Page 403

Chapter 403: Chapter 403 "On the Free-Range Parenting Method for Small Households

Xiao Linzi was startled; in his hurry earlier, he had gobbled down the pancake without drinking any soy milk. Hearing his master say this, he felt his mouth water and couldn’t help but swallow, silently considering trying it later.

Lian Hua patted her belly which had grown round but not from being full.

"I am so hungry." Thinking of the fragrant scallion pancakes made her feel even hungrier.

She couldn’t resist stretching her neck to look outside, but both the breakfast and Nanny Qi were still nowhere to be seen.

Just then, Xiao Jizi’s voice came from outside the door, "Master, don’t be anxious, breakfast is coming right now."

As soon as his voice faded, someone appeared at the door carrying a tray as big as half a table laden with various breakfast dishes, enough for two, each portion small but varied.

Lian Hua exclaimed with delight, "Just as I was hoping, here you are, Xiao Jizi, you’re getting better and better."

Xiao Jizi entered, and Xiao Linzi went to help him, the two placing the tray on the table.

Xiao Jizi said with a smile, "Master, under your wise leadership, it would be difficult to perform poorly. Look at Pang Ya’s culinary skills; with your guidance, she’s improved leaps and bounds and is now on par with Xiao Qing."

As he spoke, he began setting out the breakfast items one by one.

Xiao Linzi also helped, and seeing the steaming soy milk placed on the table, he swallowed, reminded of the way Lian Hua mentioned, he felt like eating it again...

Lian Hua said smilingly, "It’s because Pang Ya has a good foundation, otherwise I couldn’t have taught her."

She stood up to help set the items out as well.

Xiao Jizi hurriedly stopped her, "Master, please don’t move, be careful not to scald yourself, let the servant handle it."

Lian Hua had to stop and sit back down.

"Master, here is your cow’s milk," Xiao Jizi put the soup bowl in front of Lian Hua, continuing from the previous conversation, "You are too modest, Master, it’s because of your excellent guidance that Pang Ya has even been praised by Nanny."

Lian Hua tilted her head and pondered, "Is that so? But then why haven’t you learned it?"

Now even Xiao Linzi could cook simple plain rice porridge, whereas Xiao Jizi’s cooking skills were still indescribable, managing to burn porridge so badly that it was both ugly and inedible.

Xiao Jizi’s smile froze, and he couldn’t help but wail, "Aiyo, my master, please don’t ridicule your servant anymore. Ever since that incident, I tremble with the spatula in hand, panic at heart, let alone cooking."

If he really had to cook, he might faint.

Since the time his master took his disastrously prepared meal to His Majesty, and His Majesty reportedly ate it, he had washed his hands of cooking.

By his dear mother, that incident nearly killed him. He was so scared afterward that his legs went weak for a day. Luckily, His Majesty did not blame him, but the trauma still lingered in his heart.

Lian Hua burst out laughing, "Alright then, no need to cook. Xiao Qing and Pang Ya are enough. We can save your cooking skills for when they are really needed."

Just as Xiao Jizi was relaxing, hearing her last remark, he shrieked again, "What? Master, still needed?"

His legs began to wobble, and he was about to faint!!!

Lian Hua, touching her chin, wickedly watched him as he gasped for air, pondering deeply. Xiao Jizi was so nervous he was about to cry. Finally, she said, "Perhaps not necessary."

Xiao Jizi’s shoulders relaxed, and he revived.

Lian Hua, propping her head, watched with delight and a mischievously sweet smile, "Ha, this slippery Xiao Jizi, he privately loves to laugh at my jokes. Who knew this trick could cure him."

She changed her tone and said teasingly, "But well~" drawing out the last sound very long.

Xiao Jizi’s heart immediately soared as he saw Lian Hua’s smiling face, and only then did he understand that she was teasing him about something he very well knew.

Left with no choice, he put on a mournful face and begged for mercy, "Mistress, I was wrong, I know my fault, I dare not do it again in the future."

Indeed, when you mess with things, sooner or later you have to face the consequences.

These days, the mistress had been secretly writing something behind His Majesty’s back, and not even Nanny Qi was privy to it.

As long as His Majesty and Nanny Qi were not around, she would write whenever she could, allowing only them to stay in the hall while she worked in the inner room.

Initially, he was unaware of what secretive thing the mistress was up to until one day, she asked him how books were bound and instructed him to find the tools.

He couldn’t figure it out; why suddenly look for bookbinding tools when the mistress didn’t write books? It was truly bizarre.

Despite his doubts, he obediently fetched nails, thick thread, a hammer, and other tools, and explained to the mistress how it was done. There was a private library next to the Star Palace, which His Majesty highly valued, and he had managed it for a while.

When the mistress heard this, she took the tools into the inner room, and he followed her inside. At that time, only he was attending to the mistress as Xiao Linzi and Xiao Qing had gone to the kitchen.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing him, the mistress sent him out and forbade him from watching.

He had to leave, but no sooner had he stepped out than a loud "thud thud thud" came from inside, followed by the mistress’s alarmed cry of "Oh no!"

He hurried back inside, only to see the mistress was fine, frantically picking up things.

Somehow, a thick stack of paper had appeared on the mistress’s dressing table alongside a bookbinding hammer, while the items on the table were in disarray.

The mistress muttered that the dressing table wasn’t good, not sturdy and firm enough; a few strikes made the table shake violently.

Still puzzled, he spoke up.

His voice startled the mistress, causing her to hastily swipe a few sheets of paper from the stack. She relaxed when she saw it was him, even patting her chest.

His observation was clear; the mistress looked guilty as if she was a thief, although he did not know what wrong she had done, fearing discovery.

His curiosity piqued, he quickly moved forward to help the mistress pick up the papers and saw that the first sheet was boldly titled, "On the Free-Ranging Methodology for Children in Small Households!"

Written in two lines, the characters were large and filled the entire page, making them easy to read.

No sooner had he read this than the mistress snatched it away, glaring at him before picking up the other sheets.

His mind swirled with the words "small households," "free-ranging," and "children." Watching the mistress lean over to pick up things, he suddenly had a revelation as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind; he understood what it meant!

He blurted out, "Mistress, are you calling the Imperial Palace a small household?!"

Good Lord, the mistress is referring to the Imperial Palace as a small household???

On this earth, there surely isn’t a more prominent family or a larger household than The Imperial Household!

He stood there with his mouth agape in shock; the mistress was truly, truly... audacious? No!

Boasting a vision so vast it encompasses the earth and sky? No, no!!

With a perspective so broad it could swallow the heavens? No, no, no!!!

Ah, ah, ah, his mind was in utter disarray, truly at a loss for words!

When the mistress heard him ask that, she picked up the sheets of paper, placed them on the dressing table, and then turned around with her elegant brows raised.