Chapter 68: Who Doesn’t Have It?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Xiaoxiao didn’t think much of it. Second Aunt Ning was the one who started it. She just didn’t let her father know the details after she retaliated. Ning Erlang was thinking about how to shut Shen Tianci up when he saw this guy rush in front of Xiaoxiao with a sharpness that was completely different from his figure.
“Are all the quarrels in the countryside so intense? I saw that you didn’t even stop for a while just now. Did you specially train?”
Xiaoxiao was speechless.
Ning Erlang was speechless.
What else was there to practice when quarreling? Weren’t these things innate?
Xiaoxiao looked at Shen Tianci’s expression carefully and probed, “Did you not win when you quarreled with others?”
Shen Tianci was a little vexed. Wasn’t that because his family followed everything he said? He didn’t even have the chance to practice…
Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. Since he didn’t tell others, she waved at him. “Then I’ll teach you a move. If someone tells you a long story next time that you can’t reply, you can…”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and walked out with a stern face. Her tone was as arrogant as possible, and her eyes were as contemptuous as possible. She said, “Rebound!”
Shen Tianci immediately pulled Ning Erlang to practice as if he had found a treasure. The main point was to grasp the essence of his gaze and tone. Seeing them laughing, Rong Yan cupped his hands and was about to leave.
Xiaoxiao looked at her side, playing and laughing, and then at him being alone. She clenched her fists and coughed lightly, asking, “Have you eaten?”
Rong Yan paused and said, “No.”
Xiaoxiao asked Shen Tianci, “Do you mind having a few more people eat together?”
Shen Tianci did not care, especially when he heard Xiaoxiao say, “There are more people. I can add two more dishes.”
Rong Yan agreed to the invitation, but he came alone. After all, this was a banquet for the Ning family’s guests. It was inappropriate to bring his family along. Yun Yi watched eagerly at the door. While admiring his master for connecting with County Magistrate Shen without batting an eyelid, he swallowed hard.
Rong Yan didn’t explain that he had helped her just now. He suddenly remembered the scene of Ning Xiaoxiao rushing down the mountain with honey in her arms. It was difficult, and she had never told anyone about it, but she gave him most of the honey she got.
He also thought of the exquisite delicacies that Ning Xiaoxiao had sent him repeatedly. They were not related, but she even remembered his eating habits.
The phrase also circled around Liang Yuyin’s words, “Perfectly happy”. This was the simplest and purest blessing. Coincidentally, it was also what he wanted to hear the most.
Only then did he realize that she had unknowingly become so clear in his memory.
However, Xiaoxiao did not know that he had mixed feelings. She counted the number of diners and estimated everyone’s appetite, adding another serving of Soup Dumplings.
“The dishes will take a while. You guys eat this to fill your stomachs first, but you must put it aside for a while.”
Be it Fortune Village or Xijiang County, no one had ever seen such a small bun. Ning Erlang thought his sister wanted to conserve flour and specially made it smaller. However, after taking a bite, he jumped up again.
“Hot, hot, hot, hot!”
Shen Tianci finally realized that Ning Erlang was not trying to seduce him on purpose. However, he carefully put down the little bun that he wanted to put into his mouth.
Xiaoxiao helplessly put down the vinegar that she had just gotten. “Didn’t I say that I would eat it later? Second Brother, are you alright? Do you want to rinse your mouth with cold water?” Fortunately, she had specially put it away for a while before bringing it out.
“It needs to be hung to dry. When it’s not so hot, bite through the skin, drink the soup inside, and then dip it in vinegar.”
Everyone did as they were told and immediately narrowed their eyes in delight.
Even the experienced and knowledgeable butler did not expect to marvel at the wonders of delicacies in a farmer’s house. When he found out that Ning Xiaoxiao had thought of this dish herself, he praised her even more.
Ning Fengnian showed off humbly. “This child has been talented in the kitchen since she was young. We don’t know where she got such strange ideas from. At first, we were worried that she would waste the food. We didn’t expect her to give us surprises every time.”
Then, they even reported a few ideas that sounded whimsical to them.
The butler thought the Ning family’s conditions were not good, but they dared to let this girl do whatever she wanted. It was rare to see them in the countryside, where men were generally favored over women. Then, they were attracted by the hot Pickle Boiled Fish.
Rong Yan did not speak much, but he had been paying attention to Shen Tianci’s reaction, so he did not miss Shen Tianci’s eyes that suddenly lit up when he heard Ning Fengnian mention the names of the dishes, as well as how he would shout “I have this ingredient at home!” every time he heard a dish!
He lowered his eyes, and his smile faded.. “Who doesn’t have one?”