Chapter 88 Ice Cream, Are You Sure?

Ning Jia makes the most basic milk ice cream. Because it's for little people, the ingredients are very simple: only milk, eggs, and sugar.

It looks very plain, just a large pale yellow block without any decorations.

But the little ones were already well-versed in Ning Jia's culinary style and did not underestimate this seemingly ordinary ice cream at all. They skillfully held the small plates and waited expectantly.

Because Bai Zhi and her group were newcomers, they enjoyed the privilege of being placed at the front of the line.

Although the portion of ice cream was a bit small and clearly not enough to go around, Ning Jia had a clever plan.

If you don't have enough main ingredients, you can make up for it with side ingredients.

Ning Jia held up a large spoon and scooped the ice cream into randomly shaped pieces, placing them one by one into small white dishes. She then added toppings according to each little figure's taste:

There are colorful fruit chunks such as blueberries and mangoes, crispy and fragrant caramel popcorn, sweet and sour chewy dried fruit, and more.

Finally, sprinkle with various chopped nuts, drizzle with yogurt, honey, or lemonade, and some even have sesame seeds sprinkled on top...

After adding a bunch of toppings, what looked like an ordinary plate of milk ice cream was transformed in an instant into a colorful and very tempting little mountain of ice cream!

Wow—oh—

The little people stared wide-eyed at the transformed ice cream, thinking it tasted a hundred times better than before!

Ning Jia laughed and said, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it melts."

"Uh-huh!"

Everyone held their little spoons, sat happily in front of the plates, and couldn't wait to enjoy their meal.

I've worked so hard all day, so what could be better than treating myself to some delicious afternoon tea?

Bai Zhi and the others were initially a bit reserved, but seeing He Meng, Xue Cao, and even Cang Lan enjoying their ice cream without any hesitation, they relaxed and picked up their spoons to try it out.

Wow! That's... absolutely wonderful!

Bai Zhi, with a mouthful of icy ice cream, silently praised it in her heart.

The ice cream base, exuding a rich and sweet milky aroma, is paired with various toppings that are either crispy, sweet, or sweet and sour. The different flavors blend together harmoniously and uniquely, creating a truly wonderful taste!

As they ate, Bai Zhi, Yun Zhu, Mu Xi, and the others relaxed their shoulders, squinted their eyes like He Meng and the others, and began to dabble in their spoons without any regard for their image, spooning one spoonful after another...

On a sweltering summer day, nothing beats the comfort of a cool and delicious ice cream.

Unfortunately, the portion of ice cream was a bit small.

Bai Zhi put down her spoon with a regretful expression, looking at the clean plate in front of her, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

The others also looked like they hadn't had enough, reluctantly raising their heads, still savoring the pleasure and joy of eating ice cream.

"Hehe, do you want more?"

Chef Ning Jia suddenly appeared, carrying a large plate.

"Ta-da! For those who haven't had their fill, look here! We're giving away a huge amount of fruity ice cream!"

Before Bai Zhi and the others could react, many soft and cheerful sounds filled the living room:

"Ningjia, I want to eat!" "I want to eat, I want to eat, I want to eat!" "It looks so delicious!" "I want to eat grapes!"

Fruit ice cream... does that mean eating fruit and ice cream together?

That's still ice cream, isn't it?

The little ones, including Daoya and Dongkui, who were in their peak growth period, couldn't help but lick their lips and give Ning Jia a resentful look, the meaning of which was clear:

Didn't you just say the ice cream was gone? How come it's back now?

Ju Ye was more rational. "I think this ice cream should be different from regular ice cream."

Ning Jia said:

"Everyone, don't rush! Let's do something fun today—a blind box eating method!"

Is there such a thing as a blind box when it comes to eating ice cream?

As soon as he finished speaking, He Meng and the others' eyes lit up, their big, round eyes filled with anticipation.

"Hehe, I want to play! I want to play!"

He Meng rubbed her hands together, jumped up, and tugged at Ning Jia's clothes:

"Ningjia, Ningjia, I want to play! Let's start already!"

The other little people also started shouting:

"How do you play with this?" "Is it packaged in a box like a sachet?" "Let's get started!"

...

