Bai Zisheng was touched and said with gratitude, “Thank you, Aunt Liu!”
Liu Ruhua smiled gently, “If you like it, eat more.”
Bai Zisheng nodded eagerly, all his earlier troubles seemed to vanish like smoke.
Bai Zixi was somewhat transfixed by the pastries in front of her.
The pastries were colorful and varied in style, each adorned with a different floral pattern.
Some were osmanthus, some plum blossoms, others peach blossoms, and still, others were orchids—delicate, delicious, and emanating a faint sweetness.
She didn’t know which one to try first.
After hesitating for a while, Bai Zixi decided to start from the beginning and taste each one—some soft and sticky, some flaky, all with a faint fragrance of flowers.
They were sweet in her mouth…
Seeing Bai Zixi enjoying the foods, Liu Ruhua couldn’t help but smile and inwardly exclaimed, “Such a lovely girl, even the way she eats is pleasing to the eye.”
With a tranquil expression, Bai Zixi ate the pastries and noticed Liu Ruhua looking at her with a gentle gaze; she didn’t know how to react and shyly lowered her head, her fair cheeks tinged with faint blush.
Liu Ruhua, liking her even more, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Bai Zixi, saying softly,
“There are plenty of pastries left, if you don’t mind, you can take more with you later.”
Bai Zixi nodded and said softly, “Thank you, Aunt Liu.”
Seeing this, Aunt Xue asked, “Sister Liu, how do you make these pastries…?”
Aunt Xue could also cook some meals, but she was not particularly adept; her cooking was just passable to fill the stomach.
As the three of them traveled around, studying with Mr. Zhuang, the meals they ate were all prepared by her.
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi had never complained about her cooking, but ever since they had tasted Liu Ruhua’s food, they didn’t enjoy Aunt Xue’s meals quite as much.
Everyone has their specialties, and Aunt Xue knew she wasn’t good at cooking but for the sake of Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, she still wanted to learn as much as she could.
Seeing that Aunt Xue had an extraordinary air about her, and presuming that she probably hadn’t done much of this sort of thing before, Liu Ruhua began with the basics, explaining the ingredients, heat control, steaming, boiling, frying, and deep-frying, one by one.
It was then that Aunt Xue realized there was so much to know about cooking, that preparing a meal with perfect color, flavor, and taste, required many steps and patience, and was indeed a lot of work.
Bai Zixi listened attentively, her expression serene, but her eyes were entirely fixed on Liu Ruhua.
After a while, Mo Shan returned home and was mildly surprised to see guests.
As the year’s end approached, Mo Shan also had many social obligations to attend to—greeting and sending off, exchanges of courtesies, and occasionally drinking with his brothers from the Monster Hunting Team. After bustling about for most of the day, he had just returned.
Liu Ruhua gave a brief introduction, and Mo Shan greeted them with a smile, inwardly surprised by the noble bearing and appearance of the Bai siblings.
Such high-born individuals from Noble Clans attending with Mo Hua to study under Mr. Zhuang indicated that Mr. Zhuang was truly an extraordinary person.
That Mo Hua was accepted as a recognized disciple by Mr. Zhuang was indeed a great fortune.
Deep in his heart, Mo Shan felt increasingly grateful to Mr. Zhuang.
Seeing Mo Shan’s tall, heroic stature, sharp gaze, and agile movements, Bai Zisheng became interested and said, “Uncle Mo, you must be a Monster Hunter.”