Chapter 67: Bone Broth Hot Pot p1
Sweets should be irresistible to a foodie. Mi Hongdou hadn’t missed the way Ji Junxin’s eyes were glued to the crème brûlée when she took it out of the refrigerator. Why was the adorable little foodie now so serious? … Could it be because she made her wait too long after caramelizing the sugar?
Mi Hongdou thought she was right and held the spoon out to Ji Junxin again, her voice softening. “I was afraid the sugar would be too hot, so I asked you to wait. It should be cool now. Try tapping it, the caramelized layer is thin and crispy, it’s delicious with the pudding.”
Ji Junxin pulled her hand back, away from the spoon, glanced at the crème brûlée, and subtly gulped before looking at Mi Hongdou seriously. “That fire-spitting thing earlier, it’s too dangerous, don’t use it again.” She had been startled when Mi Hongdou took out that metal object and suddenly a long flame appeared, raising the temperature around them. For a moment, she thought it was malfunctioning and almost cried out. Fortunately, the next second, she saw Mi Hongdou calmly caramelizing the pudding, and she managed to control herself. But her heart hadn’t calmed down, that fire-spitting thing was too dangerous, so dangerous that she didn’t even dare to interrupt Mi Hongdou, afraid she would get burned if distracted. Her palms were sweaty.
“Haha, my bad, I should have explained. I wanted to show off my skills, don’t you think it’s amazing, the way the torch melts the sugar?” Mi Hongdou, touched by her idol’s concern, picked up the torch again and ignited it. “This kind of kitchen torch is quite safe, don’t worry.”
Ji Junxin, startled again, felt even more uneasy. Amazing? It wasn’t amazing at all, she was just worried, and a little angry.
Mi Hongdou finally realized that Ji Junxin was truly angry and quickly put down the torch. “This kind of kitchen torch is commonly used in kitchens, for caramelizing desserts, or searing fish and meat, it’s very safe.”
It was clearly dangerous, how could a long flame in your hand be safe? Ji Junxin looked at the unrepentant Mi Hongdou and suddenly smiled: “Then let me try it when you caramelize the other pudding.”
Mi Hongdou shook her head repeatedly: “No, it’s too dangerous!”
Ji Junxin: “…”67
Mi Hongdou: “…”
They looked at each other, and Ji Junxin’s eyes shone with triumph.
“…Okay, I won’t use it again.” Mi Hongdou, unsurprisingly, lost again. “We’ll make crème brûlée without a torch next time.”
“What about the one in the refrigerator for Yang Miemie?” Ji Junxin asked, her gaze fixed on Mi Hongdou.
Mi Hongdou surrendered: “That one will remain a quiet egg pudding forever.”
On the highway, the little girl who was sleeping in Qiao Rubai’s arms suddenly stirred, her lips pouting, her legs kicking, as if having a bad dream. Qiao Rubai smiled and smoothed the little frown on her chubby face, chiding herself for overthinking. What bad dream could a foodie have?
Ji Junxin finally let Mi Hongdou go and took the spoon, ready to eat the crème brûlée.
The translucent brown caramelized sugar layer on the pudding looked incredibly tempting. Ji Junxin quickly suppressed her excitement, determined not to let Mi Hongdou do such dangerous things again.
The small stainless steel spoon easily broke through the thin caramel crust, creating cracks like on a sheet of ice. Crème brûlée, naturally, had to be eaten with the caramel. The small spoon scooped up a generous portion of pudding, along with the trembling caramel shard, and she put it in her mouth. The first thing she tasted was the smooth, silky pudding, the thin caramel melting quickly, the sweet syrup and the shard, enveloped by the pudding, sweet but not greasy, adding a rich and fragrant depth to the dessert.
It was incredibly delicious! After one spoonful, the joy on Ji Junxin’s face was uncontainable. Desserts were meant to be comforting and delightful, and a delicious dessert brought even more enjoyment and happiness. Unable to hide her joy, Ji Junxin’s expression conveyed a message to Mi Hongdou: she was no longer angry.
Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief. The little foodie, when serious, could be quite stubborn. But the fact that she had refused the spoon earlier, so concerned about the danger of the torch, meant that at that moment, her concern for Mi Hongdou’s safety had outweighed her desire for dessert… She wondered why she was so happy about winning over food.
While Ji Junxin was happily enjoying the crème brûlée, the pork bones were also done blanching. The blanched bones, the meat having shrunk slightly, looked smaller than before, but forty pork bones piled together was still a spectacular sight.
Mi Hongdou circled the pile of bones twice, frowned, and called the thin chef over.
Time flew by.
Qiao Rubai’s professional meal-crashing trio arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before five, quite punctual. Mi Hongdou had taken out the egg pudding from the refrigerator an hour earlier and warmed it slightly in a bowl of warm water.
Seeing the egg pudding, Yang Lianyi’s eyes lit up, but hearing that there was only one, for Yang Miemie, she pushed it towards Qiao Rubai with a slightly regretful expression.
Qiao Rubai resignedly took the bowl and was about to check the temperature when Yang Miemie, in a swift movement, buried her face in it.
Fortunately, there was no caramelized sugar crust… Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin exchanged glances, a shared relief in their eyes. The little girl was so enthusiastic, if she had hurt herself on the caramel, it would have been troublesome.
