Although surprised, Rongrong felt committed to helping Feicui since she had already spoken up.

Just then, Grandmother Xue came out from the house, supporting herself against the door.

Hearing Feicui’s latter statement, she asked, “What strange illness does Xiaoshan have?”

“Mei Mei and Feicui were discussing the scar on my hand. It sometimes hurts a little, even after all these years. They suggested seeing a doctor.”

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Xue’s expression froze momentarily, and she quickly said, “Such a minor scar is nothing serious. There’s no need to make a fuss or call a doctor.”

“I think so too,” Xue Xiaoshan said with a smile to Rongrong, “With such a renowned doctor, it’s better not to waste their time on a minor injury.”

“Rongrong, don’t make a fuss,” Grandmother Xue advised. “Definitely don’t call a doctor.”

Rongrong, seeing that Grandmother Xue seemed very anxious, set aside her doubts and nodded in agreement. “Since Elder Brother is not seriously ill, we won’t trouble the doctor.”

Grandmother Xue finally relaxed and asked, “What are we having for dinner tonight?”

“We found some excellent free-range chicken at the market this afternoon. I plan to make Kung Pao Chicken, use the chicken bones to make soup, and prepare a few other home-style dishes.”

“That’s good. The young master is precious; you must make sure the meal is well-prepared so he doesn’t get an upset stomach.”

“Grandmother, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

By this time, Chunxing and Feicui had nearly finished preparing the ingredients, so Rongrong headed to the kitchen.

Home-style cooking was quick.

Within an hour, Rongrong prepared a large table of dishes.

The chicken bone soup was simmered with various fresh mushrooms;

The Kung Pao Chicken had chicken pieces cut into small, square chunks, making them especially flavorful;

And there were Fish-Fragrant Eggplant Cakes, with eggplant cut into thick pieces, scored in the middle, stuffed with water chestnut meat filling, dipped in batter, and deep-fried until golden and crispy.

These two dishes were specifically for Yuanbao, who loved sweet and sour flavors.

With so many people in the house, these three dishes weren’t enough, so Rongrong also made a steamed carp.

This dish was simpler: the carp was cleaned, a large green onion was stuffed into the fish belly along with a piece of fat from the chicken, soy sauce was poured over it, and then it was steamed on top of the chicken pot.

With these four dishes, and a cold dish of vinegared celery, the table was filled with five large bowls of food.

While Rongrong was cooking, Yuanbao woke up.

He didn’t fuss; instead, he sat in the courtyard chatting with Grandmother Xue.

Rongrong had initially feared Yuanbao would be bored, but to her surprise, the old lady and the child got along famously.

By the time dinner was served, Grandmother Xue and Yuanbao had already become like close grandparents and grandchildren.

“Auntie made all my favorite dishes.” Yuanbao’s eyes lit up when he saw the Kung Pao Chicken and Fish-flavored Eggplant.

He immediately picked up a piece of eggplant pancake with his chopsticks.

Rongrong’s eggplant pancakes were even better than those made by the palace chefs.

The filling included chopped water chestnuts, which made the pancakes crispy and cut through the greasiness.

After Yuanbao finished his second piece, Rongrong took the remaining eggplant pancakes and placed them far away from him.

Seeing Yuanbao pout slightly, as if about to throw a tantrum, everyone was surprised when Yuanbao quickly recovered and happily picked up his bowl to eat other dishes.

Grandmother Xue smiled and said, “You certainly know how to manage him. No wonder his family can’t do without you.”

Rongrong felt even happier inside.

This was her son, of course, he was irreplaceable for her.

The family enjoyed a warm and cheerful meal together.

Just as Rongrong was wiping Yuanbao’s hands, someone knocked on the door.

Xue Xiaoshan was about to go, but Rongrong guessed that someone from the Eastern Palace had come to pick up Yuanbao, so she hurried to open the door.

As expected, it was Wang An.

Wang An was dressed in common attire, looking more like a refined servant than an official.

Seeing Rongrong, Wang An quickly cupped his hands in greeting, “Miss, the head of the family has sent me to escort the young master back to the palace.”

Having recently dealt with an assassination attempt, Rongrong was reluctant to let Yuanbao stay here and nodded quickly, “I’ll bring Yuanbao out right away.”

Yuanbao had already heard Wang An’s voice. Although he was unwilling, he ran over by himself but didn’t look at Wang An. “Auntie, don’t you really want me to stay with you tonight?”

Rongrong was reluctant to part with Yuanbao and wished she could go with him to the East Palace.

But she still had matters to handle with Zhenzhen and needed to visit the Jingning Marquis’s residence the next day.

If she returned to the East Palace today and came out again tomorrow, it might not be appropriate.

“Yuanbao, be good. Return to the East Palace tonight, and Auntie will come back tomorrow.”

“Then you have to keep your promise and not lie to me.”

“I won’t lie to you. Auntie will always be with you as you grow up.”

“If Father makes you angry again next time, will you leave?”

Thinking of the Crown Prince, Rongrong’s feelings were a bit complicated.

Yuanbao was her son, her precious little one.

No matter what happened, she wanted to stay by his side.

