Hua Manman was worried.
Where was she supposed to get sticky rice balls on such short notice?
But she did rember a bag of glutinous rice flour in the cupboard.
"Eat this at bun first to tide you over. I’ll go make you so sticky rice balls."
Only then did Li Yi reach out and take the still-warm at bun.
Hua Manman rolled up her sleeves, added a little water to the glutinous rice flour, and mixed it evenly.
Making sticky rice balls was actually quite simple.
Hua Manman had learned how from her grandmother. She kneaded the dough and shaped it into small balls.
Li Yi had already finished the at bun.
He stared at Hua Manman with wide, hopeful eyes, as if seeing his mother in her.
The thought of his mother made Li Yi want to cry.
He had only taken a nap, so how could his mother be gone?
She had clearly promised him she would make him sticky rice balls.
How could his mother go back on her word?
And Father Emperor wanted him to accept Lady Shufei as his mother. He refused.
In his heart, his only mother was Yichongyuan. No one could ever replace her.
He raised a hand and wiped his eyes forcefully.
Hua Manman was focused on shaping the dough balls and didn’t notice the Sixth Prince secretly crying.
The little dough balls were arranged neatly on the cutting board, dusted with another layer of glutinous rice flour, and covered with gauze.
Once the water boiled, she dropped the rice balls into the pot to cook.
Puffs of steam rose from the pot, carrying the unique, sweet fragrance of glutinous rice.
Hua Manman gave them a quick stir with a spoon to keep the rice balls from sticking together.
She turned and smiled at Li Yi.
"They’ll be ready soon."
Li Yi watched her without blinking, like a poor little puppy waiting to be fed.
Hua Manman scooped out the cooked rice balls and placed them on a white porcelain plate. Then, she simred so sugar syrup on a small stove.
She drizzled the syrup over the sticky rice balls.
The thick syrup flowed down the plump, white rice balls, giving them a tempting, sweet sheen.
Hua Manman brought the plate to Li Yi.
"Go on, eat up."
Li Yi stared at the sticky rice balls for a long mont before finally picking one up with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.
"How is it? Is it good?" Hua Manman asked.
As Li Yi ate, tears started falling again.
He choked out, "It’s not the sa as the ones my mother made! SOB SOB SOB!"
Hua Manman quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears.
"How did your mother make them? I can try to improve next ti."
"Hers were very sweet, and they had red bean paste inside. Yours don’t! SOB SOB SOB! I miss my mother so much!" Li Yi cried.
Hua Manman sighed.
She could try her best to replicate the flavor of the sticky rice balls.
But she knew in her heart that what the Sixth Prince truly wanted wasn’t the rice balls, but the person who had once made them for him with her own hands.
Hua Manman wasn’t very good at comforting people.
Besides, having experienced it herself, she knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one.
It wasn’t a wound that could be healed with a few simple words.
So people could never fully recover from that kind of pain in their entire lifeti.
Hua Manman glanced at the remaining sticky rice balls in the pot. There were so many; they couldn’t go to waste.
She served herself a plate of rice balls, sat down next to Li Yi, and began to eat slowly.
When Li Ji found them, this was the scene that greeted him—
The Sixth Prince was holding a plate of sticky rice balls, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe, while Hua Manman sat beside him, calmly eating her own.
The scene looked strange no matter how you looked at it.
Seeing Prince Zhao arrive, Hua Manman’s heart skipped a beat. ’It’s over,’ she thought. ’He knows I snuck out to eat!’
Li Yi also gradually stopped crying.
He stood up and stared at Prince Zhao with hatred in his eyes.
He had already heard from others that this very Prince Zhao had a hand in his mother’s death.
Li Ji looked at him with a ghost of a smile. "What? You want to avenge your mother?"
Li Yi seed to be desperately holding sothing back. His small fra trembled slightly, and his eyes grew redder.
Of course he wanted to avenge his mother.
But he knew it was impossible for him to get revenge as he was now.
Like a young animal cornered, he tried to put on his most ferocious front in an attempt to intimidate his enemy.
"You forced my mother to her death! I won’t let you get away with it!"
"You’re still young and don’t understand many things," Li Ji said coldly. "When you grow up, you’ll realize that the one who truly forced her to her death wasn’t soone else, but you—her own son."
Hua Manman couldn’t help but interject, "Prince, don’t say any more."
Li Yi thought Prince Zhao was spouting utter nonsense.
He said hatefully, "Do you think saying that will make give up on revenge? In your dreams! I will make you pay in blood!"
Li Ji ignored Hua Manman’s attempt to stop him and laid the cruelest reality bare before Li Yi.
"Yichongyuan risked everything to fra for your future’s sake.
When her plot was exposed, she chose to take her own life, also to protect you.
Everything she did, she did for you, her son.
You were the real culprit who pushed her into a dead end, step by step."
Li Yi was stunned into silence.
Li Ji continued unhurriedly.
"Do you know what Yichongyuan was thinking about right before she died? It was you. Even in death, she couldn’t stop worrying about you."
Li Yi stood frozen, completely dazed. He didn’t even notice the tears that began to fall again.
Hua Manman couldn’t bear to watch.
After a mont, Li Yi stiffly turned his head and looked at her.
"Is what he said true? Did my mother die because of ?" he asked.
Hua Manman didn’t know how to answer.
’It felt like any answer would be the wrong one.’
In the end, she could only sigh softly. "You just need to rember that your mother loved you very much. Her greatest wish was for you to live a good life."
Li Yi walked away, utterly crestfallen.
Just as he stepped out of the small kitchen, he saw two nannies hurrying over under oil-paper umbrellas.
The mont the nannies saw the Sixth Prince, they looked as if they had seen a living Bodhisattva.
"Your Highness the Sixth Prince, we’ve finally found you!
What are you doing all the way out here?
When Lady Shufei woke up this morning and found you were missing, she was terribly worried. She sent people everywhere to look for you, and the matter even alard the Saint.
Thank goodness you’re safe. Please co back with us now."
Li Yi remained silent the entire ti.
He let the nannies lead him away by the hand.
The voices outside faded into the distance, leaving only the DRUMMING of the rain.
Hua Manman asked curiously, "Prince, what’s going on with the Sixth Prince?"
Li Ji wasn’t particularly concerned about the matter and replied casually.
"The Sixth Prince went missing this morning, throwing all of Yuqing Palace into an uproar.
The Saint sent people to search for him everywhere, but no one could find him.
Just now, Wu Wang ca to ask for my help finding him. He said if they couldn’t find him soon, they’d have to send n to search the mountain. To think he was hiding here with you."
Hua Manman had a realization. ’So that’s what Wu Wang needed Prince Zhao’s help with earlier.’
Li Ji glanced at the unfinished sticky rice balls on the plate and looked at her with a half-smile.
"You seem to have a lot of free ti, enough to make food for him. It seems I’ll have to give you more assignnts."
Hua Manman: "..."
’This man... a little kindness wouldn’t kill you!’
...
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