Chapter 167: Our Little Secret
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The snack melted in his mouth and the tip of his tongue turned soft. This novel taste shocked Rong Yan so much that he forgot to be shy. “Is this the sponge cake from last time?”
Xiaoxiao waved her fingers. “This is a new product. It’s made with milk and flour. Is it delicious?”
It looked similar on the outside, but the cake had milk added and had a more fluffy texture.
Before Rong Yan could answer, she said proudly, “You’re the first person besides me to eat it!”
These words lingered in his mind for a long time. Even before he fell asleep late at night, Rong Yan seemed to hear Xiaoxiao say, “You’re number one.”
When he woke up the next morning, Rong Yan was in a rare daze on the bed.
At this moment, smoke was already rising from the chimney next door. Early in the morning, their house had just opened the courtyard door when two pheasants and a piece of wild boar meat were sent over from next door. Ning Fengnian and his wife were too embarrassed to accept them, but Xiaoxiao accepted them generously and even persuaded her parents.
“They don’t know how to cook it if they keep it.”
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. The couple, who had already accepted the fact that their family wanted to open a shop, did not hesitate anymore and even asked Xiaoxiao to prepare a sumptuous lunch. Xiaoxiao smiled maliciously. “Don’t worry, Father and Mother.”
Ning Fengnian and his wife suddenly felt uneasy. However, since they had already said it, they could only let their daughter do as she pleased. Under this indulgence, Xiaoxiao made six dishes, one soup, and half meat and half vegetables.
The tender sweet and sour pork ribs, fresh braised prawns, pheasant stewed mushrooms, coupled with the vegetables, cucumbers, and tofu at home, and a pot of delicious chicken soup. The entire family could not bear to put their chopsticks down.
After dinner, Madam Song and Ning Dalang brought the lunch they had prepared for Ning Fengnian and Erlang to the canal. Xiaoxiao asked Rong Yan and the others to stay behind first and said that she wanted to make them a good meal.
Rong Yan liked the hawthorn drink and fruit tea she had made in the past. This time, he was also filled with anticipation. When everything was ready in the kitchen, Xiaoxiao did not forget to say to Rong Yan, “By the way, don’t let my brother know that I’m making cakes for you.”
Rong Yan was puzzled. “Why?”
Xiaoxiao said mysteriously, “That’s the birthday gift I prepared for Big Brother. Shouldn’t it be kept a secret? Oh right, you won’t leave for the time being when you come back, right? The day after tomorrow is my Big Brother’s birthday. Can you come to my house for a birthday banquet?”
Rong Yan’s expression was a little strange. “A gift for your brother?” Why did she send a gift to someone else to him first?
It was the same for Shen Tianci last time…
Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. Aiya, wouldn’t it seem like she was using the neighbor’s Little Big Brother if she asked him to be a taster? She hurriedly tried to remedy the situation. “It’s mainly because I trust you the most. I just developed a new dish and 1 wanted you to try it first. You said it was delicious, but I felt that I succeeded. If you say it’s not delicious, it means that I still have to work hard.”
“Anyway, this is our little secret!”
She did not notice that the Little Master’s ears were slowly turning red. She even said as she cleaned up, “For example, you’re the first person to drink this milk tea!”
Perhaps the “first” in her words hit a corner of Rong Yan’s heart. When he took the strange “tea” in a small porcelain bowl, he, who had always been very picky about tea leaves, picked it up and took a big sip without thinking.
Unexpectedly, it tasted very good!
Seeing that Rong Yan was sniffing and looking at this cup of milk tea curiously and even stirring it with a teaspoon, drinking the milk tea like the English afternoon tea, Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but sigh that some people’s temperaments were really innate.
However, she did not know that the way she held her chin and admired him drinking tea made his ears feel warmer.
“Is it good?”
Rong Yan nodded and praised, “The tea fragrance and frankincense are very harmonious. It’s mellow and dense. There’s also a unique taste. It’s bitter and sweet.”
He had never thought that cow milk and tea leaves could be combined.
Xiaoxiao said, “That’s because 1 made caramel for this cup of yours. If it’s matched with different tea leaves, it can be mixed into different flavors.”
She propped her chin on her hand and watched as Little Big Brother finished drinking a cup of tea elegantly. She was even more confident about the future. She cleared her throat. “Little Big Brother All Yan, 1 bought a shop that opens outside the county’s academy. What do you think of me selling this milk tea in the shop?”
Rong Yan had never taken care of a shop, so this question was not easy to answer. “1 can only say that 1 like this tea very much personally.”
Xiaoxiao smiled. “If you like it, there’s definitely no problem.”
Did she trust him so blindly?
Just as Rong Yan was thinking this, Xiaoxiao added, “Actually, 1 still want to ask if Little Big Brother wants to come with me?”
Rong Yan felt his heart skip a beat.
Xiaoxiao was completely unaware and added, “Like I said just now, I opened a shop. Little Big Brother, it’s also very tiring for you guys to keep going up the mountain to hunt like this. Do you want to open a shop with me? Even if you don’t lack money, you can still have an additional livelihood, right?”
Rong Yan’s heartbeat returned to normal. So that was what she meant.
“Why do you want to work with me?”
Xiaoxiao was very honest with her potential business partner. “First of all, we need people to open a shop. You know my family’s situation. There is a lot of work but not enough people. I definitely can’t let Father and Mother help me. As for hiring people, firstly, I can’t afford it. Secondly, I’m not at ease. It’s a small matter to have my recipes stolen. It’ll be troublesome if the people 1 hire are sloppy and don’t do according to my requirements.”
She pointed at herself and said, “After all, I’m young and can’t suppress my employees.”
“But you’re different. You have a good character and are highly skilled in martial arts. You can be intimidating when you encounter someone who comes to cause trouble. However, there’s no hurry. You can consider it first and give me an answer in a few days.”
After Little Big Brother returned home, Xiaoxiao returned to the kitchen and filled a bucket of Ning Xiaoxiao’s hand-made caramel milk tea with a bamboo container made by her father. She placed it in the space and waited for the notification.
[Ding! Caramel milk tea has been recorded for the first time. Reward: 500 points! Current total points are 10,000 points!!!!! Master, Master, do you want to use points to upgrade your space?]
Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and nodded with a smile. [Upgrade immediately.]
When Ning Dalang came to the kitchen to help, he only saw a clean bamboo tube on the stove. The bowls and chopsticks had been washed, and a fragrance came from the pot. He lifted the lid of the pot and saw a pot of brown liquid. This was… tea? Cow milk?
Where was his sister?
On the other hand, Rong Yan, who had returned home, found out about Xiaoxiao’s experiences over the past few days from Ying Zi’s report. When he found out that that bastard Tong Bin actually wanted to hurt her, his expression instantly turned cold. He suddenly remembered that Xiaoxiao had said just now, “What if we meet someone who comes to cause trouble.”
Was she… frightened? She said that she wanted him to open a shop together with her, but she was actually afraid that she would encounter that kind of thing again?
That was true. No matter how strong and bright she usually looked, she was still a young lady…
Yun Yi said, “County Magistrate Shen has already ordered him to be stripped of his lawyer qualifications. Also, he will be punished with 20 strokes of the paddle and locked up in the prison to await his punishment.”
Rong Yan put his hands behind his back and thought of Ning Xiaoxiao’s trust in him when she invited him to open a shop with her. “It’s not enough..”
