back they'll be able to find something eat on their own." Pengmo hurriedly dissuaded Su Tang from trying to cook for those servants.

After all, he himself always felt very uneasy eating Su Tang's food so there was no way he would ask her to cook for this group. In fact, he had even told Song Yi before that there was no need for her to cook ap portion for him, but Song Yi had just said it was boring to only have two people taste a dish, which was why he reluctantly ate the food she made for him.

However, he was very aware that this behavior wasn't appropriate when considering their statuses. And today, when there were so many people around, there was no way he would dare to ask Su Tang to tire herself out by cooking for them all. After all, she was his master's disciple, so it would be strange for her to cook for the servants!

Su Tang caught the key point in Pengmo's response and felt a little surprised. She couldn't help but ask, "They're going to leave again today?"

Those men all looked weary and travel-worn but they planned to immediately leave again without staying even a single night to rest?

Pengmo nodded. "In fact, they should have been here much sooner but it seems they were delayed. Unfortunately, it looks like they won't be able to return before the new year as they intended even if they rush back right away."

Song Yi had been teaching Su Tang many things these days, but he still hadn't ever specifically clarified his own identity to her. Of course, thanks to the orange cat, Su Tang already more or less knew, so when she saw these people arriving and leaving in such a hurry, she had some ideas. For instance, if you told her that a distinguished personage like her master had decided to settle down in a small place like Qinghe Town just for the sake of his affection for his late wife, she would never believe it, no matter how deeply affectionate they might have been.

Su Tang vaguely understood some things in her heart, so she decided not to ask any further, she just smiled and said, "I see."

Pengmo had expected that Su Tang would ask more, so he was surprised when she decisively ended the topic. He nodded slowly even as Su Tang turned away and headed toward the kitchen to begin cooking. Watching her, he couldn't help but shake his head. It seemed that the thoughts of masters and servants were truly in different realms, after all, even a peasant girl like Miss Su was hard to see through.

Meanwhile, Song Yi had heard out everything the messenger had to say. He fell silent for a long moment before slowly replying, "You've worked hard in coming all the way to this place. However, I don't have anything more to say to them. I've already said the words I needed to say back then. Although the local officials have been working diligently, their work will never bear fruit when certain parties are siphoning benefits away from the top."

After Song Yi spoke, the messenger saluted and agreed. Song Yi solemnly looked down at the letter the messenger had delivered for a long moment. Eventually, he said, "Anyway, go down and help Pengmo move the things for now. Come back in a little while."

The messenger respectfully agreed, gave a final salute, and then withdrew to go help Pengmo.

A moment after the messenger exited the room Song Yi also opened the door and stepped out in a solemn mood. When he came out and smelled the usual scent coming from the kitchen, he realized that Su Tang was cooking. The familiar scent instantly scrubbed away the serious expression on Song Yi's face. He smiled wryly and shook his head, and then went to the kitchen.

"Oh, master, you really can't wait? I still have one more dish to make, but the meal will be done very soon don't worry." When she saw that Song Yi had entered the kitchen, Su Tang glanced over and said.

"En. When you're done just leave the rest to Pengmo to handle and come to the study. I have something to tell you." Song Yi said. He looked at his disciple, her small face flushed red from the heat of the stove, and felt she seemed a bit cute today. He hmphed and left.

Su Tang called an agreement to his disappearing back. Then, a little while later, she finished up in the kitchen, wiped the sweat off her face, and went to the study.

When she stepped into the study, Su Tang saw Song Yi holding the letter in his hand with a serious expression as if he were thinking about something. When he heard her come inside, he looked up and said sternly, "Come sit down."

Su Tang walked over, sat down, and then looked at Song Yi, "Master, what is it you wanted to say to me?"

By way of response, Song Yi passed Su Tang the letter in his hand. Seeing this action of his, Su Tang was stunned and didn't reach up to receive the letter, instead, she blurted: "Could this disciple not read it?"

If this were just some ordinary family letter, Su Tang wouldn't be so reluctant. However, she knew that Song Yi was the former Imperial Preceptor. With such identity and status, the things that he had to deal with were doomed to never be simple.

If it were a person who dreamed of pursuing a higher status they would definitely be pleased with this move of Song Yi's, however, Su Tang really didn't have any such ambitions so it was just unneeded difficulty in her eyes. Her only goals were good food and drink and a comfortable life.

