Little Sizi came to my house and became the family's darling, and Li Shimin got anxious.

Seeing that the little princess ignored her, Princess Chengyang pouted and glared angrily at the little princess beside her who was only staring at the pot and drooling.

The little princess stared at the meat slices bubbling in the tomato pot, her saliva almost dripping onto the table.

Unexpectedly, the tender beef slices that Li Yinxun picked up for her were put into Chengyang's bowl.

"Second sister, here you go again, don't be angry."

Princess Chengyang looked at the glistening, oily piece of meat in her bowl.

This is meat from the ox-head bowl!

Sizi is usually very possessive of her food, refusing to give up even a single bite. If anyone dares to touch anything in her bowl, she will pout and cry.

But now, she actually gave up her most precious piece of meat.

Chengyang's anger dissipated instantly.

"Okay, I'll forgive you this time."

The little princess immediately smiled, gripped the chopsticks tightly with both hands, and pressed her head against Chengyang's, both staring intently at the bubbling soup in the pot.

Their two pairs of eyes shone like four little stars.

The hot pot was too hot, so it was impossible for the two children to pick it up themselves.

Looking at the two adorable little ones, Li Yinxun's heart instantly melted.

She couldn't help but smile.

The sweet and sour aroma of tomato soup mixed with the spicy and savory flavor of the red broth pot, spreading out in a burst, filling the entire side hall with this enticing aroma.

Everyone's nose twitched.

All eyes were fixed on the two steaming pots.

But no one moved.

The princes and princesses sat upright, their hands neatly placed on their knees, their eyes scanning the unfamiliar objects on the table with a mixture of curiosity and restraint.

Aren't these all raw? How are we supposed to eat them?

The older princes were more reserved, secretly glancing at Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun out of the corner of their eyes, waiting for the emperor and empress to make the first move.

Li Chengqian's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He glanced at the bubbling red soup pot, but he had no appetite and his mind was heavy.

Li Tai sat upright, a slight smile on his lips, his gaze shifting between the table and Li Yinxun, full of inquiry.

Empress Zhangsun looked around and smiled slightly.

I picked up my chopsticks first, took a slice of tender meat, put it into the tomato soup base, and gently swished it a few times. The meat slice changed color, was coated with a light golden broth, and was taken out and put into the bowl.

"Eat slowly, be careful it's hot."

Li Shimin glanced at Empress Zhangsun, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Her movements were graceful and composed, without the slightest sign of panic.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of mutton with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and gently dipped it in the red broth.

The slices of meat instantly curled up and changed color, becoming coated with a layer of bright red oil.

He put it in his mouth, and the spicy and savory flavor exploded in his mouth. The meat was tender and chewy.

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

"Delicious! So novel! Tasty!"

With the Emperor and Empress taking the lead, the tension that had been building up around everyone finally snapped.

The princesses were the first to resist.

The little princess finally managed to pick up a piece and couldn't wait to stuff it into her mouth.

"Ouch—it's so hot!" She hissed, burning her throat, but couldn't bear to spit it out. She puffed out her cheeks and chewed vigorously, her little face full of satisfaction. "So good! It smells so good!"

Chengyang was not to be outdone.

Because of the kindness shown to her over the meat, she and the little princess huddled together, taking turns eating and enjoying themselves immensely.

Chengyang saw Li Yinxun put the vermicelli into the pot to cook and slurp it up, so she tried to do it too.

The rice noodles were slippery, and she sucked them into her mouth, her eyes wide open.

"It's smooth and bouncy!" the little princess exclaimed, turning to share. "You should try this!"

The little princess had a big mouth, and Chengyang picked up a piece of vermicelli with his chopsticks and fed it to her.

The little princess took two bites and nodded her head vigorously.

"Good! Good!"

The other little princesses also completely let loose, forgetting all about ladylike manners, and picked up their chopsticks to choose their favorite meatballs and slices of meat from the tomato broth, their cheeks flushed as they ate.

The princes initially maintained a respectable demeanor.

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, then finally picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of meat, and put it into the red soup pot.

The scalding soup brought out the fresh aroma of the meat, and the spicy flavor rushed into his mouth, instantly dispelling some of the gloom in his heart.

He still didn't talk much, but it wasn't as awkward anymore.

Li Tai ate with ease and elegance, savoring the meat and vegetables as he cooked, occasionally exchanging a few words with Li Shimin beside him.

"This is indeed delicious, Father, you should try it."

"Not bad, not bad. We can try it ourselves in the future."

After everyone had finished eating, Li Yinxun invited them to wait a while, "Please wait a bit before leaving. Um, I brought some small gifts, I hope you won't find them offensive."

The princes and princesses replied, "Auntie is too kind. Of course, the gifts Auntie sends are of good quality."

Li Shimin looked at Li Yinxun with great interest, feeling that although this person did not care much about etiquette, he was not pretentious at all, and did whatever he wanted, which was quite interesting.

Li Yinxun chuckled and took out two items from a pile of things. "Brother-in-law, we parted in a hurry last time and I didn't have time to give you a gift. I'll make it up to you now."

"This is tea, Niulankeng Rougui. Even the entry-level one costs 8000 yuan per jin. You can just brew it with hot water and drink it. This liquor is called Moutai. Many big bosses in my area like to drink it."

Upon hearing the introduction, Li Shimin was extremely intrigued.

"Xiao Xun has gone to great lengths. Well then, since you've given me so many things, just tell me what you want."

Li Yinxun chuckled, "Brother-in-law, let me distribute the other gifts to my nephews first. I won't be polite if you want to give me something."

"You're welcome. Remember to bring me some good things next time you come."

"Brother-in-law, look at what you're saying, it's nothing. I'll bring it to you again next time." Li Yinxun certainly wouldn't refuse Li Shimin's unspoken message, and went along with what Li Shimin said.

Li Shimin was delighted, but he caught a glimpse of Changsun looking at them out of the corner of his eye, so he coughed twice and began to change the subject.

"Xiao Xun still needs to give gifts to the children. If she doesn't give them soon, these children will be eagerly waiting for them."

Li Yinxun nodded and began distributing the items in ascending order of size.

The first gift I'll give is definitely to the little princess. "Sizi, Auntie has never given you a proper gift before, and I don't know what to give you either. This is a Doraemon. I hope you like it."

The little princess was overjoyed to see the robot cat, who was as tall as her, and turned to kiss Li Yinxun on the cheek.

"Pork porridge".

Chengyang's bag is a princess-themed backpack, complete with a pencil case and a set of children's picture books based on Journey to the West.

Chengyang was delighted with it. "Thank you, Auntie. Chengyang likes it very much."

The other princes and princesses looked on with envy, noting that Si Zi and Cheng Yang's gifts were so unique, and wondered what their gifts were like.

Lanling and Chengyang are about the same size, and Li Yinxun chose the large Lingna Belle doll.

Lanling hugged the soft doll, liking it more and more as she looked at it. "Thank you, Auntie."