Once the dumplings are cooked, no seasoning is needed, as the filling is prepared by Jin Xi herself and can be eaten immediately after cooking.
After Zhao Shu finished cooking the dumplings, she put them in a palace bowl and kept them warm in the pot. Then she started checking the four-happiness meatballs and duck soup, which still needed to cook for a while, so she found a stool to sit and wait.
Just then, the window suddenly opened. She looked over immediately and saw a food box by the window. She quickly turned back to look at Chu Chun and the others, and thankfully, they hadn't noticed anything.
After closing the door, he took the palace bowl out of the pot and put it into the food box. Wei Tingsi, dressed in black, leaned against the window.
"What else did the princess do?"
"Is this just for fun? Or do we want to eat what the imperial chef makes? I'll serve some for you in the embroidery room later, and you can come and get it yourself. May I ask if you intend to continue like this?"
Wei Tingsi knew what she was asking and nodded. "My whereabouts must not be revealed, so I've been struggling to make ends meet. But things are better now."
"That's so pitiful," Zhao Shu felt a pang of sympathy and said, "I'll prepare meals for you from now on, until you pass away, okay?"
Wei Tingsi, his face covered with a black cloth, smiled happily upon hearing Zhao Shu's words, but the smile in his eyes was hidden deep. A cold wind blew, and Zhao Shu shivered, failing to see the smile in his eyes.
"Okay." He was used to eating and sleeping outdoors, and the sky was his roof over his head and the earth his mat. Since his mother passed away, no one had ever offered to prepare meals for him.
"Brother, it's broad daylight now. You should leave quickly, or the dumplings will get cold and won't taste good." He was too tall and Zhao Shu was too short to notice the emotion in his eyes. She shoved the food box into his hands and urged him on.
Wei Tingsi quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, holding back the complex emotions within him. He picked up the food box and asked Zhao Shu, "There's also rice cake. When will Shushu make it for me?"
Zhao Shu waved her hand, "I'm free." She was really pushing her luck.
In fact, Wei Tingsi was already very satisfied. Others had New Year's Eve, Dragon Boat Festival, and Double Ninth Festival throughout the year, but he was always traveling around and had never actually eaten New Year's dumplings since he was six years old.
This was just something I wanted to say, just a sentence, nothing more.
Carrying the food boxes, the group leaped away and soon arrived at a house, which was only one street away from the imperial palace.
When Hu Yichen saw Wei Tingsi carrying a food box, he hurriedly went to greet him, "Sir, are you hungry? My sister-in-law is making fish soup in the kitchen, and we'll be able to eat it soon."
Wei Tingsi pulled off the black cloth covering his face and said, "Bring me a pair of chopsticks."
Hu Yichen glanced suspiciously at the food box, but didn't dare to ask. He quickly went downstairs to get chopsticks. When he returned, he saw that Wei Tingsi had already taken out the palace bowl from the food box, and there were more than a dozen dumplings in the bowl.
This Qing Dynasty Daoguang period yellow-bottomed Hundred Flowers Palace Bowl is clearly from the imperial palace. He pursed his lips and thought, "Sir, did you just pick this up by chance?"
He wanted to make something that looked good, but looking at the dumplings, they were... he couldn't even describe them. Although if he were to make them, they would definitely be even uglier, he just couldn't stand them.
However, Wei Tingsi picked up his chopsticks and specifically chose to eat the ugliest-looking items, a bright smile spreading across his face as he ate. Hu Yichen pinched himself as if he'd seen a ghost. "The adult is laughing?"
Ouch! I gasped, the pain was real!
Since I met the adults, I can count the number of times I've smiled at them on my fingers. Now, I can even smile while eating a bowl of dumplings.
Swallowing hard, could the dumplings be too delicious? But that doesn't make sense; the adult isn't the type to indulge in gluttony. Could they have been made by the young princess herself? Thinking of this possibility, Hu Yichen covered his mouth, then realized he'd covered it wrong and quickly covered his eyes. He saw nothing, nothing at all!
Yes, yes, there are a few pretty ones in the bowl. These pretty ones must have been made by the princess, and those ugly ones must have been made by some noble person to experience life.
Yes, that must be it.
Wei Tingsi ate all the dumplings Zhao Shu had made, still wanting more, but he put down his chopsticks, leaving only the five best-looking ones in the palace bowl.
Hu Yichen was suspicious again. Why didn't the master eat the good-looking ones? Could it be that the princess made them, so he couldn't bear to eat them and planned to save them as souvenirs? Please don't! They can't be saved!
Wei Tingsi had no idea that he was lost in thought. He put down his chopsticks and said, "Eat up. The filling is better than what my sister-in-law makes."
Hu Yichen swallowed hard. Wei Tingsi had been eating with great relish, and judging from his eyes, it must have been extremely delicious. But he was just going to give it all to him? He pointed to himself, "Sir, do you mean the rest is for me?"
"Hmm," Wei Tingsi said calmly.
Hu Yichen scratched his ear, unable to understand why Wei Tingsi would do such a thing. He tentatively ate one, and it was indeed many times more delicious than his sister-in-law's. With such delicious food in his mouth, he didn't care about anything else and quickly finished the rest of the dumplings.
After finishing the five, he still wanted more. He turned to look at Wei Tingsi and grinned foolishly, "My lord."
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Tingsi personally put the bowl back into the food box, picked up the food box, and left. Behind him, a sentence swirled around in his mouth several times, but he didn't say it.
Just then, his sister-in-law came in with the food and saw him standing there in a daze. "Ah Chen, what are you daydreaming about?"
Hu Yichen scratched his ear and asked, "Sister-in-law, I just saw the adult smile."
The woman, known as Sister-in-law, was in her fifties, bearing the marks of countless hardships etched upon her. Despite this, she was remarkably gentle. Hearing Wei Tingsi laugh, a look of surprise flashed across her face. "Really?"
"Really, the master just ate a plate of dumplings, laughing as he ate." He was burning with gossip and eagerly hoped to find a gossip buddy to discuss things with.
The woman asked in confusion, "The dumplings haven't been cooked yet. Where did the adults eat dumplings?"
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