Think about it. Just who is Song Yi? But even he was showing a hesitant look when holding that letter just now!? Thus, even if Su Tang thought with her toes she would know that it was no simple family letter, and that it probably contained all sorts of troubles.

With the orange cat's information and her own conjectures, Su Tang knew that this was almost certainly something she didn't want to involve herself in.

When Song Yi saw her reluctant expression, he gave a helpless chuckle before gruffly saying "Unworthy disciple!"

"Hehehe!" Su Tang tried to laugh her way past this situation.

Then Song Yi sighed, "I've lived all these years but I still can't think as clearly as a little girl like you."

However, seeing Su Tang's smug look, he continued ruthlessly, "However, you still can't escape. Take a look and tell me what you think." He paused and then added, "And don't worry, no third person will know what that you read it or what you say."

Song Yi understood that Su Tang had no interest in this sort of thing. Although he didn't really understand why, by now he knew that this disciple of his more or less put making money as her number one priority and didn't care about much else. However, after getting along with her this past while, he also somewhat understood what she was concerned about, so he promised that the conversation would be just between them.

After her master said so much, Su Tang didn't continue to refuse. After all, there was only Song Yi and Pengmo here usually, so, indeed, the conversation should stay between them. Thus, she took the letter and began to read.

She had been thinking that it was a very serious thing, but after reading she found that it was unexpectedly a letter full of complaints from a teenager. It said a bunch of things about life in the capital and about how hard it was there and how annoyed and aggrieved the writer was.

The handwriting wasn't bad, however, it also clearly had the vivid and sharp style of a teenager or young man. After she finished reading, Su Tang looked up, "Who wrote this?"

"Pei Xuan. Before I accepted you, he was my youngest disciple." Song Yi directly revealed who the sender was.

Su Tang thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I remember. The two sets of clothes this disciple made before were for him."

"En, that's right. So what do you think after reading?" Song Yi looked at Su Tang steadily.

Su Tang gave a sarcastic smile and replied, "What else is there to think? Through the ages, whether it's the meritorious ministers or the suspicious emperor, it's always the same boring stories and nothing new ever comes out."

"After all, when talking about the so-called 'Wisdom of the Emperor' what we're really talking about is just his balancing act. Measuring how to balance rewarding meritorious service against securing his own image in the minds of the people. For instance, Duke Pei here has a deep love for his wife, and even when she died his love has never wavered."

"But then one day the noble son of Heaven suddenly thought of letting this 'hero' who has won many battles take a second wife, and also of sending him south to fight the pirates. However, is war on land and war on the water the same thing? How could that be?"

"The fact that he was just being sent his death couldn't be more obvious, but when the Imperial Edict is decreed to go against it is called 'rebellion, right?"

"Su Tang!" Although Song Yi had just asked her for her thoughts, he had really never expected that this little disciple of his was so bold and willing to just say anything directly.

Of course, there was no way Su Tang would share these sorts of thoughts with just anyone. However, like her master had said, they were the only people there so no one else would hear anyway.

And as for Song Yi himself, well, she was already his disciple, which meant that they were two grasshoppers on the same rope now, so there was nothing to fear from him. Besides when considering Pei Xuan and Song Yi, if her guess was correct, tsk tsk, she was pretty sure she had some guesses why Song Yi had come all the way out to this place alone, as well as why the emperor was so upset.

"It's just a bit unfortunate for the child though. When he hears news of the decree, it's as if all of a sudden the heavens and Earth are crumbling around him. But, of course, some people will come out and start brainwashing him about the importance of being loyal to the emperor and patriotic for the nation."

"They'll urge him to be more understanding of the emperor, even though he might be paranoid and arbitrary, and even though he might casually kill meritorious officials from time to time. Tsk tsk, that Pei Xuan is such a poor kid. "

As Song Yi listened to Su Tang say all this, he couldn't help but take another look at the small girl in front of him. Who would have expected for such a small girl to have such insights? Especially since she usually spent her time looking like a greedy little money grubber? When compared to those bright and radiant girls in the capital that he had seen who were often proclaimed as geniuses, she seemed positively ordinary, and even inconspicuous, by contrast.

However, it was that same 'inconspicuous girl that had a pair of piercing eyes that seemed to be able to see through the hearts of men and the situation of the world, and that also seemed to hide a kind of sharp and unruly temper deep inside.

Su Tang didn't mind the appraising look Song Yi was giving her. She had never claimed to be as sweet or naive as her name might imply. After all, idiotic white lotuses were out of fashion these days, nowadays dark lolis were much more popular.

