Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Chapter 222: Picked Up Someone

"Mother, I'm back!" With a clear and loud shout, Canglan Jingcheng ran excitedly towards Su Nuannuan, holding a plump rabbit tightly in his hand.

Not far behind Cang Lan Jingcheng, Ting Xue also had a big smile on her face, and she was carrying two pheasants in her hand.

When Su Nuannuan saw her son return safely from afar, the heart that had been hanging in her throat finally slowly settled back into her stomach.

On the surface, she appeared as calm and composed as ever, strolling leisurely through the mountains with her three maids. But only she knew that deep down she was filled with worry and concern for the children's safety.

However, Su Nuannuan knew that as a mother and mistress, she could not easily reveal this anxiety, lest it affect Jinse and the others and make them worry along with her.

Even if Su Nuannuan didn't say it, Jinse and the others were also worried about the safety of the two young princes. However, they wouldn't show it and add pressure to their mistress.

Seeing the Fifth Prince return safely, Jinse and the others felt a half-relief, but they couldn't relax until the little princess returned safely.

My son is back, and my daughter should be back around the same time.

Just as she was pondering this, a familiar voice suddenly called out, "Mother, look what we've dug up!"

It turned out that their daughter, Canglan Jingyao, had returned. Canglan Jingyao was carrying a small, exquisite bamboo basket on her back. She ran up to Su Nuannuan and eagerly took off the basket, as if she wanted to show off the rare treasures hidden inside.

At the same time, seeing his sister so eagerly presenting her treasures to their mother, Canglan Jingcheng, afraid of falling behind, quickly raised the rabbit in his hand high and stepped forward to Su Nuannuan, saying eagerly, "Mother, look at mine first, this is a rabbit that I worked really hard to catch!"

"Cheng'er is so amazing! He actually managed to catch a rabbit!" Su Nuannuan bent down with a big smile, looking at her son who was excitedly showing off his treasure with great joy and admiration, and praised him without reservation.

Hearing his mother's praise, Canglan Jingcheng looked at his younger sister with pride.

Looking at her brother's smug expression, Canglan Jingyao muttered to herself, "What's so great about catching rabbits? I'll go catch rabbits this afternoon too."

Su Nuannuan seemed not to hear her daughter's grumbling, but instead looked at the small bamboo basket her daughter was carrying. Upon closer inspection, she discovered a long, thin yam lying inside the small basket.

"Yao'er, where did you dig this rare thing from?" Su Nuannuan asked eagerly as she gently took the small yam out of the bamboo basket, her face filled with a mixture of surprise and joy.

Standing to the side, Canglan Jingyao blinked her big eyes, looking somewhat at a loss, and quickly turned her pleading gaze to her master, Muge, beside her.

Seeing this, Mu Ge quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then replied generously, "Your Majesty, this was dug up on a shady hillside. My master once told me that this thing is a rare and good medicinal herb, and gave it a particularly interesting name—'Iron Rod'."

Upon hearing the words "Iron Rod," Su Nuannuan couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying between laughs, "Haha, your master is truly talented! To come up with such a vivid and funny name."

However, this thing is actually called iron yam. And it's not just a medicinal herb.” At this point, Su Nuannuan paused, then continued with a smile, “Besides its medicinal value, iron yam is also a very delicious dish. And it has a companion called yam bean, which is the tiny bean that grows on the yam vine.”

"Mother, can this really be used in cooking?" Canglan Jingcheng's eyes lit up immediately at the mention of food, and he asked Su Nuannuan with anticipation. His round eyes sparkled with excitement, as if he could already see the delicious food laid out before him.

Looking at her son's impatient expression, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You really are a little foodie! Your eyes light up whenever you hear about food." She gently poked Cang Lan Jingcheng's forehead, her eyes full of doting affection.

“However, Mu Ge, you are no longer my maid. You are not allowed to refer to yourself as ‘slave’ anymore.” Su Nuannuan suddenly realized that she had overlooked this matter before and only now remembered to remind Mu Ge.

Upon hearing this, Mu Ge immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. Even though I am now of good birth, in my heart, Your Highness will always be my mistress, and I will always be your servant." Her tone was firm and sincere, and this concept of mistress and servant had long been deeply rooted in her heart.

Hearing Mu Ge's words, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but sigh helplessly. She knew that Mu Ge's mind was unlikely to change in a short time, after all, such deeply ingrained traditional ideas couldn't be eliminated overnight. So, she could only wave her hand and say, "Fine, fine, since you insist on this, then so be it."

"Alright, it's getting late, everyone's tired. We need to find a place to rest for a while and eat some dry rations to replenish our energy. This afternoon, we'll go down the mountain in a different direction." Su Nuannuan glanced at the sun above the forest, estimated the time, and then decisively gave the order.

“Mother, I just saw a small river not far ahead. How about we rest there?” Canglan Jingcheng suggested enthusiastically.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Let's go to the river then." After a moment's thought, Su Nuannuan felt that her son's suggestion was excellent, and immediately decided to go to the river to rest.

Led by Tingxue and Canglan Jingcheng, the group walked briskly and soon arrived at the shimmering riverbank.

Everyone looked closely and saw fish swimming happily in the crystal-clear river, sometimes leaping out of the water and splashing up sparkling water droplets, and sometimes diving to the bottom and disappearing without a trace.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan had an idea. She smiled and suggested, "Just eating those dry rations is really boring. Why don't we catch some fresh fish and make them into grilled fish or stewed into soup? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yaoqin immediately stepped forward and volunteered, "Your Majesty, let this servant go down to the river to catch fish!"

Su Nuannuan nodded slightly in agreement: "That's very good. The rest of you, gather some dry firewood for later use. As for me, I'll go find some seasonings."

Jinse hurriedly said, "Your Highness, let me accompany you, so that we can look after each other."

After a moment's thought, Su Nuannuan felt that Jinse's words made sense, so she readily nodded and replied, "Alright, let's go together then."

In a short while, the group split up and set off. Tingxue and Muge led the two young princes excitedly towards the woods to gather enough firewood; while Yaoqin unhesitatingly waded into the river, using all her skills to try and catch the lively fish. Zhixiang, who remained on the bank, waited for Yaoqin to bring the fish ashore so she could clean them up.

Not long after, Su Nuannuan returned safely with Jinse, each carrying wild onions and wild coriander. On the shore, Zhixiang had already skillfully completed the initial processing of the two fish.

The firewood-gathering team hadn't returned yet, but Su Nuannuan wasn't too worried. Besides Tingxue and Muge in the open, Tingfeng and Tingyu were also following them in the shadows.

However, to her surprise, this small team of firewood gatherers actually brought her a person back with them.