Chapter 84 Baking Egg Tarts She gently placed her hand on his…
The day before the Lantern Festival, Shen Miao hung up a sign in front of the shop announcing that it was closed, and also sent several idlers to the government office, watchtowers, and entertainment districts to inform them that the shop would be closed that day.
That's right, Shen Miao, who doesn't rest even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, has actually decided to take a break. It's not because the sun has risen in the west, but because Yan Shu and the others have arrived with oxen and several carts full of things.
Chen Chuan began to get up early every day to go to lawyer Deng's place to study characters and laws for an hour before returning home. Xiang Jie'er also officially began to learn basic skills such as standing meditation and breathing exercises from Ninth Brother.
This child is indeed very brave; she even told Ninth Brother that she really wanted to try riding a horse. So Xie Qi and Shen Miao discussed that they might as well go horseback riding in the suburbs after lunch, which would be a good way to relax.
Shen Miao thought that going out of the city would be a good opportunity to go and check on the construction progress of the duck farm. He Daizhao had already built the duck sheds before the New Year, but the warehouse and walls were not yet finished. She had been busy preparing for the New Year and cooking for the family reunion, so she hadn't been able to go and take a look for quite some time. Now was the perfect time to go and check on it.
She readily agreed.
Today is an exceptionally rare sunny day. The rain has stopped and the snow has melted. The sluggish sunlight of the first month of the lunar year has finally shown some resilience, baking Bianjing like an egg tart being baked in the Shen family's earthen kiln, with a strangely fluffy and warm flaky texture in the air.
Long bamboo poles were erected on the walls of each house in Yangliu East Lane, covered with quilts of various colors and patterns. A tall person like Ninth Brother had to keep his head down and walk under the quilts that smelled of sunshine and cotton as he walked from West Lane to East Lane.
In the Shen family's courtyard, Xiangjie held Qilin in her arms, and Yanshu held a three-month-old calf. The two greedy cats carried two small stools and stood guard in front of the earthen kiln that exuded a rich milky aroma.
Yan Shu arrived late last night. He, Qiu Hao, the cowherd, and Zhou Da's family traveled in three carts: one with Ninth Brother's luggage, another full of local products from Chenzhou that Ninth Brother had collected, and the third carrying a yellow ox still with its calf. Because they carried so much stuff and a live ox, they had to stop and rest along the way, and it took them two days longer than Xie Qi to arrive.
This morning, Yan Shu came knocking on the door with a cow and a bunch of local produce. When Shen Miao saw the boxes of all sizes on the ground, as well as the pair of yellow cows, she was stunned.
In the few days since Ninth Brother returned, he hasn't mentioned at all the many things he brought her.
It took an hour just to pack up all the local specialties that Ninth Brother brought. But everything Ninth Brother brought was so practical. Chen Miao found that she could use everything when she was unpacking and organizing: she could use the daylily, garlic and other foods in her daily shop. The garlic from Chenzhou was really big and spicy with a strong flavor, and it was very fragrant when used to make garlic oil.
The two boxes of Chenzhou black pottery were made by the same kiln and the same craftsman. The black glaze on the surface was as smooth as a mirror. They replaced all the bowls, chopsticks, spoons and plates in her shop because they were made in different batches and had different appearances.
Nowadays, noodle bowls and vegetable plates have been replaced with black pottery with a uniform and bright glaze. Beautiful pottery is used to serve noodles, which seems to make even the most ordinary plain noodles look noble.
The lanterns and clay dogs, in all shapes and sizes, captivated Xiangjie and her children. She spent over half an hour picking through the box of lanterns and clay dogs, even Jige, who was quite old, couldn't resist his curiosity and picked up a clay dog with a scholar's robe and a scroll in its hand, which he then placed on his desk.
Chen Chuan returned from her "tutoring" just in time. Xiang Jie'er had Chen Chuan pick out her favorite clay dogs, and they found there were still many left. After thinking for a while, she cautiously asked Xie Qi if she could share them with Liu Douhua and the others.
Xie Qi smiled and said, "These were originally brought for you to play with. You can give them to whomever you want."
After her own family had already divided the spoils, Xiangjie secretly hid her favorite items in the house and happily called all her friends from the alley over to share. For a moment, the Shen family courtyard was as lively as during the New Year. Liu Douhua was deeply moved and told Xiangjie that she wanted to be her best friend for life, the very best kind.
