Chapter 501: Chapter 501
Behind Hengwu Garden was a lake, the surroundings calm and elegant. Previously, he had lived on the second floor, but this time, he specifically instructed Ming Yue to arrange for Tangyuan to stay on the second floor, while he himself slept downstairs.
When they entered Beijing, it was just before Noon, but now it had already grown dark. He thought she might still be resting, but unexpectedly, upon hearing some noises, he hurried downstairs.
Just like a wife waiting for her husband to return home, the first words she said upon seeing him were, "Prince, have you returned? Have you eaten?"
It was still the everyday language used outside, nothing but plain, especially in front of him, where she wore her most comfortable home clothes rather than dressing up brightly and beautifully just because she was in Prince Manor. This simplicity truly impressed him.
"I had a little meal with the Empress Mother, but it wasn’t as delicious as what you make. Have you eaten?"
"I was waiting for the Prince to return. I saw that Hengwu Garden has a small kitchen, so I tidied it up, and even went to the main kitchen to get some everyday ingredients. What would you like to eat, Prince? I will make it!"
"Just simple noodles with sauce will do. My appetite isn’t up for any lavish meats or fish right now, I just enjoy the appetizers and noodles you make."
This request wasn’t excessive and was simple to prepare, "Please wait a moment, then. I’ll go cook now."
"I’ll help you." Seeing him about to change his clothes to follow, Tangyuan quickly refused, "My lord, you should rest. We are back in Beijing now, not in the manor anymore." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel⸺fire.net
"What does that matter, not going to eat because we’re back in Beijing? Isn’t it still the usual rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea? Moreover, I find cooking quite interesting."
She noticed that he seldom referred to himself as "This Prince" in front of her, always replacing it with "I," which somewhat unsettled her.
While everything was fine when outside, being back in Beijing now meant no more doing whatever one wanted. Who knew whether there were spies from other households in his Prince Manor? It was better to be cautious. But no matter how tactfully she declined, he acted as if he didn’t understand, insisting on following her to the kitchen. In the end, she had no choice but to arrange for him to pick and wash the vegetables, at last keeping him free from being stained by the kitchen fumes.
After all, the kitchen was only so big, and he was so tall that standing inside would just add to the smoke.
While he was picking and washing the vegetables, she started to knead the dough. Once the dough was ready, she took the opportunity to chop the vegetables and meat and marinate the meat.
Then she took out the dough and repeatedly kneaded it before letting it rest again, setting up the pan to fry the dishes. Once the vegetables were cooked, she began to roll out the noodles.
Tonight’s dinner was genuinely hand-rolled noodles, continuously rolled with a rolling pin because the dough had to be a bit tougher, which was quite tiresome. Fortunately, she was robust and had a bit of strength in her hands, already accustomed to cooking for four people. Unbeknownst to her, Qingfeng Mingyue were also in the yard drawing water and chopping wood at some point, making their presence felt. Could she not notice them?
Thus, even if they hadn’t come, she would have saved a portion for them.
The side dishes for drinking included century eggs with cucumber, five-spice peanuts, Scallion Tofu, five-spice beef, spicy pig head meat, and mixed cold sausages.
The ingredients for the side dishes came from her space; the noodles were soup noodles, paired with bamboo shoots and pork belly stir-fried, and finally sprinkled with a handful of chives and coriander, a very homely taste that was well-received by them.
The portions of the six cold dishes weren’t large, just enough to feed the three of them, herself and her two servants. She served herself a bowl of soup noodles and sat in the kitchen to eat.
Rong Heng called her over, which she also refused, "I’m not very hungry, you guys go ahead and eat!"
She hadn’t forgotten her current status; how could she sit at the table and eat with her master? Even if it was Qingfeng Mingyue, they had sat down only at Rong Heng’s invitation. Prince Manor was indeed different from the outside world, lacking many rigorous rules, but once inside the Prince Manor, one must comply, because those were the rules.