Chapter 95 (Ice Cream Cake (Part 2)...)
The low scoff was so soft that no one else heard it except Jiang Shengyun's sister-in-law, who was sitting next to her.
Seeing that she didn't dare to say anything, Xiao Huaiya smiled gently, turned around and apologized to Yan Qiushu, "I was about to come over just now, but I was tripped for a moment. Sorry."
Yan Qiushu smiled nonchalantly: "It's okay."
Xiao Huaiya said softly, "A lot of people like to gossip. There's not a single person who hasn't been talked about by this group of people. Don't be afraid, just fight back. Old Six is so powerful now that they don't dare to mess with him."
Yan Qiushu said in a relaxed tone: "It's really okay. I was bitten by a dog, so I can't bite it back, right?"
She was really not afraid and didn't lower her voice at all.
Jiang Shengyun at the next table heard it clearly, her face turned purple, and she clenched her fists tightly, but she didn't dare to stand up and argue.
Apart from anything else, she couldn't afford to offend the Xiao family behind Yan Qiushu. Even if she was angry that Yan Qiushu, an orphan, was lucky enough to become Xiao Huaiting's fiancée, she could only say a few words without mentioning her names.
After a while, more and more people came, and Shen Pingyu also came over. Seeing Yan Qiushu, he respectfully called out, "Aunt Yan."
After not seeing him for half a year, the young boy had grown even more handsome. Yan Qiushu was very fond of his appearance. With a smile on her face, she coaxed him over and pinched his fair and tender face: "Pingyu, did you miss me?"
Shen Pingyu blushed, but facing the expectant look of the woman in front of him, he nodded seriously: "Yeah!"
Then he whispered, "I still want the food Aunt Yan cooks. Chef Zou's food is not as delicious as yours."
Yan Qiushu also whispered, "How long can you come back? Stay at my place for a few days. I'll make you hot pot. It's delicious! And there's also upgraded spicy noodles..."
Just by hearing these names, Shen Pingyu began to imagine its taste in his mind. He could hardly control his saliva. His face was tense and his eyes sparkled, revealing his anticipation: "Pingyu can stay here for a month. I'll go to Aunt Yan's place in a few days to bother her."
The two agreed, and Shen Pingyu was about to leave.
Jiang Shengyun, who had been staring at him for a long time, watched the conversation between the two expectantly until the young boy nodded and turned away without even looking in her direction. She became even angrier.
this……
She was Dongdong's biological aunt. When Dongdong was born, she had come to the Xiao Mansion and held Shen Pingyu in her arms. Now, he hadn't even looked at her from beginning to end? !
Is this person so popular with the Xiao family? Could he be some kind of witchcraft?
Jiang Shengyun complained in her heart, feeling more and more aggrieved for coming this time. It was true that her mother had made a fuss and refused to come. The Xiao family was really too infuriating!
While chatting with Shen Pingyu, many people came up to the surrounding seats, including several princes.
Prince Chang and his wife came with their son. Before sitting down, they also greeted Yan Qiushu and Xiao Huaiya with a gentle attitude, which made the people around them look strange.
But they soon remembered that Yan Qiushu had told Prince Chang in advance that the potatoes were poisonous, which allowed Prince Chang to avoid Concubine Lu's conspiracy?
Yan Qiushu kept her eyes straight the whole time, and was not at all moved when she saw Prince Jin Zhou Zejing appear with Yan Qiuyuan. Fortunately, Yan Qiuyuan and her husband had just gotten married, and the new bride's every move was being watched by everyone, so she thought it best not to stand out.
Once everyone is seated, the food can be served.
One after another, popular Kyoto dishes were served on the table, including braised spare ribs, chestnut roast chicken, spicy chicken, etc. Of course, there were also some local specialties that could cater to the appetites of both groups. Therefore, when the dishes came up, almost no one said a word, and everyone ate happily with chopsticks.
"The Xiao family is still amazing. They've moved the entire food street here, right?" someone said enviously.
Someone nearby laughed and said, "Isn't it? This tastes exactly like the one in the food court!"
This was heard by the people at the next table, and someone immediately shook their head: "No way, I think it tastes better than the ones in the food court!"
"Yeah, it's much better than the food court. They probably use better ingredients!"
Even though our own chef can cook a lot, many dishes cannot be learned by just eating them, and they cannot be made to retain their original flavor, so we can only go out and get them ourselves.
The food was delicious enough and everyone enjoyed it very much.
After dinner, everyone moved to another banquet hall to drink tea and look at the gifts given by the Xiao family's children and grandchildren.
The maids were fanning themselves and drinking ice-cold tea, their eyes full of anticipation.