Before it started, Zelan quickly explained the concept of "blind boxes" to Baizhi and the others who were completely bewildered.

I see!

Bai Zhi and the others were amazed. "You all know so much!"

Zhelan smiled slightly:

“We didn’t know before; Ning Jia told us.”

"I played with blind boxes at home the other day. Our recently launched new product, the sachet blind box, works on the same principle, so everyone is quite familiar with these..."

As they were talking, Ning Jia continued her "performance" under the eager gazes of the little people:

She steadily held the large plate in her hands, then with a feint, she circled over the heads of the little people, and suddenly, as if by magic, she put a pot lid on the plate.

When Ning Jia deliberately waved the plate around again, and finally placed it in the center of the coffee table, everyone's eyes immediately turned to it—

Hey, why are there so many bamboo skewers on the outside of this pot lid?

These tiny bamboo skewers were evenly distributed, with only a small section protruding from the pot lid; the rest were gone.

What does this mean?

The little people watched this strange scene, completely baffled.

Over there, Xuecao had already dragged the tissue bag over, jumped onto it, and looked at it carefully from a higher vantage point. Then she suddenly realized:

"I was wondering why it looked so familiar. It's just like the sun pattern in the book!"

Bai Su chuckled, "Now that you mention it, it really does look quite similar."

She vaguely guessed how to play, and standing by the plate, she sniffed hard.

But whether it was because the pot lid was too tight or because the food inside didn't smell very good, she couldn't smell anything after sniffing for a long time.

Fine, Bai Su cupped her peach-shaped face and sat down obediently. Let's just play by the rules.

Seeing the little people all gathered around this "big sun," looking at him with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, Ning Jia chuckled and finally revealed the answer:

"The other end of these bamboo skewers is pierced with various small pieces of fruit, which are then placed in molds filled with milk, yogurt, and whipped cream. After being frozen in the refrigerator, they become beautiful and delicious fruit ice cream."

The little ones were practically drooling as they listened:

"Oh my god, that must taste delicious!"

Ning Jia smiled slightly:

"But eating them directly is a bit boring, so let's try the blind box method today."

"Simply put, everyone chooses the exposed bamboo skewers and eats whichever one they pick. Even if you don't like the flavor, you still have to finish it."

He Meng was the first to raise her hand, "No, no, I like everything!"

Ning Jia smiled again, "...Are you sure?"

He Meng nodded her little head firmly, her face full of confidence:

"Yeah, no matter what I draw, I'll eat it all!"

The other little people also joined in the shouting:

"Stop dawdling, let's get started! We promise, whatever we draw, we'll eat!" "We'll eat it all!"

Among the excited crowd, only a few girls, including Bai Su, Ju Ye, and Xue Cao, did not join in the commotion.

They huddled together, whispering to each other for a while, and when they looked up again, a hint of wariness appeared on each of their cute little faces.

Seeing that Ning Jia hadn't started yet, a little man cried out anxiously:

"Whoever draws the prize and doesn't finish eating, doesn't get dinner!!"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment and fell silent. Wasn't this punishment of not eating dinner a bit too harsh?!

Ning Jia suppressed a laugh and said, "Don't worry, there won't be any punishment."

Of course, there won't be any punishment; after all, the real punishment is already in the dish.

...

Who wants to choose first?

"Me! Me! Me!"

He Meng was once again the first person to test the poison on himself.

Although the other little people shouted loudly, when it actually started, they all chickened out and dared not step forward. They all made way, allowing the tribe's number one warrior to walk confidently and imposingly to the front of the large plate.

Bai Su and the others huddled together, watching He Meng, that "foolish and bold" girl, start picking through the plates, and couldn't help but feel a little worried for her.

He Meng struck a pose in front of her clansmen, bending down with her small body and examining the plate with great seriousness. Remembering Bai Su's earlier hint, she finally understood:

There's definitely something fishy going on here!

Oh no, she realized it too late.

A few beads of sweat suddenly appeared on He Meng's little head. She tried to remain calm and slowly circled the plate again, making the tribesmen almost dizzy.

"He Meng, are you even capable? If not, come down and let me choose!"

Quartz shouted anxiously from the side.

"Hmph, who says I can't?"