Not to mention the heaviest cows, even the cattle herders came.
The cowherd was a household servant of the Xie family. Because his family had raised cattle for the Xie family for generations, he was simply and casually given the surname Niu (meaning "cow"). He was also casually named Niu Sanshi (meaning "cow thirty") by his parents.
After a while, Shen Miao also learned the origin of why many people used numbers to name their children: most of them were born on the 30th of the lunar year or the 30th of a certain month.
Niu Sanshi looked smug and patted the cow lightly as he introduced it to Shen Miao: "Ninth Brother wanted a cow that could produce milk, so I carefully selected this one from the herd. It's the strongest and gentlest cow on the estate. When it gave birth to its calf, it didn't need anyone to help pull it; it was born smoothly on its own."
Shen Miao approached it curiously, tentatively letting the cow smell her hand. It looked at her with gentle eyes and gently swayed its tail. Niu Sanshi said, "It's not angry. It's fine for Madam Shen to ride on it."
"It has a calf with it, I won't ride it." Shen Miao simply reached out and stroked its back. Cow fur isn't as soft as cat or dog fur; it's a bit rough, but Shen Miao still liked it. This yellow cow's coat was lighter in color than other yellow cows, which are a darker brownish-yellow. It was a wheat-ear yellow, looking tender, with large eyes that gave it a calm and composed look, and a pink nose.
Moreover, it has a broad forehead, rounded ears, and a large frame, standing about 1.3 meters tall, which is quite tall for a cow, almost as tall as an adult bull.
It's rare to see a cow with such a handsome appearance at first glance.
Moreover, Niu Sanshi said that this female ox was only four years old, which was the time when she was at her strongest and produced the most milk. She was also at the peak of her milk production. Shen Miao squatted down to watch her feed the calf. The calf she gave birth to was also a female ox and looked very much like her, except that it had a few white spots on its nose, hooves, and belly.
After the calf had eaten its fill and stopped eating, Niu Sanshi squeezed out a peck (more than 7 liters) of milk for Shen Miao.
Milk! It was the milk she had always been reluctant to buy!
Shen Miao's eyes lit up as she looked at the freshly squeezed, warm, milky-white, slightly yellow, and foamy milk.
Countless milk-related breads and cakes flashed through her mind: milk cake, egg tarts, baked milk, fried milk, egg custard, double-skin milk, red bean cheese biscuits... and milk tea! Sweet milk tea, salty milk tea, wouldn't she be able to drink all kinds of milk tea from later generations!
Shen Miao swallowed hard, her mouth watering at the sight of it.
Xie Qi sat on the veranda, holding the cat, quietly gazing at Shen Miao's bright and joyful eyes. Shen Niangzi was very happy, and his heart felt as if it were soaking in sweet and soft milk. He smiled happily, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up high.
He only remembered that Madam Shen was disappointed that she couldn't have milk tea, but he didn't know that Madam Shen loved milk so much. If he had known earlier, he should have sent it over much sooner. Xie Qi was still reflecting on himself, feeling that he had sent it too late.
But Shen Miao quickly snapped out of her joy at having milk. She instructed Niu Sanshi to boil the milk over a low flame, then turned and sat down next to Xie Qi, asking earnestly, "Ninth Brother, how much money do you need for this cow? Food is fine, but I can't accept such a valuable animal as a cow without a clear conscience."
Xie Qi smiled and said, "Ten coins."
Shen Miao remained silent, then said seriously, "Let's get down to business."
Oxen were extremely valuable at this time, and they were more difficult to raise than sheep or donkeys, so a good ox was much more expensive. She estimated in her mind, "At least several tens of strings of cash, right?"
“There’s no need for you to be uneasy, Madam Shen,” Xie Qi said, raising the cat’s paw and shaking it from side to side. He smiled gently. “Let this ox serve as payment for the meals that Yan Shu, Qiu Hao, and I will use when we come to Madam Shen’s house to freeload.”
Her family didn't have any dragon meat; how long could they possibly eat with those few dozen strings of cash? Besides, Xie Qi had already paid thirty strings when he took the imperial examination, and they still hadn't finished eating. Shen Miao was about to speak when Xie Qi turned and sadly rubbed his head against the cat. Like a qilin, he looked up at her with his clear eyes and sighed, "It's only been a few days, and Madam Shen has become so distant from me..."
