Chapter 95 (Ice Cream Cake (Part 2)...)

The low sneer 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 and turned to Yan Qiushu to apologize: "I was about to come over just now, but I was delayed for a while. Sorry."

Yan Qiushu smiled indifferently: "It's okay."

Xiao Huaiya said softly, "Many people like to gossip. Everyone has been talked about by this group of people. Don't be afraid. Just fight back. Lao Liu is very successful now. They dare not mess with him."

Yan Qiushu said in a relaxed tone: "It's really nothing. I was bitten by a dog, but I can't bite it back, right?"

She was really not afraid and her voice did not lower 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.

Putting aside other things, 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 about her without mentioning her names.

After a while, more and more people came, and Shen Pingyu also came over. When he saw Yan Qiushu, he respectfully called out, "Aunt Yan."

After not seeing him for half a year, the boy had become more handsome. Yan Qiushu was very fond of him and smiled. She coaxed him to come over and pinched his fair and tender face: "Pingyu, do you miss me?"

Shen Pingyu blushed, but in response to the expectant look of the woman in front of him, he nodded seriously: "Yes!"

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 the 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 expectations: "Pingyu can live here for a month, and then go to Aunt Yan's place to bother her in a few days."

The two agreed, and Shen Pingyu was about to leave.

Jiang Shengyun had been staring at him for a long time, looking forward to the conversation between the two. Until the young boy nodded, turned around and left without even looking in her direction, she became even angrier.

This……

She is Dongdong's biological aunt. When Dongdong was born, she came to the Xiao Mansion and held Shen Pingyu in her arms. Now he didn't even look at her from beginning to end? !

Why is this person so popular with the Xiao family? Could it be that he knows some kind of witchcraft?

Jiang Shengyun complained in her heart and felt more and more aggrieved that she came this time. It was true that her mother was making a fuss and didn't want to come. The Xiao family was really too irritating!

While chatting with Shen Pingyu, many people came up to the surrounding areas, including several princes.

Prince Chang and his wife came over with their son. Before sitting down, they also greeted Yan Qiushu and Xiao Huaiya with a gentle attitude, which made people around them look strange.

But they soon remembered that Yan Qiushu seemed to have told Prince Chang in advance that the potatoes were poisonous, allowing Prince Chang to avoid Concubine Lu's conspiracy?

Yan Qiushu did not look away the whole time. When she saw Prince Zhou Zejing of Jin appear with Yan Qiuyuan, she was not moved at all. Fortunately, Yan Qiuyuan and her husband had just gotten married, and the new bride's every move was being watched, so she was well aware of the situation and did not show up.

After everyone is seated, the food can be served.

One after another, popular Kyoto dishes were served, including braised spareribs, chestnut-roasted chicken, spicy chicken, etc. Of course, there were also some local specialties, which could cater to the appetites of both groups of people. Therefore, when the dishes were served, basically no one said a word and everyone ate happily with chopsticks.

"The Xiao family is still amazing. Have they moved the entire food court here?" someone asked enviously.

Someone next to him laughed and said, "Isn't it? This tastes exactly the same as the one in the food court!"

This was heard by the people at the next table, and someone immediately shook his head: "No way, I think it tastes better than the one in the food court!"

"Yes, it's much better than the food court. Maybe the ingredients used are better!"

Even though home cooks can cook a lot, there are many dishes that you can’t learn to cook just by eating them, and you can’t make them taste authentic, so you can only go out and try them yourself.

The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed it very much.

After dinner, everyone moved to another banquet hall, where they had tea and looked at the gifts given by the Xiao family's children and grandchildren.

The maids were fanning themselves and drinking cool 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 God of Longevity was smiling kindly and bowing to the people outside the painting. The characters were obviously fictional, but the painting was exquisite, and the characters' expressions jumped out of the paper, as if one could hear a familiar congratulation: "May you live as long as the Southern Mountains!"

"Your son wishes your mother a long life!" Xiao Huaiqi sat in a wheelchair, his jade-like handsome face seemed to be getting younger and younger. Although he was very busy recently, he ate and drank well, and was in a good mood. The paleness on his face disappeared, and his smiling face made people look at him sideways. 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 that Xiao Dalang hadn't painted for many years. I didn't expect that his paintings are still so beautiful now!"

"Isn't it? I heard that a landscape painting by the last top scholar was 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 all the rage in Kyoto. So many people wanted to marry him, but now he's like this, oh..."

"Why……"

Mrs. Xiao took the gift from her son with a big smile, saying, "Good, it's a great painting. I like it very much."

