Comprehensive film and television: The Queen of Rolls Opens the Roll Again

It started snowing in the middle of the night and the house was freezing cold. When Gong Yuanzheng woke up in the morning, he was thankful that he had thoughtfully put his cloak outside the quilt last night so that he was not woken by the cold.

He looked in amazement at the Fat Cat Lamp that was still on, then at the bamboo mushroom lamp at the bedside whose candle had burned out long ago. He pondered the difference for a while and felt that Zhao Zhao must have made some changes to the candle, which caused him to be greeted by dead darkness without even opening his eyes.

What changes had been made... Well, he would have to wait and see.

Gong Yuanzheng hid his head in the warm quilt. It was snowing, so there would be no morning dew today. He rarely stayed in bed for a while.

At two o'clock in the morning, Gong Yuanzheng reluctantly left the bed, washed, changed clothes, and combed his pigtails.

It didn't take him much time to figure out the simple little mechanism that made the candle burn longer. He changed into a large brown and gray woolen coat and came to the small hall with the sound of crisp bells, but was told that Zhang Xueming was not there.

"Miss Zhao said that Master Zheng was busy with the palace gate until late at night yesterday, so today's breakfast will be served half an hour later. Miss Zhao also said that she would cook for Master Zheng herself today and went to the kitchen early." Su Rong smiled and handed over an oil-paper umbrella: "Master Zheng, are you going to the kitchen to find Miss Zhao? Here is an umbrella."

"No need, the snow is not heavy." Gong Yuanzheng ran away, leaving the sound of bells along the way.

The kitchen was busy. Gong Yuanzheng shook the snow off his coat outside the door and strode in: "Zhao Zhao?"

"This way." Zhang Xueming, who was standing in front of the table wearing an ultramarine blue coat, turned his head and waved at him with a smile.

Gong Yuanzheng didn't care about the cooks and servants who were silent as a mouse when they saw him. He went over to look at the rows of little white pigs, little yellow chickens, little frogs, little goldfish, little cabbages and little flowers arranged in front of her, as neatly arranged as if they were going to an army.

"What is this? Is this also edible?" It's so cute.

"The goldfish, cabbage and flower-shaped ones are steamed dumplings, and the other three are steamed buns. They can be eaten after being steamed for a quarter of an hour." Zhang Xueming pointed to Gong Yuanzheng.

Although she had been using her inner strength to cover her whole body and her hands were not stained by anything, she still washed and dried her hands out of habit, then touched Gong Yuanzheng's cheek and forehead with the back of her hand, and then touched his ears and hands: "Why didn't you bring an umbrella when you came out?"

Gong Yuanzheng narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and rubbed her hand: "It's just a few steps away. I'm too lazy to fight."

"The red bean sweet soup is ready to drink. It has rice cakes in it. Would you like a bowl now?"

When Gong Yuanzheng heard that Zhang Xueming had made him red bean sweet soup, his eyes lit up, but when he looked around, he felt embarrassed again: "There's no place to sit here."

"Just drink while standing. It'll only take a few sips." Zhang Xueming looked up at him and tugged on his pigtails, making the little bells jingle. "Warm up your stomach first. We'll go back and eat the steamed buns and dumplings when they're ready."

Gong Yuanzheng looked hesitantly at the servants who were still busy with their heads down, and finally agreed: "Okay, I'll help you taste it."

In return, he was patted on the face affectionately: "You are really good at talking."

"Jinxiu, make two bowls of red bean sweet soup. Don't put too much rice cake in it." Zhang Xueming instructed a maid who had already gone to get a bowl: "Stir it first when making it to stir up the bean paste at the bottom."

"Got it, Miss Zhao."

The sweet soup was served quickly. Zhang Xueming and Gong Yuanzheng stood beside the noodle table and ate a bowl each while it was still hot.

"Is it sweet?"

"Just right." Gong Yuanzheng gave feedback seriously: "The red bean paste is sandy, and the rice cake is sticky, very delicious." He then looked expectantly at the tall steamer. The steamed buns and dumplings were put in, and he was watching.

Zhang Xueming stuffed a piece of milk cake into his hand and said, "Eat it and we'll go back and wait."