Chen Miao choked back a sob.
"Today we've parted ways over a single ox, would I dare come here again tomorrow?" A hint of pity welled up in his eyes as he looked at Shen Miao as if afraid of being let down. "That day...didn't Madam Shen agree?"
Shen Miao suddenly recalled Xiang Jie'er's remarks about unfaithful men from a few days ago. Children speak without thinking, but at this moment she actually had the illusion that she had transformed into Shen Shimei.
Under Xie Qiwu's bright gaze, she couldn't take it anymore. She coughed and made a very lame excuse: "I think I heard the sound of milk boiling. I'm going to make some egg and milk mille-feuille pastries."
Watching Madam Shen's retreating figure as she pretended nothing was wrong and slipped into the kitchen, Xie Qi suppressed a laugh and lowered his eyes. Meeting the bewildered almond-shaped eyes of the Qilin, he reached out and ruffled its round head. But in the end, he couldn't hold back his laughter. He hugged the cat and laughed silently, his shoulders trembling slightly, before he fell backward onto the veranda.
He had already discovered that Madam Shen was someone who responded better to gentle persuasion than force.
As the eldest sister, Madam Shen was used to presenting a shrewd and capable image to others, always ready to protect those around her and her younger siblings who were not yet adults. She was invincible and worldly-wise, but her heart was as soft as the Bian River when the ice melted in spring.
She was adaptable and gentle, and she had unknowingly nurtured him on several occasions.
Perhaps she still doesn't know this, but Xie Qi always remembers it. He remembers her saying that no one is unlucky forever, that one only has one life, and that she felt very lucky to have met him.
He remembered the taste of every delicious meal she had ever made for him.
Xie Qi picked up the cat and covered his face with the whole cat. He then buried his face in the soft, warm belly of the cat and closed his eyes.
The surging emotions he suppressed in his heart were too blatant to express openly, but... that was indeed what he thought—he was willing to give everything he owned, including himself, to Lady Shen.
I only wish she wanted it.
***
As soon as Shen Miao entered the kitchen, escaping the mournful and accusing gaze of Ninth Brother, she was enveloped in the aroma of firewood and milk, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Niu Sanshi was stirring the milk in the deep, barrel-shaped earthenware jar with a spoon. Small bubbles were rising and bubbling inside, and the pale white milk had been boiling for some time.
Boil the milk for about 15 minutes to kill bacteria and remove any fishy smell; there's no need to boil it for too long.
Shen Miao asked him to move the earthenware jar to the side and let the milk cool naturally to a warm temperature.
Then I started kneading the dough to make the egg tart crusts.
Shenmiao has a very simple, all-purpose egg tart crust recipe that, once mastered, is unlikely to fail.
First, make the oil-based dough: In a wide-mouthed earthenware bowl, pour six ounces of flour, one spoonful of salt, two spoonfuls of sugar, half a ladle of cold water, and one spoonful of lard. Knead thoroughly until evenly coated with oil, ensuring that every grain of flour is evenly coated. This process is crucial; the crispness of the tart crust depends entirely on this step.
In a separate bowl, combine water and sugar, and stir with chopsticks until well combined to form sugar syrup. Add three egg yolks to the sugar syrup and continue stirring with chopsticks until well combined. Then add six ounces of flour and knead the flour and liquid together by hand until a smooth dough forms. This is the water-oil dough.
The water-oil dough is used to wrap the oil-based dough. During the baking process, the moisture in the water-oil dough gradually evaporates, stretching the oil-based dough layer by layer, which makes the egg tart crust crispy.
Afterwards, take the prepared oil-based dough and water-based dough outside. It's too hot in the kitchen; they need a cooler room temperature to relax for about 45 minutes.
While the dough was relaxing, Shen Miao took another small earthenware pot, placed it on the stove, and first stir-fried a pinch of tea leaves in the pot over low heat until they were fragrant. Then she added some rock sugar and tea leaves and continued to stir-fry until they were golden brown and bubbling. She then poured in the boiled milk and cooked it for a while. She added some red beans, and the caramel red bean milk tea was ready.
After making the milk tea, I can then make the egg tarts.
Take the relaxed dough back and place both doughs on the work surface. Press each dough into a slightly larger, thin circle with your hands, with the oil dough on top and the water dough on the bottom. Align the centers of the two doughs and stack them together.
