Chapter 96 (Oil-Splashed Noodles (Part 1)...)
Dongdong's eagerness amused everyone who was eating the cake. The adults even deliberately held up the cake to tease him: "I have some here, Dongdong, do you want some?"
Dongdong pouted, wanting it but unwilling to give up, because they had already eaten it!
Xiao Huaiting looked at his mother with amusement as she decisively let go of the knife, so he had to take the knife himself and cut it into pieces one by one.
Pieces of cake were passed out and eaten by everyone. The ice cream that had not melted yet was still cold. The sweet milky taste prevented it from being so cold that it chilled their internal organs, but it still made them feel much more comfortable.
"This cake is really good, perfect for summer. Next time it's my birthday, I'll ask my son to make it for me!" A lady said with a smile, "You all should come then."
"That's definitely not as good as this. I've eaten a lot of cakes before, but this is the best. It's so sweet and not greasy at all!"
"Yeah, I think so too. Look at my old Xu, who usually doesn't eat cake, but he finished all this cake!"
Regardless of whether it was true or false, the joy on everyone's faces was obvious.
Putting aside other things, the future sixth daughter-in-law of the Xiao family is really amazing. At least this big cake looks quite impressive. It is made by hand. Even if her cooking skills are not so good, which daughter-in-law can make something like this by herself?
Especially since everyone used to think that this thing was quite ordinary and could be made with one or two taels of silver, but now it seems that it is not ordinary at all. First of all, you need to get a lot of ice cubes, and secondly, it is time-consuming and laborious. Not everyone can make it, let alone make it so delicious.
At this time, they also remembered that the food street that made the Xiao family a fortune seemed to be created by this little girl who could make this kind of cake tower?
After all, after she appeared, the Xiao family produced all kinds of fresh food, and most of them became popular in Kyoto.
If it weren't for her, would the food court be able to open?
They were all officials, all smart. Although they said they looked down on businessmen, they all owned many shops. Who wouldn't be happy to have a food court with such a huge flow of people? However, they didn't have the ability to do so, so they could only envy. I heard that the Xiao family had opened a food court in the next city, and no one else could imitate it.
With this calculation, it doesn’t matter whether Mrs. Xiao likes this girl or not.
Others murmured, "Speaking of which, none of my sons and daughters-in-law can compare to the Xiao family. They can't paint as well, their embroidery isn't as good as theirs, and their cooking skills are even worse. They just spend money to buy me gifts."
Everyone took a sip and nodded sourly: "Really, my son is the same, he only knows how to spend money, as if no one has money!"
"Mrs. Xiao has good taste. She has chosen good daughters-in-law! Both her son and daughter-in-law are filial!"
Who wouldn't want to make something nice if they have money? But a gift made by hand is even more delightful.
Madam Xiao ate the delicious cake and was praised by everyone. She also showed a bit of pride: "Yes, everything is good. All the daughters-in-law are good!"
If you ask her, why do you need such a high door lintel?
Her Xiao family does not need help from her wife's family to revitalize it. It only needs her son to like her. This has been her idea all along. Not only her, but her parents-in-law also think this way. Like is more important than anything else.
The rest were pleasant surprises.
The cake was big enough, and Xiao Huaiting also controlled the portion very well. Each person only had a small piece, and it was divided among the people who were close to the Xiao family.
Jiang Shengyun was also given a piece in the end, which was much smaller than others. She stared at the piece of cake in her hand and looked at the normal-sized cake in her sister-in-law's hand. She vaguely remembered that when the cake was just divided, Xiao Huaiting seemed to look at her and cut it smaller on purpose?
When she came to her senses, she was so angry that she wanted to throw the cake away, but since it was the Xiao family's territory, she didn't dare to do so. She took a spoon and scooped a bite into her mouth.
The soft cake was sweet but not greasy. When it reached her, the slightly melted ice cream was no longer as icy, but still had a delicate texture. There was no ice debris at all and it was sweet and delicious.
This taste is really much better than any cake she has eaten before?
Jiang Shengyun was surprised and took one bite after another. Suddenly, when she was scooping with the spoon again, there was a sharp friction sound on the porcelain plate, which made her tremble all over and get goose bumps. She realized that she had already finished the cake in just a few bites!
After finishing the cake, Yan Qiushu sat back down.
Next it was Dongdong’s turn for the grandchildren to present their gifts.
The gifts for children were much cuter. Dongdong gave an article he wrote, and Chen Pingyu gave a portrait of Mrs. Xiao he drew. The adults were also very happy.
After the gifts were delivered, the opera troupe invited by the Xiao family began to perform. The young people who did not like watching opera were taken by Xie Qingyun to another place to play. Nowadays, aristocratic families have a lot of things to play with.
