Duoduo couldn't help but steal a quick glance at her father.
She saw that her father seemed not to have heard her mother's question and was calmly skimming the tea leaves and sipping his tea.
Duoduo blinked her big eyes.
"Maybe the Great - great - grandmother was too lonely?" Duoduo replied rather ambiguously.
After a moment's hesitation, Su Xian nodded in agreement.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is really too lonely."
"Duoduo, when you have time, go to your Great - great - grandmother's place and keep her company."
"Consider it as fulfilling filial piety for the Prince and me." Su Xian was a very filial person.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue secretly.
If her mother knew the real reason she stayed in the palace, she definitely wouldn't say such things.
Duoduo obediently replied, "Okay, mother."
At this time, Lianxin came in with some maids.
"Princess, come and taste this freshly - made ice cream cheese. How does it taste?"
Lianxin smilingly picked up a bowl of ice - cold dessert and placed it beside Duoduo's hand.
"Wow! It looks so tempting!"
Duoduo couldn't help but exclaim.
The milky ice cream cheese was white, with red and yellow candied fruits sprinkled on top.
It really looked delicious.
"Thank you!" Duoduo politely expressed her gratitude.
"It's all my duty, Princess." Lianxin quickly bowed.
Duoduo smiled. She picked up the spoon beside her, scooped up a spoonful, and put it into her mouth.
The cold, glutinous, and sweet taste made Duoduo's eyes curve with pleasure.
"It's so delicious!" Duoduo couldn't help but swallow it and then scooped up another spoonful.
Xiao Yi saw Duoduo's way of eating and then looked at the ice cream cheese in his hand. As if tempted, he picked up the bowl.
In the past, he wouldn't even touch such things.
Just now, he just made an excuse to stay.
Now, he somehow scooped up a spoonful and put it into his mouth.
The cold taste instantly dispelled a lot of the summer heat from his body.
Well.
It seemed quite good.
Xiao Yi ate it in small mouthfuls. Duoduo soon finished her bowl.
"The food at home is still the best!" Duoduo put down the bowl and sighed happily.
Su Xian smiled gently.
"My dear, what silly things you're saying. Are you tired? Go back to your room and have a rest quickly."
Duoduo gave Su Xian a sweet smile and looked around.
"Mother, why haven't I seen my maternal grandmother and my two cousins?"
Su Xian looked at Duoduo with a hint of amusement.
"What? Do you still want to listen to your maternal grandmother's nagging?"
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
"No!"
"Father, mother, I'll go back to my room to rest first!"
Duoduo bowed to Xiao Yi and Su Xian and then walked out with her maids.
As soon as she stepped out of the door, she hurriedly gave an order.
"Qingliu, go and prepare hot water. I want to take a bath and change my clothes!"
"Yes, I'll go and prepare it right away!" Qingliu didn't even have time to bow and quickly ran off.
After staying in the Punishment Department for a few days, Duoduo felt as if she was soaked in a strange smell.
Duoduo raised her hand and smelled the odor on herself.
"Ugh!"
Duoduo showed a look of disgust and put down her hand.
Duoduo couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
Just now, when she threw herself into her father's arms, how did her father manage not to push her away?
She knew that her father had a slight case of mysophobia.
Her mother was the same. It was as if she didn't smell the odor on Duoduo at all.
Did they endure it and not show it just so as not to make her feel embarrassed?
Thinking of this, Duoduo quickened her pace.
When she returned to her room, Qingliu and the others had already carried the hot water there.
Lüdou had picked the pomelo leaves when passing by the garden.
Qingliu was watching the servants pour the hot water into the bathtub when she suddenly saw the pomelo leaves beside.
"Hey, Lüdou, why are these leaves here?"
Lüdou paused with the towel in her hand. She didn't know how to explain.
"I asked Lüdou to prepare them." Duoduo came to the rescue at this time.
Qingliu was a bit puzzled.
"Princess, do you want to take a bath with pomelo - leaf water?
"Or, let me go and get you some flower petals. Bathing with them is more fragrant!"
Saying that, Qingliu was about to go out.
"No need today. Just use these pomelo leaves. It'll be cool after the bath!"
Duoduo waved her hand.
She raised her hands, and Lüdou quickly stepped forward to help her take off her outer clothes.
"Qingliu, stay and help me. Lüdou, you and Nanny Li can go down."
These days, Lüdou and Nanny Li had been with Duoduo, and they also smelled not so good.
Both Lüdou and Nanny Li responded. They understood what Duoduo meant.
Hearing Duoduo's order, Qingliu was very happy.
Normally, Duoduo used to call on Lüdou more often.
This was a rare opportunity for her to get closer to the princess.
"Princess, I'll wash the leaves and then put them in the bathwater."
Qingliu rolled up her sleeves, rinsed the pomelo leaves with clean water, and then put them into the bathtub.
With Qingliu's help, Duoduo stepped into the bathtub and sat down.
Qingliu carefully untied Duoduo's hair. After combing it smoothly, she scooped up the warm water beside and washed Duoduo's hair.
The warm water flowing over her scalp made Duoduo sigh happily.
Qingliu couldn't help but smile.
"Princess, is the palace really not as good as the Pingyang Prince's Mansion?"
Duoduo picked up a pomelo leaf with both hands and scooped up water to pour on her body.
"Even a gold or silver nest can't compare to one's own shabby home. Qingliu, have you heard this saying?"
Qingliu carefully poured water on Duoduo's hair. "Yes, of course, I've heard of it, Princess."
"But it's the imperial palace!"
"I've heard that even the chamber pots in the palace are made of gold!"
"The bowls and dishes for eating are all made of silver."
"They eat mountain delicacies and drink the finest nectar!"
"Giggle!"
Duoduo was amused by Qingliu's words.
"Qingliu, who told you that? Nectar? Giggle!"
Qingliu was very curious. "Isn't it true? I heard the kitchen maids in the mansion say so!"
"Do you know what 'hearsay' means?" Duoduo patted her face with a pomelo leaf.
Pomelo leaves could ward off bad luck, so she wanted to pat her face more.
"Hearsay? What does it mean, Princess?" Qingliu was not afraid to ask when she didn't understand.
"It means that the things you hear may not be true." Duoduo explained concisely.
Qingliu was stunned. "Ah? I thought it was true."
"I was even regretting that I didn't go into the palace with you to see the world!"
"The kitchen maids were laughing at me for having no good fortune..."
When Qingliu said this, she felt quite embarrassed.
She was so excited to see Duoduo come back that she accidentally blurted out the truth.
The smile on Duoduo's face grew even wider.
"Qingliu, if you really went into the palace with me, maybe you wouldn't think so!"
Who said that going into the palace was definitely a blessing?
"Has anything special happened in the mansion recently?"
