A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

After a few casual words, the group had lunch at the Wutong Courtyard. Du Ruo was in charge of cooking, and her skills were so good that even Prince An and his wife were quite impressed.

After lunch, after seeing the others off, Qin Suiyou set up a newly made rattan chair by Torosen under the sycamore tree, lay down on it, closed his eyes, and took a nap. There were also fruits, delicate pastries, and hot tea on the side. He would take a bite from time to time and then continue to lie down. The temperature under the shade of the tree was just right, and the sunlight was not glaring. It was the most pleasant place.

A furtive hand reached out from the small table, fumbled around for a while, grabbed a loquat, and withdrew. A moment later, loquat peels and pits appeared intermittently on the corner of the table.

After picking up a few more loquats, she seemed to have had enough. Her hand, which was covered in juice after peeling the fruit, reached for the pastries. As she picked them up, she couldn't tell how much loquat juice had gotten on the pastries. She wondered if the pastries with loquat juice would have a different flavor.

Qin Suiyou had only eaten one piece of pastry when more than half of it was taken away in no time. But after eating too much pastry, his mouth became dry and a bit greasy, so the "sneaky" person then tried to reach for a cup of tea.

But everyone has their limits. Just as the hand, still stained with loquat juice and pastry crumbs, was about to touch the teacup, the host finally spoke up.

"If you dare to dirty my teacup, you'll have to work in the herb garden at Yuqing Courtyard for a month."

Lu Xi, who was acting suspiciously, complained, "I'm choking, can't I even have a sip of tea?"

After saying that, as if to confirm its authenticity, he suddenly burped.

Qin Suiyou didn't even open his eyes, but still frowned in disgust.

Go get some water to rinse your mouth.

Lu Xi, with his nostrils flared and an air of utter disdain, said, "Fine, I'll go."

It finally quieted down completely here, while in the corner next to the flowerbed, things were bustling about silently but enthusiastically.

After being taught by Qin Suiyou, Luo Xian, who had the highest aptitude for cultivation, led a group of people to plant the flowers that had already sprouted into the soil.

"Sister Luo Xian, is this the right way?"

Lan Ya pointed to a small mound of earth at her feet and asked softly.

Qin Suiyou had told them beforehand not to worry about disturbing him, since Lu Xi couldn't take a nap with him before, and low-decibel noise can sometimes help with sleep. But regardless of whether Qin Suiyou was resting with his eyes closed, they still subconsciously moved around quietly and spoke in low voices.

As Luo Xian dug a hole with a small hoe, she looked in the direction Lan Ya was pointing.

Upon seeing this, Luo Xian could only smile helplessly.

Why did you build such a high mound of earth?

Lan Ya asked innocently, "Is there a problem with this?"

Luo Xian didn't stop what she was doing and patiently answered Lan Ya's questions.

"I remember you told me that your father was the village doctor, didn't you?"

Lan Ya nodded and said, "Yes."

"Then you must have seen villagers planting vegetables and sowing seeds, right?"

"Yeah, I've seen it."

That's settled.

Luo Xian asked, "Have you ever seen them build such a high mound of earth around the vegetable seeds?"

Lan Ya pretended to recall something, and after a moment said, "I don't think so."

"Why is that?"

Seeing that Lan Ya still asked that question, Luo Xian couldn't help but chuckle.

"Your father never made you work in the fields, did he?"

Lan Ya shook her head and said, "No, actually my father has hardly ever worked in the fields. He is from out of town, and he married into my mother's family. He doesn't know how to farm, so my two uncles do most of the work in the fields. None of the women in the family work in the fields. However, I often help my father take care of the medicinal herbs at home, so I'm not an idle person."

After listening to what Lan Ya said, Luo Xian seemed to be deep in thought and was stunned for a moment.

Lan Ya called Luo Xian twice, but seeing that she was still in a daze, she was still worried that she couldn't be too loud, so she raised her muddy hand and waved it in front of Luo Xian's eyes.

"Sister Luo Xian, Sister Luo Xian."

Luo Xian finally came to her senses and asked, "What's wrong?"

"So why can't we just make a small mound?"

