The blue bamboo surrounding the retreat never changes into autumn colors, remaining unchanged even as the seasons shift.
Occasionally, a herd of deer would pass, stepping lightly on the grass, but the area was otherwise quiet. However, on that day, there was a visitor to the retreat.
“Lady Fei Ling , hello!”
Fei Ling , who had been preparing medicine, turned around when she heard the voice from behind.
A lively young maid appeared. She seemed about eighteen years old. Her hair was braided and tied in two sections, and she was wearing a practical, easy-to-move Chinese robe with a stand-up collar.
Now, who could she be working for? Fei Ling wondered, suspecting she might be a new arrival due to an emergency, but the maid didn’t seem flustered. She greeted Fei Ling with a cheerful bow.
“This is Lan Xin, and I will be serving as Lady Fei Ling ’s maid from now on. Please take care of me.”
“Ah… now that you mention it…”
It had been about a month, and she had nearly forgotten, but the Empress had told her a maid would be assigned to her. Fei Ling , though slightly confused, bowed back.
“I apologize, I’m a bit busy right now…”
“Oh! You’re preparing medicine! How impressive! Is there anything I can do to help… Ahhh!”
The maid, who introduced herself as Lan Xin, peered into the mortar and pestle Fei Ling was using and let out a scream. In an instinctive move to avoid it, Lan Xin backed up but hit her head on the shelf above. The boxes and tools on the shelf fell and struck her hard, causing Lan Xin to cry out in pain and lose consciousness.
“…What? No way.”
Fei Ling hurried to help Lan Xin, checking for injuries. There was a bump on her forehead. After confirming there was no serious harm, Fei Ling glanced at the object she had been grinding.
It was a pile of cicada shells.
“Was it really that terrifying?”
If it had been a snake or a scorpion, perhaps, but cicada shells? Fei Ling sighed, thinking this would be a difficult start.
Some time later, Lan Xin regained consciousness in a room where she had been laid down to rest.
“Ugh… I feel like I had a bad dream…”
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Lady Fei Ling ! Oh no, it seems like I collapsed… I’m so embarrassed… Ah, I smell something delicious!”
Lan Xin sniffed the air. Though there was still a bump on her forehead, the fact that she was focused on food indicated that she was likely fine.
“If you’d like, please try this.”
Fei Ling offered a tray with oolong tea and some crispy rice crackers. Lan Xin’s eyes sparkled.
“Is it okay?”
She eagerly took a bite of the crispy rice cracker, still warm from the grill. The crackling sound was soothing, and she let out a contented noise.
“It’s simple, but delicious… What is this savory sauce?”
“It’s a high-quality soy sauce from the eastern islands. Unlike the mainland soy sauce, which is made with wheat bran, the one from the eastern islands is made with roasted wheat itself. You can definitely taste the difference, right?”
Fei Ling smiled, trying to ease the tension in the air.
“…I’m relieved. Lady Fei Ling , you’re such a kind person… I was really nervous.”
Lan Xin sighed with genuine relief.
Fei Ling wasn’t just a consort; she was a renowned court physician and the daughter of the chaotic clan. Most maids would have been terrified at the thought of serving her. Yet, this maid had come to her with a smile.
(But this girl is so cheerful…)
Fei Ling took Lan Xin’s hand as she was munching on the cracker.
“Thank you for coming.”
Lan Xin hesitated for a moment, but then gently squeezed Fei Ling ’s hand in return.
“…I’ll do my best to be helpful.”
Considering that Lan Xin had greeted her so kindly, despite her background, Fei Ling felt that was already more than enough.
“Once you’ve finished eating, could you assist with brushing the sauce on the rice crackers? It would help a lot.”
“I can do that! Leave it to me!”
Lan Xin puffed out her chest proudly.
The rice crackers, made with glutinous rice, puffed up and browned on the grill. The shape had to be adjusted using a pressing tool. Lan Xin’s job was to lightly brush the sauce onto the perfectly grilled crackers.
Though their first meeting had been quite chaotic, her skills in assisting with the cooking seemed quite good. Fei Ling wondered if she had worked in the imperial kitchen before. Her memory wasn’t great when it came to remembering faces, but she could easily memorize things she heard.
By the time the day was over, the rice crackers were delivered to the autumn consorts.
“Here’s the medicine for the itching.”
The consort seemed surprised but tasted it and, thankfully, liked the flavor. That was the most important part—medicine only worked if it could be tasted as pleasant.
“This… I can continue using this. I’d like to have my swollen eyelids healed by the Autumn Feast.”
“Please continue for three days, and if the itching doesn’t subside, let me know. I’m sure you’ll be completely healed by the Autumn Feast, so there’s no need to worry.”
Fei Ling bowed her head as she left the room.
“They looked happy. As expected from the court physician. I almost wanted to eat more myself! Oh, I should have snuck a taste…”
Lan Xin, who had been carrying the things, pouted as she muttered about missing out.
“If it’s just that, I can make more anytime. Should I gather some more on the way back?”
Fei Ling , stepping off the garden path and into the woods, looked back at Lan Xin.
“Gather what? Mushrooms?”
Lan Xin followed, blinking in confusion.
Fei Ling pointed to the trunk of a tree, where cicada shells were attached.
“Cicada shells.”
There, on the bark, were shells the size of a thumb—perfectly intact. It was the shell of the giant cicada. Fei Ling picked one up and smiled at the intricate detail of life preserved in the shell.
“Yikes!”
Lan Xin, horrified, jumped back, rustling the fallen leaves.
“Why cicada shells?”
“Cicada shells are called ‘Shentai’ and are used in powerful Chinese herbal medicine. They’re especially effective for itching caused by seasonal plants. And they taste great too!”
“No… no way… It can’t be…”
Lan Xin, pale, shook her head in disbelief. Fei Ling tried to make it sound more acceptable.
“It’s like shrimp shells. If you’re in the sea, it’s shrimp; if you’re in the forest, it’s cicadas.”
“Shrimp are shrimp! Cicadas are cicadas! They’re totally different!”
Terrified of bugs, Lan Xin screamed again and fainted once more.