Xie Qingyun followed, "Mother, originally my husband and I said we would send them together, but he paints so well that I can't compare, so I drew some patterns and had someone make a set of jewelry. Do you like it?"

There was no reason for Mrs. 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 used a gold frame to look very elegant.

The onlookers were extremely envious. It was already great if a younger generation in the family had a promising future. However, the Xiao family had almost as many promising brothers as the older brothers. None of them were cowards. They were obviously a family of military generals, but they were also very good in other aspects.

People presented gifts one by one. Yan Qiushu looked back and saw Shui Yu standing on a red silk cloth that was half a person's height. He met her gaze and made a gesture.

Yan Qiushu felt relieved. She turned around and heard a smiling voice saying, "Mrs. Xiao, is it time for your sixth son and future sixth daughter-in-law to take over?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the people in the room who were originally envious were shocked.

Everyone knew that the Xiao family suddenly announced the engagement of their sixth son one day. The engagement object was an orphan, although her identity changed because she was told that potatoes were poisonous.

But a country lady is not good enough in Kyoto. If her father and brothers 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 fooled 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 meeting this person.

Now we are finally meeting each other.

When her eyes were focused on Yan Qiushu, she immediately felt that just as she was about to stand up, Jiang Shengyun also said with a smile in the crowd: "I heard that Lord De'an is very fond of Madam Xiao because of his cooking skills. Is it possible that the gift today will be food?"

"puff!"

Someone laughed.

Soon, others around him started laughing too.

But the next second, Mrs. 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 turned pale with fear.

The laughter in the crowd disappeared instantly. Everyone looked at her with lingering fear, muttering in their hearts, this Mrs. Xiao really likes this future daughter-in-law of her sixth son as much as the rumors say, it's a pity for the young man Xiao Huaiting.

If it weren't for the special situation of the Xiao family a few years ago, people who came to act as matchmakers would have definitely broken down the door.

Yan Qiushu didn't know what others thought, nor did she care. She just stood up when she was mentioned.

At this time, Xiao Huai Ting also stood up and bowed respectfully to his mother: "Mother, it's a coincidence that Ah Shu specially got a Jiaowei Qin from the previous dynasty a while ago, and I just happen to have strings made of Tiancan silk. Now the Jiaowei Qin has been installed, and I am giving it to you now. 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 an ancient zither inside. The tail of the zither was charred black, and there were beautiful patterns carved on it.

Xiao Waiting's slender hands seemed to be casually plucking the strings of the guitar, but in fact, a birthday song was dancing on his fingertips. The sound of the silk strings was not as loud as modern steel wires, but the sound was particularly beautiful. And because the birthday song was lively and festive, many people smiled when they heard it.

But he only played for a few dozen seconds before stopping. This posture was inconvenient. He put his hands on the strings. After the sound stopped, he bowed and said, "My son is so ugly. I hope mother likes it."

Mrs. Xiao naturally showed a satisfied smile, but she was not looking at her son, but at Yan Qiushu: "Of course I like it, Ah Shu, you took the trouble. I always felt that the previous zither was not good enough, and I haven't played it for a long time. With this zither, I can finally play it freely."

"Oh, they are indeed a young couple. They have such a tacit understanding before they even get married. One holds the guitar and the other holds the strings. They are a perfect match~" As soon as Mrs. Xiao finished speaking, a wealthy lady immediately responded with a smile.

Others followed suit and praised: "The man is talented and the woman is beautiful. Mrs. Xiao and her future daughter-in-law are a perfect match!"

Obviously everyone should be able to guess that this piano was definitely made by Xiao Waiting alone.

But no one said much, instead, their eyes were filled with envy as they looked at Yan Qiushu.

Xiao Waiting's behavior shows that he also likes his fiancée. Not only does her mother-in-law like her, but even her future husband protects her. It's the Xiao family's good family tradition. From the perspective of this era, isn't it enviable?

Jiang Shengyun listened to the words around her and felt annoyed. She just felt that a group of people were chattering and it gave her a headache. She was angry that Yan Qiushu took the position of Xiao Huaiting's fiancée, otherwise her cousin could have married her.

Before she came, she was still listening to her mother talking about this matter in a cursing manner.

Seeing Yan Qiushu like this, she became more and more indignant, but she didn't know what to do for a moment.

Xiao Huaiting had actually prepared the gifts, so he naturally couldn't stand Yan Qiushu's jokes.

Suddenly someone next to her touched her arm.

Jiang Shengyun turned around and found that Yan Qiuyuan, wife of the Crown Prince of Jin, was sitting next to her. She smiled at her gently and asked curiously, "I just saw something there. Whose gift is it? Did you see it?"

