Chapter 104 Everyone Knows About the Little Bread
In the still of the night, the wind outside the window seemed to have subsided a bit, but it was still howling.
In the quiet living room, the little ones were all wrapped in extra-thick double blankets and sleeping soundly.
Ning Jia, who was sleeping on the sofa, suddenly opened her eyes.
She slowly lifted the blanket off her body, then tiptoed off the sofa. Using the dim night light, she quietly rummaged through a pile of supplies, and quickly picked up... a bag of small bread rolls.
Hehe, I'm so lucky! I found my target so quickly!
Ning Jia smiled and was about to open the packaging bag when she suddenly stopped, looked at the sleeping quilts, gently picked up the bag, and tiptoed to the bathroom.
Once in the bathroom, Ning Jia gently closed the door and, feeling her way in the dark, tore open the outer packaging. She took out a small bread roll and began to eat it with relish.
Luckily, I bought some soft little bread rolls. Even if I eat them now, they won't make any noise, so they couldn't be safer.
This little bread isn't the kind of pre-packaged food from the supermarket with a shelf life of 6 months or even longer. Instead, it's a red bean paste bun that Ning Jia specifically went to a convenience store to buy, with a shelf life of only 3 days.
Although you can't enjoy the bread discount after 8 PM, these short-shelf-life breads are relatively fresh, require less advanced technology, and are safer to eat.
A small bread roll was gone in two or three bites. Ning Jia hesitated for a moment, then picked up another one in the dark.
This bread only has a shelf life of 3 days, and half of that time has already passed. Even if you don't eat it now, you'll have to eat it tomorrow.
With that thought in mind, she felt at ease and continued eating.
In the dark bathroom, Ning Jia stood in front of the sink and ate three or four small bread rolls in one go before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
After making up for the carbohydrates I hadn't eaten during the day, my rumbling stomach finally felt at ease.
Why did I tell you to lose weight? Now look what happened, you woke up hungry in the middle of the night!
Ning Jia was criticizing herself, intending to stand and digest her food before going back, when suddenly a chill ran down her spine—
She thought she heard a rustling sound?!
Ahhhhh what is that?!
In an instant, all those stories that happened in the bathroom flooded her mind!
Ning Jia was so frightened that her hair stood on end. She covered her mouth tightly, screamed loudly in her heart, and stood frozen in place, not daring to move.
After what seemed like an eternity, when the rustling sounds finally subsided, she mustered her courage and slowly turned around, intending to leave the bathroom.
Before leaving, she suddenly remembered that the bag of bread was still on the sink. She hesitated for a moment, then turned back to reach for it, and that's when she bumped into it...
Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Ning Jia didn't care about anything else for a moment. She pushed the door open with all her might and rushed out with weak legs. She almost bumped her head into the wall. The noise was so loud that it almost woke up the little ones in the living room.
But the little people who slept in the tree hole all year round were probably used to the various "white noises" from the forest, and were not disturbed by the sound. They turned over, wrapped themselves in their little blankets, and continued to sleep soundly.
Standing by the wall in the living room, Ning Jia touched her forehead, as if she had finally understood what had happened and suddenly felt less afraid.
She had a vague feeling that something was wrong. After thinking it over, she grabbed a flashlight and a fruit knife for making salads, and walked to the bathroom door while holding her breath.
She immediately turned on her flashlight and shone the sudden bright light into the bathroom!
The beam of light swept across the bathroom shower, toilet, shelves... but found nothing.
She abruptly turned around, shining the flashlight shakily towards the sink. She was startled by her own reflection in the mirror, then heard a very crisp "click"—
Under the strong light, the little white ghost draped in a white cloth on the sink was revealed.
"My popcorn..."
The silver-haired little ghost opened its mouth, met Ning Jia's gaze as she held up a flashlight, and burst into tears.
...
The bathroom light was turned on, and the room was instantly as bright as day.
Looking at the sobbing Xuecao and the popcorn stuck in the sink drain, Ning Jia's silence was deafening.
You, if you're going to sneak a bite, fine, but why did you have to go to the bathroom and scare people like that...?
She really wanted to say that.
But given that she had just done the same thing, it was impossible to say those words. So, while subtly (?) removing the bag of bread from the sink, she offered some words of comfort:
"Don't worry, Xuecao, there's still plenty of popcorn. I'll go get you some more."
"……Um."
Xuecao wiped away the tears on her little face, skillfully tore off a small piece of tissue paper, wiped her face clean, and then emphasized:
You can only take one.