Pulling herself back to reality, Luo Xian explained softly, "Think about it, once a seed sprouts, it only needs to struggle to break through one layer of soil. But if you add a mound of soil on top, it has to work several layers harder. By the time the sprout grows out, it won't have much vitality left to continue growing."

Lan Ya covered her mouth slightly and laughed, "Now I understand what you mean, sister. I was worried that you would talk to me about those bookish, pedantic things that I wouldn't understand even after a long time."

Luo Xian smiled gently and sprinkled a few grains of fertilizer on the spot where the soil had been filled.

"Don't I know you well enough? Alright, now that you understand, hurry up and shovel some dirt away."

"okay."

Just as Lan Ya was about to shovel the soil, she saw that Jin Zhu had already silently helped her finish.

"Oh, Sister Jinzhu is so kind~"

As she spoke, Lan Ya nuzzled her head against Jin Zhu's shoulder and acted coquettishly.

Jinzhu, who was usually quiet, did not show any displeasure at Lanya's touch. He let her rub against his shoulder while working, making sure not to knock Lanya's head off.

The flowerbeds almost circled the entire yard, but the group of people quietly studied or chatted, and planted all the seeds in the soil before dusk.

"Thank you all for your hard work. We'll have a special dinner tonight, you can order whatever you like."

Qin Suiyou personally offered them a treat, which made them all very happy. However, they were also very sensible and did not each order a dish. Instead, they gathered together and excitedly discussed choosing a delicious dish that they all wanted to eat. After discussing for a long time, they could not come up with a conclusion and finally had to ask Lu Xi for help.

Lu Xi is now recognized as the most knowledgeable about food in the courtyard, and he's also a picky eater, so his recommendations are sure to be good.

Lu Xi stroked his chin, ran his fingers through a non-existent beard, and pondered for a moment.

"Ah! I see!"

"What dish? What dish?"

Lan Ya stared at Lu Xi with wide eyes, unable to wait any longer, and asked.

However, Lu Xi revealed a mysterious smile.

"It's a secret for now. Please be patient and wait until dinner is served."

After saying that, Lu Xi went out and headed to the kitchen, leaving the group of people looking at each other with a mixture of anticipation and unease because of that mysterious smile.

"Lu Xi is being so mysterious, what kind of dish do you think it will be?"

"I don't know, he never does things the way they expect."

"Should we not ask him?"

"Never mind, it can't be poisonous anyway."

"Too."

No matter how nervous they were, it was finally time for their meal.

Qin Suiyou personally carried two food boxes to the small dining room where the group usually ate. Lu Xi had already called them there and they were seated.

Upon seeing that it was Qin Suiyou carrying the food box, everyone stood up to take it.

"Masakazu, let's do it."

Qin Suiyou took a half step back and said, "No need, it's not heavy. Move over, I'll just put it on the table faster."

The group had no choice but to make way for Qin Suiyou to place the food box on the table. The group, who had been somewhat polite just moments before, were now getting impatient as they smelled the delicious aroma emanating from the food box.

Before opening the food box, Lu Xi said, "This was made by your Lord himself, so not a single bit can be wasted."

Everyone was shocked and somewhat incredulous.

"This……"

Luo Xian frowned and spoke on behalf of everyone: "Today we have overstepped our bounds, and we really do not deserve such kindness from the Emperor."

The others chimed in, "Yes."

Having anticipated this situation, Qin Suiyou smiled helplessly.

"Cooking is my occasional hobby. Lu Xi and Du Ruo have also eaten my cooking. You don't need to be alarmed. Just think of it as you're entertaining me and making me happy. Can't you even do something as simple as helping me taste a dish?"

They wanted to say that they were different from Lu Xi and Du Ruo, but since Qin Suiyou had already said so much, they didn't dare to say anything more.

"We are deeply grateful for your kindness."

"Ouch~ It's alright, it's alright."

Lu Xi broke the mood and eagerly got to the main topic he had been looking forward to today.

"Get ready for your new dish."

As he spoke, he reached his hand onto the lid of the food box.

Qin Suiyou: "Did you wash your hands?"

Lu Xi retorted angrily, "Of course I washed it!"

Everyone was amused, and the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

All eyes turned to the center, anticipating the "delicious" food hidden inside.