Chapter 112:
The flower cakes of the old Alliance, passed down to the Independent State of Yi Meng in the new calendar era, had become flower pastries with richer flavors and a more convenient making process.
Because Zhu Yiqiao and Ming Zaozao both preferred sweet flavors, Yan Nanzhi added extra honey and sugar for them.
Ming Zaozao took a bite and, happy as a bear who had just tasted honey, praised Yan Nanzhi non-stop—”Grandma is amazing, Grandma is the best, Grandma makes the best flower cakes in the world”—coaxing Yan Nanzhi into giving her another red envelope and another plate of flower pastries.
Seeing this, Xue Xun teased her deliberately: “Zaozao, will you give Auntie a piece?”
Ming Zaozao looked over: “Auntie, what flavor do you want?”
Xue Xun replied: “Peach blossom flavor.”
The tray in front of them was filled with various flower pastries. Ming Zaozao looked around, accurately located the peach blossom flavor, got down from the sofa, walked to Xue Xun, and handed it to her.
“Here, Auntie.”
Xue Xun, charmed, pinched her little cheek: “Oh, how can our Zaozao be so well-behaved and adorable?”
Ming Zaozao didn’t understand why, just smiled. Seeing her two mommies approaching, she rushed towards them like a small cannonball and, looking up, asked for a hug.
Either of them could easily pick her up.
Ming Zaozao resolutely chose Mama, because Mama hadn’t hugged her as much today.
Zhu Yiqiao effortlessly lifted Ming Zaozao so that they were at eye level. Following Zaozao’s instructions, she carried her back to the tray of flower pastries and ate the New Year treats with her.
“Mama.”
“Mm?”
“Mama, have you ever eaten the grass balls Mommy makes?” She drew a circle in the air. “The grass balls are round and super delicious. There are flowers in the flower cakes, and grass and leaves in the grass balls.”
Ming Fei smiled.
They were actually qingtuan, a type of green rice ball commonly eaten in Pingzhen after the beginning of spring, but rare in Xi He City. The first time Ming Zaozao ate them, she had tasted the spring grass inside and remembered the flavor vividly, so she called them “grass balls.”
Zhu Yiqiao and Ming Fei exchanged a look and replied to their daughter: “First time hearing about it, haven’t tried them before.”
Xue Xun also replied, “Auntie hasn’t tried them either.”
Yan Nanzhi nodded: “Grandma hasn’t either.”
Zaozao the Great said proudly, “Then tomorrow, Baby will make lots and lots with Mommy for everyone to eat!”
Yan Nanzhi: “Okay, Grandma is waiting for Zaozao to make them.”
Xue Xun: “Mm, Auntie is also looking forward to it.”
Zhu Yiqiao, understanding her daughter, whispered in her ear, “Then Zaozao, will you teach Mama how to make them together?”
Ming Zaozao held up a rose-shaped pastry: “Okay!”
Time passed slowly in this joyful and peaceful New Year atmosphere. The bright sunlight and cream-like clouds were covered by the night, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
In the evening, they had a barbecue by the bonfire in the garden. Ming Zaozao would sometimes be in her grandmothers’ barbecue area, sometimes in her aunt and Auntie Xue Xun’s skewer area, and sometimes checking out her mommies’ seafood section.
After everyone finished grilling, they gathered around the bonfire and started their dinner. Ming Zaozao was a little full, because everyone liked feeding her.
In the end, when Xue Xun came over with another skewer for Ming Zaozao, she buried her face in Ming Fei’s shoulder and neck, not looking at or smelling the skewer, and mumbled that she couldn’t eat anymore.
Xue Xun chuckled: “Okay, then Zaozao can eat more tomorrow.”
Ming Zaozao patted her belly: “Mm!”
The bonfire burned brighter and brighter. After resting for a while, Ming Zaozao regained her energy and went with Mommy and Mama to prepare the fireworks.
