Neighbor visits
"Your errand fee is so expensive," Elena complained, puffing her cheeks. "You're just trying to round it up. If the bread is 65 silver coins, then your errand fee would have to be 35 coins, right?"
Leonard nodded calmly: "Yes."
"Tsk, and these breads are so expensive, are you trying to rip me off?" Elena's eyes swept over the two bags of bread.
75 silver coins can buy dozens of steaks. Are these breads more expensive than steaks?
"This bread is expensive, but it's delicious. It's a very popular bakery in Wangdu." Leonard pointed at the shop logo on the bag. "Next time, you can go to the store and see for yourself whether I'm cheating you or not."
Elena reluctantly took out the gold coins.
Leonard snatched it away. "Be generous. Think about it. You're giving a gift to a great wizard, and you only need to give him bread worth 75 silver coins. And I, a golden knight, am only charging you 25 silver coins to run an errand for you. Is that expensive? It's not."
Taking a deep breath, Elena looked at Leonard calmly, "Do you want to charge a commission for introducing me to that great wizard?"
Leonard nodded calmly, "Yes, I'm using my connections to find you a protector. Of course, I'll charge an agency fee, but don't worry, I'll give you a discount."
"How much?" Elena decided to ask the price first.
"Not much, just one gold coin as the agency fee." Leonard raised his index finger.
"How much thank-you fee should I give to the great wizard?" Elena asked again. This was the key point.
"That's not necessary." Leonard shook his head. This time he was generous. "He just happened to owe me a small favor, so protecting you will offset that."
Elena was prepared to continue spending a lot of money, getting paid for running errands and introductions, but it turned out that they didn't charge for protection money?
I inexplicably feel like I've made a profit.
Elena was happy again: "Thank you."
Looking at Elena's bright smile, Leonard's mood also became very good. He waved his hand handsomely: "It's a small matter, you're welcome."
Elena smiled and asked again: "When are we going to visit?"
"Tomorrow morning," Leonard said.
"Ah, maybe not tomorrow morning." Elena was a little embarrassed, "A neighbor is coming to visit tomorrow morning."
"Neighbor?" Leonard's eyes fell on the visiting card on the coffee table. "Who is it?"
Elena handed over the visiting card: "It's Mr. Bunil who lives across the street. According to his servant, he is the son of the Marquis and a musician."
"Musician?" Leonard suddenly had a headache. He had never been able to appreciate elegant music. It was simply a god-level lullaby.
"Then let's do it tomorrow at noon. We'll set off after you send the guests away and bring him lunch while we're at it," Leonard said.
???
"Send lunch?" Elena suspected Leonard was wrong. "If it's for dinner, why not invite him to the restaurant?"
If you are inviting someone to dinner, of course it is more sincere to go to a restaurant. There is no reason to have the food taken away.
Leonard shook his head: "No, he's not free. We'll just send him lunch. He'll definitely like your dishes."
Elena asked tentatively: "He likes delicious food?"
"Yes." Leonard nodded. "Especially when he's busy, he loves to eat more. However, he has a rather extreme personality. When he's busy, he refuses to waste even a moment. He can't stand the formal attire, the grooming, and the waiting for the food to arrive at a nice restaurant. He'd rather take a nutrient solution to solve the problem. If you invite him out for dinner, he'll get scolded, but if you bring the food to him, he'll be happy to enjoy it."
I get it. When I’m stressed out, I like to relieve stress with delicious food, but I can’t stand the various rules and regulations of high-end restaurants, so I prefer to eat takeout rather than eating out.
Elena nodded.
Then Elena turned her gaze to the two large bags of bread: “Are you sure he will like this bread?”
"Don't worry, he likes it. Besides, the bread is very good. It's perfect for filling his stomach when he's busy. It's suitable for busy people like him." Leonard confirmed again.
Elena felt slightly relieved.
"By the way, what kind of food does he prefer? I need to prepare it well." Elena asked.
Leonard mentioned several foods, and Elena wrote them down one by one.
"I'll arrange it carefully." Elena promised.
The next day, at 9 a.m., the neighbor across the street rang the doorbell of Elena's garden house on time.
The visitors were a neighboring couple, the musician Mr. Bunnier and his wife.
"Welcome, I'm the temporary host here, my name is Elena Field." Elena stood at the door and introduced herself with a smile on her face.
Mr. Bunier and his wife looked at the pretty girl with bright golden hair in surprise.
When the servant came to hand in the visiting card yesterday, he specifically inquired about the basic information of the new neighbor. It was said that the new neighbor was from Rosyth County and was a young viscountess.
But they never expected that it would be such a young Viscountess.
You can tell at first glance that he is not yet an adult.
This should be the youngest baroness in the empire, right?
Mr. Bunnell saluted: "Hello, Miss Field, I am Bunnell Ross from Bardleyshire, and this is my wife."
Mrs. Bunier bowed gracefully: "Hello, Viscount Field."
"Nice to meet you." Elena warmly welcomed them into the living room.
Mr. and Mrs. Bunier sat down in the living room. Mr. Bunier had a friendly first conversation with Elena, while Mrs. Bunier sat quietly beside them, observing everything here without leaving any trace.
