Chapter Twenty-Four

"Royal Uncle, Royal Aunt, I'm here!"

Li Chong burst into the house like a little calf.

Gu Leyao had just put a few slices of mutton into the copper pot. The pot was bubbling away, and the mutton was cooked in the blink of an eye. She quickly took the mutton out of the pot, dipped it in sesame sauce, and found the mutton to be tender and juicy, with a rich sesame sauce flavor that was absolutely delicious!

Thank goodness, if the lamb had been cooked for a few more seconds, it would have become tough.

Gu Leyao swallowed the freshly cooked mutton before looking up at the young prince.

He was wearing a yellow dragon robe and a small golden crown on his head, looking majestic and incredibly cool.

At this moment, this incredibly cool little kid was holding a wet kitten in his arms, smacking his lips, and staring at the steaming copper pot next to Gu Leyao.

The little prince took tiny, shuffling steps, instinctively reaching for the table. Gu Leyao positioned herself to block him, instructing Li Qi to take the little prince to be washed, changed into dry clothes, and then brought him back.

The young prince was carried away by Li Qi, and the palace servant Qingxi, who was serving behind him, revealed his plump and fair figure.

Qingxi bowed to Li Heng and Gu Leyao.

Li Heng asked Qingxi, "It's getting dark, and the palace gates are about to be locked. Why is Chong'er here?"

Qingxi's usually cheerful, chubby face immediately scrunched up like a withered orange peel. "Your Highness, I don't know what's wrong with His Highness the Crown Prince today. He went to the Empress's palace during the day, and when he came back, he was in a bad mood. He paced back and forth in the palace, and finally packed a small bundle and came here with me. On the way, he saw a pregnant cat that had abandoned its thin kittens, and His Highness picked them up."

After thinking for a while, Li Heng instructed a servant from the Prince's residence to go to the palace, saying, "Chong'er is resting at the Prince's residence today. Tell your elder brother and sister-in-law not to worry."

The young prince had visited the Prince of Dingbei's residence before, but he had never stayed overnight. He would usually rush back to the palace before the gates were locked.

Over here, the young prince was washed clean by several servants and changed into a clean set of clothes. His hair was still wet and damp.

The kitten was washed clean and placed in the warm room. In no time, its fur was dried, making it look like a fluffy ball of fur.

Green Willow was a kind-hearted little girl who made some sticky rice cereal for the kitten.

The kitten stuck out its tongue and gently licked the rice cereal to make sure it was warm before it started eating it in big gulps.

*

The copper hot pot was steaming, the broth bubbling and boiling. The little prince took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a few slices of mutton, and dipped them in the pot.

Gu Leyao taught him how to eat it, counting down, "Three...two...one...take it out quickly!"

The young prince swiftly scooped the mutton out of the pot, and Gu Leyao ladled him a spoonful of sesame sauce.

The prince dipped the steaming, tender mutton in the sauce, swallowed it in one bite, and felt his mouth filled with the rich flavor of sesame and peanuts. He couldn't help but squint his eyes and exclaimed, "Auntie, this is really delicious!"

The young prince ate a whole bowl of hot pot meat and still wanted more.

Gu Leyao stopped him, had the servants clear away the meat rolls, and then had Chuntao bring a bowl of candied hawthorn balls, which they each ate one of.

The little prince thought the red hawthorns coated with a layer of white sugar frosting looked cute and delicious, and tasted sweet and sour.

Gu Leyao touched the little prince's bulging belly. She felt that the child might have eaten too much. She reached out and pressed a few acupoints on his body. The little prince soon made a purring sound, "It feels so good, Auntie, rub Chong'er a little more."

A child's sweet, high-pitched voice is so endearing and makes you feel warm inside.

Gu Leyao's movements were extremely gentle, and the little prince rubbed against the back of her hand like a clingy kitten.

Li Heng, who was watching from the side, suddenly said to Gu Leyao, "Leyao, don't spoil him. You can't spoil a child."

The little prince covered his mouth, gave a small yawn, and his big cat eyes were full of smugness. "What's wrong? Uncle, are you jealous of me? Auntie never massages you, does she?"

Li Heng seemed to be thinking of something, and a faint blush spread across his pale face, like a layer of light pink rouge.

Gu Leyao coughed and stopped what she was doing, then announced the final arrangements for the day, "Chong'er, you will sleep on the heated kang with your royal uncle tonight. The kitten and Kaixin will stay in my room."

"Who is Kaixin?" Li Chong jumped up from the couch, looking around.

Happy wagged its tail as it came out of its little den and wagged its tail at the little prince.

It heard the little prince call its name, and it could also tell that Li Chong and the master of the house had a close relationship and must be family.

The little prince squatted down and patted Kaixin's little yellow head. "You're so happy! You're so tiny. Can you help me take care of Tangyuan? Tangyuan is the name of the little kitten I brought back!"

