Little Pink Starfish

The Secret in the Sunflower Seeds

Yu Xiaoxiao and Gu Xinglang had a late-night snack with Old Master Gu in his study, chatted briefly, then were promptly sent back to rest.

Wang momo had already ordered hot water prepared for their baths. Seeing the young couple return, she didn’t ask questions—just urged her princess to wash up.

Yu Xiaoxiao had been setting fires and fighting monsters since the previous night. She sniffed herself and realized, yeah, she stank. And her little Gu had held her the whole way back?

Gu Xinglang noticed her staring and quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I stink,” she said frankly. “Didn’t you notice?”

Gu Xinglang smiled, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a kiss. “Not at all. Smells sweet to me.”

Okay, Yu Xiaoxiao decided to take that as a sweet-talking compliment. Her little Gu was getting better at this.

“Princess!” Wang momo called from outside the room.

Yu Xiaoxiao gave Gu Xinglang a quick kiss in return and got up to go.

“Don’t get your hand wet,” Gu Xinglang reminded her.

“I won’t,” she replied, walking out.

If only he weren’t injured, Gu Xinglang thought, he’d totally be helping his wife bathe right now. That line of thought immediately triggered a physical reaction. “Damn this wound,” he muttered and, before the attendants came in, ducked under the blankets to, ahem, relieve the issue.

—

Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei didn’t need help bathing. They went in themselves. Eunuch Xiao Sha brought each a bowl of shredded pork noodles—Wang momo’s orders.

Xiao Zhuang came out in half-dressed fashion and examined the noodles: meat piled like a mountain, broth fragrant and rich with scallions. He had eaten two steamed buns earlier, but the sight made him hungry again. He dove in.

Xiao Sha peeked into the bath. “Xiao Wei-ge, still not done?”

Xiao Zhuang snorted, “He bathes like a maiden. Even if he’s not dirty, he still takes half an hour.”

Xiao Sha’s illusions of dashing shadow guards were once again shattered.

By the time Xiao Zhuang finished the entire bowl—broth and all—Xiao Wei still wasn’t out. “See?” he said, smirking. “Even slower than the princess.”

From the courtyard, Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice drifted in. “Momo, what did you make? It smells like meat. No—it is meat!”

Xiao Zhuang gulped the broth down quickly. Wouldn’t want to get caught by the princess.

“Momo!” she called out again. “I want to eat!”

Wang momo scolded, “Princess, I’ve told you—eating too much at night causes indigestion.”

“My tooth fell out!” Yu Xiaoxiao argued.

“And what does that have to do with eating late?”

“When I’m emotionally traumatized, I crave food,” Yu Xiaoxiao reasoned. Smelling meat but not tasting it? Torture!

—

Gu Xinglang had also bathed by now and was carried out by attendants.

Yu Xiaoxiao blinked at him. “Xiao Gu, I’m hungry again.”

She had overused her strength and needed to replenish. Never mind that she just ate earlier—bathing was exhausting too!

Seeing her pitiful expression, Gu Xinglang quickly told Wang momo, “Just one small bowl for Her Highness.”

“Too much at night will upset the stomach,” Wang momo repeated.

“I’ll eat with her,” Gu Xinglang offered. “We won’t overdo it.”

“Meat! Now!” Yu Xiaoxiao insisted.

—

Back in their quarters, Xiao Wei finally came out—neatly dressed, unlike Xiao Zhuang.

Xiao Sha looked between them and decided: Xiao Wei fit his ideal image of a shadow guard better.

“Check your pockets,” Xiao Zhuang told him. “Xiao Sha’s taking the laundry.”

Xiao Wei calmly emptied them and dropped a cloth pouch onto the table.

“What’s that?” Xiao Zhuang asked.

“Princess’s sunflower seeds,” Xiao Wei replied.

Xiao Zhuang picked up the pouch—embroidered. “It’s got flowers on it.”

Could he say the princess “borrowed” it from Consort Hua’s palace?

—

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxiao, bowl in hand, was happily slurping down pork noodles in the bedroom. Gu Xinglang had said “small bowl,” but she’d brought the entire pot from the kitchen.

Gu Xinglang couldn’t eat—he sat by and kept telling her to slow down.

Just then, maid Xiao Feng ran in. “Princess, something’s happened at the Gu estate!”

Yu Xiaoxiao nearly choked on her meat. Again?! Can’t a person live in peace?

Gu Xinglang asked urgently, “What happened?”

Xiao Feng relayed the news of several veterans arriving from the frontier. “I heard it’ll cost a lot of silver.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart ached at the word “silver.”

Xiao Feng added, “Second Madame was crying from the stress.”

Gu Xinglang coughed lightly—he knew his second sister-in-law well. She was crying all right, but not for the veterans. More likely, his second brother raided her savings.

Yu Xiaoxiao gulped down her mouthful. “How much is ‘a lot’?”

Wang momo glared at Gu Xinglang: don’t even think about touching the princess’s dowry. Over her dead body!

Gu Xinglang forced a smile. “Don’t worry. Big Brother will think of something.”

—

Back with Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei, they poured the sunflower seeds onto the table—and found three tightly rolled paper balls inside.

“What’s this?” Xiao Zhuang asked.

Xiao Wei unwrapped one after some effort—and the trio gasped.

It wasn’t paper. It was a banknote.

A 10,000 tael banknote.