Chapter 82

Soon, all the mooncakes were wrapped.

The mooncakes on the table were clearly divided into two groups.

The larger group was made by Xia Zhi, with excellent presentation.

The smaller group was made by the girls, somewhat uneven, though since these mooncakes were made for themselves to eat, their appearance wasn't too important.

Next came the baking process. Since they made the mooncakes themselves, it would naturally be more interesting to bake them themselves too.

The kitchen happened to have an oven that could be used by laying charcoal at the bottom.

But considering the oven would be too hot, and Qiqi probably wouldn't like staying next to it for long, Xia Zhi wiped the flour from his hands and said, "Why don't you all go bake your mooncakes in the kitchen first? I'll keep Qiqi company out here."

"Okay."

"Watch the heat carefully, don't burn them."

"Yaoyao knows how!"

The three girls carried their mooncakes into the kitchen.

Xia Zhi massaged his wrist and turned to Qiqi.

"Miss Qiqi, thank you for your hard work."

"It wasn't hard. Everyone together was lively, and wrapping mooncakes was fun too."

"How did Miss Qiqi spend previous Moonchase Festivals?"

"Watching the moon at Bubu Pharmacy."

"By yourself?"

"Mm..."

"You didn't go out?"

"I did go out, to buy coconut milk."

"Miss Qiqi has always liked coconut milk so much. Will you drink coconut milk this Moonchase Festival too?"

"Mm, and rainbow juice too."

"That would be our shop's honor, but we're planning to take that day off..."

Qiqi adorably froze for a moment.

Xia Zhi smiled and said, "But if you come by, I'll definitely treat you to drinks."

Looking at his gentle smile, Qiqi softly said, "Thank you."

"No need for thanks, we're friends."

"Mm..."

"Why don't you spend this year's Moonchase Festival with us, Miss Qiqi?"

"Okay."

...

After chatting for a while, the three girls came out from the kitchen, carrying freshly baked mooncakes.

"Boss! We've finished baking!"

"Oh?"

Xia Zhi raised his head and "swept" his gaze over them.

Zhu Zi's mooncakes looked a bit burnt, Shenhe's looked slightly undercooked, and only Yaoyao's mooncakes seemed to have appropriate doneness.

This result matched Xia Zhi's expectations of them.

"Boss, do you want to try some?"

"Have you tried it yourself?"

"I tried a piece!"

"How was it?"

"Although it's a bit overcooked, I removed most of the burnt parts, and I think the rest tastes okay!"

Xia Zhi nodded and picked up a small piece of relatively normal-looking mooncake to taste.

"Mm, for your first time making mooncakes, this is already very good."

"Big brother! This is mine!"

"Delicious, Yaoyao really has talent."

"And here's Sister Shenhe's!"

"Not bad, on par with Zhu Zi's."

Hearing this, Shenhe's expression changed slightly, seeming pleased.

She picked up a mooncake from the plate and took a bite.

The crust was slightly undercooked, but still tasted better than Qingxin.

Then Shenhe took another mooncake and offered it to Qiqi, asking, "Would you like some?"

Qiqi accepted it, saying softly, "Thank you."

The mooncake was still hot in her hands. Qiqi looked down at it, and her Cryo Vision glowed faintly, quickly cooling the mooncake.

Qiqi put it in her mouth and took a gentle bite.

It was cold and tasteless.

But Qiqi still cherished it and ate the entire mooncake, not wasting even the crumbs that fell into her palm.

Xia Zhi couldn't help but take an extra "look" at Qiqi before standing up: "My turn now."

"Boss, let me do it! I have experience now, I won't burn them this time!"

"It's fine, I won't touch the oven. You'll help me put them in, I'll just monitor the timing."

"Well..."

Shenhe said quietly, "It's fine, I'll watch the boss. There won't be any danger."

"Alright then."

This time, Xia Zhi went into the kitchen with the two staff members, while Yaoyao stayed outside with Qiqi.

Yaoyao looked at the incense burner on the table, curious.

"Qiqi, what does this incense smell like?"

"Don't know how to describe it, but it's very tasty..."

"Really?"

"Mm."

"Did it really improve your memory?"

"Mm."

"You won't forget me next time, right?"

"Probably not, I wrote down your name."

"What if you forget to check your notes?"

"Um..."

"I'll remind you then."

"Okay."

...

As the two little girls were chatting, Yaoyao suddenly heard Sister Zhu Zi's exclamation from the kitchen.

"Boss! The oven just seemed to glow!"

"You must have seen wrong."

"No! Ask Miss Shenhe!"

"Indeed, it seemed to glow for a moment..."

Glow?

Yaoyao felt something strange.

What was glowing?

Yaoyao sniffed the air, smelling an enticing aroma wafting from the kitchen.

So fragrant.

Were the mooncakes done?

We used the same fillings, so why didn't our mooncakes have this smell earlier?

Yaoyao lifted her little head, but no one came out of the kitchen.

Eh?

Where's big brother? Sister Shenhe? Sister Zhu Zi?

Yaoyao couldn't help but jump off her chair and run into the kitchen to look.

At the doorway, she saw Sister Shenhe and Sister Zhu Zi standing by the oven with closed eyes and flushed faces, each holding half a mooncake.

Xia Zhi stood a bit further away, also holding half a mooncake, with a nostalgic expression on his face.

"Big brother?"

"Ah, it's Yaoyao."

"What's wrong with the sisters?"

"Nothing, they probably haven't eaten anything this good before, so they're having an existential moment."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry, they'll return to normal soon. Come try the fresh mooncakes, there are all kinds of flavors, take whatever you like."

"Oh."

Yaoyao withdrew her gaze and looked at the large plate of mooncakes before her. After thinking for a moment, she picked up one of the same kind the sisters were holding and put it in her mouth.

A moment later, Yaoyao also stood still, completely dazed.

Xia Zhi put down his mooncake and shook his head helplessly.

It seemed the little girl was also having an existential crisis.

Apparently, even the adepti's daily meals weren't anything special.

Xia Zhi lowered his head, looking at the perfect mooncakes on the plate, his expression becoming somewhat peculiar.

Earlier when the mooncakes were done baking, he had Zhu Zi open the oven cover, and a strange light suddenly emanated from within.

The light disappeared in an instant, like an illusion, but all three of them had definitely seen it.

Food that could glow...

That was what made Zhu Zi cry out in surprise.

The taste was indeed excellent, as if some kind of medicine had been added, the effect remarkable. The three girls still hadn't come to their senses, completely immersed in the world of culinary delight.

Who would have thought that [Culinary Mastery] would come with such special effects? It was quite worth it.

----

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