Chapter 12.1

Pei Ji’an’s expression wasn’t good, and Lu Nong realized she had crossed a line.

Eavesdropping would make one suspected of being a spy in a military family like the Pei family. Even though Lu Nong had no intention of doing anything, the mere act of eavesdropping was very sensitive.

She was frustrated that her modern mindset hadn’t adjusted to the situation. She needed to be more careful in the future, but now what should she do?

“Do you want some candy?”

An idea struck her, and she pulled out the milk candy she had just bought today, offering it to Pei Ji’an.

Pei Ji’an looked down, and a large white rabbit milk candy lay quietly in his delicate, fair hand, looking exquisite and adorable.

He picked up the candy as if possessed.

Lu Nong made a unilateral and happy decision: he accepted her candy and nothing happened just now.

After all, it was impossible to feel embarrassed!

“I’m going to check on Xiao Huai,” Lu Nong quickly played her part, casually asking, “Has he disturbed you?”

Pei Ji’an: “…”

He wanted to say something but caught sight of Lu Nong putting on a confused expression as if to say: Why aren’t you answering my question? I wouldn’t understand what you were about to say anyway.

Pei Ji’an swallowed the words he wanted to say and replied blandly, “No.”

“I don’t know what you mean… huh?”

Lu Nong almost burst out laughing. It was clear that Pei Ji’an’s earlier expression meant he wanted to lecture her.

“That’s good, that’s good, haha.” You sly old man!

A hint of amusement flashed in Pei Ji’an’s eyes as he stepped aside, allowing Lu Nong to enter the study.

Upon entering, they saw Xiao Huai leaning on Pei Ji’an’s desk, completely engrossed in a picture book, oblivious to the arrival of his own mother.

This scene greatly surprised Lu Nong. She had expected Xiao Huai to cry, prompting Pei Ji’an to sternly calm him down, only for the child to ignore his cold demeanor, leaving Pei Ji’an at a loss.

The imagined scene would have been quite amusing, but it never came to pass.

At that moment, Pei Ji’an walked over to Lu Nong, glancing at Xiao Huai, and said seriously, “Xiao Huai has strong self-care abilities and is very smart. He learns the characters I teach him after just one time. I suspect he has a photographic memory.”

“Oh.”

Lu Nong’s reaction was flat after hearing this. After all, he was the villain boss with an IQ ceiling in a novel, so it wasn’t surprising that he was extraordinary from a young age.

Moreover, both of his mothers (the original owner and Lu Nong) had photographic memories, so if he didn’t inherit that skill, it would be too wasteful.

Her nonchalant reaction seemed too bland, and Pei Ji’an turned to look at her, his gaze deep and meaningful.

After a moment, Lu Nong finally realized and clapped twice, a bit perfunctorily, “That’s really great.”

Pei Ji’an rubbed his temples and asked, “Did you come here just to see Xiao Huai, or do you want to take him away?”

“Right, I just wanted to see if he was being good. Since he is, I can rest easy.”

Lu Nong concealed her ulterior motive of wanting to watch the fun and replied politely to Pei Ji’an.

It was impossible to take Xiao Huai away. She still planned to go to the kitchen to make some sweet desserts. With someone to help watch the child, there was no way she would refuse.

“It seems Xiao Huai really likes the picture book. Since he enjoys it, let him look at it a little longer. I’ll go get some strawberries for you to eat.”

Once she stepped out of the study, Lu Nong suddenly understood that Pei Ji’an’s last question seemed to mean he was letting her go?

“…” What a waste of her strawberries!

When she reached downstairs, Lu Nong split the strawberries she had brought back from Li Garden into two portions. She took one upstairs to the study, reminding Pei Ji’an that he could only let Xiao Huai eat one or two.

The other portion of strawberries was just perfect for making strawberry milk ice cream with the large white rabbit milk candy!

Speaking of desserts, Lu Nong had to thank her ex-boyfriend for teaching her how to make them. He was a dessert blogger who believed in the saying, “To win a woman’s heart, you must first win her stomach.”

From the day he pursued her, he would make a different dessert for her every day, even filming and editing the recipes to post online while tagging Lu Nong to confess his feelings.

