Gu Fang paused with his chopsticks mid-air, turning his head to meet Lin Yi's beaming eyes. The tips of his ears grew a little hot, but his voice was sincere: "Delicious. Light yet fragrant with a distinctive aroma. I almost couldn't stop eating."
"I'm glad you like it, Husband!" Lin Yi's eyes sparkled even brighter as she immediately shared her follow-up plan. "Actually, we also made something called yuba, which is being dried now. It'll be ready in two or three days. Then I'll make you more new things to try!"
Shifting the topic, Lin Yi brought up business: "But Husband, today A Zhi reminded me of something. He said grinding beans into powder is very labor-intensive—even our mansion's strongmen take an entire shichen to grind one dou. I was thinking, how could ordinary families spare that much time and effort? Wouldn't that discourage them from trying new ways to eat beans?"
Gu Fang pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Xiaoyi need not worry. Most farming households in Great Qian have their own stone mills. They usually grind at night during idle hours, while tending to the fields during the day. If a family has extra money and doesn't want to put in the effort, they can send the beans to a city mill and pay a small fee to have it done. Besides, an ordinary family only uses a few sheng at a time—not a large amount—so the time needed is greatly reduced. They don't need to grind a full dou every day."
"I see," Lin Yi said, suddenly enlightened. "So the most important thing now is to let everyone know that beans can be made delicious. As long as the taste is good enough, they'll naturally be willing to put in a little effort, right?"
"Exactly," Gu Fang nodded approvingly. "With delicious food right there, a little effort is no longer an obstacle."
Lin Yi nodded, feeling relieved. It seemed she didn't need to divert her attention to designing water-powered mills or improving stone mills just yet. For now, promoting tofu and yuba was the priority.
"So, Xiaoyi, do you have any specific ideas now?" Gu Fang asked, looking at her with gentle eyes.
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat under Gu Fang's focused gaze. She almost got mesmerized by his handsomeness and forgot the matter at hand. Composing herself, she answered, "I plan to use the celebrity effect!"
"The celebrity effect?" Gu Fang frowned over this unfamiliar term. "Do you mean enlisting the help of famous scholars?"
"Yes! Congratulations, Husband—you got it mostly right!" Lin Yi laughed, leaning slightly forward with a hint of pride. "But if you want to know the details, Husband, you'll have to pay a little first."
Gu Fang found Lin Yi's sudden bargaining amusing and played along. "So what price does Xiaoyi want?"
Lin Yi, never missing a chance to secure benefits for herself, answered without hesitation: "One kiss from my husband, of course."
Gu Fang was clearly taken aback. He paused, then tried to negotiate, "Could we... do that after we finish eating and rinse our mouths? That would be better."
"Sure!" Lin Yi's eyes lit up as she agreed instantly, then urged, "Then eat faster, Husband!"
Helplessly watching her triumphant expression, Gu Fang could only quicken his pace. When he finally set down his chopsticks, Lin Yi had already handed him the salt water for rinsing, her eyes shining as she silently urged him.
Gu Fang: "..." No need to be so impatient.
He rinsed his mouth as instructed. Lin Yi quickly did the same, then eagerly leaned in, closed her eyes, and lifted her face, her long lashes trembling with anticipation.
Looking at her face so close, Gu Fang felt a string in his heart softly plucked. Without further hesitation, he leaned down and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her lips.
After a moment, Lin Yi pulled back, satisfied. Her cheeks still flushed, but her eyes shone brighter than before. She leaned into Gu Fang's side and began explaining her plan: "The celebrity effect means using the influence of reputable and well-respected people. We can specially host a bean feast, first inviting a few respected and approachable scholars or high-ranking officials to our mansion to taste these bean dishes. Once they acknowledge that it's delicious, it proves that beans are tasty, cheap, and good for the people. Then, when they praise and spread the word, it will be ten or even a hundred times more effective than if we just shouted ourselves. The common folk trust them, and the wealthy imitate them. This new way of eating beans will spread quickly."
Lin Yi left the dining hall contentedly, a smile still lingering on her lips. Xiao Zhu had been waiting by the corridor. Seeing her mistress emerge, she stepped forward and asked, "Miss, for tomorrow's visit to Miss He's residence, should I still prepare that century-old ginseng as a gift?"
"Yes, use it," Lin Yi nodded, then scratched her nose a little sheepishly. "The General later specially took me to the storeroom. There's quite a stash of such supplements." — Not just a stash, but a dazzling array, nearly blinding her. Only then did she realize her petty bourgeois mentality was entirely unnecessary. At the top tier of this feudal society, such resources were far more abundant than she'd imagined.