"Let's wait until it's cooked before we leave. It's cold outside." Gong Yuanzheng tried to make a request.

"That's fine." Zhang Xueming responded with a smile and asked him, "There's still a dough left. Do you want to try it?"

He looked at the small dough that was obviously left on purpose on the dough board and the small bowl of five-color vegetable juice next to it, and was a little tempted: "Is it not good?"

"Wash your hands and knead them, then put them in the pot. Whether they look good or not, you have to eat them all."

"That's fine." Anyway, he usually wears arm guards, so he's not worried about it getting on his sleeves.

Her fingers, which were nimble enough for taking pulses, prescribing medicines and assembling hidden weapons, were stiff and clumsy when it came to making lanterns and kneading pastries.

Gong Yuanzheng looked at the row of colorful and bizarrely shaped works he had made, and his mouth pouted unconsciously.

Zhang Xueming smiled and pushed him aside, picked up one at random, pinched it a few times, made a curved smiling mouth out of it, then picked up some peppercorns to add eyes to it and put it on the table.

Jinxiu, the maid who was preparing to strive for the position of second-class maid in charge of meals, took a peek and said: Well, the general shape hasn't changed. Although I don't know what it looks like specifically, it looks pretty energetic.

The cook, who didn't know the internet slang "ugly and cute", silently put the small steamer on the stove, indicating that this kind of food was acceptable.

Gong Yuanzheng looked at the work that Zhang Xueming had refined for him with an embarrassed look. Although it still looked strange after the revision, it looked much better to the eye.

"Or don't put it in the pot. I'll take it back and put it in my room for a few days." He said in a low voice.

"That won't work." Zhang Xueming refused with a smile. "Such a cute little monster must be steamed before being eaten."

"Little... monster?" Gong Yuanzheng was stunned. "Cute?"

"Yeah, don't you think they're cute?"

"So ugly, how can it be cute..." He muttered, lowered his head, and kicked the ground with his toes.

"You don't understand that." Zhang Xueming laughed and said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the little monster is ugly but very cute. You see, baring its teeth is cute, grinning is cute, throwing tantrums is cute...even crying is cute."

Gong Yuanzheng took a peek and saw a dozen little monsters, some laughing, some crying, some angry, some fierce, some lying, some crouching... and with strange colors, all of which were carefully held by her and put into the steamer.

Amid the rising steam, the little monsters gathered around a ferocious giant monster with a red face, green body and eight arms that Zhang Xueming had just created. It didn't seem so strange anymore, and even a little cute?

"Do you really want to eat?" he asked softly, watching Zhang Xueming close the lid of the steamer.

"Correct."

"Really?"

"Correct."

"Then don't lie to me."

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"…Then I want to eat a big monster."

"Eat it. No one will snatch it from you."

"You made so much, you can't finish it in one breakfast, right?"

Zhang Xueming came over and pulled him to wash his hands: "Yesterday afternoon I asked Qingzhi to deliver an invitation to the Shang Palace. After the mortal hour, we will go to the Shang Palace to pay respects to the old Palace Master and the Acting Palace Master. Jin Fu will definitely deliver the gifts given to me by the elders before then, and then let him bring some back for your brother to taste." Then he asked him: "Do you want to give two of your little monsters to your brother? Let him also taste your cooking skills."

"…It's so ugly, my brother won't eat it." Gong Yuanzheng puffed up his cheeks.

"No, once he hears that you made it, he will eat it all without hesitation, even if it tastes so bad that it makes him cry."

"Nonsense, my brother won't even look at anything that doesn't look good." Gong Yuanzheng was amused. "Besides, I didn't add any seasoning to the buns, how could they be so unpalatable and make people cry?"

"Then it's settled. Bring two back to Jin Fu later. When we go to the Corner Palace for lunch at noon, ask your brother if he has eaten. Your brother won't lie to you about such a small matter, right?"

Gong Yuanzheng stopped talking.

After the monsters were out of the pot, he quietly went over and grabbed two little monster buns that he thought looked pretty good, mixed them with a bunch of delicate-looking little animals and flowers, and put them into a large insulated three-layer food box to take back to Jin Fu.