Ning Jia looked at her with some surprise, "Only one?"
"Yes, I only ate one popcorn this afternoon. I could have had another one, so it doesn't count as stealing a popcorn."
Xuecao's words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving Ningjia dumbfounded.
"And," Xuecao added, "if I wanted to sneak a bite, I would definitely eat the steamed bun you just ate; it smelled so good!"
Ning Jia was a little embarrassed for a moment, and after a moment of silence, she picked up the bag and introduced it to Xue Cao:
"This isn't a steamed bun, it's a small bread roll, but since it was bought from outside, I didn't dare give it to you."
After all, the little people have excellent night vision. She probably saw Xuecao eating bread in the bathroom very clearly, so there's really no need to deceive herself.
Unexpectedly, Xuecao nodded in understanding:
"Hey, you've had it tough too."
"You usually eat so much rice, but now you can only eat some vegetable leaves like us. You must not be full, right?"
Ning Jia was speechless: No, does she usually eat that much?
She didn't want to continue the conversation, so she said, "I'll go get you some popcorn," and hurriedly left the bathroom.
Popcorn...popcorn...
The bag of popcorn that was placed on the outside is now empty; it seems the little people have eaten it all.
Ning Jia squatted in front of a large pile of food, quietly rummaging through the remaining popcorn. As she was doing so, a sudden realization struck her:
...Wait a minute!
She remembered that there were still several kernels of popcorn left in that bag before she went to bed that night.
If there were only one left, given her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, she would definitely eat it right away and then put the bag away; there's no way there would only be one left.
So, given that Snow Grass just stole a popcorn, and the bag is now empty, where did the rest of the popcorn go?
Under the dim light, Ning Jia stood up abruptly, squinted, and looked around the living room, but after searching for a long time, she found nothing.
Strange, could it be that the most dangerous place is also the most...
Her eyes darted around, and she stopped in front of the cardboard box filled with fruit. Suddenly, she squatted down and looked inside.
In an instant, the numbers became relative.
The tiny figures hiding in the cardboard box screamed in fright as a huge shadow loomed over them.
Shh! It's me!
Ning Jia opened the cardboard box and showed her face to the terrified little ones.
"What? It's Ning Jia..."
The little people all breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the large cardboard box, He Meng stood in front of two big, rosy apples, stretched out her little hand, and tried to reach into the gap between the apples to pick up the popcorn that had been dropped in fright.
Bai Su, Ju Ye, and Dao Ya, who was no longer a patient, all sat on a big apple, swinging their short legs, each holding a piece of popcorn in their arms.
No, besides the popcorn in their arms, Ju Ye and Dao Ya also put a popcorn on top of the apple.
Two pills per person, that's really meticulous.
Ning Jia was momentarily at a loss for words, and asked in a low voice:
"Are you hungry in the middle of the night, just like Xuecao?"
Bai Su nodded and whispered, "Did you see the snow grass?"
Ning Jia nodded. "She was in the bathroom just now and accidentally dropped her popcorn."
Upon hearing this, Bai Su immediately offered her popcorn:
"Why don't you give this to her?"
Ning Jia couldn't resist reaching into the cardboard box and touching Bai Su's head.
"No need, there's still plenty of popcorn. I'll just go open another bag."
When Ning Jia found the bag of popcorn, she carefully took out one kernel, hesitated for a moment, and then simply picked up an empty paper bag and put some more things inside.
Before returning to the restroom, she gave Bai Su and the others some advice:
"Isn't it a bit inconvenient to eat here? How about... we go eat over there together?"
A few minutes later.
Xuecao, who was getting impatient waiting in the bathroom, finally saw Ningjia, her popcorn, and her dear friends.
At this point, the clandestine act of stealing food was no longer a mystery.
Under the bright lights, Ning Jia laid out several layers of soft toilet paper on the sink and asked the little ones to sit on the floor.
Then, as if by magic, he took out a few peanuts and melon seeds from the paper bag, and then an apple. He peeled it with a fruit knife and cut it into small pieces. After everyone had a piece, they held up the rest of the apple and ate it.
"I suddenly feel so happy."
"Hehe, Ning Jia is so nice."
"Juye, are you going to eat popcorn again tomorrow?"
"Hmm...we'll talk about it later."
The little figures sat happily around the sink, as if on a picnic, munching on snacks and chatting adorably.
Ning Jia stood to the side, watching this heartwarming scene with a smile, and quickly finished the apple in her hand.
