Chapter 64 Green Bean Cake for Empty Nesters

Licorice and Quartz emphasized nervously, "We still need those ingredient packets!"

These two are truly addicted to DIY crafts. They not only embroider sachets regularly, but also spend all their free time doing handicrafts.

Ning Jia made a reassuring gesture to them and smiled:

"Since you don't want these things anymore, then leave them all to me."

Ning Jia accepted all the items discarded by the little people without finding it troublesome, and planned to pack them up together with the previous unsold goods and sell them on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app).

I've heard that retro and vintage styles are all the rage lately, so these old-fashioned trinkets should sell well. I'll make a little money if I can.

She turned to look at the setting sun outside and smiled slightly.

"It's getting late, why don't you have dinner before you leave?"

That evening, Ning Jia specially chopped up the old hen that Liu Yue had brought and made a large plate of fragrant braised chicken with edamame to bid farewell to the little people.

"Wow—" "It's delicious chicken!" "Let's eat!"

The little ones still remembered the delicious chicken soup from before, and they excitedly guarded the small plates of rice, watching Chef Ning Jia eagerly as he held up a large ladle and served everyone the dishes.

Ning Jia recommended the dishes while serving them:

"These edamame are delicious too! They're tender, flavorful, and nutritious—a perfect match for the chicken!"

The little ones, having enjoyed a large amount of meat again, feasted like it was a party. A lot of the crisp and tender edamame were also devoured.

Daoya chuckled and raised her little spoon. With one scoop, she scooped up a ball of food: glistening rice mixed with vibrant green edamame and rich broth—it looked so tempting!

She took a big gulp, then another, exclaiming, "Delicious, delicious, so delicious!"

Guoguo held up a toothpick and poked the round edamame beans one by one, making edamame skewers, and then ate them all at once!

"Eat more, eat more, because once we get back to the park we'll only be able to eat fruit," Ning Jia muttered to herself.

The little creatures didn't utter a sound, but they instantly chewed their food even faster.

While eating, He Meng reminded, "Ning Jia, Ning Jia, make more popcorn, please! Thank you so much!"

"I know, I know, I'll do it right now."

Seeing that the little ones were engrossed in eating, Ning Jia turned around and went to the kitchen, took out a large pile of corn from the storeroom, and started making popcorn.

...

After dinner, Ning Jia took the little people, along with a pile of fruit and a large bag of popcorn, to the park. Then, she rode her tricycle alone, wobbling along, back home as the sky gradually darkened.

"Haha, now I can enjoy some time alone!"

Her feigned excitement was unusually loud in the quiet living room, startling even herself.

Hehe, now that the little guys are gone, I might as well clean the house.

Ning Jia rallied her spirits, swept and mopped the floor, wiped the cabinets, dusted the sofa... She then took out the trinkets from the trolley, tidied them up, took a picture, and listed them on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app).

Looking at the empty stroller, she suddenly felt a little empty inside.

With the dwarfs gone, the little cart became useless, taking up space and gathering dust.

It's getting in my way the more I look at it!

She made a snap decision and simply listed the stroller on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app).

That night, the house was unusually quiet, with only the incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window, which was quite irritating.

Ning Jia lay in bed early, but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Oh right! Ina and the others should come over this morning to water the vegetables...

Her lips curled into a smile, but quickly fell back down.

She had forgotten that the vegetables in the yard had long since withered from the heat. When the rice sprouts and licorice discovered this, they were heartbroken and lay in the vegetable patch, tears streaming down their faces. They were also angry because of her sarcastic remark, "If only we had picked them earlier and eaten them," and didn't speak to her for a whole day...

Now the vegetable garden has become wasteland, and Daoya and the others will no longer come to grow vegetables.

In other words, starting tomorrow, the little people really won't be coming anymore.

Ning Jia turned over again, her eyes wide open, showing no signs of sleepiness.

