Your Highness, you are truly a know-it-all. Living in the deep mountains, you know everything, even investigating the matter of her being enfeoffed as a county princess...
"A county princess is just a title, it's not that important to me!" Little Xi Tian said indifferently.
Hearing this, Little Jie Kong also shook his little head and said, "Yes, Xi Tian sister should just be herself. She doesn't care about being a village lord, a county princess, or a princess at all..."
Little Jie Kong felt that even if Xi Tian sister farmed in the countryside her whole life, the little monk would still be her little shadow, never leaving her side.
Consort Hui's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. She smiled and said, "Oh, that's different. As far as I know, the Emperor personally enfeoffs very few county princesses, you can count them on one hand. Little girl, you are very capable. At such a young age, you have achieved so much; you will surely achieve great things in the future..."
This was also her first time meeting this renowned little county princess.
She had only heard about her from others before. Seeing her today, this little girl was indeed not to be trifled with...
"Your Highness is too kind. I just like to do these things. Since it can bring benefits and convenience to the people of the world, why shouldn't I?"
Little Xi Tian smiled faintly, her attitude remaining cold throughout...
Besides windmills and waterwheels, she still had many novel inventions to create.
If Murong sister were by her side, the two of them working together would surely develop more good things...
Consort Hui chuckled awkwardly, "Little County Princess, you don't need to call me Consort Hui. I have already shaved my head and become a nun. You should call me Master Jing Xuan!"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Your every word and your flickering gaze do not look like a nun at all.
Although Consort Hui wore a nun's hat, Little Xi Tian still saw a lock of beautiful hair peeking out, which meant Consort Hui was not bald at all...
Even more suspicious was Consort Hui's skin, which was as smooth as cream, and her slender jade-like fingers. If she were truly a nun, she wouldn't be so well-maintained.
One could not achieve such good skin by eating coarse food every day.
"Alright, then I will call you Master Jing Xuan from now on..." Little Xi Tian replied.
Xiao Jin Heng frowned slightly, glanced at Consort Hui, and then looked at Little Xi Tian, "It's getting late, let's go back!~"
Little Jie Kong had wanted to leave long ago. Upon hearing this, he grabbed Little Xi Tian's hand and walked out without a word, "Xi Tian sister, let's go back to the city to eat roasted sweet potatoes. I'm so hungry..."
He couldn't stand people who spoke sarcastically.
And Consort Hui was precisely the kind of person who hid her true intentions and smiled with a hidden dagger, so the little monk disliked her intensely...
"Okay!" Little Xi Tian smiled and nodded, "Now that you mention food, I'm hungry too. Let's go!"
Although the carriage carried a lot of cooked food and snacks, those were not staple foods and wouldn't fill them up. They would be digested after a short walk...
Just then, Nanny Xing suddenly walked in, "Master, the meal is ready. Shall I bring it up now?"
While they were chatting, Nanny Xing had gone out to prepare the vegetarian meal.
There were no grand fish or meat, nor delicacies from the mountains and seas, but only some clear soup and simple vegetable dishes, so it was made in no time...
Consort Hui immediately looked at Xiao Jin Heng, "Heng'er, since it's mealtime, let's eat the vegetarian meal before we go back. If you leave now, we might not see each other for a long time!"
After speaking, Consort Hui instructed Nanny Xing, "Go and bring the table. We'll dine here..."
"Alright!"
A moment later, Nanny Xing brought a square table and placed it in the center of the reception hall, then brought out the bowls, chopsticks, and vegetarian dishes.
"There aren't many good dishes in this nunnery. Please make do with what we have!" Consort Hui said, personally dishing out the porridge.
As she said, the food was indeed too plain, not even as good as stewed cabbage with tofu...
Even the little monk, who usually ate vegetarian meals, couldn't help but wrinkle his nose, "Master, do you usually eat this?"
There were only two dishes on the table: a plate of shredded pickled mustard greens and a plate of rustic bean paste, with dry scallions and wilted cilantro placed beside them...
If the nunnery had its own garden, the vegetables wouldn't have wilted like this.
These vegetables were clearly old, even close to spoiling, yet Consort Hui was still serving them.
Little Xi Tian couldn't help but suspect her intentions...
"Quick, eat it while it's hot! The millet porridge will get cold soon!"
Consort Hui sat in the main seat, naturally picked up her rice bowl, and took a piece of shredded pickled mustard greens, as if she were accustomed to such food.
Little Jie Kong grinned, looking disgusted, "Master, can you really eat this?"
Isn't she just pretending...
Little Xi Tian didn't react much. She quietly drank a bowl of porridge and ate a couple of mouthfuls of bean paste with her chopsticks.
The pickled mustard greens were not well-prepared; they were too low in salt, and having been out of the brine for too long, the pickled mustard stalks had almost dried out...
Xiao Jin Heng wasn't too picky. He drank two large bowls of porridge and didn't touch any of the dishes.
"This is a nunnery, not a restaurant. If ascetics cannot endure this little hardship, how can they devote themselves to Buddha?" Consort Hui said with a gentle smile.
Little Jie Kong: "..."
Your Highness, do you have a misunderstanding of ascetics?
He grew up in a temple, and the monks there didn't eat coarse food every meal.
You are living so miserably; it's clearly an act, you're causing trouble!
Of course, there probably wasn't another rich monk in the world like his master.
"The vegetarian meatballs that Sister Cai Xia made for me were delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and very fragrant. They tasted great..." the little monk muttered to himself.
Alas, he really wanted to return to Dashui Village soon and have Sister Cai Xia make him big dumplings with purslane filling, or steamed dumplings with snake vegetables.
"Vegetarian meatballs?" Consort Hui raised her eyebrows, looking somewhat astonished, "Are you also an ascetic?"
Why didn't she investigate this important information beforehand?
The little monk pouted, "Yes, so your vegetarian meal is too fake. Even beggars eat better than this!"
Consort Hui: "..."
This little monk is quite eloquent.
"Jie Kong, eat your meal!" Xiao Jin Heng kicked him under the table.
The little monk scoffed, rolled his eyes, and placed his rice bowl on the table, "I'm full, I'm not eating anymore, hmph!~"
After saying that, he took Little Xi Tian's hand and walked out...
Consort Hui quickly stood up upon seeing this, "Wait, County Princess!~"