The first to come up for proof was naturally the eldest son, Xiao Huaiqi, who presented a birthday painting he had drawn. In the painting, a bald, white-bearded man with a kind smile bowed to the person outside the painting. The character was obviously fictional, but the painting was exquisite, and the character's expression jumped out of the paper. It was as if one could hear the familiar congratulations: "Live as long as the Southern Mountains!"
"My son wishes my mother a long life!" Xiao Huaiqi sat in a wheelchair, his handsome face like jade seemed to be getting younger and younger. Although he was busy recently, he ate and drank well, and was in a good mood. The paleness on his face disappeared, and his smiling face attracted people's attention. His voice was no longer weak.
Yan Qiushu was sitting in the front row and could clearly hear someone behind her say, "This painting is really good! I heard Xiao Dalang hasn't painted for many years, but I didn't expect that his paintings are still so beautiful now!"
"Isn't it? I heard that the landscape painting of the previous top scholar sold for several hundred taels a while ago. I think it's not as good as this one!"
"His power hasn't diminished. Fortunately, the child has regained his spirits."
"Yeah, what a pity!"
"Back then, Xiao Dalang was really popular in Kyoto. So many people wanted to marry him, but now he looks like this, ah..."
"Why……"
Amidst her sighs, Mrs. Xiao showed no trace of bitterness. She accepted her son's gift with a full smile: "Good, this is a really good painting. I like it very much."
Xie Qingyun was next: "Mother, originally my husband and I said we would give it to him together, but he paints so well that I can't compare, so I drew a pattern and had someone make a set of jewelry. Do you like it?"
There was no reason for Madam Xiao not to like it. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling: "It looks good..."
Next is Song Mingdai, who embroidered a picture of the word "longevity" and set it in a golden frame, which looked very grand.
The onlookers were extremely envious. It was already great if one of the younger generation in the family had a promising future. However, in the Xiao family, almost all the brothers were promising, and there was not a single coward. Although they were a family of military generals, they were also very good in other aspects.
People presented gifts one by one. Yan Qiushu looked back and saw Shui Yu standing next to a red silk cloth that was half a person's height. He met her gaze and made a gesture.
Yan Qiushu felt relieved. Just as she turned around, she heard a laughing voice saying, "Mrs. Xiao, is it time for your sixth son and future sixth daughter-in-law to take their turn?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room who was originally envious was shocked.
Everyone knows that the Xiao family suddenly announced the engagement of their sixth son one day. The engagement object was an orphan girl, although her identity changed because they were told that potatoes were toxic.
But a country girl is not good enough in Kyoto. If her father and brother are promising, it would be possible, but she is an orphan.
Therefore, after the engagement, the Xiao family was ridiculed by countless people behind their backs, saying that the old lady of the Xiao family was old and confused, and that she was deceived by others and lost such an outstanding son.
But Yan Qiushu was too low-key and ignored other people's posts, so they had no way of seeing this person.
Now I am finally going to see it.
When her gaze focused on Yan Qiushu, she immediately sensed it. Just as she was about to stand up, Jiang Shengyun also spoke out with a smile in the crowd: "I heard that Lord De'an is quite fond of Madam Xiao because of his cooking skills. Is the gift today going to be food?"
"puff!"
Someone laughed.
Soon, others around him started laughing too.
But the next second, Madam Xiao's sharp eyes swept over, and Jiang Shengyun, who had just been feeling proud of her successful provocation, felt a chill on her back and her face changed in fear.
The laughter in the crowd disappeared instantly. Everyone looked at her with lingering fear, muttering in their hearts, this Madam Xiao really likes this future sixth daughter-in-law as much as the rumors say, it's a pity for the young man Xiao Huaiting.
If it weren’t for the Xiao family’s special circumstances a few years ago, there would have been so many people trying to be matchmakers that they would have broken down the door.
Yan Qiushu didn't know what others thought, nor did she care. She just stood up when it was mentioned.
At this time, Xiao Huaiting also stood up and bowed respectfully to his mother. "Mother, it's a coincidence that Ah Shu specially obtained a Jiaowei Qin from the previous dynasty a while ago, and I just happen to have strings made of Tiancan silk. Now that the Jiaowei Qin is installed, I'm giving it to you. I hope you like it."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone presented him with a solid wooden box.
When the box was opened, there was a guqin inside. The tail of the guqin was charred and had beautiful patterns carved on it.
Xiao Huaiting's slender hands seemed to be plucking the strings casually, but in fact a birthday song was coming out of his fingertips. The sound of the silk strings was not as loud as modern steel strings, but the sound was particularly beautiful. Because birthday songs are lively and festive, many people smiled when they heard them.
But he only played for a few dozen seconds before stopping. This posture was inconvenient. He placed his hands on the strings. When the sound stopped, he bowed and said, "My son, I am sorry for your poor performance. I hope you like it."