Seeing that it was still early, she simply sat up and called Ning Fang. After chatting for a while about cooking, she asked:

"Mom, when I left home for college, did you ever feel a little lonely after there was suddenly one less person at home?"

Ning Fang: No.

"You forgot? As soon as you went to register at school, I went on a trip to Xinjiang with your Aunt Lin."

Ning Jia: ...

After hanging up the phone, she sighed silently.

After all that, it turns out she's the only one who's truly an "empty nester"...

...

The next morning, Ning Jia woke up groggily and was about to greet the little ones when she looked at the empty living room. She paused for a moment, then turned and went to the bathroom.

After washing up, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She habitually took out a lot of eggs, pumpkin, and corn, and then realized that she didn't need to make breakfast for the little ones today.

So at noon, I don't have to cook lunch for the little ones anymore. It's so relaxing, haha.

We're out of sachets at home, otherwise I could go out and set up a stall to earn some extra money.

With nothing else to do, Ning Jia took on a writing job and researched the recent fund market. Before she knew it, it was afternoon.

She submitted her manuscript, went to the kitchen to check on the mung beans she had soaked that morning, and after fiddling around for a while, made a large plate of mung bean jelly.

She picked up a piece of mung bean cake and tasted it. Hmm, it tasted good, and the icy coolness was very refreshing.

This stuff has both glutinous rice and milk, so it's soft, chewy, and bouncy. Kids would definitely love it.

It's still quite hot today, how about we send them some?

She hesitated for a second, then immediately found a glass food storage container, put the mung bean jelly in it, put it in an insulated bag, and then rode her bike to the park.

...

At three or four in the afternoon, Plum Blossom Park was so quiet that there wasn't a soul in sight.

Ning Jia had previously worried that the little people might be discovered if they settled in a busy place like a park. Now it seems that at least until the weather gets colder, there's no need to worry.

On such a hot day, everyone is hiding indoors with the air conditioning on. Who would come to the park under the blazing sun? Even the shady woods are so stuffy that it's hard to breathe.

Ning Jia waited under the tree for a while, but when she found that none of the little people had appeared, she went straight to the riverbank. Sure enough, she found traces of the little people under the layers of lotus leaves.

"Oh dear, it's so hot today..."

Guoguo's little face was flushed as she soaked in the river water, sticking her little head out to breathe, and then lying listlessly on the edge of a lotus leaf.

"Didn't Ning Jia say that the temperature was much lower than before? Why is it still so hot?"

The little star's head also popped out of the water, resting its short, tiny arms on the edge of the lotus leaf, and asked in confusion.

"The temperature has dropped, but we've also become less heat-tolerant, which is why we feel hot."

Xuecao, on the other side of the lotus leaf, covered her head with a lotus petal and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Hey, now that you mention it, I'm starting to miss air conditioning."

Bai Su had just been soaking in the water for a while, and was now squinting, burying her dripping head under Xue Cao's lotus hat.

Other members of the tribe probably shared the same thought, and they all started talking about "air conditioning" without prior arrangement.

I used to use air conditioning every day and didn't realize how important it was, but now that I'm away from it, I suddenly understand its importance.

"Air conditioner, I miss you so much!" "I miss the air conditioner!" "Air conditioner, oh air conditioner!"

There was also a little figure holding up a leaf and chanting incantations, trying to perform a spell: "Change, change, change into an air conditioner!"

As everyone kept talking about it, the air conditioner—no, the owner of the air conditioner—had arrived!

"Ning Jia is here!" "Ning Jia, Ning Jia!" "Ning Jia's here!" "Ning Jia, I missed you so much (the air conditioner)!"

After enjoying the summer desserts Ning Jia brought, everyone held the cool and delicious mung bean cakes, taking small bites with a contented expression. They felt that the heat around them had lessened considerably, and their gazes towards Ning Jia became even more affectionate!

"Ning Jia, you're so kind!" "Hello, Ning Jia!" "Good Ning Jia!" "Thank you, Ning Jia!"

