Pei Shu’er whispered to the people around her, "You take some to eat first." After saying this, Pei Shu’er used several plates to serve the buns and brought them next to the government officer. "Lord, these are buns we made with our own flour. Please have a taste." As she spoke, she put down the buns; the government officers nodded reservedly while their gaze was already glued to the buns. Pei Shu’er sensibly stepped back, and these government officers immediately reached out and grabbed a bun. Pei Shu’er had marked the buns with fillings; when they took a bite, it was the meat bun. Once bitten, the fragrance wrapped inside the bun dispersed, the sour and salty taste of the pickled vegetables, the aroma of the pork, all blossomed on the tip of the tongue. Even though the officials wanted to maintain some composure in front of the convicts, they couldn’t resist the temptation of the delicious food and began to eat heartily. With such amazing flavors, acting refined would be foolish. Didn’t you see the colleagues nearly fighting over them? The few people sitting by the stove, eating happily, were also enjoying their food immensely. Tang Qingning handed one to Pei Shu’er, she said with a smile, "Shu’er, your buns are really delicious." Pei Shu’er received it, stuffed it into her mouth, and tasted it, indeed, it was quite good. The texture was right, and the dough was perfectly risen. The skin was soft and tasty, the filling was savory and tempting, each type of filling had its own deliciousness. After she finished one, she packed some in several large basins, smilingly looked at Tang Qingning. "Sister-in-law, come with me outside to give the government officers something to eat." Tang Qingning nodded. When Pei Shu’er brought out the buns, she had a smile on her face, but some of the officers’ expressions turned gloomy. Some blamed Pei Shu’er for acting on her own. Lu Qing had told Pei Shu’er to make white bread, but she ended up making buns instead. On such a journey, buns are inconvenient to carry and preserve, and if the weather turns cold, the filling could freeze, nowhere near as good as white bread. Pei Shu’er still smiled and brought the buns to everyone, then spoke up. "Lords, all the flour you gave has been used to make white bread. These buns were made with my own flour. My hands are clumsy, please taste them to see if they’re to your liking." Once she said that, those officers who previously misunderstood Pei Shu’er felt a bit embarrassed. It turned out they had misunderstood Pei Shu’er. Indeed, Pei Shu’er was a girl who knew her limits, traveling this far without doing anything to annoy the officers. Lu Qing was the first to take one to eat, and only then did the other officials swallow their saliva and each took a bun they liked. Once they started eating, they couldn’t stop. Though there seemed to be many buns, the number of people made them nowhere near enough. Soon, everyone scrambled for them, but due to Lu Qing’s presence, there wasn’t too much chaos. Pei Shu’er sensibly withdrew. She secretly called the people from the second and fourth households into the kitchen and gave each of them a few buns too. The second and fourth households’ people were somewhat at a loss. During this time, everyone ate separately, indeed, they had grown more unfamiliar. Recalling the good days from before, they realized they owed Pei Shu’er too much. Ma asked, "What if the officers find out?" Pei Shu’er laughed, "Even the officers are eating food made from my own grain, they won’t say anything." As she spoke, she glanced at the officers eating with stuffed mouths, feeling they didn’t have the energy to pay attention to the kitchen’s situation. The people from the second and fourth households all entered the kitchen, Tang Zan glanced and tightened his hand. He snorted coldly, saying no more. Pei Shu’er did not call him. If others don’t give him, he doesn’t care to ask. Pei Shu’er was incredibly busy; she put the buns wrapped by Granny Zhang and Liu Xu onto the steamers. It seemed those officers hadn’t had enough. Since offering them a meal, it’s not right to only offer half, that would make people think you are stingy. Moreover, there was so much grain in her space, she didn’t care about this little bit. The people from the second and fourth households used the excuse of helping in the kitchen to stay. Tang Tuo ate a cabbage meat bun, and his eyes instantly reddened with excitement. This steamy, soft bun, this fragrant filling, truly a human delight. They had forgotten what buns tasted like, didn’t expect to eat them in this place. Tang Tuo gave Pei Shu’er a thumbs up, "Sister-in-law, you’re great." Ma laughed, "Just half a sister-in-law now. When they reach the exile land and complete the wedding, they’ll officially be husband and wife." The eldest son of the second household, Tang Xiao, was a tall and handsome man, he nodded, "Zan’er is fortunate." At first everyone was courteous and letting others go first, then found out that such politeness nearly left them with nothing to eat, while the officers weren’t polite at all, finished the buns outside, and still came in urging for more. Once there were a few more buns, these officers immediately took them out. Everyone’s stomach growled; a bun for someone who was starving could eat a mountain seemed hardly sufficient. At this moment, the second batch of buns was ready, and Pei Shu’er immediately called the Tang Family members to eat; now, none of them were courteous. Old Madam Tang grabbed one bun in one hand, took a big bite, and even had a warm smile on her face. Liu Xu and Tang Qingning were also joyfully eating, and the two little ones were stuffing their cheeks. "Sister-in-law, where’s big brother?" Pei Shu’er: "..." Forgot. Thinking of this, Pei Shu’er felt a bit bemused, how could she remember everyone and yet forget Tang Zan? He was a person with a strong presence. Pei Shu’er wiped her hands on her apron and quickly walked out of the kitchen. She immediately saw the young man sitting among the crowd, standing out like a crane among chickens. He had both hands resting behind his neck, seemingly watching the stars in the sky. An exquisite silhouette of youth. But also very lonely. Pei Shu’er’s heart was inexplicably stung. She then recalled that in the original story, Tang Zan was a sensitive and proud young man. Having transformed from a revered Young General, adored by countless maidens as the Princely Heir, into a cripple struggling on the road to exile. How could he feel okay inside? This earth-shaking change happened in an instant, during his most glorious wedding. One blow knocked him down to mud. He was accustomed to flattery since childhood, suddenly unable to adjust, wanting but not knowing how to ask. This exile made him sensitive and awkward. In modern terms, he would just be at the age of graduating high school, ready to enter university. While reading, she always felt pity for Tang Zan, just a youth who experienced a drastic change in life in the power struggle. From the top to Hell, having endured so much humiliation in prison, it would distort anyone’s mind. Pei Shu’er’s voice softened as she slightly bent down to be at eye level with Tang Zan. "Why didn’t you go into the kitchen?" Tang Zan glanced at Pei Shu’er and then half-closed his eyes, looking at the black bread in his hand. "You didn’t call me in." His expression was normal, his voice indifferent. He was somewhat aggrieved.