Mrs. Xiao naturally showed a satisfied smile, but she didn't look at her son, but at Yan Qiushu: "Of course I like it, Ah Shu, you've taken the trouble. I always felt that the previous zither was not suitable for me, and I haven't played it for a long time. With this zither, I can finally play it with abandon."
"Oh, they are indeed a young couple. They have such a tacit understanding before they even get married. One gets the piano and the other gets the strings. They are a perfect match~" As soon as Mrs. Xiao finished speaking, a wealthy lady immediately agreed with her with a smile.
Others followed suit and praised: "A talented man and a beautiful woman, Madam Xiao and her future daughter-in-law are a perfect match!"
Obviously everyone should be able to guess that this piano must have been made by Xiao Huaiting alone.
But no one said much, instead, their eyes were filled with envy when they looked at Yan Qiushu.
Xiao Huaiting's behavior shows that he also likes his fiancée. Not only does his mother-in-law like her, but even her future husband protects her. The Xiao family has such a good family tradition. From the perspective of this era, isn't it enviable?
Jiang Shengyun listened to the words in her ears and felt very annoyed. She felt that a group of people were chattering, which gave her a headache. She was already angry that Yan Qiushu took the position of Xiao Huaiting's fiancee, otherwise her cousin could have married her.
Before she came, she was still listening to her mother cursing and talking about this matter.
Seeing Yan Qiushu like this, she became even more indignant, but she didn't know what to do for a moment.
Xiao Huaiting had actually prepared the gifts, so naturally he couldn't stand to see Yan Qiushu making a fool of herself.
Suddenly someone next to her touched her arm.
Jiang Shengyun turned around and found that Yan Qiuyuan, the wife of the Prince of Jin, was sitting next to her. She smiled at her gently and asked curiously, "I just saw something over there. I wonder whose gift it is? Did you see it?"
"What?" She looked over as Yan Qiuyuan pointed, and saw a half-human-high object covered with red cloth next to a maid. It was completely hidden, so she couldn't see it. She shook her head and said, "Madam, I don't know either. I don't know when it appeared here."
Yan Qiuyuan smiled and said, "Well, I just saw De'an Xiangjun looking over there. I thought it was her gift, but it turned out not to be. So I wanted to ask if you knew."
Jiang Shengyun's eyes lit up, and after looking carefully, she found that the maid had been staring at Yan Qiushu. Thinking about what Yan Qiuyuan said, she thought it must be a gift she prepared?
Could it be that Xiao Huaiting felt that her gift was not presentable and deliberately said that the guqin was made by him and Yan Qiushu together?
Jiang Shengyun's eyes rolled and she smiled, "Huh? I just saw De'an Xiangjun staring at the thing covered with red cloth, and I thought her gift was this?"
Because of her in-law relationship, she sat in a relatively front-row position. Her words attracted everyone's attention and everyone looked over.
Jiang Shengyun's sister-in-law was so frightened that her face turned pale. In the hot weather, the sweat on her face almost brought down the powder. She quickly wiped it off and anxiously scolded, "Don't mess around!"
Jiang Shengyun pouted unhappily. She didn't take it seriously. She hadn't done anything. Wasn't it just a few words? The Xiao family couldn't possibly scold her for a daughter-in-law who hadn't even married yet? That would be too petty.
She raised her chin slightly, expecting to see how Yan Qiushu would reveal something that she couldn't show on stage in front of everyone.
Yan Qiushu was actually quite grateful to her. When Xiao Huaiting presented the guqin, everyone praised it non-stop. She was still trying to figure out how to interrupt when she unexpectedly saw the girl helping to carry it. She smiled and said, "This is the birthday cake I made. Thinking that it was my aunt's birthday, a birthday cake was a must, so I made one. Shuiyu, bring it up."
Shui Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She had brought the things here on time, fearing that the ice cream inside would melt. Fortunately, she could deliver it now.
She stared at the two servants carrying the half-person-high cake into the venue.
Everyone looked at it curiously: "Is it really a cake?"
"Don't you have cake? Why are you still here?"
There was a small cake on each of their plates, which was a kind of dessert after the meal. The cake made by Yan Qiushu was a bit repetitive, and it was too ordinary. You could have one custom-made for one in the food court for one or two taels of silver.
They didn't say it directly, but their eyes changed, showing a bit of mockery and sympathy.
The gift was too light, and it was food that could be bought at any time. This girl was going to make a fool of herself.
Yan Qiushu's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and said, "Aunt, happy birthday!"
Shui Yu promptly lifted the red cloth and, together with the servant, removed the cover attached to it, revealing the true appearance of the object inside. Someone immediately took a deep breath in amazement: "Hiss! This is a cake?!"