Next, use your hands to lift the edge of the water-oil dough upwards and wrap it around the oil-based dough, pinching the seam tightly to ensure that the oil-based dough does not leak out from the water-oil dough. This completes the wrapping step.
Wrap the dough around the pastry, then gently roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin. Starting from the longer side, gently roll it up to the other side, like rolling up a toilet paper roll, into a tight long strip of dough. Finally, cut it into small pieces with a knife and flatten each piece into a flat round sheet.
Next, take some wide-mouthed small ceramic cups to use as molds, put this round thin piece in, and press it with your fingers to make it fit the cup. In this way, a cup-shaped egg tart crust is formed.
First, bake the tart shells in the earthen oven while you wait for them to bake. Then, prepare the egg mixture. Mix the sugar, milk, and egg mixture together, and filter it twice through cheesecloth to remove any foam or unmixed particles. This will make the mixture smoother and more tender.
Once the first round of baking has resulted in the tart crusts being slightly browned and set, they can be removed from the oven. The reason for baking the tart crusts separately first is that Chen Miao was using an earthen oven without a temperature display at this point, relying entirely on experience to judge the temperature. Baking the tart crusts twice allows for better control over the crispness of the pastry, and also prevents the bottom from getting soggy when pouring in the egg mixture.
When pouring, be careful not to fill it too full, otherwise it will overflow when baking.
Shenmiao didn't have time to make heavy cream and butter today, so this is a Chinese-style puff pastry pure milk egg tart. Pure milk has a high water content, so you need to pay extra attention to the ratio of flour to eggs when baking. Don't over-stir the egg mixture either. Timing is crucial; once golden spots start to appear on the surface of the tart, bake it for a little longer before eating. Otherwise, it will easily collapse during baking.
The egg tarts smelled wonderful; still baking in the earthen kiln, their slightly caramelized, sweet, milky aroma already filled the courtyard. In this world, children from ordinary families rarely had the opportunity to eat dairy products from a young age. Ji-ge'er and Xiang-jie'er probably hadn't tasted milk since they were weaned at one year old. Now, as soon as the aroma wafted out, Xiang-jie'er lost all interest in playing. She moved a stool and sat intently by the earthen kiln, waiting.
Yan Shu was the same. Milk was a precious thing. Even though the Xie family raised a lot of cattle and sheep, he, as a servant, rarely had the chance to eat it, let alone such a new pastry made with a mixture of eggs and milk and requiring so much effort to bake.
I doubt anyone in the entire city of Bianjing has ever eaten this!
I thought the cricket cakes with yellow butter were already the best snacks, but I didn't expect Madam Shen to come up with a new way to make them. Yan Shu smelled the aroma while staring intently at the earthen kiln.
Shen Miao spent the whole morning making some mistakes, but in the end she made three plates of "crepe tarts" that were pretty much perfect. Although the shape was different from those of later generations, the taste was generally the same, and they went well with the caramel red bean milk tea.
Each person received two, and they were all gone in no time.
Tang Er and Fu Xing stood at the kitchen door eating, curiously sniffing the pastry before carefully taking a bite along the edge. A Tao sat under the osmanthus tree, waving her hands because it was too hot, but reluctant to spit out a single bite.
Shen Miao handed one to Xie Qi, and the two of them sat under the veranda watching the children eat.
Especially watching Xiangjie and Yanshu eat, the two chubby little children eat without even lifting their heads, just watching them eat makes you feel that what the two children are eating must be very delicious.
You can't eat egg tarts right out of the oven. They smell delicious, with layers of flaky pastry supporting a thick, trembling egg tart filling, but when you bite into them, they're so hot they hurt your tongue. So you can only wait patiently for a while.
Xiangjie was so impatient that Shenmiao didn't even have time to explain before she got burned. But she wasn't angry afterward; she just puffed out her cheeks and blew on it vigorously.
Seeing that she had been burned, Yan Shu didn't dare to bite down either. He stuck out his tongue to test it, and soon, just like Xiang Jie'er, the two of them puffed out their cheeks and blew hard.
They look like two little frogs.
After a short wait, the two children drank half a cup of milk tea to satisfy their cravings. The milk tea was delicious and sweet. Xiangjie and Yanshu had milk stains all around their lips from drinking it, and they even licked them off with their tongues.
Finally, when the crust of the egg tart was no longer too hot to handle, the temperature inside was just right.