After some preparation, the fireworks shot up into the sky, illuminating the night like daylight. The moment the fluorescent pink fireworks exploded in the sky, they formed a strawberry bear. The fluorescent white fireworks on the other side formed a cotton candy lamb, the fluorescent red ones a fiery fox… and so on. Ming Zaozao successfully presented an animal fireworks show for everyone.
She clapped her hands for her own fireworks show, and as the applause rang out, cheers filled the garden. Besides the six adults, Xue Xun even made all the flowers, plants, and trees in the garden “cheer” for Ming Zaozao.
Ming Zaozao’s little face flushed, and she asked, “Do you all like it?”
Yan Nanzhi: “We love it!”
Yu Qingyan: “Like it very much.”
Ming Fei smiled: “We love it!”
Then came Yima and Auntie Xue Xun’s responses of “like it very much,” and finally, Ming Zaozao heard Mama say,
“It was wonderful, Zaozao’s fireworks show.”
Ming Fei echoed: “Yes, thank you, Magician Zaozao, for the wonderful fireworks show.”
Ming Zaozao’s face turned even redder!
But she insisted it wasn’t because she was shy, but because she was happy, and also because the bonfire was too hot.
In short, it definitely wasn’t because Magician Zaozao, or Zaozao the Great, was embarrassed by the praise!
After the wonderful fireworks show by the little magician Ming Zaozao, Ming Fei asked 0619 to bring down the gifts she had prepared, then gave them to everyone, from oldest to youngest.
The first to receive a gift was Yu Qingyan.
Ming Fei gave her a pair of protective glasses newly developed by the Academy of Sciences, because she had heard Yan Nanzhi mention that Yu Qingyan’s eyes would feel uncomfortable after reading for too long.
She gave Yan Nanzhi a jade bracelet, Xu Zhou a vintage bottle of red wine from a renowned wine collector, and Xue Xun a set of red agate teacups.
Zhu Yiqiao’s gift had already been given in advance.
The last to receive a gift was Ming Zaozao, her face full of anticipation.
She even cooperated with her mommy, covering her eyes. The moment she opened the gift box, she exclaimed, “Wow~!”
—It was a holographic projection device with all the cartoon characters from “Flying Kitty.”
With this, she could immersively enter the cartoon world, participate in all the adventures, and fight evil alongside her beloved Flying Kitty!
Ming Zaozao couldn’t put it down, showering Ming Fei with kisses!
The bright smile on Ming Zaozao’s face didn’t fade until bedtime. After she fell asleep listening to the bedtime story, Ming Fei covered her with the blanket and returned to the master bedroom.
Zhu Yiqiao was washing up, and Ming Fei had already showered before telling Ming Zaozao the bedtime story. She sat on the bed and started writing in her Love Diary with Kitten.
She wrote about some important moments, like hearing Zhu Yiqiao say good morning, say “I love you,” say that her heart was racing because of her. She wrote too much about the sweet moments, unable to stop, only finishing and putting down her phone after Zhu Yiqiao came out of the bathroom.
Perhaps her love would grow even stronger tomorrow, until her heart could no longer contain it, overflowing with every glance, gradually dyeing their surroundings into a painting only they could understand.
“Ah Fei.”
Ming Fei’s thoughts were quickly interrupted. She didn’t have time to be distracted, gently returning Zhu Yiqiao’s kiss, from a light, fleeting touch to a gradually deepening kiss, the pheromone concentration in the room also rising.
The lingering kiss covered the rose petals one by one.
Soon, the petals were damp.
Ming Fei’s heart pounded. She looked at Zhu Yiqiao, whose eyes were tinged with a beautiful color, and gently pursed her red lips.
She couldn’t hear Zhu Yiqiao’s voice clearly, only sensing her pheromones and the raccoon cat hidden in the forest pouncing on her, its wagging tail clearly indicating its happiness.
The pheromones and the differentiated individual’s perceptions were the same.
The raccoon cat happily rolled around, acting coquettishly, biting the little sweet pear again and again, then Zhu Yiqiao…
Ming Fei’s chin brushed against the tie of Zhu Yiqiao’s bathrobe, and finally, her slender, nimble fingers replaced her soft lips and tongue.
