When Xiao Jinyi came in to bring him clothes, he found Shen Shixu hugging the quilt with a troubled expression, leaning against the cabinet at the head of the bed.
Hearing footsteps, Shen Shixu tightened his grip on the quilt in his arms and looked toward the sound.
Once he saw it was Xiao Jinyi, Shen Shixu relaxed a little. Then his eyes lit up at the sight of the clothes in his hands.
Xiao Jinyi set the clothes beside the bed and said, his ears red, "Breakfast is ready. I'll wait outside. Get dressed and come eat before it gets cold!"
After he left, Shen Shixu threw back the quilt and put on the clothes one piece at a time. Once he had fastened his belt, he went to the dressing table to tie up his hair, then washed up before going outside.
Xiao Jinyi was already waiting at the table, which was laden with Shen Shixu's favorite breakfast foods: meat buns, vegetable buns, small wontons, and eight-treasure congee.
Shen Shixu brought a bowl of small wontons over and set it in front of himself, then added a spoonful of chili oil. He stirred until the oil dispersed through the soup before scooping up a wonton and eating it.
"How is it? Does it taste good?"
Shen Shixu nodded. "Delicious! Thin wrappers and plenty of filling, and it's my favorite shrimp filling, too."
Seeing how happily he ate, Xiao Jinyi said nothing, merely smiling like someone keeping his good deed to himself.
One look at that smile told Shen Shixu everything. There was no way the Imperial Kitchen had just happened to make small wontons exactly to his taste. Someone thoughtful had given instructions in advance.
After breakfast, Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi left the palace. Thanks to the