Hearing that the masters were going to have a barbecue in the garden, Eunuch Ma personally led his disciples and followers to prepare the food.
Xiao Luzi was the one who had been with his master the longest. He saw that his master had prepared a long list of dishes, including whole lamb, beef, ribs, venison, roe deer meat, etc.
"Master, this time it's just the Princess Consort and the young masters. Is it alright to eat so much meat that causes internal heat?"
Eunuch Ma glared at him: "I've been serving the Princess for so many years, do I need you to remind me? The refreshing cold dishes and green vegetables are on another list!"
Xiao Lu smiled obsequiously: "Of course, who can compare to you, Master? I just have a sharp tongue, look at my mouth."
After saying that, he pretended to slap his mouth a few times.
Eunuch Ma laughed and kicked him, then handed him a large food box: "Alright, brat, don't say your master doesn't love you. Take this food box and present it to the Princess Consort in the garden."
"Hey!" Xiao Luzi responded cheerfully, picked up the food box and walked quickly and steadily, clearly having practiced for several years.
When he arrived at the garden, he saw the eldest prince accompanying the seventh prince to catch butterflies.
That's strange. The eldest prince is such a cautious and proper person, yet he lives a very bland and uninteresting life. To put it bluntly, he's like his deceased former wife, whose life is so dull that it's uninspiring to even glance at her.
Now I can accompany my younger brother to catch butterflies?
It's quite novel.
But that was the masters' business, so Xiao Luzi didn't dare to look anymore. He showed the food box to Zhao Fuhai, who was very arrogant now. He asked with his nose in his mouth, "Why is there only this?"
Xiao Luzi hurriedly nodded and bowed: "Brother Zhao, my master said that the ingredients still need to be prepared for a while, so let the masters try these first."
"Okay." Zhao Fuhai waved his hand. "Go on. Tell your master to hurry up and not keep the master waiting."
"Hey! Hey!"
Xiao Luzi had just reached the Fujin and put down the food box when a group of young masters surrounded him.
"What is this food?"
Is this the only box?
Is there meat in this?
The chatter made Xiao Luzi beam with joy.
It has to be said that this princess is truly blessed. Look at all these children, how adorable they are! It reminds him of his younger brothers who used to follow him around begging for candy when he was a child.
"Reporting to my masters, these are ginger milk curd and ice cream cheese that my master ordered to be delivered."
Changning asked him to place the snacks on a long table not far away, where there was a wide open lawn facing a pond and flower bushes, a very beautiful setting.
Upon seeing the food, the children swarmed over.
Changning lifted the lid of the bowl and saw the snow-white cheese inside, sprinkled with a layer of osmanthus honey, which looked exceptionally refreshing and appetizing.
The other ginger milk curd was sprinkled with rose petals, which looked even more tempting and luscious against the white background.
The food box was huge, and it contained nine servings of ice cream cheese and ginger milk curd. They were all small, just a tiny bowl, about four or five bites each.
It was just enough for everyone except the three babies who were still in swaddling clothes.
Honghui and Yierha were not feeling well, so Changning didn't dare let them eat anything cold. Instead, she handed them ginger milk curd and said with a smile, "Try this first, and then we'll have the roast meat later."
Hutuli loves ice cream: "Mother, is this osmanthus honey something we made last autumn?"
"Yes, if you like it, we'll make more this year."
Hongzhao also liked the taste of osmanthus honey: "This is sweet!"
This prompted Yierha and Honghui to glance into their bowls; they did indeed smell sweet and tempting.
Although Hongmin and Hongchen are young, they can already feed themselves and pick up a spoon quite well.
Hongyang was weak, and when he ate with a spoon, his face was covered in food. Honghui tried to wipe it off with a handkerchief, and the boy gave her a pure and innocent smile that melted everyone's heart.
My little brother is so handsome!
Honghui couldn't help but sigh.
The only problem was that their eating manners were a bit messy.
Honghui frowned. Such a young child should be fed by a wet nurse and also drink milk, but judging from Chun'e's mother's intention, it didn't matter how much he ate. He couldn't say anything and could only silently wipe his mouth.
Changning chuckled as she watched Hongyang's face turn into a mess of graffiti: "Honghui, you don't need to worry about him. Just wipe it off when he's done eating."
Honghui nodded, but seeing his seventh brother getting dirtier and dirtier as he ate, he couldn't help but want to clean him up.
Hongyan then spoke up, "Big brother, Hongyang just likes this milky smell. Even if you wipe it off, he'll keep doing it."
Upon hearing this, Honghui lowered his hand, somewhat embarrassed: "I thought he couldn't hold the spoon properly."
Hongzhao laughed heartily, showing no regard for his younger brother's feelings, and directly exposed his weakness: "Big brother, you're right, he just can't hold it steady, hahaha."
Amidst the laughter and chatter, Eunuch Ma led a group of junior eunuchs over, who greeted their masters with beaming smiles.
The children often ate his cooking, but this was the first time they had ever seen this eunuch.
Unlike the usual chubby head eunuchs, Eunuch Ma was quite thin, but he looked very dark, as if he had rolled around in coal. He also had a long face, like a horse's face, and he always had a smiling face, which made him look quite kind.
"Let's set up a fire over there, but be careful not to let any sparks get out," Changning said, pointing to an open space not far away.
Eunuch Ma exclaimed "Hey!" and immediately got to work with his apprentices, working quickly and efficiently. They soon set up a fire and brought over a lot of skewered meat to grill.
Hongzhao had been itching to try it for a while, rubbing his hands together eagerly: "Give me some to grill."
Eunuch Ma dared not let the young master play with fire. He watched Changning's expression and, seeing that the princess nodded, took a handful of red willow skewers made from lambs that were only three months old.
Hongzhao took it and started grilling it himself, just like everyone else.
Hongchen, standing to the side, was particularly excited, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Fourth Brother is amazing! Fourth Brother can grill skewers!"
Hongzhao, flattered by his younger brother, became even more enthusiastic, rolling up his sleeves: "Hongchen, which one do you want to eat? I'll grill them all for you!"
Hongmin was watching from the side, but he was quite safety-conscious and didn't move forward. Moreover, he was a little disgusted by the fumes and went back to stay by his mother's side.
Hutuli and Yierha sat on one side watching their younger brothers play, while the girls drank tea, chatted, and gossiped.
“Mother, I heard that there are now many fortune tellers in the capital, and they are said to be very accurate. Third Princess also wanted to invite me to go with her.” Hutu said casually while peeling grapes.
Changning was somewhat stunned: "A fortune teller?"
"Yes, it's said that his fortune telling is incredibly accurate for many people. He's said to be a master from Mount Jiuhua who rarely leaves the mountain!"
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