She put the apple core into the empty paper bag, and very naturally picked up a small bread roll from the bag next to her and continued eating.
Ah, after eating a refreshing apple, some soft and fragrant bread would be a really good combination.
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Jia finished the bread in her mouth and habitually reached into the bag, only to find it empty. She then realized something was wrong.
Good heavens, how did she finish all the bread?
Oh no, I said I'd eat less, how did I end up eating more?
Just as she was filled with regret, a questioning female voice suddenly came from beneath her feet:
"Lord Ningjia? What are you doing here?"
...
The next morning, as soon as Ning Jia opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself surrounded by many "teru teru bozu" dolls.
"Sister Ningjia is awake!"
Guoguo, wrapped in a small handkerchief with Xingxing, sat on the sofa above Ningjia's head and exclaimed in surprise.
"Wow, Ning Jia is finally awake!"
The "Sunny Dolls" all showed joyful expressions, and after saying "Good morning" all at once, they started saying some strange things to Ning Jia:
"Ning Jia, have some instant noodles and snacks. Eat more, don't go hungry."
"Ning Jia, we can have all the vegetable leaves, you can have the dried fish."
"Ning Jia, you must have worked hard yesterday. You must have been starving."
Daoya and Xuecao said embarrassedly, "We're sorry, we won't be greedy anymore."
Ning Jia slowly sat up, looking completely bewildered. Once her brain started functioning normally again, she looked at the concerned little people around her, and only one thought crossed her mind:
It seems that everyone already knows about me sneaking some bread last night.
After all, when the Canglan clan chief went to the toilet in the middle of the night and found her eating there, he looked extremely guilty!
No matter how Ning Jia explained that she was "on a diet," the other party still didn't believe her.
Ning Jia recalled what happened last night, and under the awkward gazes of many petty people, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
But now, it seems too late to feel embarrassed and helpless?
Ning Jia, shamelessly, thanked the little people for their concern and then said:
She will definitely eat well today, not only eating more fruits and leafy greens, but also eating all the junk food.
The little people nodded happily, and their guilt lessened.
Dongkui even volunteered, "Ning Jia, let me make that Fangfangfang for you later!"
Ning Jia quickly waved her hand, "Thank you, Dong Kui, but I'll do it myself."
When it comes to making instant noodles, you have to decide for yourself how much noodle cake to put in, how much seasoning to add, the amount of water, and how long to soak it. How can you leave it to someone else?
Seeing a hint of disappointment flash across Dongkui's face, Ning Jia suddenly realized:
This child has been helping out in the kitchen, working diligently and enduring a lot of hardship, but has yet to actually cook a meal himself.
But with the stove so dangerous and the spatula so heavy, it's really impossible to let children personally stir-fry and cook, right?
Wait, no... it's her thinking that's limited!
A vague thought flashed through Ning Jia's mind. She quickly sat up, picked up her phone, and typed a few words into the memo app.
...
This morning, the Lilliputians' breakfast consisted of fruit and nuts. There was no milk or yogurt.
Although Tetra Pak milk claims to be preservative-free, Ning Jia still dared not let the little people drink too much of it.
But after the typhoon passed, the weather was a bit too cool, and even drinking mineral water felt a bit too cold.
Ning Jia then boiled some water and poured it into the "milk carton temporary bowls" for the little ones to drink.
Some more persimmons fell from the tree today.
Even though the bananas had started to develop black spots, even though the apples were slightly wrinkled, and even though some of the oranges were so sour they made your teeth ache, everyone still ate them with great relish!
Tree spirits above, they will praise all the fruit!
Especially these fruits that have grown so well and are ripe right in front of us!
Thanks to them, the little people have had another day of plenty!
As for Ning Jia, he naturally continued to happily eat his instant noodles.
This time, however, she deliberately kept her distance, weakening the aroma of instant noodles, and the little people were much calmer.
...
After everyone finished breakfast, the latest official news arrived.
Although the typhoon warning has not been completely lifted according to the latest notice, and relevant departments advise residents to continue staying home, the good news is that water and electricity are beginning to return to normal, and most importantly, internet access has been restored.
Thank goodness, thank you tree spirit, my phone finally has a signal!
Ning Jia quickly opened WeChat, first letting Ms. Ning know she was safe, then asking about Liu Yue's recent situation, and finally looking at the many photos of meals sent by Zhou Chi...
Hmm, the color combination is very nice, the variety of ingredients is also very rich, and the taste should be good too.
