Actually, Li Chenjiao had originally planned to have the kitchen make some zongzi yesterday. The kitchen did make a few yesterday, but stopped when they found out that Fourth Master wasn't coming. Li Chenjiao even secretly ate one last night.
Only now did Li Chenjiao think of taking matters into her own hands.
Wrapping zongzi is not difficult. Li Chenjiao herself had wrapped them countless times with her mother when she was still a young lady in her boudoir. Now she can teach the children.
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the small kitchen had prepared a lot of ingredients for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Li Chenjiao didn't want to leave it outdoors, so she asked Dongsheng to move the long table to the corridor. The maids wiped it down before setting out the ingredients.
Very good, Chef Li is now in session.
...
It was just past noon when the mother and her two children wrapped some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Li Chenjiao wrapped more than the others. It took the two children a while to get the hang of it, but they gradually became more skilled and their movements became faster.
Li Chenjiao had the rice dumplings that the mother and her two children had wrapped mixed together, and the maids also made some, but they kept the ones for themselves, which was a way of celebrating the festival in advance.
As evening fell, the aroma of zongzi leaves filled the east courtyard.
The fragrance first wafted into the courtyard of the Niohuru clan at the back.
Niohuru was tending to the flowers in the courtyard. She had paid Huiyun to have a eunuch from the miscellaneous affairs office buy flower seedlings from outside. There were all kinds of seedlings, but none of them had arrived yet.
Huiyun sniffed the air every now and then. She sat on the stone steps, occasionally pouring water with a large wooden ladle: "It smells like rice dumplings up ahead, so fragrant..."
Before it could finish speaking, Niohuru glared at it and slapped its hand: "Be gentle, don't ruin the seedlings."
Huiyun touched the back of her hand, made a sound, and obediently slowed down the watering speed.
I thought Huiyun wouldn't bring it up again after being interrupted, but she showed no sign of stopping: "The princess hasn't gone to the front concubine's place yet..."
Niohuru felt a lump in her throat upon hearing this: "The concubine was ill recently, so I shouldn't disturb her..."
The concubine's cold happened back in February; now the Dragon Boat Festival is almost here.
Even if Huiyun were slow-witted, she could tell that this was just the princess making excuses for her. She didn't press further and, thinking herself very considerate, smoothed things over for her princess: "That's true. Eunuch Su just came by recently and told us not to disturb the concubine unless absolutely necessary… Speaking of which, the concubine is truly favored…"
Niohuru: Suffered another heart attack and did not want to speak.
Was it because she didn't want to see the concubine? No, it was because the Fourth Prince sent Su Peisheng to warn her. No matter what the Fourth Prince's reason was for sending someone to warn her, she wouldn't be able to go to the concubine's courtyard so often for the time being.
In any case, she couldn't let the concubine be harmed.
Niohuru sighed in relief and bent down to tend to the flower seedlings: "Take some silver to the kitchen for dinner and ask for some zongzi... the kind with red beans and jujubes..."
Huiyun responded first, then muttered to herself, "Didn't the princess not like red beans and dates before? And these flowers...didn't the princess used to like azaleas the most? How come she wants all kinds of flower seedlings now..."
Niohuru heard this and looked down at the seedlings again: "Grow more, grow more, only by growing more will you know..."
Niohuru's voice was very low, so low that it was difficult for people to hear clearly. Naturally, Huiyun also did not hear it clearly.
She took the silver and immediately headed to the kitchen, knowing that a late arrival would mean a long wait. As she walked, she kept muttering, "Red bean and jujube, red bean and jujube, red bean and jujube..."
The same sentiments are also being expressed in the East Courtyard.
"Red beans and jujubes..." This murmur came from the Fourth Master.
The rice dumplings in the east courtyard have been steamed. Fourth Master arrived earlier than usual today, and the rice dumplings in the small kitchen were just ready when he arrived.
As soon as Fourth Master entered the East Courtyard, he smelled the aroma of zongzi leaves, but he didn't think that the mother and her two children had wrapped them themselves until the maids brought the zongzi up.
Fourth Master twitched his lips, glanced at Li Chenjiao, and was still somewhat unsure: "Did this... get ruined while steaming in the small kitchen?"
At this point, the two children next to them couldn't hold back any longer.
Erge tugged at her father's sleeve: "Yes, we made it together with Mother. Father, please try it."
Although the two children's buns had been steamed, Li Chenjiao still couldn't tell the difference.
To be honest, at this point she could barely recognize which ones were hers.
The ones that looked a bit stuttering were made by the two children. Li Chenjiao didn't remind them, but just gestured towards Fourth Master with her lip, clearly watching the fun: "Master, try some first, and guess which ones were made by Aman and Wanwan, and which ones I made..."
The rice dumplings were still steaming hot. Fourth Master's brows were furrowed as if he were looking for something. He didn't pick and choose, but simply picked out the one that could be considered the best-looking from a plate.
Naturally, it was one of Li Chenjiao's bags.
All six eyes were watching Fourth Master eat the zongzi, but the freshly steamed zongzi was really hot. Fourth Master pulled on the string for a while, and although he didn't get burned, he found that the string tied to the zongzi was tied in a knot.
Fourth Master: ...
Li Chenjiao: ……
It was Lin Mama who reacted quickly: "This servant will go and get the scissors."
Yes, if you can't untie it, you can use scissors.
Li Chenjiao glanced at the other zongzi she had wrapped and confirmed that only the one that Fourth Master was holding was tied in a knot that was impossible to untie.
I don't know how she tied it back then, it's all the fault of the Fourth Master's hand.
Li Chenjiao only dared to complain in her heart. She also thought that the rice dumplings were still warm, so she had the maids set out the meal in the flower hall first.
Even after the two children sat down at the table, their eyes remained fixed on the fragrant rice dumpling in front of their father.
Seeing this, Fourth Master didn't keep the two children in suspense any longer and directly peeled off the bamboo leaves.
"Is it made of red beans?" Fourth Master saw the red beans embedded in the yellow rice.
Li Chenjiao knew what kind of filling she had made, and she nodded with a smile: "Yes, red bean and jujube filling."
"Red beans symbolize longing," the Fourth Prince said, giving Li Chenjiao a deep look.
He then asked the two children, "Did your mother make this?"
The two children nodded vigorously.
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao naturally praised Fourth Master, her smiling eyes seeming to hold honey dates, sweetening one's heart at first glance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
