This isn't the first time I've made dumplings at Yuqing Palace.
Yinzhen washed his hands several times with practiced ease, rolled up his sleeves, and was eager to try.
"Second Sister-in-law, I think my dumplings are getting prettier and prettier," Yinzhen said confidently.
He walked to the table, stared at the colorful dough balls in front of him, and remained silent.
"What is this? Cornmeal, red date cake, or green rice dumplings?" Yinzhen could only think of these few colorful snacks, and even that was something he had racked his brains to come up with.
He doesn't like desserts and doesn't know much about food.
Tong Wanyan explained with a smile, "Have you ever had green pepper dumplings? The green ones are from green peppers, and the orange ones are from carrots. In a few months, we can also make spinach ones."
Yinzhen's face darkened. He turned back to look at Yinreng for help, only to find that his second brother had already retreated far away.
"That tastes so weird, can't you make some normal dough, Second Sister-in-law?" Yinzhen said coquettishly.
The cold-faced Fourth Prince's sudden display of affection made Tong Wanyan's heart flutter. He was so cute that she wanted to pinch his cheeks.
Tong Wanyan's eyes lit up, and Yinreng, who was hiding five meters away, immediately came over and separated the two of them.
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother, those are for me to eat. Your Second Sister-in-law saw that I prefer meat, so she came up with this idea. The green pepper-flavored dough is to scare Tana and Hongzhao, so they won't be picky eaters after they're weaned." Yinreng couldn't help but show off Tong Wanyan's concern for him.
Yinzhen paid no attention to his brother and sister-in-law who were clinging to each other: "Tana is so cute, Second Sister-in-law, don't scare her. Hongzhao is the younger brother, let Hongzhao smell it."
Yinzhen decisively sold Hongzhao; he was truly a good uncle who doted on his eldest niece.
"Chunque, bring me the rolled-out dumpling wrappers," Tong Wanyan said.
Looking at the white and tender dumpling wrappers, Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief.
He was all smiles, holding a dumpling wrapper in one hand and chopsticks in the other, looking every bit like a master chef from the imperial kitchen.
"Second Brother, I didn't expect you to be a picky eater. Vegetables are so much tastier than meat and fish," Yinzhen said.
Yinreng rolled his eyes at him: "When you say that, have you forgotten that you're a picky eater yourself?"
Yinzhen didn't think so at all: "But my younger brother is a vegetarian."
"Does vegetarian food make you superior to meat? I love meat, you love vegetables, neither of us should look down on the other. Tonight you'll have pure minced meat, let's see if you're in a hurry then," Yinreng said with a hint of temper.
Yinzhen blinked: "I'm not in a hurry. It's cold in winter, and dumplings with pure meat filling are delicious too. As long as it's not summer, little brother can have them."
"You brat, you deserve a beating!" Yinreng silently clenched the dumpling wrapper in his hand into a ball and quickly and accurately smashed it onto Yinzhen's forehead.
The dumpling wrapper was coated with flour, and a big white dot instantly appeared on Yinzhen's forehead, which was both funny and cute.
Seeing Yinzhen's bewildered expression, Yinreng bent over, clutching his stomach, and burst into laughter, showing no sign of being a proper older brother.
Yinzhen stood there stunned for a long time. After he came to his senses, he also prepared to pinch dumpling wrappers to retaliate.
Tong Wanyan, with her sharp eyes, noticed: "Fourth Prince, these dumpling wrappers are ruined, but I'll make some for you to eat too."
"Second Sister-in-law, you're showing favoritism towards Second Brother. He just hit me!" Yinzhen said aggrievedly, "You're my cousin, and I'm your brother too."
Tong Wanyan smiled brightly: "Even my younger brother is not as important as my husband."
"Fourth brother, fourth brother, you've come to the wrong person this time. Your second sister-in-law is my wife, do you think she'd favor you? You'd better focus on making dumplings, lest you find yourself hungry and have nothing to eat." Yinreng was extremely smug.
Yinzhen said dejectedly, "If I wait another six months, I'll be a married man too."
As darkness fell, Hongzhao and Tana were brought back one after the other.
Two little chubby little dumplings, they eat well, play well, and have very good tempers.
The dumplings for one meal were wrapped up in no time. Yinzhen washed his hands again, pinched off a ball of green pepper-flavored dough, and held it in front of Hongzhao's nose.
Tong Wanyan specifically chose non-spicy green peppers, but the baby's sense of smell was so keen that even the slightest spiciness was magnified a thousand times in front of them.
Unexpectedly, Hiroaki was very interested in chili peppers.
He stretched out his chubby, white little hands, about to grab the green dough.
Yinzhen dared not let him touch it; a sniff was enough. If his hand touched it and was irritated by the green pepper, his imperial father would make him kneel for ten days or half a month.
It is common knowledge that the eldest grandson was the apple of Emperor Kangxi's eye.
At dinner, dumplings were served in all sorts of ways: boiled, steamed, fried, pan-fried—it seemed like one dumpling could be made into eighteen different flavors.
Tong Wanyan and Yinzhen had plump, adorable dumplings in their bowls. Yinreng stared at his own bowl with heartache; the orange dumplings looked pretty, but he didn't want to eat them.
Left with no other choice, Tong Wanyan had to personally prepare the dipping sauce for him and then feed it to him.
Yinzhen ate in silence, resolutely refusing to look in the direction of Yinreng and Tong Wanyan.
After quickly finishing his meal, he put down his chopsticks and said, "It's getting late. I'm going to tell Tana a bedtime story. After that, I'll go back by myself. Second brother, second sister-in-law, please enjoy your meal."
Yinzhen ran away in a flash, while Yinreng's waist was pinched by Tong Wanyan.
"Happy now? How old are you, still jealous of the Fourth Prince?" Tong Wanyan said reproachfully.
Yinreng said matter-of-factly, "Who told him to act cute with you and want you to be on his side? You are my darling, how could I favor him? My dear Yan, my sweetheart, let me serve you some dumplings."
Yinzhen, who was turning back halfway to retrieve his lost belongings, heard Yinreng's words and tiptoed back.
If he were to appear at this moment, the Crown Prince's second brother would definitely tear him apart with his bare hands.
Yinzhen thought he was too quiet to hear, but little did he know that Tong Wanyan had excellent hearing, and the servants standing beside her were not just standing there for nothing.
Even if Yinreng didn't look back, he could still guess that he had come and gone.
Yinreng trusted Yinzhen completely. This was also Yinzhen's home, so he didn't treat Yinzhen like a guest.
The owner is in their own home, they can go wherever they want, as long as they are happy.
Yinzhen knew the one hundred bedtime stories he would read to Tana by heart.
He gently covered Tana with the blanket, asked the wet nurse if Tana had eaten or urinated, and then began to read the story.
Some of those stories were told to him by the Imperial Noble Consort, while others were found by him in books.
In a gentle voice, Yinzhen softly spoke to Tana, "A long, long time ago..."
In the tranquil setting, Tana, who had been playing wildly all day, gradually closed her eyes. She was snoring softly, her little nose and mouth looking especially adorable.
"My dear fourth uncle, grow up happily. Your fourth uncle will always protect you," Yinzhen said.
After taking one last look at the soundly sleeping Tana, Yinzhen slowly straightened up. His legs and back were a little numb from squatting for so long.
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