Chapter 47 Mango Rice and Some Snacks

With the recent adjustment to tiered electricity pricing, peak-hour electricity is twice as expensive as off-peak hours. Ningjia has been busy since early this morning, trying to finish all the housework before eight o'clock.

She washed the clothes and sheets, boiled two large kettles of water, fully charged her phone and power bank, and turned on the living room air conditioner early in the morning, setting it to a low temperature to make the most of the relatively cheap electricity in the morning.

The little people get up even earlier.

When Ning Jia brought over two plates of steamed corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, they were already sitting around the "work area" next to the sofa, diligently working. This made Ning Jia, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and looking quite relaxed, seem like a leisurely person.

Of course, she is indeed a leisurely person now.

Ning Jia, a leisurely person, placed the freshly prepared breakfast on the coffee table. Watching the little figures diligently cleaning the herbs, he couldn't help but feel a little itchy to join in.

"Can I try it too?"

Cang Lan worked swiftly, clearing away the stems and leaves of a kind of herb, before finally glancing at Ning Jia:

“This task is quite challenging for you. I think you should think about what to have for lunch today.”

Ning Jia was speechless at these words.

Now even Canglan speaks to her more directly, no longer beating around the bush. She also likes this straightforward way of communicating, but she is often choked by the dwarfs' sharp tongue.

"...Never mind, I'll go buy groceries later."

After eating some eggs and corn and drinking some milk to finish her breakfast, Ning Jia realized that she really had nothing to do, so she reluctantly picked up her basket and prepared to go to the market.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Daoya and the others watering the vegetable garden in the yard. She stopped and went over to take a look at the vegetables in the nursery.

"Wow, these little bok choy are quite tender. Although the leaves aren't big, they look ready to eat. How about we pick some and make a bok choy and egg soup for lunch?"

Ning Jia's wicked hands were poised to strike, just as she was about to reach for the tender green cabbage leaves, Dao Ya hurriedly called out to Shi Ying, who then turned the hose around and poured water onto Ning Jia's hand.

"Ning Jia, don't steal vegetables!"

This wave of tap water attack was extremely fast. Ning Jia subconsciously took a step back and withdrew her hand that was reaching for the vegetable leaves.

"These vegetables aren't fully grown yet, so we can't pick them."

Licorice also came bounding over from the other end of the nursery, shouting loudly.

Ning Jia, who was mistaken for a "vegetable thief," looked up at the sky speechlessly.

When they first started planting vegetables, these guys were eagerly anticipating their growth and had even planned out their menu. Now, seeing how well they're doing, they're treating the vegetables like precious treasures and are too reluctant to eat them.

Pshaw, do they really think they're interested in these paltry sums? I'm just kidding them.

Ning Jia looked up at the already hot sun, stopped arguing with them, and quickly rode her bike to the market.

...

The vegetable market near Ning Jia's home is quite large, and there are various daily necessities, breakfast and snack shops, fruit shops, etc. scattered around it, making shopping very convenient.

Ning Jia parked her electric scooter, slung her basket over her shoulder, and walked into the narrow alley. A dazzling array of colorful signs flashed before her eyes. Before she even reached the market, her gaze was drawn to a particularly flamboyant sign:

"...Wholesale Polar Bear Cold Drinks?"

Standing under the scorching sun, Ning Jia, slightly sweating, couldn't help but lick her lips.

Come to think of it, she hasn't bought cold drinks wholesale in a long time since she started living frugally. She didn't feel anything before because she didn't eat them, but now she seems to have become craving them. As soon as she sees the words "cold drinks," she can't move her legs.

"Let's just go in and take a look. Taking a look doesn't mean we'll buy anything."

She muttered something to herself as if trying to convince herself, and stepped into the store without the slightest hesitation.

"Wow, it feels so cool!"

As soon as she entered, Ning Jia sighed.

The air conditioning in this cold drink shop was blasting, and there were rows of large freezers on all four sides, making it even colder and giving people a chilling visual effect.

She didn't take the shopping basket from the door, but instead started browsing through the freezers:

Wow, it's Chocliz! The packaging is still the same, but I don't know if it tastes the same. She loved eating this when she was a child, and Ms. Ning would fill a whole refrigerator drawer with it every time.

And there's the little snowman! This was also one of her favorite foods when she was little, but it feels like it's become more and more "fake" over time and doesn't taste as good as it used to.

Green Mood still sells them! These mung bean popsicles were Ms. Ning's favorite, but she doesn't eat them anymore. She's health-conscious, after all, and can't eat something as cold as a drink...

They even have Baskin-Robbins, Magnum, and Häagen-Dazs?

Ning Jia looked at the various brands in the freezer with some surprise. Just as she was marveling at it, a boy who looked like a high school student next to her was carrying a shopping basket and throwing in Cornetto, Magnum, and Baskin-Robbins without blinking. In no time, the basket was full.

Well, I guess I'm just too poor. Look how extravagant they are, they just throw in a whole basket of Magnum ice cream.

Ning Jia wandered around for a while, then realized it was getting late. She hesitated about whether to buy some cheap mung bean soup or something similar, but then thought it was unnecessary and that she might as well stay home and drink some lemon water.

While she was hesitating, her gaze suddenly stopped and fell on a cardboard box on the counter. The box read "Old-fashioned ice shaver, 20 yuan each," and she immediately became interested.