The Crown Prince could do whatever he wanted; she could endure anything as long as she could stay with Yuanbao.

She had served in the palace since she was a child, so she was used to enduring.

As long as she could be with Yuanbao, she could bear anything.

Wang An saw how reluctant Rongrong and Yuanbao were to part and said with a smile, “Why don’t you see His Highness off to the carriage? Otherwise, His Highness really won’t want to leave.”

“Alright.” Rongrong picked up Yuanbao and headed toward the end of the alley.

She was so focused on Yuanbao in her arms that she didn’t notice Wang An turning back to close the house door before catching up with her.

Rongrong lifted Yuanbao into the carriage and watched as it turned out of the alley and onto the main street before she let out a heavy sigh.

So much had happened today.

Rongrong put her hand to her face and rubbed it.

“Are you tired?” It was his usual deep and calm voice.

Rongrong quickly lowered her hand and turned around in panic, only to see a figure standing in the shadows of the sycamore tree behind her.

He was leaning against the wall, just standing there.

Usually, he stood straight and imposing, but now, leaning against the wall in the interplay of tree shadows and moonlight, his handsome face looked particularly relaxed, and the robes fluttered gently in the night breeze, giving him a different aura.

After learning the truth today, Rongrong had been thinking only of Yuanbao.

Now, seeing him, all the details she had previously overlooked began to surface in her mind.

“The Crown Prince’s side only has that woman…”

“The Crown Prince has always been unable to forget her…”

“After that, there was no one else by the Crown Prince’s side…”

Is it true?

Is the woman he has been thinking about and unable to forget actually her?

Rongrong suddenly felt an impulse to ask him, wanting to know if those rumors were true.

Some things, she needed him to say directly before she could believe them.

However, when the words were on her lips, they turned into a light, casual remark: “Yuanbao has already left.”

She was always timid and didn’t dare to ask him.

“I know.” The Crown Prince’s response was just as light and casual.

Though he was hidden in the shadow of the tree, Rongrong could feel his gaze steadily fixed on her.

She wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. There was a strange feeling in the air.

It was he who spoke first.

“Yuanbao said you’re angry?”

It turned out he was referring to the kite-flying incident from the morning.

Rongrong smiled.

Considering the major events of the day, thinking back on the kite incident felt like it had happened a lifetime ago.

How could she still be angry about something so trivial?

So she said, “I’m not angry. I was just worried about Grandmother’s health and wanted to come back and check.”

The Crown Prince didn’t respond.

He stepped out from the shadow of the tree and stood a hand’s width away from Rongrong.

Rongrong involuntarily lowered her head.

Despite the fact that they had reunited for a while now, she felt an inexplicable sense of nostalgia, as if they were old friends meeting again.

“I haven’t had dinner yet,” the Crown Prince said.

Hearing this unexpectedly, Rongrong’s feeling of nostalgia was partly dispelled.

He wasn’t lacking for cooks; why would he come to Wutong Alley to say he hadn’t eaten, as if expecting her to cook for him?

Rongrong felt a bit annoyed.

In her past life, she was merely for warmth; in this life, she seemed to be just for cooking.

But recalling what Fei Cui had said, a strange sweetness surged in her heart.

She didn’t ask for much; as long as he remembered her kindness, she would be satisfied.

She usually prepared just enough for one meal and a little extra. With five people eating tonight, she had only made five dishes: eggplant pancakes, Kung Pao Chicken, steamed carp, and vinegar celery.

There was still a bowl of chicken soup left, intended for making congee for Grandmother Xue in the morning.

“Wait a moment, let me see if there’s anything else to eat.”

“Mm.”

The Crown Prince replied and watched Rongrong gracefully return to the house.

In the courtyard, Chunxing was washing the dishes, Fei Cui was tidying up the kitchen, and Xue Xiaoshan wasn’t there; he had gone to help Grandmother Xue with washing her feet.

Rongrong approached Fei Cui, and before she could speak, Fei Cui said, “Is there something you need, Miss?”

Rongrong’s face reddened as she said, “He came and said he hadn’t had a meal.”

With her current status, Feicui found it much easier to act.

Without mentioning who it was, Feicui immediately understood and glanced at the room where Old Lady Xue was and then at Chunxing.

She raised her voice and said, “Miss, I’m still hungry tonight. Could you please get me something to eat?”

Chunxing looked up, “Don’t you usually just eat one bowl of rice?”

“But today I just feel hungry,” Feicui said.

Rongrong added, “Then I’ll cook some noodles for you.”

Chunxing grumbled, “Just eating without doing any work.”

Feicui went over and said, “Sister Chunxing, why don’t you leave the bowls for me? I’ll wash them after I finish eating.”

“You’ll wash?” Chunxing was pleased and looked at Rongrong, worried that Rongrong might think she was slacking off.

“Since you’ve worked hard today, just go and rest. Feicui is the one who’s greedy, so it’s her turn to wash the dishes,” Rongrong said.

With Rongrong’s approval, Chunxing immediately cleared the dishwashing station and happily went back to tidy herself up.

Rongrong sighed with relief and got busy.