Ning Jia was very pleased with the little people's sudden enthusiasm, but it also puzzled her greatly.

What's going on? She used to cook delicious food every day, and they never praised her like this before.

She patted He Meng's little head. "He Meng, what happened in the clan?"

"Oh dear, Ning Jia, you have no idea what happened when we first got back..."

He Meng finished the mung bean jelly in a few bites, licked his lips, and started talking non-stop, gesturing as he spoke, but he didn't get to the point for a long time.

"Ahem, let me explain."

A soft splashing sound arose, and a wet little head popped out of the water.

Canglan shook the water off her head, grabbed the edge of a lotus leaf, slowly climbed onto the leaf, and then jumped a few times before landing on a delicate pink lotus flower.

She tugged at the delicate tips of the pink lotus petals, swaying slightly as she stood among the lotus blossoms, and began to explain to Ning Jia.

According to Canglan, the little ones were quite happy to be back in the park. They ran around freely, climbing trees and rolling on the grass, as if they had returned to their happy old home!

But by noon the next day, when the sun was directly overhead, they couldn't stand it anymore.

It's so hot, so hot, so hot!

Even though the temperature has dropped, summer is still summer. Especially when the scorching sun shines on the earth, they miss the days of eating fruit while enjoying air conditioning even more.

It's hard to go from luxury to frugality. Once you've enjoyed the benefits of air conditioning, you can no longer bear the heat.

Therefore, the little people earnestly requested to move back into Ningjia's air-conditioned room!

One hour later.

Ning Jia pedaled his tricycle toward Xinglong Lane with a heave-ho sound, his face covered in sweat and a look of bewilderment.

I just sent the little people back last night, and less than a day later, I brought them back again. It's like I sent them away for nothing.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have eaten that old hen!

...

"Wow----"

The little figures lay scattered on the sofa, letting out comfortable sighs.

"I love air conditioning..." "Air conditioning is so great!" "Tree God, forgive me, now my god is air conditioning!"

The little people breathed in the cool air and expressed their heartfelt love for the large iron box next to the sofa, which was even taller than Ning Jia.

"We won't stay for free this time; we'll pay rent."

Canglan assured Ningjia, "Oh, and we'll share the electricity and water bills too..."

Ning Jia initially wanted to refuse, but then she thought that it would be hot until at least September. If the little people planned to stay for a long time, according to their tribal rules, they would definitely have to pay some rent to feel at ease, so she nodded in agreement.

"Just give me whatever you think is appropriate, no need to be so polite."

Canglan now knows a little about the prices in Giants. She saw on TV that it costs at least one or two hundred yuan a day for one person to stay in that hotel, and there were more than twenty of them.

Therefore, after discussing it with her clansmen, Canglan offered a rental price of 3,000 yuan per day.

Ning Jia: Friend, how much do you want?

3000 yen a day for rent? Does she think this is a five-star hotel? 3000 yen a day is more than enough!

She righteously refused the Lilliputians' offer of a five-star rental fee:

"Since we're all my partners, I'll just charge a token amount for rent, 2000 a month, how about that?"

Canglan hesitated for a moment, "How about 3000 a month? You'll even cook for us."

"Okay, then it'll be 3000 a month."

"To celebrate everyone's official move-in, we're treating everyone to free watermelon today!"

Ning Jia, who suddenly found herself as a landlord, brought out a large plate of sweet honeydew melons to entertain her new tenant.

The little people happily ate their melons, and Ning Jia felt a warm glow inside.

This season, a medium-sized melon is only 9.9 yuan, and there are discounts for buying more. It's cheap and delicious, and three or four melons are enough for a small person to have a full meal. It's such a good deal!

After finishing a plate of sweet melon, the children recovered from the heat. Canglan looked at the innocent smiles of her people, stroked her chin, and smiled slightly:

"There's something I'd like to discuss with everyone."