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At the time, Lian Hua did not understand what Nanny Qi meant; her words were vague yet seemingly empathetic about not wanting Lian Hua to massage her. Uncontrollably, Lian Hua’s eyes crinkled with affection — Nanny was feeling sorry for her, so she just tolerated it.

After a while, seeing that Nanny Qi showed signs of tiredness, Lian Hua knew she was weary and was just about to suggest she rest when Xiao Qing came in carrying something.

Xiao Qing said, "My lady, the Bird’s Nest Soup has arrived."

Lian Hua, about to speak, paused and turned upon hearing this, curiously inspecting the soup-bowl: "Oh, Bird’s Nest?"

Nanny Qi nodded at her, "Yes, Bird’s Nest. From today onward, you’ll have a bowl every day. It’s nourishing and moisturizing, very beneficial for you."

She had never tried Bird’s Nest before and was curious about its taste.

She was eager to see what it looked like, but then remembered the words she had just been about to say, swallowed her saliva, and first urged Nanny Qi to rest, "Nanny, you’ve been busy all day. Please go rest now; there’s no need to keep me company. I’ll rest too, after a while."

Nanny Qi felt both amused and touched, knowing exactly what the young girl was thinking with just one glance. Clearly, she was eager to see the Bird’s Nest, even physically leaning forward and swallowing her saliva, yet she forcefully persuaded her to rest first.

Such an understanding girl, she’s really a good child.

Nanny Qi did not object and smiled as she patted her hand, "All right, I’ll go rest now. You take your time eating; be careful, it’s hot."

Lian Hua helped her up, grinning, "Rest assured, Nanny. Under your guidance, even if I’m very hungry now, I won’t burn my mouth anymore. I’ve really made progress."

Long ago, while dining with Nanny Qi, Lian Hua had hurriedly stuffed a very fragrant little meatball into her mouth, which she had never tried before.

Unaware it was filled with soup, she bit into it and the scalding hot broth bubbled in her mouth. It burned her tongue, yet she couldn’t bear to spit it out, merely gasped for air, and ended up being scolded by Nanny Qi.

Since then, she had been much more cautious during meals as a burnt tongue made eating painful, and the food didn’t taste as good as before.

Xiao Qing stepped aside with the tray while Xiao Jizi hurried over, took the soup bowl by its handles, and placed it on the table for later use.

This batch of Bird’s Nest had already been inspected by the Imperial Medical Bureau and Imperial Doctor Huang when they came over; it was fine, and observing Xia Liu for a while revealed no issues.

Because His Majesty had eaten dry food like roast chicken the day before, Nanny Qi had decided to have it stewed today.

After placing it properly, the two followed Lian Hua, escorting Nanny Qi out together.

They had walked about ten steps away from the Side Hall when Nanny Qi turned towards Lian Hua, "No need to see me off further, go back. After finishing the Bird’s Nest, take a short rest, alright?"

"Yes, Nanny, you too should have a good rest," Lian Hua nodded and then turned to Pang Ya, "Support Nanny well, go slowly."

Pang Ya responded and walked with Nanny Qi toward the other room.

After walking about ten steps, Nanny Qi turned back, saw they were still standing there, and waved, "Go back now."

"Yes," Lian Hua responded, looked a couple more times, then turned around to head back, murmuring, "I’ll have to ask His Majesty when the Main Hall will be repaired. The room Nanny stays in, with walls on all sides, might be cool in the summer, but it really isn’t good for winter."

Following behind her, Xiao Jizi said, "My lady, it should be soon. I was idling yesterday, went there to look, and it appeared to be shaping up nicely."

"Yesterday?" Lian Hua suddenly remembered last night’s issue, "You were showing off over there yesterday too?"

Not bad, following in my footsteps. Venturing that far, she hadn’t been out doodling around for quite a while.

Caught by her straightforward remark, Xiao Jizi awkwardly laughed, "Haha, how could that be? The Main Hall is also our turf, after all. I was just patrolling on your behalf, haha."

Lian Hua suddenly leaned close to examine his face, startling Xiao Jizi.

"Didn’t notice anything," Lian Hua said puzzled, touching her chin, "Hey, where’s that broom mark on your face?"

Xiao Jizi touched his face subconsciously and couldn’t help but run away, "My lord, that fool Xiao Linzi is watching the stove fire, your servant will help him check, you go back first so your Bird’s Nest Soup doesn’t get cold."

"Oh, that’s right, the Bird’s Nest Soup!" The moment Lian Hua heard about food, she no longer cared about Xiao Jizi and started walking toward the Side Hall.

While walking, she said to Xiao Qing, "Xiao Qing, I’ve heard that bird’s nest is very nourishing, but I have no idea what it tastes like since I’ve never had it before."

Xiao Qing followed behind, she had seen what it looked like, but after it was stewed, it just looked like vermicelli, nothing special.

The two of them walked in.

Lian Hua sat down before the soup tureen, which had ears on both sides that were fatter than usual, making it look quite adorable.

She touched the ears on both sides and told Xiao Qing that indeed the tureen used for stewing bird’s nest was prettier than others, and she felt even more excited about it.

She lifted the lid of the tureen with her hand, and a faint sweet scent wafted out, not very noticeable but enough to trick her keen nose.

She took a deep breath, placed the lid aside, and said to Xiao Qing with a smile, "Is it sweet, isn’t it?"

Xiao Qing nodded, "Master is amazing, it is sweet. It’s stewed with white fungus and rock sugar, please try some."

"Hmm," she responded with a smile, looked down, and thought, why does it look like...

Her smile froze on her face, and she quickly averted her eyes, feeling as if her stomach was turning upside down, she leaned aside, not daring to look again.

Seeing her reaction, Xiao Qing asked nervously, "My lord, what’s wrong?"

Lian Hua pressed her lips together, fighting the discomfort in her stomach, and waved her hand, trying hard to suppress the nausea.

Xiao Qing looked at her worriedly, with unblinking eyes, her heart gradually tensing up, "My lord, are you okay?"

Lian Hua’s face turned pale, she shook her head without speaking, covering her chest and struggling to endure.

Xiao Qing became frightened and quickly said, "I... your servant will call someone, just wait, my lord."

Lian Hua hurriedly reached out to stop her, preventing her from going.

She was just disgusted by the sight of the bird’s nest, which looked clear and mushy, like a child’s runny nose; it was merely disgusting, nothing serious. She couldn’t speak lightly, trying to suppress the nausea.

She had caused such a stir with her vomiting last time. How could she repeat the same mistake and worry His Majesty and Nanny Qi?

Xiao Qing grew anxious, especially now that only she and her master were in the Side Hall, and her master didn’t let her leave, leaving her unsure what to do.

In her confusion, Lian Hua finally managed to suppress the nausea.

Fearing to see the bird’s nest inside again, she hurriedly picked up the lid next to her and covered it.

Last time, it was after a second glance at the winter melon soup that she couldn’t hold back and vomited, this time she had learned her lesson.

She took a deep breath of relief and said, "Xiao Qing, I’m fine, it’s just that this bird’s nest looks like that soup last time, it makes me feel sick."