As the music of silk and bamboo instruments gradually began, the three fairies, under Xi Xizhi's instructions, entered the center of the main hall.
Their appearance immediately drew gasps from everyone, and those who had seen their dance before couldn't help but praise them repeatedly.
Like butterflies fluttering in the air, three fairies in pink gauze dresses began to dance slowly. Every movement seemed to have been practiced a thousand times, incredibly elegant and precise. They captivated everyone's hearts, drawing their gazes to the center of the hall.
Seeing that they were already in the zone while dancing, Lynn immediately dusted herself off and ran back to the ninth-tier platform to serve An Honghan.
Seeing him return, An Honghan turned to look at Lin En and asked, "Where did Xi Xizhi go?"
He hadn't failed to see her; he was simply pretending not to. After all, he knew the child wanted to surprise him, and if he exposed her immediately, wouldn't he dash her hopes?
Lynn sighed inwardly, thinking that deceiving His Majesty was more difficult than anything else.
He answered honestly, "Miss Xi didn't tell this old servant, she only said she would be back in a quarter of an hour."
An Honghan gave a faint "hmm," then turned his attention back to the song and dance performance in the center of the hall.
Watching the three fairies dance gracefully, An Honghan was not as infatuated as the others. It was as if even the most beautiful things in the world were nothing but illusions in front of him, and could not affect him in the slightest.
Imperial kitchen.
A series of crackling and popping sounds rang out, with all the pots and pans making loud noises every now and then.
The portly chef wore a pained expression. "Young lady...you...you put the plate down. You want to borrow the stove? Can't we?"
When all the imperial chefs saw that the child was about to smash the plate again, they immediately gave in.
At first, they didn't pay any attention to the girl when she came in. But when they refused her request to borrow the stove, she immediately threw a tantrum and smashed everything.
Today is His Majesty's birthday banquet! If the dishes are served even a fraction of a second late, they'll all lose their heads. All the imperial chefs thought this girl was deliberately causing trouble, so they summoned eunuchs and guards to capture her.
But once the eunuchs and guards finished looking at the other person, they ignored them completely and only gave them a sympathetic look. "This is His Majesty's most beloved child recently, also known as Miss Xi by everyone in the palace."
Thus, the imperial kitchen found itself in this predicament.
Xi Xizhi took a few deep breaths. Smashing plates and bowls was hard work, and seeing that they had agreed, she immediately put the plates on the table to the side.
"You could have just said so earlier!" Xi Xizhi's face turned bright red, seemingly complaining about the slow response, making her look extremely cute.
"Miss Xi, please spare this servant! If we delay cooking any longer, our entire imperial kitchen will be on our way to meet the King of Hell!" one of the imperial chefs cried out, still hoping that Xi Xizhi would stop causing trouble.
“I can’t see you. With me here, An Honghan won’t do anything to you.” Xi Xizhi patted her dusty hands. “I’m just borrowing a stove. I’ll return it to you when I’m done. It won’t take long. If you had agreed earlier, I might have finished by now.”
Xi Xizhi spoke eloquently, but in short, she was clearly in the wrong, yet she made it seem as if she was right.
The imperial chefs had no way to express their grievances. They could only look at Xi Xizhi and sigh. Even if they were slow to serve the dishes today and were punished by His Majesty, they could only accept their fate! Who told them to encounter such an unreasonable little fellow?
The plump imperial chef waved his hand, "Everyone, disperse and get to work. Miss Xi, what dish do you want to make? Hurry up and make it. If you need anyone to help, just say so, and this servant will help you."
Xi Xizhi thought for a while, and was about to ask him for help, but then shook her head, "Never mind, I can do it by myself."
Since it's a gift for An Honghan, it should naturally be made by her own hands. If someone else makes it and then gives it to An Honghan, the sentiment won't be as profound.
Thinking this, Xi Xizhi dismissed the fat imperial chef.
Speaking of which, Xi Xizhi and the fat chef had a connection, because all the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish she ate before were made by the fat chef.
His skills are simply superb.
Xi Xizhi found a bag of flour, then added water to the basin and began kneading the dough. Every movement was done with utmost care.
Since transmigrating to this world, Xi Xizhi has never cooked a meal herself, but this time, she decided to cook for An Honghan's birthday.
With her sleeves rolled up to her arms, Xi Xizhi's chubby little face was covered in flour.
Her small hands kept kneading the dough, and she thought to herself that An Honghan used to always treat her face as dough to knead, but this time, she was actually kneading dough.
Xi Xi had kneaded dough in her previous life, so she was quite familiar with the process. However, she overestimated her physical strength; after kneading for only a short time, she was covered in sweat, and her arms ached so much she didn't want to move anymore.
Although the fat imperial chef was constantly cooking, he would occasionally glance over. Seeing that Xi Xizhi seemed a bit tired, he put down his large ladle, wiped his greasy hands on his apron, and walked over, saying, "Miss Xi, if you are tired, let this servant do it."
Having heard the rumors about the child, the fat chef wanted to help her as much as possible. Besides, the more he looked at the little girl, the more he felt that she was very similar to the ferret, both of them so cute.
"No need," Xi Xizhi said, panting, as she continued kneading the dough. "I can manage by myself."
When the dough was almost ready, Xi Xizhi lifted her sleeve to wipe her sweat, and then rolled the dough into a long strip of even thickness.
Xi Xizhi's originally gorgeous dress became very dirty and messy because of the flour.
The fire was boiling in the large pot. Seeing that the heat was just right, Xi Xizhi threw in the kneaded noodles.
What she made was longevity noodles.
The kneading and eating of noodles must not be interrupted.
That's why it's not easy to knead.
Xi Xizhi was only a little tall, so she could only stand on tiptoe to see the noodles boiling in the pot.
Many imperial chefs were watching the commotion, and many guessed why the child was kneading dough.
The chubby chef also praised, "This child is quite affectionate."
If you didn't care about the other person, why would you be willing to cook for them yourself? Besides, the child is so young.
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