Page 12 of Dragons & Dumplings

"Is that it?" I ask, checking between the scrap of paper containing his instructions and the eggs. It doesn't seem like acomplicated thing, and yet it's not something I've come across before.

He nods. "That's it. We'll put them in the ice house and look at them tomorrow."

"It feels too simple."

He laughs. "We haven't tried to use them to bake with yet," he points out.

"Fair enough." But I'm looking forward to it. Discovering a new ingredient is always exciting, and this might even help me feel like I have common ground with the Shengda delegation, which can only be a good thing.

Chapter 6

With everything cleared away and the salted egg yolks safely in the ice house, it's finally time for baking. I'm both nervous and excited to be recreating the pork buns made by Lady An's cook.

I flip open my leatherbound journal to the right page while Nate gets some of the ingredients ready. "I already wrote the recipe down for myself, so this one is yours."

"You didn't have to do that, you could have kept the one I gave you."

"Well, now you can." I'm pleased with myself when I see the small smile on his face. I'm not very good at reading people, but it's possible when it comes to Nate.

"All right, well, everything's ready." He waves to the selection of ingredients.

"You don't have to do everything for me, you know," I say.

"This helps me too, Evie."

I open my mouth to say something, but he shakes his head.

"I get that you love baking, and I'm glad that you get to do this. But I'm notjustdoing this for you. I'm doing it for me too. Do you think I'd be able to try half of what I do if I couldn't tellmy bosses that a princess wants to do it? I'd never get a chance to try and make something just for fun. So yes, I got everything ready, because this isn't just about you."

I nod, looking down and trying not to let his words sting when they shouldn't. "I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," he assures me as he heads over to the sink to wash his hands. "But you also don't need to pretend that I'm doing you some huge favour just because you're my friend. I mean, I am doing this because I'm your friend, but I'm also doing it because I enjoy trying out new recipes and finding new methods. The fact I like spending time with you is just an added advantage."

"I like it too," I respond softly.

"Good. Do you want to check on your egg before we get started?"

I nod and head over to the oven. I grab one of the cloths to protect my hands and pull it open. The heavy metal door is hot even through the protection, and the fire warms my face the moment the oven is open. To the left, my green egg sits nestled between some hot stones. The firelight glints off it, but it's otherwise unchanged since it was in the box Ambassador Zixian gave me.

"I wonder how we'll know when it's ready," I muse.

Nate laughs. "Presumably, when someone opens the oven and they find a dragon sitting there instead of an egg."

"Maybe I should have thought it through and put it somewhere else."

"It will be fine," he assures me. "What are the chances that I'm not going to be in here when it hatches?"

"I'll be glad if your face is the first my dragon sees," I respond. I close the oven door and go to wash my own hands so I'm ready to bake with Nate. "All right, what's first?" I ask as if I haven't read the recipe multiple times.

"We need to make the filling. Luckily, the delegation brought most of the ingredients we need with them." He waves over to where a couple of glass bottles sit. "We don't have several of these."

"Except for the red yeast rice."

"I think they have it, they just don't want to give it to us," he points out.

I make my way over and pick up one of the bottles. I unstopper it and smell it, wrinkling my nose. "That's strong."

"Yes."

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