Although the little girl’s face was only buried in soft pudding, it still kept Qiao Rubai busy. But fortunately, she had become a professional feeder recently and could handle this kind of situation with ease.
Mi Hongdou sat down and chatted with them for a bit. Both Yang Lianyi and Qiao Rubai told her not to worry, they would take care of it. Facing their reassurances, Mi Hongdou couldn’t tell them that she wasn’t worried at all, so she just smiled and thanked them. With Ji Junxin next to her, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to appear weak and helpless in front of Ji Junxin, although that was currently the case.
Using the excuse of preparing the ingredients for dinner, Mi Hongdou said she was going to check on the kitchen and practically fled.
Ji Junxin didn’t follow… Mi Hongdou stood by the door for a while, then went to the kitchen, a subtle sadness on her face.
Shortly after the meal-crashing trio arrived, Director Pan and Pan Xiang also arrived. They didn’t go upstairs, coming straight to the kitchen. They also offered their condolences to Mi Hongdou, telling her not to worry, that this kind of thing happened often in the industry, and they would brainstorm a solution together.
Their reassurances were sincere. Mi Hongdou understood that in their eyes, she was just a small-time newcomer with no background or experience, being scared was normal. She was touched. They had only known each other for a few months, how could she deserve their trust and support? …
Mi Hongdou’s heart was warm, but she also felt a sense of helplessness. She had to become stronger, so she wouldn’t need their protection, so she could protect others. Mi Hongdou clenched her fists, her desire even stronger than her desire to get closer to Ji Junxin in her previous life.
Director Pan and Pan Xiang ran into Jiang Lingling, the last member of the freeloading group, on their way upstairs. When they entered the private room, Yang Miemie had eaten two-thirds of her pudding.
The sweet aroma of eggs, milk, and sugar filled the room. Pan Xiang, upon entering, thought she had walked into a cake shop. That enticing smell, had someone brought cake? …
Director Pan’s reaction was much faster. He immediately saw the pudding bowl in Qiao Rubai’s hand and… the eagerly waiting Yang Miemie. This scene felt strangely familiar, even the orange-yellow stuff in the spoon looked familiar.
Jiang Lingling was the quickest to react. She scanned the room, taking in the situation. “Did Mi Hongdou make this?” she asked, pointing at the pudding.
Yang Lianyi raised an eyebrow languidly. “Yes, but I heard there’s only one, for the child.”
Director Pan slapped his thigh. That’s why it looked so familiar, just like the dumpling soup last time, only the little chubby girl got to eat, while everyone else could only watch! Thinking about that delicious dumpling soup he missed last time, he touched his nose, feeling a little frustrated. It was better not to remember.
Just one, for the child? … Jiang Lingling’s suspicious gaze swept over Ji Junxin, again and again…
Jiang Lingling’s intense gaze made Ji Junxin uncomfortable. She felt a little guilty and unconsciously touched her stomach.
Hmph, so Ji Junxin did eat some! Jiang Lingling mentally praised her “gaze pressure” tactic.
CPs really were… hurtful to single dogs.
So, everyone sat and watched as Qiao Rubai fed Yang Miemie pudding. Their gazes were even more intense than Jiang Lingling’s earlier, and even Qiao Rubai, the powerful CEO of Qiong Yu Entertainment, felt a little uncomfortable under such scrutiny.
If she gave each of them a spoonful of this pudding, would they stop staring? Qiao Rubai scooped a spoonful, hesitating.
A fluffy little head leaned forward, and chomp, the spoon disappeared into her mouth. Qiao Rubai again faced the dilemma of retrieving the spoon without hurting Yang Miemie. After getting the spoon back, she sighed inwardly. If she dared to share this child’s food, it wouldn’t just be stares…
Qiao Rubai thought this and could only speed up the feeding process. Fortunately, the little girl always cooperated at times like these. Although she was happily eating, her hands and feet moving constantly, humming and giggling, she didn’t slow down at all. After the last spoonful, Qiao Rubai put down the bowl and breathed a sigh of relief.
The empty bowl had a few pudding crumbs left, and the sweet aroma lingered in the air. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the empty bowl for a moment, then shifted away.
They were really hungry… The freeloaders felt a pang of sadness. This empty bowl was even more appetizing than an appetizer.
Jiang Lingling’s stomach growled loudly in the quiet room.
Everyone felt a little awkward. Only Jiang Lingling, carefree as ever, stood up and said, “I’ll go check if Mi Hongdou is done, I’m starving.”
The freeloaders agreed silently, but they were too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Jiang Lingling didn’t wait for their approval and happily went to the kitchen. Her cold was better, she could enter the kitchen now, she could be the first to taste the food~ Earlier, when Yang Lianyi said that there was only one pudding for Yang Miemie, Ji Junxin had been too embarrassed to say that she had also eaten some, the one with the caramelized sugar. Then, Jiang Lingling’s knowing gaze had made her even more uneasy, and she hadn’t dared to say anything more. Now, with Jiang Lingling gone, Ji Junxin finally had the chance to ask Qiao Rubai about this incident.
Ji Junxin wasn’t very close to Yang Lianyi, but she was very close to Qiao Rubai, so her first instinct was to ask Qiao Rubai. And Qiao Rubai had to answer, but compared to the clueless Ji Junxin, Qiao Rubai looked at Yang Lianyi first.
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