radicalducati Page 38
Page 38
Zhang Zheng frowned, his fingertips hovering above the white porcelain plate, hesitant to bring them down.
The osmanthus rice cake on the plate was exquisitely made, with a layer of fine icing sugar sprinkled on the surface and a few plump osmanthus flowers embedded in it. The steam carrying the sweet fragrance wafted into my nose, which was truly enticing.
But Deng Qiyue's behavior was very strange—just now, when he reached out to take the snacks three times, Deng Qiyue immediately stopped chewing, his eyes shining as if they were about to burst, his excitement as if he was waiting for some good show to begin.
This... could it be that they added something weird?
Zhang Zheng secretly glanced at Wang Quanzui and Qingmu Yuan sitting next to him.
The two sat there, elbows propped on the table, hands folded in front of them, with faint smiles on their faces, but they didn't say a word of advice or touch the pastries on their plates. They just watched quietly.
There is fraud, there is definitely fraud!
The alarm bells in Zhang Zheng's mind rang even louder.
But Deng Qiyue kept chewing and urging, "Eat quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold!"
The urgency in his tone only made Zhang Zheng a little stubborn.
He closed his eyes and quickly prepared himself mentally—it's just a snack, isn't it?
Even if there is some "surprise", at worst it will be too sweet or too salty, so what?
With a determined heart, Zhang Zheng picked up a piece of rice cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
The moment your teeth touch the rice cake, its soft and fluffy texture melts away. The delicate fragrance of osmanthus blends with the sweetness of glutinous rice, spreading across your tongue. The sweetness is just right, not cloying at all, and even has a hint of milky aroma. After swallowing, the lingering taste of osmanthus remains in your throat.
Hmm? It tastes delicious.
Zhang Zheng paused for a moment, then subconsciously took another bite.
When he looked up at Deng Qiyue, he saw that the other man's smile had deepened, and his mouth was almost stretched to his ears.
He raised an eyebrow at Zhang Zheng and then winked.
I thought you were going to play a trick on me, but you weren't. So, isn't that playing a trick on me in a different way?
He glared at Deng Qiyue, but couldn't resist picking up another piece of rice cake and, imitating the other, stuffing it into his mouth.
The sweet aroma exploded in my mouth, and all my previous wariness and hesitation were completely washed away by this delicious rice cake.
Aoki Yuan and Wang Quanzui exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes, and then chuckled softly.
Wang Quanzui nudged Qingmu Yuan lightly with his elbow, a smile in his eyes.
"Two idiots..."
However, they didn't stop them.
After all, they had practiced following the recipe for several days and were already quite adept at it.
I steamed several large plates of rice cakes today. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to finish them, but now that someone is willing to do so, it saves me the trouble.
Watching the two boys scrambling to eat the snacks, Aoki Yuan quietly pushed another plate of freshly heated rice cakes over to them, her eyes full of gentle smiles.
Looks like I'm not so bad after all...
"Hey hey hey, what are you eating that makes you so happy?"
Teasing voices came from the doorway. Everyone looked up and saw Mu Shenqi walking in slowly with his hands in his pockets (back then... he probably had pockets).
He watched Deng Qiyue and Zhang Zheng glaring at each other, which amused him so much that he raised an eyebrow.
"I thought it was something special that made you two eat it so enthusiastically."
Mu Shenqi approached the dining table, bent down and picked up a piece of the remaining osmanthus rice cake. His fingertips touched the warm cake, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus immediately filled his nose.
He took a small bite, and the soft, fluffy glutinous rice melted on his tongue. The sweet but not cloying taste instantly won over his taste buds, and he couldn't help but nod in praise.
"Oh? It tastes pretty good."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Wang Quanzui and Qingmu Yuan, his tone full of approval: "Not bad, Xiao Zui, Mu Yuan, your cooking skills are good, the taste is very good."
Upon hearing this, Wang Quanzui immediately straightened his back, a hint of smug pride on his face, and raised his chin slightly.
"That's right, look who made it! I practiced with Sister Qing for several days, and we adjusted the amount of icing three times."
Aoki Hime, standing to the side, was more reserved. She gently curved the corners of her lips and spoke in a soft voice.
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it. If you think it's not sweet enough, there's honey over there that you can dip it in."
Mu Shenqi nodded with a smile, took another big bite of rice cake, and out of the corner of his eye saw Deng Qiyue and Zhang Zheng still "secretly competing" and couldn't help but tease them.
"You two eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you, be careful not to choke."
Upon hearing this, Deng Qiyue and Zhang Zheng paused simultaneously, exchanged a glance, and then tacitly increased their chewing speed.