"It's a good thing you're just a girl. If not and you went to court with that sort of unruly attitude, who knows what kind of losses you would eat." In the end, Song Yi couldn't refute what she said, and could only helplessly change the topic. It was really a bit difficult for him to imagine that she could really analyze the situation in the capital so well just by reading one simple letter.

She was so sharp, but also so recalcitrant. Song Yi could only feel that it was lucky that Su Tang didn't have any interest in pursuing the so-called splendor of wealth and status, or else she would definitely be a scourge.

Hearing Song Yi's assessment, Su Tang winked with a smile, her face like a naughty little fox, and said, "Master, how could you contradict yourself like this? Before you said that this disciple was very suitable for officialdom, but now you say that this disciple shouldn't go to court?"

Hearing the little fox blocking him with his own previous words, Song Yi glared at her. When she saw that, Su Tang just smiled and touched her nose. Then she set Pei Xuan's letter down on the table and said, "Well, in the end, I'm a businesswoman, so I can't let myself suffer any losses for the things I eat, right?"

As she spoke in a sinister tone, the orange cat leaning against her leg looked up at her and shivered. With those words and her large black eyes that were full of grim determination, it was as if he could see an illusion of a pair of black wings sprouting from her back.

The orange cat trembled. He really wanted to go back in time and ask himself if he had been kicked in the head by a donkey? After carefully selecting for so long, how did he end up picking a dark loli to be his master? He was full of regret, but it was already too late, ah!

Song Yi looked at Su Tang and didn't know whether he should have a headache or be proud.

Song Yi began to feel that maybe he had just been too free when he had decided to accept Su Tang as a disciple? It had mostly been because she was also from Qinghe Town, and she somewhat reminded him of the wife and daughter he had lost back then.

After a bit of investigation, it turned out that her background was clean, so he had naively thought that maybe she could help him with his work. After all, the little fox could pretend to be smart and lovable in the right circumstances, so in the end he took her in and decided to teach her personally.

But who would have thought that the seemingly ordinary little girl was actually a rare genius of the kind that even he couldn't see through? In truth, before he met Su Tang Song Yi had always felt that he had already met a lot of people and seen a lot of things and that his experience would let him see through anyone. However, in the end, he really couldn't see through this little eight-year-old girl in front of him.

He was reminded of a game of chess he had played against Su Tang recently. In the end, he had won the game, but even now he would still occasionally wonder why he won.

"Why must a little girl have such heavy thoughts." After looking at her for a while, Song Yi finally said this.

Unlike the orange cat, Song Yi didn't see an illusion of black wings behind the little fox. After all, he knew that no matter how rebellious this little girl might act, no matter how much she might act like she would rather die than study, no matter how much she might annoy him, in the end, she was also someone who would continue to learn about things that didn't really interest her just to comfort his emotions, so she was definitely a bit softer than she might pretend.

Thus, he felt he shouldn't say things that would cause her to show such a deep expression. He just told her to keep things more simple.

Su Tang raised an eyebrow at this. In fact, she also wanted to keep things simple. She wanted nothing more. However, if problems came her way she wasn't the type of person that would cower or run away.

Put simply, for things that upset her, she would just let them disappear!

So she put on a grin and said, "What do you mean heavy thoughts? Master, you're too dark! How can you say such a thing after looking at such a simple, kind, and lovely little girl like me?"

Song Yi pointed to her "You!"

Su Tang laughed along.

But then Song Yi said, "What you said was reasonable, but in fact, things are not so easy. Your senior brother Xuan'er is not simply the son of Duke Pei. His mother is also the sister of the emperor, Princess Mingxi. Thus, the emperor is his uncle."

Su Tang's words were well-spoken but didn't capture the full picture. After all, with such relatives, Pei Xuan's situation was even more difficult. Su Tang heard this and almost wanted to say something more but, in the end, she just fell silent.

She felt confident satirizing the emperor in front of Song Yi because she believed that, while Song Yi and the ministers like him didn't quite dare to say such 'treasonous' things, that didn't mean they didn't understand the reality in their hearts.

However, when it came to the so-called bonds of blood and family, while Su Tang might scoff, if she did so in front of them then the other people in the era probably wouldn't understand. They would feel that she was too cold and indifferent.

Thus, instead of saying anything on the topic, she just joked "Oh ho, I just learned that master was such a distinguished personage. Does this mean that if I, this little chicken, properly cling to master's thigh I can soar up and become a phoenix?"

