Wenren Pingting had the royal banquet prepared, and the chefs were also brought over from the Imperial Capital.
Bai Junjun had attended banquets at the palace before, so these types of dishes were not unfamiliar to her.
In the original owner’s eyes, attending a royal court feast was a matter of supreme honor, but to Bai Junjun, although the presentation of the dishes was nice, the portions were really too small for her, and the flavors were bland.
Wenren Pingting, facing these plates and dishes, would pick up only a chopstick-full from nearly every dish, and after a meal, the small-portioned dishes looked almost untouched.
In contrast, Bai Junjun’s plates were all cleaned out.
She couldn’t help it. The palace cuisine was all about exquisite and glamorous presentation, like the fish filet which only used the most tender strip of flesh from the fish’s back; from one fish, you’d only get as much as a finger’s worth, and it took ten fish to make a tiny bit.
But to Bai Junjun, that tiny bit would be finished in two spoonfuls.
The same went for the other dishes.
The chefs put a lot of effort into hollowing out bean sprouts and then stuffing them with minced meat.
Wenren Pingting couldn’t stop praising this dish, saying it was elegant and refined.
Bai Junjun glanced at the blanched bean sprouts stuffed with meat and just thought it was troublesome.
Bean sprouts, Old Uncle Qiu from Dai County made them, too.
He would start with fatty pork in the wok, and once the fat rendered the oil, he’d add chili peppers and garlic, waiting until the fragrance was fully drawn out before adding the bean sprouts.
At that moment, the fire under the wok was strong, so as soon as you put in the bean sprouts, they would instantly release their water and soften, then a dash of salt and soy sauce, and they were ready to be served.
That kind of stir-fry bean sprouts was truly delicious.
Whereas the bean sprouts in front of her had been topped and tailed, even hollowed out, to stuff minced meat inside.
Despite the boundless creativity, the taste was really bland.
However, following the principle of not wasting food, Bai Junjun had no choice but to grab a handful and stuff it into her mouth.
Wenren Pingting looked at Bai Junjun, astonished.
Having seen Bai Junjun’s attire just now, she had guessed that her days on the run had been tough, but now, seeing her eating , it wasn’t just modest—it was indistinguishable from a starving ghost.
It seemed her days had been not just bad but downright miserable.
Observing her, Wenren Pingting’s eyes were tinged with complexity.
Indeed, how unpredictable life could be; what was of the east of the river for the past decade shifted to the west the next. This young girl, whom she had envied for half of her life, had finally fallen from her pedestal in such a manner.
Seeing this, what was there for her to not let go of?
Compared to Bai Junjun, she still had her glory, her family was still there, her household was intact—what was there to complain about?
Bai Junjun was eating what was said to be the most precious cut of beef ribs.
It was clearly ribs, but all the excess fat and lean meat had been trimmed away, leaving only about one centimeter of beef on the bone. This bit of beef would be gone after a few bites, and the taste was average.
Bai Junjun found it very unsatisfying and suddenly remembered the roast pig in Fubo City.
She smacked her lips with a hint of nostalgia.
Deciding to buy a few cuts of beef tomorrow, she planned to let the Fox roast them on the road for her.
Soon, all 108 dishes of the royal court cuisine were wiped clean; compared to the empty plates on her side, the ones opposite looked as if they hadn’t been touched at all.
It’s pitiful, to eat something so tasteless every day; she would have lost the will to live as well.
"..." Wenren Pingting.
It’s pitiful, to eat so outrageously; even refugees weren’t as badly off as her.
Both were not entirely happy with each other’s behavior.
But for now, they were only temporary allies, their relationship was very fragile and could shatter at any moment.
So neither voiced their disdain for the other.
Having wiped her mouth, Bai Junjun spoke, "Now that we’ve finished eating, I’ll head back. Just notify me at the inn whenever you plan to leave.
We have our own horse carriage; we’ll just follow behind your retinue."
"Hmm." Wenren Pingting nodded indifferently.