Startled by this, He Meng's mind didn't keep up with her actions for a moment, and she casually pointed to a bamboo skewer and said:

"This one will do."

Oh my god, why did she choose that?!

He Meng was terrified, her heart screaming, but she dared not show any nervousness on the surface. She took a deep breath to calm her trembling voice.

"Ning, Ning Jia, quickly reveal the answer!"

"Okay."

Ning Jia took out a paintbrush, dotted the bamboo skewer, then lifted the pot lid a tiny bit and quickly pulled the skewer off...

The entire living room was completely silent. All the little people held their breath, their faces flashing with tension, trepidation, curiosity, and excitement.

This long-lost thrill is so much fun!

"Congratulations, He Meng! You won the family photo!"

Ning Jia handed over the fruit ice cream that was piled high and looked like a colorful rainbow.

Wow! "He Meng is amazing!" "It looks so delicious!"

The children gasped in surprise, while He Meng quietly touched her still wildly beating heart, breathed a sigh of relief, and revealed a bright smile.

I never expected to be so lucky, hahaha~

Amidst envious glances from the crowd, He Meng carried the fruit ice cream bar, which was taller than her, and happily dragged three small plates over to place the ice cream on them, ready to enjoy it slowly.

Bai Su and the others breathed a sigh of relief for He Meng, but soon became tense again as they watched Shi Ying also go over and smoke a cigarette.

Using the same action, Ning Jia handed over a light pink ice cream shaped like a small flower:

"Congratulations Quartz! You've drawn a peach ice cream!"

This ice cream is significantly smaller than the one from Hemeng, only about half the height of a miniature human, but it still looks great.

The pale pink peach flesh is wrapped in translucent yogurt and shaped like a peach blossom. It looks delicious!

Shi Ying held up the cute peach ice cream, took a satisfied bite, and her whole face lit up instantly:

"Mmm...this ice cream...mmm...it's so delicious!"

The peach is as sweet as honey, paired with the milky flavor of yogurt and a touch of tartness. It's sweet but not cloying, refreshing and delicious, and the icy texture adds to the wonderful flavor compared to eating a fresh, juicy peach!

Watching He Meng and Shi Ying's live mukbang, the audience swallowed hard.

"Ah, I really want to eat it!"

Xuecao couldn't contain herself any longer and rushed over, but almost collided with Gancao, who was rushing over at the same time.

Upon seeing that it was licorice, she immediately stopped in her tracks. Oh well, since it's licorice...

Let him choose first.

Over there, Gan Cao quickly picked out a bamboo skewer, then hesitated for a moment and changed to another one.

"Are you sure you don't want to change it?" Ning Jia looked at him with a smile.

"Um……"

Looking at Ning Jia's smile, Gan Cao felt a little uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, she pointed to the one she had chosen earlier:

"Let's keep this one."

"OK."

Ning Jia's smile grew wider and wider as she quickly pulled a stick from under the pot lid...

Pale yellow ice cream shaped like a small fish.

"Congratulations, Licorice! You won lemon ice cream!"

"……Thanks."

Licorice was clearly still in a daze, accepting the small, cute ice cream, when a thought suddenly popped into her head:

This ice cream looks just like the fried little fish we usually eat!

Others were also discussing it:

"Lemon? Is it the lemon from honey lemonade? I don't think I've ever eaten this fruit before, it looks delicious!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Gancao eagerly opened her mouth and took a big gulp of the "fried small fish" in her hand—

"..."

"...Wow, it's so sour!"

Gancao instinctively wanted to spit out the ice cream in her mouth, but remembering the promise she had made earlier, she frowned and swallowed the sour ice cream that made her tears well up.

I ate the licorice-flavored ice cream, taking tiny bites, and felt a little stronger than before...

Seeing Gan Cao's pained expression, everyone understood immediately. After a moment of silence, they all touched their chests in fear.

Oh my god, it turns out there are actually some unpleasant flavors in this ice cream!

That's terrifying!

Xuecao, in particular, leaned against Bai Su with lingering fear and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Ah, she knew it; if she went to select licorice, she would definitely be able to easily pick out bad ones.

There's nothing I can do about it, but this has happened many times...