“What a huge cake!”
"How beautiful! This birthday cake is so pretty!"
As praised, the half-person-high cake is really beautiful. It has six layers in total. From top to bottom, each layer is decorated differently. There is also a candle on the top with the words "I wish Mrs. Xiao good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as great as the Southern Mountains" written on it.
Although the words are small, when they are made into candles and placed on the cake, people can see them clearly even from a distance.
Yan Qiushu took the opportunity to light the six wicks.
The small flame flashed brightly, illuminating the entire cake with a tender pink color that made girls' hearts explode. Even the male guests showed an amazed look.
It was a dinner party, and after a while of delay, the sun had already set and the lighting depended on candlelight. At this time, such a pink thing appeared, making this somewhat dim place bright and lovely.
Especially now, the cakes sold in cake shops are all one-layered, and none of them have more than six layers like a tall tower!
Jiang Shengyun was also startled for a moment, but soon she revealed a look of disgust out of embarrassment and annoyance. She curled her lips in disdain and muttered, "It's just a cake? You act like you've never eaten it before."
As soon as the muttering stopped, Dongdong, who was nestled beside his mother, let out a crisp exclamation: "Wow! Sister Shu, you actually made such a big cake! I want one for my next birthday too!"
Xiao Huaiwu, who was lively, quickly followed suit and shouted, "Yes, Ah Shu, you can't be partial. I want this for my birthday too! That's amazing!"
Wan'er, with her mouth slightly open in shock, quickly said, "Sister Shu, Wan'er wants it too!"
Even the mature young man Shen Pingyu showed an envious look. His birthday happened to be not at the Xiao family. Master Zou did make a birthday cake for him, but not only did it taste average, it didn't even look this good!
Xiao Pingsong was old, and he was too embarrassed to say it directly in front of so many people. He secretly tugged at his mother's sleeve and said, "Mom, I want it too."
Song Mingdai glanced at her son with amusement: "Don't worry, if they all have it, Ah Shu won't miss you."
Xiao Pingsong chuckled, feeling satisfied and happy.
Madam Xiao already loved eating, and when she saw the cake, she smiled even more happily: "Ah Shu, thank you for your hard work. You must have thought about this cake for a long time, right?"
Yan Qiushu smiled sheepishly: "It's okay, it's not complicated." She handed over the wooden sword: "Auntie, the birthday girl is coming to divide the cake, will you cut it?"
"Okay." Mrs. Xiao stood up immediately without anyone's help. She came over with a wooden knife and cut the cake skillfully.
Dongdong eats a lot of cake, so she already knew what to do.
After cutting it with a knife, Nanny Huang cooperated and handed over a plate. Madam Xiao placed a piece of cake on the plate. She looked at one of her older sisters and said, "It's a shame that you came to celebrate my birthday at your age. This is for you to eat."
Fifty years old is already very old for people whose average age is thirty or forty. Mrs. Fu, an old sister who is no longer young, smiled and said, "Hey, with such a beautiful cake, I will come again next year!"
Mrs. Xiao smiled and continued to cut and distribute the food one by one.
This cake is really big. Even the top layer is just an ordinary twelve-inch cake, and the ones at the bottom are even bigger, so most people can get a piece of it.
Mrs. Fu and the others who were the first to receive the cake had already started eating. As she ate, she revealed a look of surprise, staring at the cake in confusion for a long while before she exclaimed, "Oh my! Your future daughter-in-law is truly amazing! This cake is actually made of ice cream!"
Some people couldn't believe it: "Ice cream?! Won't it melt?"
"No, no, it's cold and delicious!" Mrs. Fu said quickly, and took another bite with a smile. The soft cake base was mixed with the familiar cool taste of ice cream, full of milky flavor and sweet to the heart.
This ice cream has a delicate texture. Although it is cold, the cake base blocks the irritation on your lips and tongue.
As soon as you take a sip, it seems as if the stuffiness of the summer night begins to subside, making you feel comfortable from the inside out.
Mrs. Xiao was also surprised: "It's still an ice cream cake? Then I won't cut it. If it melts, I won't be able to eat it!"
The birthday girl needs to cut the cake piece by piece herself in order to share the joy, but she wanted to eat it more, so she didn't cut it and decisively put the freshly cut piece of cake into her mouth.
The next one was Dongdong, who had been drooling for a long time. He held the cake in his little hands for a long time, waiting for it to come, but his grandma ate his share herself.
Dongdong was dumbfounded. After a few seconds, he became anxious: "Grandma! Keep cutting. Dongdong hasn't eaten it yet!"
He is so miserable!
He waited for a long time, but because of his seniority and status, he never got the chance. Finally, Wan'er got it, and it was his turn, but grandma was not happy!
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