Hengwu Garden, aside from her, had other servants, so after cooking dinner, she didn’t need to clean up, but she couldn’t put her mind at ease. She felt that the small kitchen might become her territory in the future, so she declined their kind offers and cleaned up herself.
Tangyuan could also tell that her room was probably the biggest in Hengwu Garden, which made her feel a bit uneasy during her afternoon nap. Hence, she asked to sleep in a side yard on the first floor at night. Rong Heng, worried that she was putting too much pressure on herself, agreed.
Since everyone had a tiring day, they all went to bed early. She had napped in the afternoon, wasn’t very sleepy, and went to work in the "space".
Later, a nanny and other servants came to deliver hot water. After bathing and changing, she finally lay down for a satisfying sleep.
The next day, Rong Heng was to start attending the morning court sessions. He had to enter the palace around 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., so she had to have breakfast ready by four o’clock.
Originally, Rong Heng hadn’t planned on eating breakfast because it was too early, and he usually had no appetite. However, this little plump girl was too diligent. She didn’t know what time she got up but ended up making tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, pan-fried buns, and even marinated eggs, an incredibly rich selection.
Despite not feeling hungry, seeing all this food made his saliva flow. He and Qingfeng Mingyue ate so much they felt bloated as they walked.
After Rong Heng left, she didn’t eat but directly stored the food in the kitchen and went back to sleep, waking up around eight or nine to have breakfast.
These days, Rong Heng would likely be busy. Having just returned to Beijing, he probably had a lot to discuss with the Emperor, and with the New Year just two or three days away, the officials would soon be on holiday. The purchasing for the Prince Manor didn’t need her involvement, but with the New Year approaching, she still listed out the things she needed and asked the steward to prepare them in advance to avoid a last-minute rush.
Before noon, Ming Yue sent a servant to tell her they wouldn’t be coming back for lunch, so she didn’t have to cook.
She was happy to relax. Perhaps because breakfast was so lavish, she wasn’t very hungry and just casually nibbled on some beef and drank a can of Eight Treasure Porridge to get by. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net
She was napping in the late afternoon when suddenly her nose itched. Instinctively, she reached to scratch it, but her hand was caught by a pair of warm, large palms.
Realizing something was off, she suddenly opened her eyes and saw Rong Heng’s magnified handsome face before her, which scared her so much that she sat up abruptly from the couch. Because she got up too hastily, their heads bumped into one another, making someone cry out, "Prince, what are you doing?"
"I saw you sleeping so soundly, and I’m very hungry, no choice but to wake you up!"
"Didn’t you eat in the palace?"
"How could I possibly eat enough in the palace? Sitting with Father Emperor is too restrictive."
Rubbing her forehead, Tangyuan looked surprised, "You feel restricted too?"
"Nonsense, who wouldn’t feel restricted in front of Father Emperor? Anyway, is there anything good left to eat?"
"What do you want to eat?"
Eventually, Tangyuan made them a pot of Tomato Egg Soup with tomato sauce, eggs, noodle dumplings, and green vegetables—it tasted very light and refreshing.
She fried a plate of vinegar potato shreds, stir-fried green vegetables with shrimp, Fried Pork Slices, and Fish-flavored shredded pork, worrying they wouldn’t have enough to eat, and also made a few egg pancakes.
Though simple, the dishes were complete in color, fragrance, and taste. After eating, Rong Heng was extremely pleased, especially fond of the flavor of the tomatoes.