Yan Qiushu also breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, she diverted those people's attention away from her.
She was not used to being watched by so many people. Now that she was free, she didn't understand the show, so she left quietly. Seeing this, Xiao Huaiya followed her: "Lao Liu said that I should follow you all day today. When it's over, you can rest in the original yard."
Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Okay."
With her status, it is easy for her to be bullied by people like Jiang Shengyun, not to mention that there is also Yan Qiuyuan who is eyeing her covetously.
It was just surprising that Yan Qiushu was not bullied. After walking a few steps, she met two young ladies who were arm in arm and chatting on a small bridge with flowing water.
Originally, they could just nod and walk away.
Unexpectedly, as they passed each other, Yan Qiushu clearly heard one of the women with a flower ornament on her forehead say, "Miss Xiao Wu, it's been many years since we last met. You're still the same as you were back then."
Xiao Huaiya's face turned cold, he ignored her and just walked past.
The lady next to the woman smiled and said, "I think so too. We are all wives and mothers, but Fifth Miss Xiao is the only one who remains like this. By the way, Fifth Miss, why haven't you gotten married yet?"
"Perhaps your standards are too high. After all, our Fifth Miss was quite famous in Kyoto back then. What a pity." Madam Huadian covered her lips with her hands. "By the way, Fifth Miss, since we've known each other for a long time, how about I introduce you to some young men?"
Xiao Huaiya couldn't walk any further. He clenched his fists and turned to look at the people in front of him. His soft voice revealed a hint of coldness at this moment: "Qin Rou, Dai Zheng, you two really are so like-minded. It's great that you can still get together after all these years."
Qin Rou didn't mind and smiled provocatively: "You are still so fragrant, so fragrant that you can't get married for so many years. In a few years, I will be a grandmother. I am afraid that the fifth lady will still be the same as today?"
Xiao Huaiya's eyes were slightly red, and her hesitant steps revealed her thoughts.
I wanted to rush over and beat her up.
Qin Rou and Dai Zheng also saw it, and instinctively took a step back. But soon, Qin Rou smiled and said, "Things are different now, Miss Xiao Wu, please don't act rashly, or else no one will dare to marry you because of your reputation."
Dai Zheng: "Tsk tsk, Ah Rou, stop talking. No one dares to marry her now. Miss Xiao Wu, do you really not want us to introduce you to two? Although they are not as good as the ones who pursued you in the beginning, you also know that you are old now, and it is good enough to get married..."
The two sides seemed to have a grudge against each other, and their words were very harsh, but there was no one else around. It was in the middle area between the two places, and there was no one there for the time being. They were particularly arrogant and spoke without any scruples.
Seeing Xiao Huaiya was so angry but didn't make a move, Yan Qiushu's cold face suddenly showed a smile: "That's a good point."
The two were stunned, then laughed so hard that they fell forward and backward: "Xiao Huaiya, did you hear that? Your future sister-in-law is like this-"
At this moment, Xiao Huaiya's face turned red, and there was a bit of shame and anger in her eyes. She was just angry when others insulted her, but if her relatives did the same, she really couldn't bear it.
Yan Qiushu interrupted her in time, her clear voice articulating each word clearly: "I say what you said is really good, it fits your appearance very well. Your head is full of men. Without men, you're probably not even human anymore!"
Xiao Huaiya was stunned, and the two people opposite her were also stunned. After a few seconds, their faces flushed and they stared at her: "You——"
Yan Qiushu interrupted her again, delivering a swift and precise blow: "Was I wrong? We just met briefly, and you kept talking about getting married. I'm afraid you two will only see men for the rest of your lives! That's why you only talk about men. But I want to ask, what's wrong with not getting married?!"
"Xiao Huaiya is much more capable than you! All you've been thinking about in your life is how to win the favor of men and how to fight with concubines, but do you know how wonderful other people's lives are? Have you ever been to the border? Have you ever been to the battlefield? Have you ever killed the enemy? It's thanks to the generations of the Xiao family who sacrificed their lives to protect the Great Zhou that you, a person with a brain that only thinks about men, can survive. And now you are here to give orders to the children of the Xiao family!"
Xiao Huaiya: “!!!”
She was stunned, and Qin Rou and Dai Zheng were speechless.
Unlike the tongue-tied Xiao Huaiya, Yan Qiushu doesn't like to argue with others, but living in the modern world of information bombardment, her complaints without using any dirty words can still kill these greenhouse flowers who have never experienced the hardships of life in seconds.
Not being able to fight limited Xiao Huaiya's performance, but it happened to be Yan Qiushu's strength.
After she finished speaking, she sneered, like a general going to the battlefield to kill the enemy, with such high momentum that the two women in front of her, who were only in their early twenties but had been married for many years, were unable to speak back for a while.