There were not many servants, no new furniture, and no decorative murals, only a few vases with fresh flowers.
It seems that if this Viscountess is not financially strapped, she has no intention of staying in the capital for a long time and may only be staying for a short time.
Madame Bunnier looked again at the Viscountess's clothes and accessories.
The style of the clothes is this year's model, and the wear and tear is...almost no wear and tear.
Accessories, um, pearl hairpins, gem necklaces, gem brooches.
This Viscountess doesn't seem to be in financial difficulty, and probably doesn't plan to stay in the royal capital for long.
Mrs. Bunnier had a sense of judgment in her mind.
Just as Elena and Mr. Bunier's casual conversation came to an end, Elena greeted the guests: "You two, please try the cakes I made."
Mr. and Mrs. Bunnier's attention then shifted to the three-tiered pastry plate on the coffee table.
Hey, I've never seen these cakes before.
At Elena's warm invitation, the two of them picked a piece each.
Mr. Bunnier chose peanut brittle.
He liked the color of the candy, and he liked peanuts, so he put the peanut candy in his mouth and bit it with his teeth.
Well, the sugar is very sweet, and the peanuts are very fragrant and crispy, and the more you chew them, the more fragrant they become.
Mrs. Bunnier chose pine cone pastries.
She always likes crispy texture, and this pastry looks quite crispy.
Well, Mrs. Bunnier opened her eyes wide after biting the pine cone pastry. She looked at the cross-section of the pine cone pastry in disbelief. There were layers of extremely thin crispy crust inside, which was more layered than she had imagined.
"Is it delicious? Do you like it?" Elena opened her big green eyes and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Bunier with anticipation.
Mr. Bunier praised it sincerely: "It's very delicious, the sugar is sweet and the peanuts are crispy."
Mrs. Bunnier praised it sincerely: "It's very crispy. I never thought that such a small piece could have so many layers of crispy crust. It tastes so good when you bite it."
Elena narrowed her eyes happily, then held the three-layer pastry plate in both hands and moved it in front of them: "Can I try the other pastries?"
Mr. and Mrs. Bunnell looked at the other dishes on the plate.
They all look good.
"With pleasure," said Mr. Bunnier, smiling.
Mrs. Bunnier directly picked up a piece of peanut candy that Mr. Bunnier praised and took a bite: "Ah, it's really sweet." This kind of sweetness, this kind of sweetness with fragrance, makes people reluctant to bite it, and they just want to hold it in their mouth and eat it slowly.
The egg yolk pastry has a crispy outer crust and the egg yolk inside is as fine and sandy as sand. It is paired with the red bean paste in the center, which is just the right amount of salty and sweet, making it a perfect match.
The flower cake has a crispy outer layer but is not greasy. The filling is fresh flowers. You can feel the petals when you eat it. It feels a bit strange, but surprisingly, it makes you want to eat it again after taking one bite.
The yogurt sandwich cake looks like a very common small round cake, but when you take a bite, oh, the white core inside is slightly sweet and sour, with a milky taste. Isn’t this the yogurt that is sold very expensively in the store?
Fried oatmeal bananas, wow, so good, I never knew that bananas could be eaten like this, and oatmeal, it turns out that it tastes so good when fried.
The Buniers ate one in one bite. These pastries were originally made by Elena in small sizes, so that they would not stick to the lips or fall off. Now the Buniers were caught in the whirlpool of delicious food. The large portions made them unable to control themselves and they ate very quickly.
Only after all the pastries on the three-layer pastry plate were cleared did the Buniers reluctantly withdraw their hands.
Realizing she had eaten too much, Mrs. Bunnier sheepishly raised her glass and took a sip of her tea.
"Oh, my goodness, Viscountess, your tea is delicious!" Mrs. Bunnier couldn't help but exclaimed, carefully observing the tea in the cup. "Viscountess, please allow me to ask, do you put milk and sugar in your tea?"
Elena smiled and nodded: "Yes."
Mrs. Bunnier still looked amazed. "I've drunk tea this way before, but I've never had tea this good. Your recipe is fantastic."
It's not uncommon to add milk and sugar to tea, as many people drink it this way, but no cup of tea tastes as good as the one in her hand.
Elena smiled widely and sweetly: "Really? I'm so happy."
Mr. Bunier also took a sip of tea. His eyes widened as he took in the tea, and he nodded in amazement: "It's really delicious."
Mr. Bunnier looked from the now-empty plate of cakes to the tea in his hand.
"Miss Viscount, these pastries are delicious and I've never tasted them before. I'd like to ask where you buy them from? Is it your chef's secret recipe?"
Elena raised her chin slightly with some pride: "I figured it out myself. I like delicious food, so I just try it out when I have time."
Mr. and Mrs. Bunnier were genuinely surprised.
"You really are a person who loves life," Mr. Bunnier exclaimed.
"You have a real talent for food," Mrs. Bunnier praised.
Elena accepted these two compliments with a smile.
The visit was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests, and when they left, Mr. and Mrs. Bunnier were given a bag full of cakes.
Looking at the bag of pastries, Mr. and Mrs. Bunnier thought in unison: The Viscountess is such a warm and generous person.
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