Making dumplings is not difficult.

The difficulty lies in how to make the filling delicious.

When Yan Qiushu first made buns, the filling was as hard as... meatballs, wrapped one by one, and there was not much juice, which made the meatballs dry and tasted dry. Later, she made them more often and learned the skills.

You can add some water to the filling.

In order to maintain the taste, it is best to use water that has been blanched with ginger. The amount should not be too little, otherwise the filling will still be hard. It should not be too much, otherwise it will be too watery.

Then add soy sauce, salt, sugar and other seasonings, stir evenly, sprinkle with chopped green onions, pour hot oil on, and stir again.

Once the filling is prepared, you can start making dumplings.

Xiaolongbao is small and exquisite. A ball of filling is placed on a thin skin the size of a palm. Three fingers are pinched around the edge and begin to close it up. After a circle, it forms a beautiful flower shape.

It was Zhou Zhaoqin's first time making it and he had no idea how to do it. His hands and eyes were not coordinated and he was quite flustered. Shui Yu was teaching him from the side. He kneaded the dough and found it quite fun. He even made a round object and said it was a pig.

Once everything is done, you can steam it.

At this point, all you need to do is ask Aunt Xu to light the fire. They will wait on the side. There is always firewood burning in the kitchen, and the temperature is warmer than outside. Yan Qiushu will bring Zhou Zhaoqin to guard here.

Until the buns are cooked.

The moment the lid was opened, the steamer on the big iron pot was originally filled with dumplings neatly arranged in a scattered manner, with a two-finger-wide space between each dumpling. However, now the dumplings have become bigger, white and plump, and they are close to each other. Some juice has seeped out, dyeing the off-white skin the color of soup.

The fragrance of noodles and the meaty aroma of fillings blend together to form the delicious dumplings at this time!

Zhou Zhaoqin was really hungry. When he smelled the smell, his stomach started to growl several times. His face flushed, but he asked expectantly, "Can I eat now?!"

Of course you can eat it!

Yan Qiushu was also hungry. The smell of the aroma immediately perked her up. She couldn't wait to ask, "How many do you want to eat?"

"...three?" Zhou Zhaoqin asked uncertainly.

"Then let's have six." Yan Qiushu said.

Xiaolongbao is much smaller than normal steamed buns, so it should be at least twice as big.

She ate... ten of them herself!

I remember that she could eat twelve when she was a child, but her appetite now has not yet returned to its peak!

Yan Qiushu took the amount she liked and ran out, shouting, "Your Highness, come with me."

If you don’t hurry up, the dumplings will get cold.

Zhou Zhaoqin was stunned by the rush. The people around him, even the busiest palace maid, were all very dignified. However, this made him feel relieved and he ran over as well.

When I sat down, there was an extra meal in front of me.

Six plump white dumplings were piled in the bowl.

He picked up one with chopsticks and took a small bite. The skin of the dumpling was very thin, and the filling inside was revealed with just a small bite.

Because the filling is well-seasoned, the cooked meat filling is not dry at all, but rather has plenty of moisture and is soft. Take another bite, and you will eat the dough and the filling together. The thin dough is mixed with the delicious filling, and the salty fragrance is mixed with the fragrance of the dough.

Soft, fragrant and delicious!

It was the first time that Zhou Zhaoqin ate such hot, freshly baked food made by Yan Qiushu. He was so happy that he wanted to share it, but he saw the woman next to him eating particularly lavishly.

One bite and half of the bun was gone, another bite and half of the bun was gone again.

Zhou Zhaoqin:?

Noticing his gaze, Yan Qiushu looked over and said blankly, "Come on, eat! Is it not tasty? There are two kinds of fillings here, one with chicken and the other with mutton. They are delicious."

The chicken is tender and refreshing, the lamb is soft and salty, and the juice steamed inside is so delicious!

"Oh." Zhou Zhaoqin nodded and subconsciously imitated her, eating in big mouthfuls.

A more intense taste than before, accompanied by a sense of satisfaction, rises between the lips and teeth. I take three or two bites of a bun, and then eat another one!

The feeling of eating buns with big mouthfuls is unexpectedly... wonderful!

In the end, Yan Qiushu ate nine and her stomach was full.

And Zhou Zhaoqin ate seven!

