Qiao'er came over holding a red jacket, curiously asking, "What are potatoes and green onions? I only know about croton seeds, those things make you have diarrhea if you eat them. Princess, you really shouldn't eat those!"
Yun Chunnuan thought maybe Bianliao just didn't have potatoes and green onions, or maybe they had different names there, and Bianliao called them something else.
But after searching through the little princess's memories, she found that even the Great Xia Country didn't have those things.
At least, the little princess had never eaten them.
The diet in Great Xia was light, and there were definitely no green onions.
Could it be that potatoes were considered commoners' food, unworthy of the royal taste?
"Qiao'er, potatoes are those round things dug out from the ground, they're light yellow or white, soft and fluffy when cooked, very filling. Think about it, have you ever eaten them?"
Qiao'er tapped her head with her finger, frowning and thinking for a while, and suddenly her eyes lit up, "Is the princess talking about lentils? But those are green and not dug out from the ground. The beans inside are tiny and not filling at all..."
As she spoke, the finger tapping her head had already turned into scratching.
Yun Chunnuan sighed: Alright, it seems this place she's traveled to really doesn't have potatoes.
Wuwuwu!
Potatoes were her favorite! She loved them cooked in every way!
Especially fries!
Does this mean she'll have to say goodbye to those flavorful potatoes?
Seeing the obvious disappointment in the little princess's eyes, Qiao'er panicked a bit, quickly comforting her, "Princess, don't worry. Maybe it's just that I haven't eaten them because I'm not well-informed. General often comes in and out of the Imperial Palace! If you ask the General, he's definitely had them!"
Yun Chunnuan slowly shook her head.
Bianliao already had scarce resources, and if the owner of this body hadn't had them, Bianliao's royal family probably hadn't either.
She initially thought they were commoners' food, unworthy of royal attention.
Now thinking about it, this era simply doesn't have potatoes.
"Qiao'er, there ought to be tomatoes, right? They're big, red fruits that can be eaten raw or cooked." Yun Chunnuan made a circle with her hands to describe them.
Qiao'er thought about it and shook her head.
"Cucumbers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins?"
Qiao'er was a bit startled, thought for a moment, and still shook her head.
Yun Chunnuan: "..."
The scarcity of resources in Bianliao was something she had already noticed from Da Bao the chicken.
But she didn't expect it to be this scarce!
"So, what do you usually eat?"
"Vegetables? What's so good about those! We eat meat! Beef, mutton, venison, wild boar, and even tiger meat! Here in Bianliao, every meal comes with wine and meat!"
Qiao'er, full of pride, sneaked a glance at the little princess's thin frame, unable to help but wonder: Could it be that the Great Xia Country can't afford meat? Isn't the Central Plains supposed to be resource-rich? Don't they have everything?
Maybe not, otherwise why would the little princess be so obsessed with eating vegetables?
That wild vegetable soup is thin and watery, what's so good about it?
Yun Chunnuan: "..."
As Qiao'er examined her, Yun Chunnuan also looked at Qiao'er.
She recalled that at last night's banquet, indeed, there was a large pot of meat on everyone's table.
She had thought it was just for the special occasion, but who knew it was their daily routine!
No wonder the Bianliao people were all tall and muscular...
But eating meat every meal, doesn't that get tiresome?
Even eating tiger meat... truly a barbarian land!
Seeing the little princess's rueful expression, Qiao'er comforted her, "Don't worry, Princess. Now that you're here in Bianliao, you'll have meat at every meal too! Except for chicken meat since there are only two in the house, any other meat you want! We'll make sure you're well-fed and chubby!"
The little princess gave an awkward but polite smile, "Thank you."
Qiao'er's face turned a bit red, "You're welcome! Just let me know if you want to eat something!"
She shook the thick red jacket and said, "How about this one, Princess?"
"This... isn't it too red?"
The red jacket was very pretty, with a collar lined with white fur, but it was too bright.
Yun Chunnuan imagined herself wearing red on the vast green prairie, she would be the most eye-catching one!
"No way! You have fair skin, you're perfect for this bright red!"
Inside the box were all winter clothes, and Qiao'er had picked this color carefully.
Seeing the anticipation on the young girl's face, Yun Chunnuan reluctantly put on the red jacket.
Qiao'er couldn't stop praising it, but Yun Chunnuan looked down and thought it was really too red!
She bent her arm and felt uncomfortable, "Wasn't it supposed to be lightweight? This is too heavy."
"Oh right, I was too focused on keeping you warm, I forgot you need to ride a horse. Hehe, let's change, let's change!"
Qiao'er was about to search for another, but Yun Chunnuan quickly intervened, "Let me. Qiao'er, you can look after the little White Wolf, and when I come back, we'll give it a name and make a little nest for it, how about that?"
"Okay! Princess! I just adore you! Wuwuwu! How can someone be so beautiful and kind? Are you an immortal fairy sent down to earth?"
Here she comes, spouting rainbow praises...
Yun Chunnuan pretended not to hear, searching through the box until she found an ivory-yellow long jacket with water-blue edges.
It was different from both the one she wore and the red jacket Qiao'er had picked earlier.
"This one's fine."
Without needing Qiao'er's help, Yun Chunnuan put on the long jacket herself.
She looked in the mirror, and it was fine, much more pleasing to the eye than the other brightly colored ones.
Yun Chunnuan spread her arms and spun around, "Qiao'er, how is it?"
Qiao'er didn't approach for a long time, and when Yun Chunnuan finally looked over, she saw Qiao'er was dumbfounded, tears welling in her eyes.
Yun Chunnuan panicked, "What's wrong? Can't I wear this one? I'll change it, don't cry!"
"No! Princess, don't change!" Qiao'er sniffed, urgently stopping the little princess, "This is our Bianliao's clothing, Princess, you don't mind? The General specifically instructed me to first let the Princess get used to it before giving you Bianliao's clothes, so if you don't like it, you don't have to wear it."
Uh...
Just because she's wearing Bianliao's clothes?
Yun Chunnuan didn't understand why a simple garment required such caution.
Even needing the Barbarian General's specific instructions.
It was only later that she learned the marriage between Great Xia and Bianliao was filled with unequal terms.
Including regulations for the princess's attire.
The Great Xia people believed that once dressed in Bianliao's style, it meant losing national integrity, fully accepting Bianliao.
To this, Yun Chunnuan was quite disdainful.
They've already sent someone over for a marriage alliance, so what's the deal with integrity?
What could a delicate little princess, in a foreign land, do to oppose a nation?
Moreover, there was such an unreliable marriage envoy, she had already worn a dudou in public, what does Bianliao clothing matter?