Bai Zhi was astonished:

Licorice was truly lucky when she was young. How come she's so lucky now…

Canglan then told her about some of the unfortunate things that had happened to Gancao before. Baizhi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Licorice was too lucky when it was young, so it never grew up. Maybe if it had more setbacks, it would have grown up faster."

...

In the subsequent ice cream blind boxes, the little ones successively opened cute and delicious treats such as the bear-shaped banana milk ice cream, the heart-shaped grape cream ice cream, the cloud-shaped mango ice cream, and the bunny-shaped strawberry ice cream. Of course, there were also some unfortunate disappointments:

Daoya held up the cat-shaped lychee ice cream, hesitated for a long time, and then simply closed her eyes and ate it:

Although it looks like a smelly cat, it's still a delicious ice cream. Just pretend you don't see it!

Dongkui looked at the light brown blueberry ice cream in her hand, unsure how to start eating it.

He took one lick and immediately realized something was wrong; this seemingly delicious ice cream actually contained sour vinegar...

He usually finds cucumber salad too sour even with just a tiny bit of vinegar added, what am I going to do now?

The worst off might not even be the ones mentioned above.

Juye held the pretty, translucent ice cream bar studded with white fruit pieces, her calm little face almost cracking with disappointment:

Why mix milk and radishes together? Is that scientifically sound? Is it reasonable?

Besides, radishes aren't even considered fruit, are they? Ning Jia is committing a foul! A serious foul! ...

...

The pleasant (?) afternoon tea quickly came to an end, and Canglan took the opportunity to announce that the "Little Clan Account" had almost gone bankrupt.

Before his clansmen could even cry out in surprise, he spoke first:

"Everyone, don't panic!"

“We originally owed Ning Jia more than a thousand yuan, but then we received two more payments, and now we have a full 2,000 yuan in our account. As long as Ning Jia is frugal, it will be enough for us to live on for a while.”

What? All that money from before, and now only this little bit left?

Everyone gaped in shock, a sense of crisis rising in their hearts, but when they saw Ning Jia beside them, they closed their mouths in relief.

The clan chief is right!

With Ning Jia around, even if we only have 200 left, we won't go hungry!

"Ning Jia, I'm counting on you!" "We're counting on you, Ning Jia!" "Go Ning Jia!"

Ning Jia clicked her tongue:

"Look at you guys, so pathetic. We only have 2000 left, but we can still make money in the future. We'll buy a big car with the money we make, right, Xuecao?"

"Yes! Buy a big car!"

Snow Grass responded loudly, then suddenly remembered something:

Hey, where's her big house?

Ning Jia was also thinking about this problem, then her expression changed, she picked up her phone from the sofa, saw several missed calls, and quickly dialed them back:

"...Um, sorry, I didn't see you just now...You're almost at the door?...Okay, okay, I'll open the door right away..."

"Xuecao, we've arrived at our big house."

Ning Jia glanced around the living room and suddenly slapped her forehead:

"Oh right, the delivery guy also has to come inside to install it!"

This dollhouse design is so intricate; it would be a real hassle if I assembled it incorrectly. But if I let the craftsman in, then…

She immediately said to Canglan:

"Chief, someone is coming soon. Please take everyone to your rooms to hide for a while. I will call you out after they leave."

"clear."

Canglan nodded and immediately gathered the clansmen together, directing a large group of little people to rush to the second bedroom.

Bai Zhi, Yun Zhu, and the others, who were unaware of what was going on, also started running along for no apparent reason, and were then led to an open wardrobe.

Canglan didn't have time to explain, and hurriedly instructed:

"Everyone go back to your rooms. Bai Zhi, you guys... just pick any room and stay for a while."

"Oh, okay."

After the little people had all hidden in their individual cubicles, Ning Jia, who had almost finished tidying up the living room, came over shortly afterward.

She quickly closed both wardrobe doors with a "whoosh," said "Remember to keep quiet," and then hurriedly left.

At this moment, Bai Zhi, sitting in the "girls' dormitory," curiously looked around the room. She pointed to a screen made of bookmarks and was about to speak when Xue Cao covered her mouth:

"Shh, be quiet, we'll talk later."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Happy weekend, everyone!! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]