"Did you hear that? Be careful not to choke."
"Oh my, young master Zhang is so delicate. He has such a thin voice and he only drinks porridge?"
"Unlike you, you're just a good-for-nothing."
"Damn it, wanna have a match? You sissy."
"Come on, are you afraid of me? You're just a good eater."
"Um... what are they doing..."
"Oh, Qinghan, you've finally decided to go out! Come and try our cooking."
"It's been a long time, Qinghan."
"Hello everyone..."
Chapter 49 Showdown
The fragrance of flowers drifted into Ya Ya's bedroom through the window.
Tu Shan Ya Ya curled up on the soft couch, her fox ears drooping listlessly.
Even her usually bright eyes were veiled with an inescapable sadness.
"Okay, Ya Ya, you've already tried your best. You just haven't practiced enough. You'll get better."
Tu Shan Rongrong carried over a cup of warm honey water, her petite figure sitting down on the soft couch, her voice gentle.
She handed the honey water to Ya Ya, "Would you like to try some, my dear sister..."
Ya Ya didn't take the honey water; she just buried her head deeper into the quilt, and muffled sounds came from between the brocade curtains.
"Hmm... Rongrong, do you think I'm really bad?"
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
Rongrong put down the honey water, moved even closer, and gently patted Ya Ya's hand with her small hand.
My older sister is always optimistic and confident, with a big, carefree smile on her face.
But in recent years, Ya Ya has become like a different person. She often stares blankly into space, is depressed, and now she has even expressed self-doubt.
Rongrong sighed softly to herself.
Tu Shan Ya Ya, self-doubt—these two words would never have been associated with her in the past.
But now, looking at her sister's listless appearance, Rongrong had to admit that it had indeed happened.
Could it really be like that famous line from a folk tale—that loving someone can make you feel inferior?
However... to be fair, that Mu Qinghan is indeed quite something.
At a young age, he reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, and in just three years, he broke through from Demon King to the peak of Great Demon King.
It is said that he even managed to escape unscathed after threatening the Demon Emperor of Beishan.
A few days ago, he single-handedly destroyed the Heavenly Immortal Academy.
The strongest genius in human history, at this age, has only just barely reached the threshold of becoming a Great Demon King.
As for the demon race, let's not even go there; most demons of this age haven't even taken human form yet.
Maybe they're hiding somewhere in the mountains, fighting with their companions to dig for wild vegetables and chase butterflies.
How could anyone compare to Mu Qinghan, who had already established a formidable reputation?
Thinking about it this way, it's not entirely unreasonable that Ya Ya feels pressured.
And... that kid seems to have a really bad attitude towards his sister.
Those are hurtful words.
Tu Shan Ya Ya lowered her head, her voice sounding aggrieved.
"I tried my best, but the desserts I made still tasted awful..."
She paused, recalling how Rongrong and Sister Honghong had frowned while tasting the snacks yesterday, yet still insisted on saying "not bad," and her nose began to sting again.
"You and my sister were so kind to coax me, and I was so naive and self-important, actually thinking I had a talent for baking, that I could make something that would surprise everyone..."
"And what was the result? It was just my own wishful thinking."
As soon as she finished speaking, a soft touch landed on her head—Rongrong tiptoed and gently patted the top of her head with her small hand.
"Oh dear, sister, what are you saying! Even the most talented person needs to practice when learning something new. You've only just started, so it's perfectly normal for you not to get the sugar and flour ratio right or to not be able to control the heat."
Rongrong walked around to Yaya's side, tilting her little face up with bright eyes.
"Just try a few more times! If you really can't, Rongrong will practice with you every day, from kneading the dough to baking, we'll take it one step at a time."
"Sister, you're so smart. You learned ice magic after just one look, so you'll definitely find the knack for making desserts quickly too!"
Ya Ya looked up, her eyes still red-rimmed, her long eyelashes glistening with tiny drops of water, her tone hesitant.
"Is that so...? Can I really do this well?"
"Yeah! I promise!"
Rongrong nodded vigorously, her little head shaking like a rattle drum. Suddenly, she changed the subject, leaned close to Ya Ya's ear, and whispered, "But sister, why are you so persistent in making desserts? Who is it for?"
Ya Ya's ears perked up instantly, then drooped down just as quickly. Her cheeks looked as if they had been painted with rouge, and even the base of her ears turned bright red.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words back, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt even tighter.
She stammered for a long time but couldn't get the rest of her sentence out.
Seeing this, Rongrong quickly raised her little hand, made a "swearing" gesture, and said softly.