vstars Chapter 69 Don't be angry, they're my own children, I gave birth to them.
Chapter 69 Don't be angry, they're my own children, I gave birth to them.
The warmth of everyday life is what soothes the human heart. A bowl of long-awaited tomato and egg rice made Yinzhu feel exceptionally satisfied. In contrast, Consort De, who had just returned from a stroll and saw that Yinzhu had stripped the tomato plant she had acquired the day before bare, was not in a good mood. If it weren't for the professional etiquette she had cultivated over many years in the deep palace, Consort De would have chased after Yinzhu with a feather duster and given him a good beating.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry, it's my own child, I gave birth to it myself..."
At this moment, Di Yinzuo had no idea that his mother had mobilized every cell in her body that could express even a trace of love for him in order to barely control herself from coming over with a feather duster to beat him. At this moment, he was patting his round belly and dreaming about the future.
"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised beef brisket with tomatoes, tomato meat sauce noodles, tomato egg drop soup, cold tomato salad, and oh yeah, ketchup! With ketchup, how far away can my fries be? Fries are here, so how about I make some fried chicken too...?"
Dexi stood beside Yinzhuo, listening to him mutter to himself, his mind filled with tomatoes. She sighed helplessly, "So beautiful, huh? You'd be better off thinking about how to deal with Consort De's fury when she sees the peaches all plucked."
Yinzhuo's response was quite simple and direct. The next day at lunchtime, he had all the tomatoes that had been picked the day before cooked and sent two portions to his father and mother respectively.
Seeing the scrambled eggs with tomatoes and braised beef brisket with tomatoes that Yinzhuo had brought over to the dining table, Consort De's feelings were extremely complicated. She glared at the two dishes for a long time, then let out a deep breath before slowly picking up her chopsticks.
In contrast to Consort De's complicated feelings, Emperor Kangxi was in a much better mood when he received the dishes from his son. After Liang Jiugong checked and confirmed that there were no problems, he picked up his chopsticks and tasted them, and found that the taste was actually quite good.
"It tastes good. I didn't expect that such a brightly colored wolf peach would be non-toxic and edible. Moreover, the dishes made with it taste good too. Yinzhuo is very thoughtful. It's no wonder I usually dote on him so much..."
And what was Yinzhuo doing at this moment, whom his father had praised for his thoughtfulness? He was currently trying to persuade the Fourteenth Prince to clean up his garden. Yes, our Sixth Prince decided to plant tomatoes all over his small garden in Shufeng Pavilion so that he could harvest them before the weather got cold. Then he would have them made into tomato sauce and stored in the ice cellar. In winter, whether it was tomato stewed beef brisket, tomato meat sauce noodles, or even tomato hot pot, he could eat it whenever he wanted.
This time, he didn't use any lofty reasons to fool Fourteen. Instead, he used the most basic form of enticement. His promise was simple: once the tomatoes ripened, he would make all the dishes he had mentioned before for Fourteen to try. Just that one sentence was enough to make the little foodie Fourteen rush forward eagerly.
"Sixth Brother, you really are something else. You don't lack people to do the work, so why do you have to say those things to lure Fourteenth Brother into doing work for you?"
Yinzhu rolled his eyes at Yintang, who had asked the question, and then looked at the Fourteenth Prince's unusually round figure. What else could it be? Of course, it was because the Fourteenth Prince was overweight.
That's right, our beloved little foodie Fourteenth Prince is now more like a proper little chubby boy than he was back then. But both Consort De and Emperor Kangxi think that being able to eat is a blessing, and they not only don't stop him but also indulge him. Yinzhuo is afraid that if he continues to develop like this, it will be harmful to the Fourteenth Prince's health. That's why he occasionally tricks the Fourteenth Prince into doing some work for him. Of course, that's not the only reason. Yinzhuo's wicked sense of humor also plays a part. But Yinzhuo believes that no matter what, his starting point is good, so the process is not important. Therefore, he usually says it without any guilt.
The garden was quite large. If it were just the Fourteenth Prince tidying it up by himself, then Yinzhuo would definitely not be able to eat any tomatoes this year. But Yintang was right. He didn't lack people to do the work. With everyone pitching in, the small garden was almost tidy up in just one afternoon.
In the evening, Yinzhu specially sent someone to the Imperial Household Department to get tomato seeds. He also asked for the eunuch who had previously managed the wolf peach tree for Consort De. He then assigned two more eunuchs to assist him. From then on, this small garden was settled.
"Alright, now all we need to do is wait for the tomatoes to ripen."
Yinzhuo eagerly awaited the arrival of the tomato harvest, and the heavens were quite kind to him, with good weather almost throughout the summer. Although Yinzhuo planted the tomatoes a bit late, he still managed to harvest a batch before the weather turned cold.
"We're going back to the palace tomorrow. Pick all the ripe tomatoes. Don't touch the green ones yet. Have the people here keep an eye on them and pick them when they're ripe, then send them back to me."
As the weather turns cooler, Emperor Kangxi's nearly six-month-long trip to Changchun Garden is drawing to a close. However, this has little impact on Yinzhuo, as he lives the same way wherever he is. But it's different for Yinti, Yinzhi, Yintang, and Yinyi. Returning to the Forbidden City means that Yinti and Yinzhi will have to get up at 1-3 AM to attend the morning court session, and it also means that the Imperial Study will be open again, and Yintang and Yinyi will have to go to class at 5-7 AM.
"Sigh, I still envy Sixth Brother. He doesn't have to attend court or go to the Imperial Study. He can sleep until he naturally wakes up every day, and he can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants. The weather is about to get cold. Just thinking about getting out of bed at dawn in the dead of winter to go to the study makes me feel uncomfortable."
Who can argue with that? Not only did Yin Tang find it unbearable to get up at dawn in winter to attend classes in the study, but Yin Ti and Yin Zhi found it even more unbearable to think about having to get up at 1 AM to attend court. As a result, the atmosphere in Shufeng Pavilion was filled with resentment.
"I'm telling you, that's enough! Look at all that negative energy you're giving off, it's affecting the magnetic field of my Shufeng Pavilion. Can't you guys be a little more positive?"
It's true that a kind word warms the heart for three winter months, while a harsh word chills the heart for six summer months. At this moment, Yin Zhi and the others felt extremely cold. How could we possibly be cheerful? So, you're not the one who has to get up before dawn in the dead of winter, are you?
The next morning, Kangxi led his wives and children away from Changchun Garden and set off for the Forbidden City in a grand procession. The procession did not travel fast and did not return to the Forbidden City until almost noon. Yinzhu got up early and spent the whole morning in a carriage. As soon as he returned to his own little corner of the South Three Palaces, the composure he had maintained in front of others all morning immediately crumbled.
"Finally home. I'm exhausted this morning. Dexi, quickly have someone bring over a recliner. Go inside and see how they've finished tidying up."