"Hmph, what phoenix? Also, what chicken? A little fox is more like it." Hearing his disciple's little joke, Song Yi snorted.

Su Tang smiled wryly. At the same time, after having talked to her Song Yi seemed to have finally sorted out his thoughts, so he went to the desk and began to write.

Song Yi didn't bother to conceal his actions, so Su Tang also took a look. From what she saw, Song Yi just wrote a bunch of words persuading Pei Xuan to lay low, to trust the emperor, trust his uncle, trust his father, and so on…

After looking for a while, Su Tang really wanted to express her admiration for Song Yi. It was surprising that he could actually manage to write so much nonsense so seriously. In fact, cutting through all the flowery language, he basically just told Pei Xuan: Your life is in the hands of that man, and your father has no choice but to work hard for now. As for you, just sit tight!

Tsk tsk, what an unfortunate child. Su Tang couldn't help but lament.

The orange cat seemed to sense Su Tang's thoughts and snorted. If she was going to pretend to be sympathetic, shouldn't she tone down the sense of schadenfreude in her voice a little first?

At the same time that Su Tang and Song Yi were discussing, in the far away Pei Duke Residence in the capital, the teenager they were discussing was practicing martial arts in his courtyard when suddenly a servant came to report, "Young master, the Crown Prince is coming here!"

"I've already told you I'm not free. Have him go back!" As he spoke, Pei Xuan took a towel from a nearby servant girl's hand and began to wipe himself. After practicing so hard, he was sweating despite his thin clothes and the cold winter weather.

When his servant heard his instruction, he merely stepped back and didn't dare to speak further. After all, that was the crown prince! So a little servant like him really didn't dare to drive him away.

"Hey, you're still in such a bad temper? You should know that edict wasn't given by me, right? Isn't it too much to always show such an unhappy face to me?" Pei Xuan had decided to just ignore the reporting servant and turn to leave, but before he could even get a few steps a young man in a yellow dragon robe entered the door of the courtyard and looked at Pei Xuan with a smile before calling out those words.

This young man was the crown prince of Qihuang Kingdom, Murong Zhao, and also Pei Xuan's cousin. However, even after seeing his cousin had arrived, Pei Xuan still ignored him and continued to leave.

Murong Zhao was 15 years old this year, and he hadn't always been the crown prince. Back when the emperor first ascended the throne at the age of 35, his only son at the time had been the crown prince. However, that man was only crown prince for a little while before he fell ill and died.

After that, the empress was not very favored, and she was unable to give birth to a son for many years even while the emperor brought a lot of beauties to the palace. But for some reason, for a long time no princes were born and the crown prince spot sat vacant. Eventually, the empress finally managed to give birth to a son, and that son was Murong Zhao.

After Murong Zhao was born, it was as if the curse cast on the harem was over, because the other concubines also began to give birth to princes one after another. However, all of these new princes were lower than Murong Zhao in both status and age, so his position as crown prince was nominally secure.

But it seemed as if the emperor only became more muddled and confused as he grew older, and these days he seemed to favor Murong Zhao's 13 year old younger brother. Because of this, there had been a lot of turmoil and rumors recently. And for Murong Zhao who grew up under such circumstances, he naturally only had superficially polite relationships with his brothers. Contrary to that, he was much closer to Pei Xuan, this cousin of his that was one year apart in age.

Thus, when he heard that Pei Xuan was in a bad mood these days, he decided to take the initiative and go over to explain. So when he saw Pei Xuan angrily stalking away, he hastened to follow him.

"I know you didn't pass the edict, but seeing you makes me angry right now." Pei Xuan didn't bother to mince words with Murong Zhao.

"You can't be so unreasonable, ah. I'm being wronged." Despite complaining about how Pei Xuan was treating him, Murong Zhao didn't actually look angry.

Pei Xuan saw his smiling face, snorted, and didn't bother to say anymore.

"Ah, don't you remember what your father said? Why can't you keep his words in your heart and just wait a little more? Your father isn't as fragile as you think he is. This will all pass."

But his only answer was Pei Xuan's silence, and for a moment there was a chill between the two.

However, regardless of how the two cousins were getting along the capital, in the distant Qinghe Town Su Tang was watching Song Yi write his reply to Pei Xuan and mocking in her heart.

Just look, what use was a noble identity? From what she could see, contrary to what people might expect, having such a thing really just causes people to face many schemes and bear heavier burdens. Probably their lives were even harder than hers, a little peasant girl whose mother had died and whose father was useless.

