Meng Yuhuai's palm had a layer of thin callus, likely from years of handling weapons. Resting quietly in his hand were several dried red chili peppers, each the size of a pinky finger, looking especially delicate and eye-catching under the sunlight, glistening and releasing a faint spicy fragrance.
"...For, for me?" Hua Xiaomai was equally surprised and delighted; perhaps it was too unexpected, her voice trembling slightly. Her hands rubbed at the hem of her clothes but were slow to reach out and accept, "Big brother Meng, this..."
How could she have ever imagined she would experience such a day? It was only about a dozen chilies, yet they made her heart so joyful that she wanted to jump with excitement! That day in Master Zhao's residence, although she longed for that pot of chili peppers, she understood more clearly that, in this era, such things were almost impossible to come by for a commoner like her, but now...