Lu Nong would occasionally glance at them, naturally absorbing the recipes into her mind.

She never imagined that one day she would have the chance to make them herself.

As for the food blogger… well, he became Lu Nong’s ex-boyfriend two months later.

It wasn’t Lu Nong’s fault. After eating desserts for two months, she discovered she had gained ten pounds one day and resolutely decided to break up.

The food blogger was heartbroken and later posted on Weibo, “I still don’t understand women well enough. It’s the sweets that led to my success and failure,” summarizing his failed romance.

Upon seeing this, Lu Nong felt a bit guilty and privately bought him a promotion, helping him gain fame. She considered it a form of moral compensation for him.

Entering the kitchen, Aunt Wu had already soaked the bird’s nest. Soaking the bird’s nest took about three or four hours, and they would likely miss dinner. She wondered if they could still make it in time for supper.

Lu Nong gave Aunt Wu a big hug. Aunt Wu truly cared for her; without even asking what she wanted to eat, she had already prepared everything.

Aunt Wu playfully pushed Lu Nong away, but a smile lingered on her face. She was making honey-glazed pear balls, a traditional health food and a special snack that belongs to Shandong cuisine.

Shandong cuisine has been developing in Beijing since the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, even becoming court cuisine. Thus, many famous northern families have at least a few Shandong dishes in their culinary repertoire.

Aunt Wu was especially skilled, having learned her craft from a master chef of Shandong cuisine.

The method for making honey-glazed pear balls is simple. First, wash the pears, peel them, remove the cores, and slice them into fine shreds. Then, add egg whites, starch, and flour to the pear shreds and knead them into small balls.

Fry the small balls in hot oil until golden brown, then glaze them with sugar over low heat and add honey at the right time.

If you sprinkle osmanthus flowers on top when serving, it would be even better, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the season for them to bloom.

As soon as the honey-glazed pear balls came out of the pot, their sweet aroma wafted through the air, enticing Lu Nong’s taste buds.

Pears are known for their ability to moisten the throat and relieve coughs, but they are also cold in nature. Lu Nong couldn’t eat too many herself, this dish was mainly intended for Xiao Gu Huai.

Every child has one or two memorable dishes from their childhood. When they grow up, they recall them as the flavors of home and family.

Gu Huai didn’t have that in the novel, but Lu Nong hoped he would.

After washing her hands, Lu Nong took advantage of Aunt Wu’s distraction to unwrap a dozen pieces of big white rabbit milk candy and put them in a pot. She took out some milk from the fridge, poured it into the pot, and stirred it over the lowest heat until the milk candy melted into a creamy sauce. She then set it aside to cool.

Next, she turned the heat back on, added milk and egg yolks, and stirred while pouring. Finally, she added the milk candy sauce, stirring until it thickened.

She divided the mixture into several portions, pouring them into the elegant glass goblets Aunt Wu had brought from Li Garden, topped them with diced strawberries, and covered them with a clean, fine cloth before placing them in the freezer.

Meanwhile, Aunt Wu prepared braised pork and sweet and sour cherry pork, serving them in beautiful porcelain dishes that were both appealing and fragrant.

The dishes were kept warm in a large pot, waiting to be served.

Sweet and sour cherry pork is said to be the predecessor of sweet and sour pork tenderloin, while another account claims it to be a traditional dish from Jiangsu cuisine. It was introduced to the imperial court during the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Qianlong. When finished, the dish is small and delicate, resembling cherries, with a vibrant red color, tender meat, and a sweet and salty flavor that pairs perfectly with wine.

The braised pork, made from pork belly with skin, has a gelatinous quality from the skin, while the marbled pork belly is both red and fatty. Lu Nong took a piece of meat and savored it with the sweet and salty sauce, thoroughly satisfied with both the flavor and texture.

What’s more, the pork from the 1960s had a texture far superior to that of later generations. Using it for braised pork was truly a delight. If it were paired with a bowl of white rice, even a god would want nothing more.

Aunt Wu clearly had foresight, as the fragrant aroma of rice was already wafting from the clay pot.

Only two vegetable dishes and a soup were left. Following Lu Nong’s suggestion, she prepared coral cabbage and braised eggplant, while a simple vegetable soup was made due to time constraints.