Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Wang Yuan choked, unsure how to answer.

He couldn't help but think to himself: "The government doesn't care about this ghost market, so what can he do?"

With so many vendors from Ping'an County setting up stalls at the ghost market, he couldn't control them.

He was just a minor association president in the food industry, with virtually no real power.

Although he was inwardly complaining, he still spoke respectfully: "It's really outrageous that all these vendors have come to the ghost market. I only found out about this today, and I was just thinking of reporting it to the magistrate first thing tomorrow morning when I happened to run into you."

Zhang Yan snorted coldly: "It's good that you know your responsibilities. All the vendors running to the ghost market are harming the common interests of the government and the guilds."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Wang Yuan couldn't help but curse his bad luck. What could he do? He had absolutely no way out.

It seems I can only report this to the county magistrate tomorrow.

Then Zhang Yan changed the subject: "One or two is fine, but today I came to the Ghost Market and saw food vendors all around. That's not right."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he lowered his eyes, his expression inscrutable.

Wang Yuan instantly understood that the county magistrate must have been captivated by Madam Shen's crystal steamed buns.

The "one or two" in those words probably refers to Madam Shen's stall.

Wang Yuan smiled slightly: "Lord Zhang is right, he is right."

I hurriedly went to queue up and bought four or five baskets of crystal soup dumplings.

......

Zhao Wan secretly slipped out of the mansion through the dog hole, grabbed Song Wenqian, and ran to the ghost market.

"Look, this line is so long, maybe we should just give up..." Song Wenqian was extremely awkward, especially after his unpleasant conversation with Shen Qing yesterday. He really didn't want to see Shen Qing again.

In particular, they didn't want Zhao Wan and Shen Qing to meet.

"Oh, Song Lang, we must eat our fill today!" Zhao Wan winked mischievously. "The line is long, but don't worry, we can buy seats with silver. I learned this from my brother."

Zhao Wan grabbed Song Wenqian and rushed to the front of the line.

Song Wenqian felt incredibly guilty, but he couldn't go against Zhao Wan's wishes, so he could only follow her forward. However, the cold sweat on his forehead completely betrayed his guilty conscience.

What should we do?

No, that's not right. What is he afraid of? He has already made things clear with Shen Qing and cut all ties.

He's not afraid; he has nothing to be afraid of.

It was just buying steamed buns; once I finished, that was it.

Even if Shen Qing wanted to continue pestering him, he could put on a resolute attitude and act affectionately in front of Zhao Wan.

Yes, he's not afraid. He's open and honest, and there's nothing to be afraid of.

Song Wenqian gritted his teeth and followed Zhao Wan to the front.

"One tael of silver, I'll take this position!" Zhao Wan shouted, mimicking Zhao Cheng.

"Really?"

"Hey? Aren't you that lunatic from yesterday? What are you doing here again? Are you trying to mess with me again?"

Song Wenqian's eyes widened. He looked and, good heavens, wasn't this the person who was at the very front of the line yesterday?

What a coincidence! How could he be so unlucky?

"What nonsense! Don't talk nonsense. We just want to buy your seat." Upon hearing this, Zhao Wan quickly defended Song Wenqian.

"Buying a spot? Produce the money first! Yesterday, this kid also had a fancy money bag. I thought he was buying a spot, but he ran away like he'd seen a ghost. What else could he be but a lunatic?"

Zhao Wan was stunned. What was going on?

Always straightforward, she asked directly, "Song Lang, what happened? Didn't you say your purse was stolen?"

"I...I..."

Song Wenqian's eyes darted around guiltily as he offered a haphazard explanation: "I was trying to run over and ask you what flavor you wanted when someone bumped into me on the way, and my purse disappeared."

"Oh, I see!"

Zhao Wan was carefree and naive, so she believed Song Wenqian's words.

"Hey, one tael of silver, give us the seats."

The man at the front of the line, seeing that there was indeed silver, quickly changed his attitude, smiling broadly as he stepped aside, ignoring Song Wenqian's previous strange behavior.

Shen Qing had noticed Zhao Wan and Song Wenqian long ago.

She remembered Zhao Wan; she seemed to be the younger sister of that rich young master. She was beautiful and delicate, and looked soft and cute.

So it turns out that Song Wenqian has made Zhao Wan his new target.

It's like a beautiful flower covered in dog poop.

Song Wenqian was extremely nervous, fearing that Shen Qing would say something she shouldn't.

But Shen Qing merely raised his eyelids and asked in a businesslike manner, "What kind of filling do you want? Today we have fresh pork, jade shrimp, and grilled cheese and onion fillings."

"Grilled cheese and onion filling?" Zhao Wan's almond-shaped eyes were wide with anticipation. "I've never even heard of it before. It must be quite novel."

"Alright, give me two baskets of each type of filling!"

Shen Qing nodded.

As expected of a rich girl, she wants to try everything new and interesting.

However, she never lets her guests be disappointed when they try it.

Not a single steamer of the grilled cheese and onion-filled buns has been sold yet, so Shen Qing deftly began rolling out the dough.

Compared to the other two fillings, the crust for the grilled cheese and onion filling is slightly thicker, but it is still thinner on the outside and thicker on the inside.

Place the pre-mixed filling on the dough, and quickly twist it with two fingers to create pleats that resemble a carp's mouth.

A few slices of yam were placed inside the steamer as a base, and the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were placed on top of the base. The lid was then closed, and they were ready in just five minutes.

Zhao Wan was thrilled. It was the first time she had ever seen someone cook so skillfully and beautifully. Each little bun was like a work of art.

Meanwhile, Song Wenqian, standing next to him, was extremely uncomfortable, scratching his head and wishing he could disappear into a hole in the ground.

He didn't know when Shen Qing would lash out, and he was afraid that Shen Qing would question him. For a moment, he was like a lamb to the slaughter, restless and uneasy.

"Your crystal soup dumplings are ready."

As soon as the lid was opened, a caramelized, rich aroma rushed out—a deep, sweet fragrance of onions slowly sautéed over a low flame, mixed with a subtle caramel note.

Following closely behind is the rich flavor of fermented cheese, with a touch of wildness.

The spiciness of black pepper and cumin weaves in, stitching together the first two aromas and making the flavor profile more complex.

"It smells so good!"

"This smells different from the crystal soup dumplings we had before."

"It seems to be a new flavor. I have to try it later."

"..."

The other diners in line shouted, squinting their eyes and sniffing the wonderful aroma.

Zhao Wan was at the very front, and the aroma she smelled was the strongest. She couldn't control her drooling any longer, and her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at Shen Qing.

There was only one person in the room who didn't care about the aroma: Song Wenqian. He just wanted to leave as soon as possible, so he quickly picked up the steamer and strode towards the table next to him.

Zhao Wanxiang was eager to feast and immediately took a step to catch up with Song Wenqian.

"Hey, wait a minute," Shen Qing said, stopping Zhao Wan.