Now you can start eating.
It was piping hot and sweet, with an incredibly tender, smooth, and sweet custard filling. The layers of flaky pastry crumbled and fell apart with every bite. Xiangjie was so impatient that she kept picking up crumbs from her clothes and stuffing them into her mouth, but often the pastry in her hands would crumble even more before she could even get it in, making it impossible to eat.
"So much of it fell, we didn't get to eat any of it." Sister Xiang said with heartache as she caught it with her hands.
"Wait for me, I'll get the plates!" Yan Shu cleverly ran into the kitchen and brought back two plates. The two of them used the plates as a base so that the crumbs of pastry could fall safely onto the plates. After they finished eating what they had in their hands, they could then eat the crumbs.
Chen Chuan ate the egg tart with even greater caution, as if facing a formidable enemy. He first bit the tart crust with his mouth, but did not bite it off completely. Then, as if taking advantage of the tart's inattention, he quickly sucked in the tart filling. In this way, he ate the flaky crust and the custard filling, making sure that not a drop was wasted.
And then the next bite is the same.
Ji Ge'er became much more reserved. After living independently at the academy, he became more composed and quiet, and he also had the shyness that only big kids his age have. He ate alone in his room, seemingly not wanting anyone to see his disheveled appearance with his clothes covered in shreds.
Chinese-style flaky pastry made with lard should be made fresh and eaten while it's hot. Otherwise, the lard flavor will come out when it cools down, making it a bit greasy.
After finishing one, Shen Miao started drinking milk tea and thought to herself: I should make some butter when I have time.
The weather is perfect for freezing into buttery bricks; you can cut off a piece to eat as you go.
Bake a batch of hot, crispy, and fluffy pineapple buns, cut them in the middle, but not completely in half. Place a slice of ice-cold salted butter in the middle of the opening, and take a bite before it completely melts. That's the best way to enjoy them.
This is how it's eaten in a Cantonese teahouse. In my past life, when I went to have morning tea, I always ordered the buttered pineapple bun.
Xie Qi had never tried "crepe tart" before, and found it very novel.
By gently scraping the center of the cup and the pastry with a thin spoon, you can carefully pinch the edge of the pastry above the rim of the cup and remove the egg tart from the mold intact.
Holding it in my hand, I dared not exert any force. The egg custard filling wrapped in layers of thin, crispy pastry was so tender that it would sway slightly inside the crust, and there was also a layer of caramelized sugar crust baked to a brown color on the surface.
Xie Qi used to get diarrhea easily after drinking milk, so he rarely ate milk.
He felt guilty and politely declined the milk tea, but the aroma of the egg and milk mille-feuille was so irresistible that he couldn't care less.
The aroma was so enticing that it made you want to open your mouth and eat it.
With the determination of a warrior cutting off his own arm to prevent diarrhea, he finished one in a few bites. The outer layer was so crispy that it almost crumbled at the touch of his teeth, followed by a tender, custard-like egg custard that melted on his tongue.
It's so...so delicious.
Xie Qi looked at the "crepe de chine" in his hand with great surprise, then looked up at Shen Miao in disbelief, almost speechless from being overwhelmed by the sweet, milky and fragrant treat.
Shen Miao was also eating, still thinking about how to improve next time, when she caught sight of Xie Qi's shocked eyes. She wiped the crumbs from her mouth and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much, it's delicious." Xie Qi shook his head, then lowered his eyes and took a bite of the last half in his hand. The second one was slightly cold, but the egg and milk mixture inside had solidified like milk jelly, and it was so delicious that his eyebrows relaxed.
Just now, he was even wondering if Madam Shen was the Kitchen God descended to earth.
How could she have come up with so many wonderful and delicious foods that could make one forget their troubles and even feel happy? Xie Qi was still pondering this question after he finished eating.
After finishing one egg tart, Yan Shu looked at the last one in his hand and was reluctant to eat it. He had eaten the first one in big bites, but he ate the second one slowly and carefully, wishing he could eat one egg tart all day long.
But the egg tarts were limited in number, and after finishing them, he poured the crumbs from the plate into his mouth.
Then he quietly ran to the donkey shed—the small donkey shed was now crowded with a donkey, a horse, and two cows. Although one of them was a calf, the horse was still very agitated from the crowd.