This little kitten is a black and white calico cat. It is the weakest kitten in the whole litter. The mother cat knew she couldn't keep it alive, so she decided to take it away and abandon it. After all, it's better to suffer a short pain than a long one. Rather than let the whole litter of kittens go hungry, it's better to let the weakest kitten fend for itself as soon as possible.

Kaixin seemed to understand, barking twice at the little prince.

The little prince hugged Kaixin tightly and rubbed its head against it, saying, "So good, Kaixin!"

Seeing the tiny five-year-old child snuggling and rubbing against the puppy, Gu Leyao's heart softened. As a tigress, she couldn't resist such heartwarming and tender scenes.

When it was time to go to bed that night, Li Heng took Li Chong back to his own courtyard.

Li Chong had never slept on a heated kang bed before. Touching the hard mattress, he said to Li Heng, "Uncle, how strange! Why is this bed so hot and so hard?"

Li Heng had Li Qi make up the quilts for them. The young crown prince, wearing his undergarments, lay down in the warm quilt and immediately let out a satisfied sigh, "Heavens, Uncle, it's so warm here! Come in quickly!"

It's late autumn and early winter now, the weather is getting colder, and it's likely that it will snow soon. Sleeping on a heated kang like this is perfect for this time of year.

Li Heng felt that since he started sleeping on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), the coldness in his body had lessened.

Li Heng propped himself up and got into bed. He didn't ask the young prince why he had run away from the palace.

Li Heng knew that Chong'er was usually a clever and lively child, who seemed carefree and didn't care about anything, and had a thick skin.

But as an adult, he couldn't force a child this age to ask questions. At Chong'er's age, he was at a stage where he valued his self-esteem, and excessive intervention from adults might cause the child to rebel.

The little prince must have eaten too much; the bed was warm and cozy, and he fell asleep in no time.

Li Heng saw him reach out and tug at the hem of his clothes, gently pulling the little prince into his arms.

The young prince's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he slept even more soundly.

*

The next morning, Gu Leyao got up early and instructed Chuntao and Lvliu to feed the cat and dog in the house.

Because she had guests at home, she got up early for once, and Gu Leyao prepared to make some food that children like to eat.

Gu Leyao wanted to make an oatmeal almond milk porridge that kids would like, and also stir-fry some sweet and sour cherry meat and sweet and crunchy candied apples.

She also asked the cook to make a pot of corn and pork rib soup. The sweet aroma of corn and the meaty aroma of pork ribs were cleverly combined, resulting in a light and sweet flavor.

Once the meal was ready, Gu Leyao called Li Heng and Li Chong over to eat.

Seeing the table laden with food, Li Heng smiled and said to Gu Leyao, "Thank you for your hard work."

The young prince exclaimed "Wow!" He had never eaten these dishes before.

The cherry flesh looks bright red and very tempting.

The oatmeal almond milk porridge looks milky white and has a light almond and milk flavor.

The sugar strands in the candied apple perfectly balance the sweet and sour taste of the apple, making it a delicious combination of sweet and sour flavors.

The corn and pork rib soup has a clear broth and a sweet and savory flavor.

The ingredients are very simple, but they are surprisingly appetizing!

The dishes in the palace use extremely precious ingredients, including rare birds that fly in the sky and beasts that crawl on the ground. The young prince has eaten them all, but they are all the same. The recipes for palace dishes have not changed for eight hundred years, and he has long been tired of them.

Gu Leyao served the little prince a bowl of oatmeal almond milk porridge. The little prince lowered his head and carefully sipped it, tasting lots of almond pieces and sweet milk. "Wow, it's so delicious! Chong'er loves his royal aunt the most."

As he spoke, the young prince took another big gulp, leaving a white beard mark around his mouth.

Gu Leyao's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Eat as much as you like. There's more delicious food waiting for you at noon."

She took out a clean handkerchief and wiped the milk stains off the little prince's face.

Seeing how hard Gu Leyao was working, Li Heng felt resentful and said sourly, "Boys need to experience more and endure more hardship to become successful! Don't make this boy too many good meals, or you'll spoil him."

Gu Leyao patted Li Chong's little head. "No, good children can't be spoiled, right? Chong'er."

Li Chong shouted loudly, "Yes!" and then looked at Li Heng with a provocative gaze, his big eyes blinking brightly.

That look seemed to say, "What can you do with me?"

Even a well-mannered person like Li Heng couldn't help but pinch his thigh, thinking to himself, "Hold on, hold on, don't hit him in front of Le Yao!"

Le Yao is still here; he can't let her think he's a cruel and ruthless man who only knows how to harm children.

Seeing Li Heng's frustrated and resentful expression, the young prince felt a surge of smugness.

He scooped up a large mouthful of oatmeal and almond milk porridge with a porcelain spoon and said loudly, "It smells so good! My aunt made this for me, just for me."

After saying that, he put a big mouthful of oatmeal almond milk porridge into his mouth.

Li Heng was so angry that his hands were itching to act, and he could hardly control himself when suddenly a bowl of corn and pork rib soup was placed in front of him.

Gu Leyao whispered to him, "Drink up, it's made just for you."

Li Heng's anger immediately subsided.