Checkup, When Can We Have Sweet Dumpling

Ever since Little Dumpling was born, Serena Feng's entire life has revolved around him. For a long time, she centered everything on her son. Though she never truly neglected Prince Nolan, most of her attention was still on Little Dumpling.

A year ago, Serena moved out of Little Dumpling's palace, but every hour she would ask what he was doing, and at night she always waited for him to fall asleep before leaving.

This time, heading out to sea, Serena considered the dangers and listened to Prince Nolan's advice—not taking Little Dumpling with them. But she truly couldn't let go, always feeling like something was missing...

"I wonder if Little Dumpling has cried?" No sooner had they left than Serena began to worry. What if he started fussing?

"Leaving Little Dumpling alone in the palace—will he be scared?"

Most mothers worry when their sons travel far from home; Serena, on the other hand, is the one traveling and still fretting over her son left behind. Her body may have left, but her heart is still in the palace.

Prince Nolan was also worried about Little Dumpling, but seeing Serena so entirely absorbed made him unhappy: "Can you not keep bringing up Little Dumpling? In the palace, he’s got Feng Jin, Zuo An, the Snow Wolves, and Felix Fuller—he’ll be fine."

"I know he’ll be safe, but I worry that if he doesn’t see us all day, he’ll start looking for us." Serena’s face was full of concern. "What should I do? We’ve only just left, and I already want to turn back."

She’d never been like this before. No matter how long she was away from home, she never worried about anything happening there—but now it was different. Now, her son was at home.

Prince Nolan sighed helplessly and pulled her into his arms. "Little Dumpling will grow up one day, and he’ll leave us sooner or later. You have to get used to it."

"But he’s still so little." Serena leaned into Prince Nolan’s arms, taking the chance to act cute. "Next time we go out, can we bring Little Dumpling with us?"

"No way!" Prince Nolan refused without even thinking. If they brought Little Dumpling along, what would be the point of going out at all?

"Little Dumpling needs to be tempered by experience. You wouldn’t want your son to live his whole life tucked away in a palace corner, would you?" Serena looked up at Prince Nolan, her big eyes full of hope.

Prince Nolan tapped her nose lightly. "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. Forget it... Whether Little Dumpling goes out to train is up to him. If he wants to go, I won’t stop him; if he doesn’t, I won’t force him out either."

"You’re his father—it’s your job to teach him." Serena tugged at Prince Nolan’s sleeve, acting cute. "Next time, can we go out as a family of three?"

Prince Nolan coughed awkwardly—he wanted to say yes, but...reason took over. "No! If Little Dumpling were a girl, I’d take her everywhere."

A son doesn’t need to be coddled too much. It’s normal for boys to get knocked around a bit...

"You favor girls over boys—wait, no, you’re just making excuses! You only say this because Little Dumpling is a boy. If he were a girl, you’d never say that." Serena turned away in a huff. This man was getting pettier by the day. He claimed he didn’t compete with his son, but wasn’t he doing exactly that?

"I’d say the same if Little Dumpling were a girl. If you don’t believe me, let’s have a daughter and see! This time, I promised Little Dumpling I’d bring him back a little brother and sister." Prince Nolan laughed and pulled Serena back. "Don’t be mad. Little Dumpling is a boy and the eldest—he should shoulder more. I’m strict with him for his own good. Once we have a Sweet Dumpling and Little Treasure, he won’t have to bear so much."

"I just feel sorry for Little Dumpling. He’s so young, yet he has to take on so much." Serena knew Prince Nolan was doing it for their son’s sake, but she couldn’t help feeling reluctant.

"With every responsibility comes a matching right. One day, he’ll be the master of this realm—he’s not like everyone else." Little Dumpling may be their son, but he’s also the future ruler of the nation.

"Little Dumpling carries the livelihood of millions on his shoulders. A single decision from him could affect the entire continent. We can’t spoil him." The education of an emperor is crucial; the Former Dynasty lasted so many generations because their standards for an emperor were strict.

"Little Dumpling is my heir. He holds supreme power, but he’ll also pay a price that ordinary people can’t imagine. If we coddle him, we’re not just failing him—we’re failing all the people of the Nine Provinces."

Prince Nolan loves Little Dumpling more than anyone else. He’s his own flesh and blood, his and Serena’s first child. If he didn’t love him, he wouldn’t have named him himself; if he didn’t love him, he wouldn’t have protected him all this time, refusing to declare him Crown Prince and keeping him safe behind the scenes...

He loves Little Dumpling no less than Serena does. It’s exactly because he loves him that he can’t spoil him: "Serena, our son is destined for greatness." So don’t treat their child like any ordinary family’s.

"I understand. I just can’t bear it." Serena leaned into Prince Nolan’s embrace, listening to his heartbeat, her heart aching. "It’s because I know he’s destined to be extraordinary that I want him to have a happy childhood, to enjoy a few more years of carefree living."

"Children of the imperial family don’t get a childhood. Little Dumpling doesn’t have to compete with others, but he does have to compete with himself." Prince Nolan absentmindedly patted Serena. "Serena, this is a test for us, and for Little Dumpling too. Even without us around, he’ll do just fine."

"I was overthinking. Who in or out of the palace would dare neglect Little Dumpling?" Serena smiled, finally at ease. "I just worry too much. I know he’s surrounded by people who care, but I still fret about him getting sick or going hungry, afraid the servants won’t take good enough care of him."

"If only you cared about me as much as you do about Little Dumpling." Prince Nolan sounded jealous, hugging Serena tighter and lowering his voice in her ear. "Serena, shouldn’t we keep our promise to Little Dumpling and bring him home a little sister? I want a Sweet Dumpling who looks just like you."

"What are you thinking... in broad daylight?" Serena struggled out of Prince Nolan’s arms and quickly glanced outside. Seeing the guards and shadow guards far away, she finally relaxed.

Doing anything in broad daylight—how embarrassing!

"Serena, what are you so nervous about? Even if I wanted to do something, it wouldn’t be right now." Prince Nolan grinned, not closing in on Serena, but instead pulling over a chair and sitting down. Then he crooked a finger at her: "Come here..."

"What are you up to?" Serena looked wary, backing away step by step. That man’s smile was just too mischievous—she had a bad feeling about this.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not going to eat you." Prince Nolan leaned forward, pulling Serena into his lap and holding her tightly in place. "Give me a checkup—how’s my recovery coming along? When can we have our Sweet Dumpling?"

As for the method of checking—

Ahem... Is there any method more accurate than hands-on practice?