And as for Song Yi's words about this so-called senior brother of hers, well, she could only say that he didn't leave much of an impression in her heart. In her mind, such a flimsy relationship couldn't be relied on, whether they were her blood relatives or senior brothers who recognized the same master, in her heart they were all just strangers. The only people she acknowledged were her people that she personally recognized, and it didn't matter what kind of blood relationship they might have with her.

To Su Tang, Pei Xuan was nothing but a stranger who had contributed ten taels of silver and given her the opportunity to get to meet Song Yi. Of course, after today he also had the new label of 'unfortunate child', but that was all.

In the end, the people who had come to deliver the New Years gifts got a reply letter from Song Yi that very day. Once the letter was in hand, they immediately dropped everything and rushed back to the capital.

After Su Tang and her brother moved, they slowly got used to the new place bit by bit, and before long everything returned to its previous rhythm.

Su Tang would help Su Nuo study for a while in the mornings, then she would go watch over Baohe and Pu Wei as they baked the desserts that would be sold that day, before finally heading off to the Song residence to study with Song Yi in the afternoon. Also, probably because the New Year was getting closer and closer, Su Tang's newly introduced 'pearls' received a good response after they were brought out in the Dessert Cafe. Although the pearls caused the milk tea to be a bit more pricey, many people were still willing to try.

With the Spring Festival coming up, the Dessert Cafe's business was getting even better than before. After all, people always had the idea of treating themselves a little lavishly around the New Year. Thus, as long as they could afford it, people would go out and buy these sorts of luxury goods for the Spring Festival.

In addition, because of tradition, many people were exchanging gifts back and forth around the New Year, and the delicious and high-end products at Su Tang's Dessert Cafe made for good gifts. Su Tang had even specially customized some New Years gift boxes to meet this demand, and they sold very well.

Thus, for several consecutive days, the profits had reached one or two taels of silver each day. Seeing all this silver coming in every day, Su Tang's mouth couldn't stop smiling.

On top of that, using the money for the soap that Luo Xingchen had brought to her she had been able to immediately pay back the hundred silver that Song Yi had lent her. Thus, these days she was finally feeling light and debt-free, and she even had a lot of money in her hands.

However, despite finally having some money in hand, her heart was still steady. However, in the end, she decided that since it was the first Spring Festival that she and Su Nuo would be spending together she ought to make it a bit memorable. So on the morning of December 25, instead of having Su Nuo study, she took him out shopping to buy some things in celebration of the Spring Festival.

"Tanghulu, sister, do you want to eat some tanghulu? I'll treat you this time." Recently, the little guy had only been working hard at studying and learning from Su Tang, so he had rarely come out to play. Now that he finally had a chance he was bouncing around everywhere happily. (tl note: You can google Tanghulu for pictures, but it's basically candied fruits on a skewer, and its been around for a very long time, so it's an appropriate candy for an ancient setting. Traditionally it's made using Chinese Hawthorn.)

And, after they came out, he happened to see some red tanghulu being sold at a stall. Of course, Su Tang herself had used hawthorn to make various candies at home for him before, but when he saw something new and different outside Su Nuo was still greedy to try it.

These days Su Tang would give the little guy twenty copper coins every month as pocket money. Usually he carefully saved every coin and rarely bought anything, but today he generously offered to treat Su Tang and let her eat the tanghulu with him.

Seeing him so generous, Su Tang smiled and said, "Alright!"

Su Nuo hurriedly ran off to buy the tanghulu and Su Tang stood aside and waited. She watched as the little guy carefully counted out six copper coins, and then the vendor gave him two skewers of tanghulu.

"Tang girl!" However, before Su Nuo could come back with his prize, Su Tang heard someone call out to her. When she looked around, she was a bit surprised to see an acquaintance.

"Brother Shun, sister-in-law, did you two also come to town for New Years goods?" It turned out that the ones who called out were Su Yongshun and his wife Madam Qin. And not only them, there was also Su Fu'an, his wife Madam Wen, and their daughter, and also Su Fuhua, his wife Madam Tong, and even Su Nuan all following behind.

It was rare for a large family to all come to town together like this, but it did happen sometimes, especially around this time of year. After all, the Spring Festival was coming soon, so many families were busy buying New Years goods for the festival, and the town butchers were all very busy.

As soon as Su Nuan saw Su Tang, her eyes lit up and she called out, "Aunt Tang!"