"What?" She looked over as Yan Qiuyuan instructed, and found a half-person-high object covered with red cloth next to a maid. It was blocked tightly, so she naturally 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, and I thought it was her gift, but it turned out not to be, so I wanted to ask you 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 should be the gift she prepared?

Could it be that Xiao Waiting felt that her gift was not worthy of being presented on stage and that’s why he deliberately said that the guqin was made by him and Yan Qiushu together?

Jiang Shengyun rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "Huh? I just saw De'an Xiangjun looking at the thing covered with red cloth, and I thought her gift was this?"

Because of her relationship with her in-laws, she was in a relatively forward position. Her words attracted everyone's attention, and people all looked over.

Jiang Shengyun's sister-in-law was so frightened that her face turned pale. The weather was already hot, and the sweat on her face almost brought powder down. She wiped it off quickly and said anxiously, "Don't mess around!"

Jiang Shengyun pouted unhappily, not taking it seriously. She didn't do anything. Wasn't it just a few words? The Xiao family couldn't blame 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 show off her shameful things in front of everyone.

Yan Qiushu was quite grateful to her. When Xiao Huaiting presented the guqin, everyone started praising it non-stop. She was still thinking about how to interrupt, but she didn't expect the girl to help 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. Shuiyan, bring it up."

Shui Yan 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 them now.

She stared at the two servants who entered carrying the half-person-high cake.

Everyone looked at it curiously: "Is it really a cake?"

"Don't you have cake? Why are you 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 the cake was too common. You could customize one for one or two silver coins in the food court.

Although they didn't say it directly, their eyes changed, showing a hint of mockery and sympathy.

The gift is too light, and it's food that can be bought at any time. This girl is going to make a fool of herself.

Yan Qiushu's expression remained unchanged, and she smiled and said, "Aunt, happy birthday!"

Shui Xian promptly lifted the red cloth, and together with the servant took away the cover attached to it, revealing the true appearance of the thing 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 has different decorations. 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 long 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 then lit the six lamp wicks.

The small flame flashed brightly, illuminating the whole cake with a tender pink color that made girls' hearts explode. Even the male guests showed an astonished look.

It was dinner time, and after a while of delay, the sun had already set and the only lighting option was candlelight. At this moment, such a pink thing appeared, making this dim place bright and lovely.

Especially now, all cakes sold in cake shops are one-layered, and there are none with six layers like a tall tower!

Jiang Shengyun was also surprised, but soon she showed a look of shame and disgust, 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 ended, Dongdong, who was leaning against 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 was lively and followed suit, "Yes, Ah Shu, you can't be partial, I want this for my birthday too! That's amazing!"

Wan'er, with her mouth slightly opened in shock, quickly said, "Sister Shu, Wan'er wants it too!"

Even the mature 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, so 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, satisfied and happy.

Mrs. Xiao liked eating, and when she saw the cake, she smiled even more happily: "Ah Shu, thank you for your hard work. You must have spent a long time thinking about this cake, right?"

Yan Qiushu smiled shyly: "It's OK, it's not complicated." She handed over the wooden sword: "Aunt, the birthday star is coming to divide the cake, will you cut it?"

"Okay." Mrs. Xiao stood up immediately, without anyone's help, and came over with a wooden knife, cutting the cake skillfully.

Dongdong eats a lot of cake, so she already knew what to do.

After cutting the cake, Madam Huang came over with a plate. Madam Xiao placed a piece of cake on the plate. She looked at one of her elder sisters and said, "It's a pity that you come to celebrate my birthday at your age. I'll give this to you."

Fifty years old is already very old for people whose average age is 30 or 40 years old. 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 widely and continued cutting the meat and distributing it to the children one by one.

This cake is really big. Even the top layer is just an ordinary 12-inch cake. 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 get the cake had already started eating. As she ate, she showed a look of surprise and stared at the cake in confusion for a long time before she said in a hoarse voice, "Oh my, your future daughter-in-law is really 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 softness of the cake base mixed with the familiar cold taste of ice cream, full of milky fragrance and sweet to the heart.

This ice cream has a delicate texture. Although it is cold, the cake base protects your lips and tongue from being irritated.

After taking a sip, it seems as if the sultry summer night begins to fade away, making you feel comfortable from the inside out.

Mrs. Xiao was also surprised: "Is it 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 own mouth.

The next one was Dongdong, who had been drooling for a long time. He held the cake in his 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! Please keep cutting. Dongdong hasn't eaten it yet!"

He is so miserable!

He waited for a long time, but because of his generation points and status, he never got the chance. Finally, Wan'er got it, and it was his turn. But grandma was not happy!