Chapter 32

Who Hasn’t Eaten?

By the time Lu Jinsen returned, the sun had already set.

Before the sky turned dark, Meng Chuyuan spread the dough flat on the plate. Then, she slowly cut it into small pieces with a knife and sprinkled some dried osmanthus onto it. Then, she covered it with a steamer and placed it in the pot to steam.

Half an hour later, the first pot of osmanthus pine cake was out of the oven. Continuously, she started to steam the second pot.

When Lu Jinsen returned, he saw wisps of smoke coming from the kitchen. A sweet fragrance assaulted his nose, waking up his stomach.

When he walked into the courtyard, he realized that Meng Chuyuan had already prepared the rock sugar hawthorn and placed it on the dining table. When he passed by, he deliberately stopped for a while and reached out to take the hawthorn skewers to size them up.

[Does this child want to eat candy? Hahahaha.]

[Looks like Lu Jinsen can’t resist the temptation of Sister Meng’s delicacies.]

[Lu Jinsen, you’re not allowed to eat them secretly! Put the candied hawthorn down, do you hear me?]

[If Young Master ends up taking a bite, his persona will collapse, hahaha.]

However, the viewers in the live stream were wrong.

Lu Jinsen had no intention of eating it. He was just a little shocked that such a good-looking rock sugar hawthorn was made by Meng Chuyuan.

He put the hawthorn back, then headed in the direction of the kitchen.

The moment he entered the kitchen, Lu Jinsen’s gaze was attracted by the osmanthus pine cake that had just been baked.

Meng Chuyuan felt someone approaching. She turned around to take a look, then continued to knead the dough.

Lu Jinsen walked in and circled around idly.

After a while, he came to Meng Chuyuan’s side and asked about the progress. “How much of it is left?”

“There’s still a pot of osmanthus pine cake that hasn’t been steamed.”

Lu Jinsen looked up and realized that the osmanthus pine cake that Meng Chuyuan mentioned was placed by the stove. Seeing that she was still kneading the Flour, he frowned in confusion. “Then what are you making now?”

“Fried red bean glutinous rice cake.”

[Ahhhh, fried red bean glutinous rice cake is my favorite. It’s fragrant and sticky and delicious. I’m looking forward to it.]

[Fried red bean glutinous rice cake is really delicious, especially when it’s just out of the oven. It’s hot and soft. It’s extremely delicious.]

[Is there anything Sister Meng doesn’t know? Boohoo, I don’t think so.]

[Sister Meng, why don’t you consider opening a dessert shop? I’m willing to queue up to buy the limited ones!!]

[Who married this woman?! Come out, I want to declare war on you.]

Lu Jinsen felt that it was good to make more food. After all, he did not know how many villagers would come tomorrow. However, when he thought about how the kitchen stove was being used to make these, when would it be time for dinner?

He hesitated for a moment and asked curiously, “So you haven’t started cooking?”

Meng Chuyuan shook her head lightly and said, “No.”

Lu Jinsen: “…”

In the afternoon, he went up the mountain with much difficulty and then helped the old man repair the wall. Lu Jinsen felt tired and hungry. He thought that he would be able to eat when he returned, but in the end, he was just hoping for too much.

“Is there anything I can help with?” He also wanted to help Meng Chuyuan catch up on her progress and make space in the kitchen for her to cook.

When Meng Chuyuan heard this, she tilted her head and looked at him. There was a hint of relief in her eyes. “Take out the osmanthus pine cake from the pot. It’s been steaming for a long time. It should be ready.”

“Alright.” Lu Jinsen followed her instructions and took out the steamed pastries from the pot. He looked at the osmanthus pine cakes placed in front of the stove and said, “Then this plate of pine cakes has to be steamed too, right?”

She nodded. “Right. Make sure you cover it with a cloth before you put it in.”

At the same time…

The other two groups of guests happened to bump into each other on the street and gathered together.

Qi Zhen: “Sister Ke Ke, Sister Yan Yan, what a coincidence.”

When Liao Jiake saw Qi Zhen, she was quite surprised. “What a coincidence. You guys didn’t go back either?”

Qi Zhen scratched his head and said, “We haven’t bought any gifts yet.”

He originally wanted to buy a kite, but Qi Yan was unwilling and even lectured him, causing them to wander the streets like homeless children.

Seeing Liao Jiake carrying a bag of things, Qi Zhen’s eyes were filled with curiosity and envy. “What did you buy?”

“We bought gloves and some children’s stationery.”

Liao Jiake felt that the gloves were useful. When the farmers were laboring in the fields, it could help protect their hands. Then, she recalled that there were quite a number of children left behind in the village, so she bought a lot of pens and notebooks.

Although they had already bought gifts, they still could not find a car to go back to.

Liao Jiake looked at Qi Zhen’s envious and disappointed expression and comforted him. “I think it’s getting late. You guys should hurry up and buy something. Yan Yan and I will look for a car now and we can go back together.”

“Thank you, sisters.” Under Liao Jiake’s comfort, Qi Zhen seemed to have pulled himself together again.

“Hurry on. Yan Yan and I will wait for you here.”

[Ke Ke said that because she knew that it wasn’t easy to find a car. Y’all don’t understand.]

[My darling Ke Ke is too kind. Wuwuwu, I wish that their friendship will last forever.]

[Yan Yan is also very nice. She tacitly agreed to her sister’s actions.]

[Is there any director who is looking for actors? I strongly recommend Liao Jiake and Qi Zhen! Let them work together once, I’m begging you.]

In the end, Qi Zhen and his team hurriedly bought two books. When they returned, Liao Jiake had already found a car for them.

However, the driver who let them hitchhike, still had something to do and could not leave so quickly. At that moment, they could not find any other suitable car to bring them back and could only choose to wait.

After nightfall, the autumn wind gradually turned cold. There were not many pedestrians on the streets, and there were very few cars coming and going.

When they went out in the afternoon, there was sun and it was a little hot, so they did not wear much. Now, they felt a little cold outside.

The four of them stood at the entrance of a convenience store and waited. The wind blew, and the three girls shivered from the cold.

“When can we go back? I’m a little hungry.” Qi Yan crossed her arms, rubbing them together. She was getting impatient.

Liao Jiayan sighed softly and echoed, “Me too.”

Liao Jiake’s heart ached for her sister. She turned to look at the convenience store behind her and said to them, “I still have some money left. Why don’t we go in and buy something to fill our stomachs?”

Qi Zhen: “We happen to have some left too. We should have enough to buy two bowls of instant noodles.”

…

Lu Jinsen steamed the last pot of osmanthus pine cake for Meng Chuyuan. He thought that everything was done, but Meng Chuyuan finished preparing the red bean glutinous rice cakes.

“Are you frying them now?” Seeing Meng Chuyuan holding a plate of wrapped red bean glutinous rice cakes, Lu Jinsen could not help but frown.

Meng Chuyuan: “That’s right. Isn’t it obvious?”

Lu Jinsen’s eyes were filled with disappointment. Seeing that she was busy, he was too embarrassed to say that he was hungry. He pursed his lips. When he lowered his eyes, his gaze suddenly landed on the steamed osmanthus pine cake.

A moment later, he looked up at Meng Chuyuan and glanced at the osmanthus pine cakes from the corner of his eye. He said indicatively, “Can I eat these?”

Meng Chuyuan glanced at him perceptively and smiled. “Hungry?”