She... is too much!!!
"You! I want to tell my husband!" Qin Rou was furious.
Yan Qiushu showed a mocking look and patted her chest exaggeratedly: "I'm so scared, but when you were a child, you complained to your father, and now you grow up, you complain to your man. Are you still not weaned, or are you unable to walk upright?"
Qin Rou and Dai Zheng: "..."
Xiao Huaiya: “Puff!”
You have such a sharp tongue!
But she likes it!
This laugh was like a fuse, and suddenly several more laughs were heard around.
The two people who were already filled with shame and anger and were thinking of fighting back suddenly had their minds blanked by this sudden change.
When did someone come?
When they turned around, they saw several people coming from both sides, all of them were acquaintances from Kyoto, and the two of them were even more stunned.
What should I do?! They all heard it?!
Just at this moment, one of the young men came over and bowed to Yan Qiushu and Xiao Huaiya, saying, "Your Excellency is right. We should all be grateful for the Xiao family's sacrifice. But there are always people in this world who are heartless and only care about the palm-sized area of the backyard. It's a pity that family education is not something that everyone has."
This sentence was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The two of them covered their faces and ran away crying. While running, they bumped into someone because they were in too much haste, causing a small joke.
Xiao Huaiya came back to his senses, looked at the smiling young man in front of him strangely, took Yan Qiushu's arm, and showed her an intimate smile: "A Shu, let's go."
Yan Qiushu didn't know this person either, so she just nodded at him and replied, "Yeah."
The two men left the vicinity of the small bridge, but found that the young man was still following them.
Xiao Huaiya frowned: "Ning Zhuo, why are you following us?"
The young man named Ning Zhuo said with a smile, "I'm hungry. I didn't eat enough at the banquet just now. I want to ask Miss Fifth for some food."
Yan Qiushu looked at the two men silently. Thinking that they were old acquaintances and that the man had helped them, she said nothing.
Xiao Huaiya pointed in the direction of the big kitchen: "The kitchen is over there."
Ning Zhuo sighed and said, "I've always heard that Lord De'an is an excellent cook. I just tasted a piece of your cake and it was incredibly delicious. I wonder if you could please reward me with some delicious food in recognition of my help?"
Before Yan Qiushu could say anything, Xiao Huaiya was already unhappy: "Not everyone can eat what Ah Shu cooks! She is my future sister-in-law!"
Ning Zhuo pretended to be disappointed: "Fifth Miss, you are not still holding on to what I said wrongly a few years ago, are you? I have apologized so many times over the years, and you have forgotten it, right?"
Xiao Huaiya smiled sarcastically: "I dare not forget, after all, I am ugly and it hurts your eyes."
Ning Zhuo smiled bitterly this time: "Didn't we just have a fight before? I really didn't mean it then. When we were little, I used to laugh at you for looking ugly because of your missing front teeth. You just beat me up then, didn't you? I was just joking that time. I didn't expect you to be really upset..."
At the end of his speech, his voice became much weaker, revealing guilt and regret.
He really knew he was wrong. He had been a bad-mouthed person since he was a child and had been beaten by Xiao Huaiya many times. He always thought that this was how they got along.
Unexpectedly, when Xiao Huaiya came back that time, she was depressed because of the injury on her face. He deliberately teased her, wanting her to beat him to vent her anger. Unexpectedly, not only did she not touch him, but she packed her bags and ran to the Taoist temple.
He had been there countless times over the years, but was always turned away, and all the apology gifts he sent were returned. He was really helpless. Fortunately, Xiao Huaiya came back. He had been watching the banquet, and when he saw the two people come out, he told his father and brother, and followed them out. He was a step too late and happened to see that scene.
Ning Zhuo finally got the chance and felt that he could only follow with a thick face.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qiushu glanced at him. It turned out that this was the unlucky guy that Xiao Huaiya had beaten up when he was five years old and had grown his teeth. He looked good, tall and big, but a little stupid. He thought that he was the same as when he was a child and he was grown up, which made Xiao Huaiya really hold a grudge against him.
Xiao Huaiya didn't reply. It was unclear whether he was still angry or had softened his heart.
Yan Qiushu then said, "What do you want to eat? In consideration of your help, I'll make it for you."
Ning Zhuo had no idea what to eat, he just wanted to find an excuse to stay, so he said, "My lord, you can make whatever you want, I'm not picky!"
Yan Qiushu touched her stomach. She hadn't eaten much at the banquet. Although the food tasted good, she was still thinking about the gift-giving and had no appetite. So she said, "Okay, I'll make some oil-splashed noodles."
Xiao Huaiya snorted, held Yan Qiushu tightly, and followed her.
Ning Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed behind him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
