Chapter 28: Coming Back

At this moment, no one was paying attention, so Ye Xin Ran quickly packed while also taking seasonings from the space and adding them to the mixture.

After all, she had already bought the seasonings in front of Xiao Huai’an, so from now on, she would be the one to decide how to use them and in what quantities. The seasonings in the space could continuously be replenished, and even things like seafood soy sauce and chicken bouillon, which were hard to find, could easily appear in their kitchen.

Before long, the fillings were all finely chopped.

Looking at the dough in the bowl, small holes had started to form.

Ye Xin Ran chopped the tofu into small pieces, preparing the filling for the buns.

This time, there were two kinds of fillings for the buns, one with pork and green onions, and the other with tofu.

Actually, she preferred spicy kimchi filling.

However, given the current limitations, she had to make do with tofu buns, which were still delicious.

Ye Xin Ran was very skilled at making buns, with each bun having a thin skin and generous filling, with eighteen pleats.

The water in the pot quickly boiled, and Ye Xin Ran had Chang Sheng place a cloth in the pot and cover it with cabbage leaves. She first placed the pork-filled buns in the pot.

The heat under the pot was intense, and before long, steam began rising along the sides of the pot.

The steam, carrying the fragrance of flour and pork, began to waft into the air, and the three children were drawn in by the delicious smell, all staring at the pot cover intently.

“Aunt, when will the buns be ready?” Chang An couldn’t help but swallow.

“Soon,” Ye Xin Ran replied, calculating the time in her head.

About fifteen minutes later, she stood up from the stool. “It’s done.”

She lifted the lid of the pot, and the hot steam rushed out all at once.

A stronger, richer fragrance immediately spread through the air, and the three children focused their attention on the buns in the pot.

The buns were about the size of a fist, lined up next to each other, round and plump. After encountering the cool air, their expanded bodies shrank a little, creating small gaps between them.

Once the steam had dissipated, Ye Xin Ran quickly retrieved the buns from the pot.

The buns were full of filling, and during steaming, the juices from the filling had seeped through the dough, soaking the surface of the buns.

Seeing that the children couldn’t wait any longer, Ye Xin Ran reminded them, “They’re still hot. Let them cool a bit before eating.”

She then placed the pork buns back into the pot to steam the next batch.

As she covered the pot, seeing the three children still staring at the buns on the table with their mouths watering, she walked over and said, “Aren’t they cool yet? Let me check.”

With that, she picked up a bun and took a bite.

The filling was rich and juicy, with a large chunk of dense meat mixed with bits of green onion. The taste of the meat blended with the wheat aroma of the bun skin, filling her mouth with a delightful flavor that made her want to devour everything, even the tongue.

“Mmm, delicious!” Ye Xin Ran nodded and then said to the three children, “Go ahead, eat first to fill your stomach. Once the next batch is ready, we’ll have a proper meal.”

The children had already been waiting impatiently.

At Ye Xin Ran’s signal, they immediately grabbed a bun each and took a big bite.

The satisfaction from their taste buds brought joy, and Chang An, burned by the hot bun, gritted his teeth and even stomped his little feet, but he still eagerly took another bite.

Watching the three children eating with their mouths full of oil, Ye Xin Ran smiled and reminded, “Slow down!”

But who could resist such delicious buns?

Chang Ping quickly devoured a second one.

“Aunt, these buns are really amazing! I’ve never had such delicious buns before!” He said while eating.

Chang Sheng also added, “These buns are way better than the ones from our school. After eating these, everything else just seems like a waste of time.”

“Better than osmanthus cake!” Chang An chimed in.

Ye Xin Ran smiled and said, “Oh, it’s not that exaggerated, just ordinary buns. If you like them, Aunt can make them for you more often.”

“Thank you, Aunt!” they replied in unison.

“Go ahead and eat, I’ll go check if your second uncle has come back.”

Ye Xin Ran remembered there was still one person at home who hadn’t had a chance to eat yet, so she grabbed two buns and walked toward the front yard.

It had been a long time, so he should be back by now, she thought.

As she walked into the front yard, she saw that Xiao Huai’an had already taken off his upper clothing and was standing under the sun, wiping his body.

The man had broad shoulders, a tall posture, and his sun-kissed skin shimmered softly under the sunlight.

He was wiping the honey-colored skin of his neck with a soft cloth, and the sparkling water droplets immediately slid down his shoulders, tracing the contours of his sculpted muscles as they gradually slid downward, along his lean waist, and deeper still.

This was like a scene from a “handsome man emerging from the bath”!

Ye Xin Ran found it very pleasing to the eye.

After two previous mishaps, she felt like she had finally made up for some of it.

She shifted her position, intending to change her angle to keep watching, but Xiao Huai’an suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze striking her like a sword, making Ye Xin Ran flinch in surprise.

When he saw it was Ye Xin Ran, Xiao Huai’an’s expression suddenly changed.

He went from cold and stern to a flustered one.

Before Ye Xin Ran could speak, he quickly grabbed his clothes from the side and wrapped himself up tightly.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I brought you some buns!” Ye Xin Ran held out the bowl she was carrying.

“I’ll eat later,” Xiao Huai’an replied, still looking a bit uncomfortable.

Ye Xin Ran casually said, “Alright, we can eat together later.”

She was about to turn and leave.

After taking one step, she seemed to remember something and turned around.

Seeing this, Xiao Huai’an wrapped his clothes even more tightly.

Ye Xin Ran couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you so nervous? I just wanted to remind you that if you want to take a bath, you can go to your own room. Otherwise, if someone sees you out here, it’ll be me who suffers.”

With a smile, she walked back to the backyard. The three children, seeing how happy she was, gathered around to ask, “Aunt, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

Ye Xin Ran put down the buns in her hands. Just then, the tofu buns in the pot were ready, so she opened the pot and took out the buns.

The tofu buns were completely vegetarian, filled with chopped wood ear mushrooms and flavored with bean paste. The spicy oil had soaked through the bun skin, making them look both spicy and fragrant.

She took a large bamboo tray, filled one side with the pork buns and the other with the tofu buns, and served five bowls of kudzu root and bone soup. Then she called the children to eat.

“Time to eat, come over.”

“I’ll go call second uncle!”

Chang An was about to call Xiao Huai’an when he saw him walking out of the house, already dressed.

“Second uncle, hurry over! Aunt’s buns are really delicious!” Chang Ping shouted loudly.

Xiao Huai’an walked over naturally, no longer appearing awkward as he had earlier when he was seen without his clothes.

Ye Xin Ran deliberately gave him a once over, her gaze lingering on his waist for a moment, and then said, “Let’s eat.”