They were all different than expected.

One was still hungry but couldn't eat any more, while the other was very satisfied. When they left, neither of them had the grievance they had when they arrived.

Yan Qiushu asked him to take back the buns with strange shapes that she had made, so when he came out, he was holding a small food box in his hand.

This made the palace guards who had been guarding the courtyard entrance completely relax. They eagerly took the food box and asked, "Your Highness, are we going back to the palace or to the Imperial Academy?"

As soon as he asked, the joy on the child's face seemed to be overshadowed by a layer of shadow. He pursed his lips, as if he was struggling. But after sitting in the carriage, he still said decisively: "Go back home."

Although he didn't want to go back to that home, Sister Shu said that he could take the things he made back with him, and he actually wanted to give them to his mother.

The carriage slowly left.

Just as they came in a hurry, they left very quickly as well, and the Xiao family seemed not to be disturbed at all.

But behind the door, Xiao Huaiqi, sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed by his wife, still witnessed everything.

When they heard the news that the second prince's grandson was coming, they came over immediately. However, when they noticed that Yan Qiushu was taking care of the child, they did not go forward to disturb her.

Xie Qingyun was a little melancholy. Because of her husband's poor health, she had not been able to get pregnant for a long time, but she actually liked children very much. Zhou Zhaoqin was not very cute, and in her heart he was not even one-tenth as cute as Dongdong. But seeing the sadness on the child's face before he left, she still felt a little distressed.

"Why……"

As the sigh sounded, the handsome young man in the wheelchair leaned back and patted the back of her hand.

"I'm fine, I just feel like I've implicated the child." Xie Qingyun shook her head and pushed the wheelchair back.

Xiao Huaiqi's brows did not change at all. A man who had fought his way through thousands of troops would not be so soft-hearted.

Especially if the Xiao family did not take action, it would be Dongdong and the others who would be sad now.

Even because they are children of the Xiao family, if those in-laws are useless and unable to protect them in the future, they will die even more miserably.

At least if they win, they won't keep targeting a child!

When Zhou Zhaoqin returned home, the outer courtyard was quiet.

The maids, servants and nannies walked as lightly as possible so as not to attract attention, and there was an inexplicable sense of oppression in the silence.

This situation has been going on since a few days before the Qiao family incident and has continued until now.

Zhou Zhaoqin's face wrinkled, and he looked more cautious and nervous.

When he arrived at the main courtyard, he heard his father scolding him, "Shut up! Cry, all you do is cry! What can I do now?! You were careless and someone caught you, bringing great harm to me!"

"Your Highness, my father did all this for you. All the money our family earned over the years was given to you to win over the ministers. They simply cannot afford to pay that money. Please help me!" The woman's crying voice no longer had the arrogance it had before, only fear in her heart.

The news of the Qiao family lending money at high interest rates has come to light, and His Majesty is furious. Now His Majesty has issued an order that all the money must be collected within ten days, otherwise the entire family will be executed!

Then it won’t be a matter of one or two lives being lost.

If they could gather enough money, only the Qiao father and son would die.

In this way, the Qiao family's incense can be preserved.

But the money is all with the third prince!

"Give it to me? Don't think I don't know that your Qiao family has left quite a bit." The Third Prince was even more enraged upon hearing this, and sullenly threatened, "Besides, the amount is so huge, how can I possibly afford it?! If you say that again, don't blame me for being ungrateful!"

The Third Prince's wife stopped crying, then cried even harder, but didn't say another word.

The Third Prince has no ties to his past and might want to kill her too, so that there won't be any points on her body that can be attacked. But if she dies, what will happen to her son?

Seeing her honesty, the Third Prince softened his tone: "Jinxin, you know what I want to do. My father-in-law's sacrifice is worth it. Now everything is not ready. Your Highness cannot act rashly. When Your Highness ascends the throne, I will avenge your Qiao family!"

The Third Prince's wife's cries became more and more desperate.

The Third Prince waited for a moment before speaking in a gentle, soothing voice, "This is all worth it. Don't worry, I swear, if I succeed in ascending the throne, my son Qin'er will definitely be the Crown Prince! His position will be unshakable by anyone. I will always remember everything my father-in-law has done for me!"

The woman's crying became much quieter, as if she had accepted her fate.