Thinking that tomorrow she might meet her first potential fellow time-traveler, Lin Yi spent the entire afternoon in a state of subtle excitement. She set aside other tasks and focused on recalling and listing every possible recognition signal—from "Heaven covers the earth, the tiger crouches" to "Royal jade liquor" and even the first few elements of the periodic table. She wanted to be prepared for any possible contact.
Perhaps when one is full of anticipation, time flies. After supper, Lin Yi only took a brief walk before eagerly pulling Gu Fang back to their room. "I have an appointment at nine in the morning tomorrow. I need to be well-rested!" she declared with conviction, even instructing Xiao Zhu, "If I don't wake up with the General tomorrow morning, you must come in and dig me out. Don't let me be late!"
The candle was extinguished, and the night was gentle. Lying beside Gu Fang, Lin Yi closed her eyes, but her mind kept rehearsing possible conversations the next day. In the silence, she could feel his steady breathing. A strange sense of reassurance mixed with excitement for tomorrow gradually carried her into a dream.
---
The next day, Xiao Zhu lived up to her trust. Estimating that Gu Fang had already risen and left, she tiptoed into the chamber and called softly, "Miss, Miss, it's time to get up."
Lin Yi groaned sleepily, her eyelids too heavy to open. She vaguely felt that it was still pitch black outside, with no hint of dawn. Mumbling, she asked, "What time is it now?"
"Just past the Hour of the Tiger, Miss—almost the Hour of the Rabbit," Xiao Zhu answered crisply, her voice clear in the silent early morning.
The Hour of the Tiger?!
The dregs of Lin Yi's sleep were blown away by shock. Three to five in the morning! Look at this—is that a normal time for people to wake up?! "Almost the Hour of the Rabbit"—that meant at most five in the morning! At this hour, her classmates in her previous life probably hadn't even gone to bed yet!
What was wrong with Gu Fang? Even though he was excused from court due to injury, did he have to get up at this hour every day? Wasn't it miserable?
Lin Yi closed her eyes in agony, pulled the blanket over her head in defeat, and muttered through the fabric, "Let me sleep one more shichen. Just one shichen!"
"Yes, Miss," Xiao Zhu complied readily, then walked softly toward the door. After two steps, she turned back, carefully pulled the blanket down from Lin Yi's head to reveal her nose, and then left, gently closing the door.
In the darkness, Lin Yi hugged her pillow, torn between the need to get up early and her body's instincts. Eventually, the warm bed and heavy drowsiness pulled her back into dreamland.
---
One shichen later, Xiao Zhu entered on time and gently woke Lin Yi again.
Perhaps because of the earlier warning, or maybe because that extra shichen of sleep was particularly sweet, Lin Yi struggled less this time and managed to get up smoothly.
After washing up, Lin Yi willingly entrusted herself to Xiao Zhu. Since today's visit was to the Court of the Imperial Stud's residence, she needed to dress appropriately. Lin Yi felt she was "all thumbs at etiquette and clothing" in ancient times, so she left it entirely to the professional. Xiao Zhu clearly knew her craft—quick and skilled. Soon, she had arranged Lin Yi's hair and dressed her in matching attire.
Looking in the mirror, Lin Yi was surprised. The image in the mirror showed bright eyes and white teeth, elegant yet noble adornment, and a neat, dignified hairstyle. It brought out a quiet brightness and presence that transformed her already good looks, making her feel as if her aura had elevated.
"Xiao Zhu, you're really good at this!" Lin Yi praised sincerely.
The mistress and maid ate a simple breakfast, then boarded the General's Mansion carriage, heading toward the He residence. By now, the sky was fully bright, and the streets were bustling with activity. The carriage had just turned a corner out of the quiet alley where the General's Mansion was located when a vivid scene of ancient city life unfolded before them: peddlers carrying loads, steaming breakfast stalls, rising and falling cries of hawkers, and crowded streams of pedestrians—all full of vibrant energy.
Lin Yi couldn't resist lifting the curtain a little to peek outside. This was, in fact, the first time since her transmigration that she had truly gone out. On her wedding day, she had been dazed and nervous in the sedan chair, too preoccupied to look. Now, this unfamiliar yet real ancient life was clearly spread before her eyes.
The He residence was not too far from the General's Mansion—officials of similar rank in court naturally lived close by. Before Lin Yi had her fill of the street scene, Xiao Zhu whispered, "Miss, we've arrived."
The carriage slowed to a halt. Taking a deep breath, Lin Yi smoothed her sleeves, suppressing the tense rehearsal of recognition signals like "Heaven covers the earth," and, with Xiao Zhu's help, stepped steadily down from the carriage.