Zhou Da felt sorry for the horse and had already led it out, planning to take it for a leisurely stroll around the streets. Horses are animals that cannot be confined. After riding in the suburbs today, Zhou Da would take the Rolls-Royce back to Chenzhou, where he would replace it with a donkey.
If it weren't for the fact that they brought so much stuff this time, and Ninth Brother was so eager to return home, they wouldn't have used it. There was no other way; among all the horses the Xie family kept, only this one could be called a "thousand-mile horse," as it was the fastest.
Yan Shu ran to the donkey shed, skipped past Shen Shiyilang who was constantly grazing, and squatted down next to the cow "Shen Shierniang". He whispered into the cow's ear and pleaded softly, "Once we leave the city, I will keep an eye out and dig up the freshest and juiciest wild vegetables for you. Do you like purslane or shepherd's purse? You can like both. But if you eat my vegetables, you must produce more milk."
"So your milk makes such delicious pastries." Yan Shu, still savoring the taste after making his promise to the cow, licked his lips and murmured, "I should have persuaded Ninth Brother to bring a few more cows..."
Cricket cakes ultimately lost. Yan Shu removed cricket cakes from his list of favorite snacks and solemnly listed the mille-feuille pastry as the most delicious dessert he had ever eaten!
"Without exception." Yan Shu nodded solemnly.
After baking the egg tarts, Shen Miao roasted two whole chickens in the earthen oven. Then she found some frozen pears, candied persimmon cakes, dates, dried apricots and other snacks. The group then prepared to go out of the city to go horseback riding.
Shen Miao asked A Tao, Tang Er, and Fu Xing if they wanted to go. A Tao immediately stood up and blocked them behind her, saying decisively, "No, Madam and Ninth Brother can take the children to play."
"Aren't Tang Er and Fu Xing going either?" Shen Miao still peeked out and asked again.
Tang Er and Fu Xing had barely opened their mouths when A Tao blocked them with two elbow strikes. They then shook their heads in unison and said, "We're not going, we're not going."
Fuxing said he wanted roast duck, while Tang Er said he wanted to wash the wool from the sheepskin, cut it off, and spin it into felt thread so he could make some wool felt hats commonly seen in the north.
The two had perfectly valid reasons, so Shen Miao didn't insist. However… A Tao's smile was strange.
She smiled at Shen Miao, then at Xie Qi, her smile inexplicably kind.
Zhou Da also finished walking the Rolls-Royce and came back.
Yesterday, they had three carriages and four horses when they arrived. If Atao and the others were also going, they could have simply hitched up two carriages and gone out together. But now that they are staying, they have just enough horses.
Besides the Rolls-Royce, the other three were dwarf horses used for pulling the carriage. They were short in stature but good-tempered and walked very steadily. Zhou Da then asked his son, Zhou Chuyi, to come and help lead the horses. Xiangjie and Chen Chuan sat on one horse, while Jige and Yanshu sat on the other.
Shen Miao originally intended to ride the remaining short, chubby, and adorable little horse.
To everyone's surprise, Ninth Brother said with a serious face, "Madam Shen has never ridden a horse before, and there is no one else who knows horses well enough to lead it. Why don't you ride the Red Steed instead? I will lead the horse."
Before Shen Miao could even speak, A Tao suddenly interjected, "Didn't you want to go see the duck ponds? If you stroll out of the city at this leisurely pace, you might not be back until dark."
She suggested earnestly, "Why don't Ninth Brother and Madam ride together and take Madam out of the city to check on the fields? Xiangjie and Jige can come later, that way we won't waste any time."
Xie Qi was initially taken aback, but then suddenly realized what he meant. He coughed lightly, cupped his hands in thanks to A Tao, and said, "A Tao is much more thoughtful." Then he turned to Shen Miao, blushing, and asked, "Then... it's getting late, and we shouldn't delay. Shall I... shall I ask Madam Shen to mount the horse?"
He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her, only revealing his reddened ears, and reached out his hand to her from afar.
Shen Miao glared at A Tao, but her heart softened when she saw Xie Qi's hand.
His hands were large and long, with calluses on the base of his thumbs, the kind of hands that could grip a long staff and unleash a fierce gust of wind. But at this moment, with his palms facing upwards, his slightly bent fingertips were trembling almost imperceptibly with tension.
Feeling a sting in her heart, Shen Miao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took a step forward.
She placed her hand firmly in his warm palm.
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