Zhou Zhaoqin could not hear much outside, it was vague and he could not understand it, but he could feel that his mother was very sad and his father was very depressed, but soon a burst of hurried footsteps appeared.

Instinctively, he kicked his calves and ran extremely fast, hiding in a corner with the palace servants.

It happened that the man was in a confused mood at the time and did not notice the movement. He just walked out. After he left, the two figures, one big and one small, reappeared.

Zhou Zhaoqin silently took the lunch box and walked into the house.

The usually dignified Third Prince's wife now had disheveled hair, smudged makeup, and fell to the ground with red and swollen eyes. There was no one else in the entire yard, so naturally no one helped her up.

She heard the noise, looked up, saw her son, and quickly struggled to get up.

But it wasn't just her legs that were on the cold ground. She knelt down to save herself or something. She just stood up a little, then fell back down. She could only wipe her face awkwardly, sniff, and try to steady herself. "Why are you back? Aren't you in school?"

Zhou Zhaoqin lowered his head, shook it, and whispered, "Mother, these are the dumplings I made. Sister Shu asked me to bring them back for you to try."

The Third Prince's wife's eyes welled up. She had no time to think about why there was a sister named Ah Shu? How did her son cook his own food? Shouldn't he be in school?

She just felt touched, and her heart, which had just been chilled by her husband, warmed up a little at this moment, so she didn't think about anything else.

The Third Prince's wife nodded quickly: "Okay, Mother, please try it."

Zhou Zhaoqin took out the buns. The buns were so ugly that he shed a tear when he gave them to his mother.

The woman took it and tasted it in a small bite. It was still hot, but tasted a little salty, but more of the sweet fragrance of the dough and the meaty fragrance of the filling. The bun was soft and delicious. It was a little ugly, but delicious.

She hadn't eaten well or slept well these past few days, and suddenly a delicious meal appeared before her eyes. It was made by her own son. The Third Prince's wife ate it in small bites and nodded in satisfaction: "My son is amazing, the buns are delicious!"

"Yeah!" Zhou Zhaoqin nodded.

The Third Prince's wife also calmed down and smiled: "Okay, mother is going to get up."

This time she tried hard to stand up, her knees aching, but she managed to stand up. She was in such a mess that she didn't dare call anyone in, fearing that she would be laughed at by the person she was looking down upon. She held up her legs and walked towards the room.

Zhou Zhaoqin followed closely and entered the inner room. There was a charcoal stove inside, which was much warmer. She lifted her skirt to reveal the red wound on her knee caused by the friction from kneeling on the ground. She cried in pain.

Zhou Zhaoqin stared intently, his fists clenched tightly. He wanted to endure it, but he couldn't control his emotions. He threw himself into his mother's arms, crying "wa wa wa..." His little hands trembled as he wanted to touch the red part of her legs but didn't dare to. He cried and asked, "Mother, it hurts so much, it hurts so much..."

The Third Prince's wife opened her mouth to say that she was not in pain.

But even though my lips opened, I couldn't say anything.

It hurts, of course it hurts!

What hurts more is my heart.

Since she married the third prince, her father and brother have worked hard. When the third prince wants money, they try every means to get it. When the third prince wants someone, they also secretly get someone.

Even though she knew that he was going to do something extremely outrageous, her father still gritted his teeth and followed him for her sake.

Now that something happened at home, he didn't waver at all. No matter how she begged on her knees, he never gave in. This little bit of pain was nothing. Once ten days were up, her blood relatives would experience the pain of losing their heads!

She couldn't save them, she couldn't even save the child in front of her...

The Third Prince's wife gave a desperate smile. Was he still thinking of rebelling?

Although the emperor was in poor health, the other princes were not easy to deal with, and failure was almost inevitable.

When the time comes, she will be charged with two crimes. What will happen to her son?

As a mother, the Third Prince's wife was completely focused on her son's future. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and she looked at her son: "Where did you say these buns came from?"

"Sister Ashu taught me how to make it. She treated me to some buns and asked me to bring them back for you." Zhou Zhaoqin answered obediently, snuggling in his mother's arms, sobbing.

The Third Prince's wife slowly exhaled, stroked her son's head, slowly closed her eyes, and whispered, "Yes, Mother knows."