After all, on a typhoon day when you can't cook, you can only eat white food that doesn't require any cooking skills.
How could it possibly taste bad if you just put fresh ingredients together?
Ning Jia sent a "thumbs up" emoji, feeling it was a bit perfunctory, so she flipped through her photo album, found a few pictures of the little people's three meals a day, and a picture of herself eating instant noodles, and sent them over.
The other party replied almost instantly.
Zhou Chi: What a blunder! I never even thought to buy instant noodles! [Ugly cat covering face]
[Zhou Chi: However, I was living abroad in the UK and ate instant noodles three times a day, so I got a bit tired of it. After returning to China, I deliberately stopped buying instant noodles...]
Ning Jia couldn't help but chuckle.
She remembered that Zhou Chi had mentioned that he was studying in the UK, but it was abruptly interrupted because of his parents' death, but she forgot which school it was.
Because at that moment, she was at Zhou Chi's dining table, struggling with a mouthful of crab meat that was hard to describe -_-||
Thinking about it this way, Zhou Chi's cooking skills are practically on par with the culinary disasters of Britain. Otherwise, why would he eat instant noodles every day?
Ning Jia had just sent a "pat on the head" emoji when the other party sent a new message:
[Zhou Chi: Staying at home during this typhoon, and not being able to use my phone, gave me a chance to think about a lot of things.]
[Zhou Chi: I've decided, once the typhoon is over, I'm definitely going to practice my cooking skills hard!]
[Zhou Chi: I'm planning to sign up for a class, the one with one-on-one instruction, to really improve my cooking skills!]
[If I don't learn it well, I'll... keep learning! [Ugly dog clenching fist]]
Ning Jia chuckled again, thought for a moment, and then sent a "Go for it!" ugly cat emoji.
Honestly.
If Zhou Chi's cooking skills don't improve, Bai Zhiyun and the others probably won't dare to stay at his house anymore.
...
After finishing chatting on her main personal WeChat account, Ning Jia switched to her business account, AAA Ning's Sachet.
The moment she switched accounts, her iPhone 12 suddenly froze.
This time it's not WeChat's fault.
I haven't logged in for the past couple of days, and there are a lot of messages piling up. I need some time to process them all...
As Ning Jia watched the numbers on the little red dot keep increasing, she felt a little uneasy.
Previously, these messages would mostly be positive reviews or orders from customers, but this time, things might not be the same.
After all, the sachet blind box recently launched by Ning's Sachet is quite different from the previous sachet styles.
Although the feedback from the friends and family trial group exceeded expectations, and many customers subsequently gave positive reviews, the bold and quirky design of the cat and dog sachets must have some customers who didn't like it.
Ning Fang had just subtly reminded her:
When a restaurant introduces a new dish, it will initially be given to guests as a free sample to gather genuine feedback. If the feedback is positive, the dish will then be officially added to the menu.
If we introduce new dishes with a completely different style right away, some customers will definitely feel uncomfortable.
Ning Jia was aware of what Ning Fang was saying.
But the petty people, including her, all wanted to use this sachet blind box to solve their immediate crisis in one fell swoop.
To sell more blind boxes, the conventional approach is definitely not feasible; some risks are inevitable.
Thinking of this, Ning Jia took a deep breath, looked at the 999+ messages on WeChat, and resolutely raised her finger to open and read them one by one.
Sure enough, the first thing I saw was a negative review.
It's a super long negative review.
Ning Jia's hands trembled as she scrolled through the messages the other party had sent a day earlier, her heart clenching with each passing moment.
Although she had mentally prepared herself and understood the customer's feelings, she still felt very uncomfortable when she actually saw others criticizing her own product.
Moreover, the other party's tone was not harsh, and they expressed their opinion very amicably, which made Ning Jia feel even worse.
She silently took out paper and pen, wrote down this valuable advice, then breathed a sigh of relief, just about to express her gratitude, when suddenly her gaze froze—
The chat page shows that the friend "Qiu" is typing a new message.
Ning Jia's heart leaped into her throat, and she almost held her breath.
After a long few seconds, the message finally arrived:
[Qiu: I apologize for making these suggestions so abruptly. I've thought about it again these past two days and realize I might have been too harsh.]
[Autumn: Beauty and ugliness are ultimately determined by human judgment. A good design is one that touches the heart.]
[Autumn: An ugly dog-shaped sachet hanging on a bag.jpg]
Ning Jia paused, looking at the smug dog head in the photo that seemed to be mocking her, then suddenly smiled slightly.
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