"Wow, you've gotten even taller and more beautiful since I last saw you." Su Tang praised the other girl with a smile.

However, Su Yongshun and Madam Qin were looking at Su Tang with strange eyes. But just then Su Nuo came back and greeted them as all, "Brother Shun, sister-in-law!"

Then when he saw them, he greeted Su Fu'an and Su Fuhua as well. Once he finished the greetings, the little guy noticed he still had the two skewers of tanghulu in his hands and decided it would be better to give them to the 'younger generation'. Thus, he passed one to Su Nuan and the other to the daughter Madam Wen was carrying in her arms.

Tanghulu wasn't something cheap, so both Su Yongshun and Su Fu'an quickly said no.

However, Su Tang could see that Su Nuo knew that his family could make money now and times weren't so tight so he was trying to live up to his 'responsibilities as an elder'. She didn't want his intentions to be wasted so she smiled and said, "It's alright. Xiao Nuo and I often eat hawthorns at home, we were just a bit curious about what the ones outside tasted like today. Anyway, he's their elder, so they can just take it."

When Su Yongshun heard Su Tang's interjection, he stopped refusing, but at the same time, Su Tang saw that his expression was still a little strange. It was still winter, so speaking on the road wasn't too good, so Su Tang said, "It's rare for Brother Shun and sister-in-law to come to town, why don't you all come and sit at our place? In fact, I was planning to go and see you both the next time I went back to burn joss paper for my parents, so it's convenient that you're here now."

Su Yongshun and his family had all come to town to buy goods for the New Year celebration, but they hadn't expected to run into Su Tang.

In fact, after Su Tang had taken Su Nuo and moved to town, no one back in the village knew where they had gone to live. Su Yongqiang had been worried of course, but in the end, he wasn't very familiar with the town. Su Fuhua was a bit more familiar with the town so he had tried to make some inquiries, but it wasn't easy to find two children in a big place like Qinghe Town.

In addition, their family also had their own things to deal with, so in the end, all they could do was worry. But today they unexpectedly ran into the siblings on the road so, when they heard Su Tang's invitation, Su Yongshun and Madam Qin nodded and accepted.

Su Tang looked around and found that they were a little far from the Dessert Cafe, so she instead took everyone over to the little rented courtyard. She was a bit happy because the things over at the rented courtyard actually had something to do with what she wanted to discuss with the Su family anyway.

When the family followed Su Tang and saw such a big courtyard, they were all surprised. Su Nuan was still young, so she didn't know to mince her words and just asked directly, "Wow, do Aunt Tang and Uncle Nuo live here? It's so big."

"It's just rented temporarily. Come on in first!" Su Tang took out her key and unlocked the door.

Su Tang quickly led them all into the main room. When Su Yongshun followed her inside, he noticed that the temperature inside was a bit high, and the room seemed a bit damp and humid. Also, there were some strange wooden boxes set off to one side of the kang bed that had some little green buds on them.

Su Tang invited them all to sit down and then went to the kitchen to make some hot water. She added some black tea that hadn't been moved away to the water and then brought it out, "There's nothing here but tea, but you can all have some to warm your bellies."

"Don't worry about it. You said that you and Brother Nuo would be staying at your master's house last time. Is this your master's house?"

Su Yongshun had looked around and seen that this courtyard was very large. And, knowing what he did about these sorts of tile courtyards, he estimated that the rent in such a place wouldn't be too cheap. However, even after looking around it seemed that there was no one else here, so he asked Su Tang.

"Actually, my master's house isn't here, it's in another place not far from here. After all, Xiao Nuo and I are still in our mourning period, so we don't want our mourning aura to collide with my master's, so we live here for the time being." Su Tang explained.

After hearing her explanation, the Su family finally understood. At the same time, Su Fu'an drank a mouthful of his tea and found it had a sweet and light taste. After taking one sip and finding that it was so good, he couldn't help but drain his whole cup. When Su Nuo saw that, he quickly prepared another cup.

Madam Wen sent her husband a fierce look, and Su Fu'an smiled sheepishly.

Su Tang looked at Su Yongshun and Madam Qin. "It looked like Brother Shun and sister-in-law seemed to have something to say just now, is there anything wrong?"

She had brought the Su family here because she had something to discuss with Su Yongqiang. She was planning to go with Su Nuo to her parents' grave during the Spring Festival and wanted to talk to him about it. However, it seemed that Su Yongshun had something to say to her so she asked him about that first. In any case, she wasn't in any rush.