The next morning, after breakfast, Xia Ruqing called Xiao Zhu Zi in.
Xiao Zhu Zi ran in, his hair damp with mist and gasping for breath.
"Why are you running so hurriedly? Your master, I, don’t like to rush people!"
Xiao Zhu Zi chuckled. "But it’s not good for the master to wait for this servant, is it?"
Xia Ruqing laughed. "Enough, enough!"
Zi Yue handed Xiao Zhu Zi a dry towel. "Wipe yourself off quickly!"
It turned out that a layer of frost had formed on Xiao Zhu Zi’s hair. It melted into mist once he entered the warm room. Now he looked as if he were sweating, with water trickling down his face and neck!
"Thank you, Sister Zi Yue!" Xiao Zhu Zi took the towel and wiped his face. "Master, did you call for this servant? Do you have any orders?"
Xia Ruqing leisurely flipped through a book and glanced at Xiao Zhu Zi before speaking. "Are there any fresh vegetables in the garden?"
The Imperial Kitchen rotated its menu daily, but it always seemed to be the same few dishes. She was tired of eating them.
Our little garden might have fresh produce, but the Imperial Kitchen never uses it! They only serve the same old palace fare. All rehydrated dried vegetables, made into dishes. Like dried bottle gourd shreds, dried winter melon, dried seaweed, dried fish, dried meat, dried mushrooms! In short, they were all considered fine goods. In the palace, radishes and leafy greens were either for the servants or for unfavored concubines!
Initially, Xia Ruqing didn’t quite understand this situation. Eating radishes and cabbages means losing status? Eating those other dishes increases one’s standing? Heh, not necessarily! I’ll eat whatever I want!
When Xiao Zhu Zi heard his master asking about the garden, he immediately became spirited! "Yes, yes, yes! Master, there’s a lot!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Ruqing’s eyes lit up. Ah, there would be delicious food!
Xiao Zhu Zi then started listing them one by one. "The lotus roots in our little pond are ready to eat now, Master. This servant didn’t dare to dig them without your order! If dug out and left to sit, they’d spoil, wouldn’t they? It’s better to keep them in the mud and dig them fresh when needed!
"Also, there are the winter bamboo shoots this servant asked someone to buy and plant. Originally, I didn’t expect them to survive, but to my surprise, they’ve thrived and now cover a small patch of land! They’re ready to eat if dug out now!
"And there are carrots, quite a rarity! They’re also buried in the soil, but... they look a bit unsightly. Some have even split open!"
Xia Ruqing was very excited and, not minding the minor details, asked, "Is there anything else?"
Xiao Zhu Zi thought for a moment. "This servant also planted some fruit trees; the fruits have been dried and stored, about half a sackful! And there are... white radishes, Chinese cabbages, sweet potatoes, taro..."
The more Xia Ruqing listened, the more thrilled she became.
This is... just like a farmer’s meal. After eating dried vegetables for so long in the palace, I’ve just discovered there are fresh ones!
Xia Ruqing was very happy. "I haven’t paid attention to the vegetable garden for almost half a year. I thought it would have gone to waste. I didn’t expect you to manage it so well!"
Xia Ruqing thought to herself. Having a child really takes a lot of energy! Or perhaps it’s that ’three years of post-pregnancy fog.’ Didn’t I used to stroll in the garden in the summer? How could I have forgotten all about it now!
Anyhow, Xiao Zhu Zi had put in a lot of effort.
Xia Ruqing then asked Zi Yue to fetch a purse. Inside were small silver ingots, each weighing five taels.
"You’ve worked hard for half a year. This is for your trouble. Please don’t think it’s too little!"
Xiao Zhu Zi immediately knelt down. "This servant cannot accept this silver, Master!"
Zi Yue, at the side, was very surprised. "This is a reward from the master!"
In the palace, openly refusing a master’s reward was an act of sheer insolence!
Xia Ruqing wasn’t annoyed but simply asked, "What’s wrong? What do you want?"
Xiao Zhu Zi slowly raised his head, his gaze sincere. "Master, this servant knows you genuinely care for me, but it’s precisely for that reason that I cannot accept your silver!"
Xia Ruqing nodded thoughtfully.
Xiao Zhu Zi continued, "Master, if you truly wish to reward this servant, why not give me a few Chinese cabbages? I love eating those!"
Whenever the Imperial Kitchen sent over Chinese cabbage stewed with meat, with some vermicelli noodles added, he would mix in a spoonful of chili oil. It was so fragrant he felt he could bite his tongue off, and he could eat two large bowls of rice! There was just one problem—there was never enough meat. If he were to stew it himself, he’d definitely add lots of meat, especially the rich, fatty kind.
As Xiao Zhu Zi thought about it, his mouth began to water.
Xia Ruqing chuckled to herself. Well, like master, like servant. She herself was a foodie, and that was that. Her servants were all foodies too. She worriedly wondered if her Little Bun would also become a foodie in the future?
Having thought this, she then said with a laugh, "With such a large vegetable garden, how much can I possibly eat? If you like it, feel free to eat some; there’s no harm!"