Yes, instead of spending money on popsicles, why not buy this shaved ice machine and make your own cold drinks at home?

A single green shaved ice stick costs 2 yuan wholesale, so 20 yuan can only buy ten sticks, which will be gone in a few days. But this shaved ice machine is different; it costs the same 20 yuan, but can be used repeatedly...

Ning Jia's mind started automatically calculating, and all sorts of shaved ice images flashed through her mind...

As Ning Jia walked out of the ice cream shop, she found an ice shaved ice machine in her basket and a green "Mood" drink in her hand, a free gift from the shop owner.

Hehe, eating some mung bean soup on a hot day is indeed thirst-quenching and refreshing. This free popsicle is even sweeter and cooler, which is very refreshing.

...

To ensure his partners could work comfortably, Ning Jia put a lot of effort into preparing lunch for them.

In the summer, the kitchen is almost like an oven. She still prepares the food while enjoying the air conditioning at the coffee table. After returning to the kitchen, she works even faster, marinating the cold dishes and starting to stir-fry.

The dishes she made this time weren't proper meals; they were more like street food. Ning Jia thought that since it was too hot, everyone might not have much of an appetite, so she might as well come up with something different to stimulate their appetite.

So, the golden and crispy fried salt and pepper fish were placed on the coffee table, and the cold cloud shreds (non-spicy version) sprinkled with sesame seeds and peanuts were also served. Other dishes such as roasted potatoes, egg rolls, tea-flavored quail eggs (non-tea version), and mixed vegetable salad were also served.

Today's buffet was as colorful, nutritious, and delicious as ever.

The final dessert was even more impressive, no longer the usual fruit with yogurt, nor the candied apples that had previously captured the hearts of the little people's foodies.

When Ning Jia brought out the pure white and glistening mango sticky rice, the little people discovered it was another dish they had never seen before, and they all looked over curiously.

“This is called mango sticky rice. You know what sticky rice is, right? The zongzi we eat during the Dragon Boat Festival are made with sticky rice,” Ning Jia explained. “As for the mango, it’s the kind of fruit you usually eat.”

"Is this white stuff yogurt?" a little person asked, pointing to what was poured on top.

"This is coconut milk, which is the juice of a coconut. I added some sugar, so it's sweet and delicious."

"Coconut? What's that?" the little people asked one after another.

"Coconuts are round fruits that grow in the tropics. They have a hard outer shell but are full of sweet juice inside."

Ning Jia hadn't actually eaten coconuts much, so she just gave a brief description.

"Wow, this sounds delicious! Why haven't you ever bought any coconuts before?"

Uh, Ning Jia was speechless for a moment. She couldn't very well say that she thought a coconut costing ten or so yuan was not cheap, so she just ignored it every time she went to a fruit shop.

She made up a reason: "Because we're not in the tropics, coconuts don't grow here, so there are relatively few coconuts. Next time I see some for sale, I'll definitely buy some for everyone to try."

"I think she just can't bear to buy it."

He Meng whispered to Bai Su, who chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Ning Jia glared at the two of them: Don't think I can't hear you just because you're speaking softly!

"In short..."

Ning Jia was about to tell the little people to start eating when someone suddenly asked:

"If mango sticky rice is made from zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), then why isn't it called mango zongzi rice?"

"Because this glutinous rice wasn't made into zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), it was made into glutinous rice first!"

Ning Jia was gradually losing patience and looked at Xue Cao, who had asked the question, with a speechless expression. Xue Cao looked at her with a grin and even made a face.

Why are there so many problems with just eating a meal? This mango rice dumpling—no, this sticky rice—am I even going to eat it or not?!

Ning Jia grumbled inwardly, then turned to see Cang Lan smiling broadly, and then looked at the little people staring at her with wide, smiling eyes. Suddenly, she realized something, a strange feeling flashed through her mind, and she suddenly stopped being angry, smiling slightly.

"Alright, everyone, hurry up and eat, or you won't be able to eat later."

Xuecao, who was about to continue teasing Ningjia, suddenly tensed up:

Yeah, I just ate so much, so when my stomach feels full, I won't be able to eat any more sticky rice.

Now, without Ning Jia's prompting, everyone gathered around the plate, scooping the dessert into their own small dishes, and eagerly picked up their little metal spoons to enjoy eating.

"Wow, it smells so good!" "It's so soft and sweet!" "Mmm, so delicious!" "Ningjia, can you make this again next time?" (starry-eyed)...

Mango sticky rice is a dessert that seems tailor-made for little people.

The fruits they love, combined with their favorite glutinous rice and sweet coconut milk, completely overwhelmed the little ones' stomachs. In no time, the plate, once full, was emptied, leaving not a single grain of glutinous rice.

"Hiccup—" "Hiccup—"

I don't know which little figure started it first, but the little figures who had just put down their spoons soon began to burp. They were all so full that they could hardly stand up and collapsed on the coffee table, clutching their bellies and unable to move.

Seeing the little ones with their bellies full, Ning Jia smiled and said:

"Oh, by the way, I've also prepared afternoon tea this afternoon. It's food you've never tried before, so please look forward to it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little figures who were slumped on the coffee table clutching their bellies all showed expressions of surprise and delight:

What? There's even a delicious afternoon tea?

Is this some kind of living hell?!