When Xiaotao rushed to the kitchen, Lin Su had already finished the noodles in his bowl. He had left three large bowls for Xiaotao, the Second Young Master, and Yulou. Lin Su, sleeves rolled up, was still kneading dough on the cutting board. Xiaoyao, holding an empty bowl, was licking the remaining soup.
"Third Young Master, why... why are you still doing these menial tasks? Madam said you're not allowed in the kitchen anymore... Xiaoyao, stop licking. How dare you eat on your own while letting the master do the work?"
Xiaoyao was startled and quickly put down the bowl in her hands.
Here, we need to address Xiaoyao's position.
In Lin Su's eyes, Xiaoyao was a little sister.
In Xiaoyao's eyes, Lin Su was a brother.
But in the eyes of others, there still needed to be a hierarchy. Since Xiaotao first met Xiaoyao, she was instilling a bunch of etiquette into her. Hearing Xiaoyao call him brother would make her roll her eyes. Xiaoyao, in turn, didn't provoke her. In front of her, she called Lin Su 'Young Master.'
"Master, let me do it..."
"Xiaotao, you've come just in time! Xiaoyao is still too young, can't even reach the stove standing up. There are many delicious foods she can't make..." Lin Su smiled. "Come, come, I'll teach you to make something new, called baozi (steamed buns)..."
Lin's mother came out of her room and quietly approached the kitchen, seeing Lin Jialiang scratching his head. "Did your third brother come out?"
"No!"
"And Xiaotao didn't call him out?"
"Xiaotao... he's teaching Xiaotao to make fresh food, saying he'll make the most delicious breakfast for Mother tomorrow morning."
"This child..." Lin's mother's momentum suddenly collapsed. "Second son, your third brother loves to play and make trouble, but let him be. However, there's one condition: from now on, you must supervise his studies properly. If he can't pass the provincial exam three years from now, I'll hold you responsible!"
"Mother, rest assured. Third brother is a rare talent. He's no ordinary person. Three years later, he'll definitely make a name for himself."
At night, Lin Su went to sleep.
With a snap, Xiaoyao slapped her own leg.
Lin Su's drowsy sleepiness disappeared in an instant. He opened his eyes, and in the dark, his vision was peculiar, seeing mosquitoes dancing in the air.
But strangely, the mosquitoes didn't come close to him. When they flew about three feet away, it seemed like they hit some invisible barrier and naturally flew away.
Is it the protective power of literature?
This power of literature is becoming more and more magical.
Summer night mosquitoes are the first bucket of gold for many time travelers after crossing, making a fortune by making mosquito coils...
But here, there seemed to be a problem. Those standing at the higher levels, wealthy and powerful, either had literary power, martial power, or even array power. Mosquitoes posed no threat to those wealthy people. The plan to make a fortune with mosquito coils faced the entrepreneurial taboo of a low-income audience.
Forget it, I don't want to get involved in such low-end things.
The next day, Lin Su woke up, looked around, and found no toiletries. He exhaled, feeling quite fresh. This was still the power of literary arts, and the power of literature to clean oneself was most effective.
Will the power of literature become so magical that even farting produces the fragrance of orchids? Lin Su was curious but certainly not bored enough to try.
He had important things to do – making baozi!
Crossing into this world didn't mean relying on the cheat in his brain for everything. Showing his real abilities was even more astonishing.
What were his real abilities? High-level material research!
If he could make high-level materials, making baozi naturally became a piece of cake!
Last night, he made a batch of sourdough. Sourdough was the key to making the dough soft.
This world didn't have yeast, so he used a substitute. He wasn't sure if it would work the first time; after all, it was just a casual attempt without any testing.
Not good, the two girls were already up. Don't turn this sourdough into steamed buns.
He rushed to the kitchen, arriving just in time.
The fire was lit, water was boiling, and the rack was set up. Lin Su handed the sourdough to Xiaotao, preparing to put it on the rack for steaming...
Her only hesitation was that the sourdough was a bit small. If she steamed it like this, it would only make one small bun. Who would eat that?
Lin Su reached out and quickly took the sourdough back. He carefully observed and sniffed it. His heart bloomed with joy – fermentation was successful!
This morning, for a full two hours, Xiaotao kept her eyes wide open, observing every step of the Third Young Master. When the steamer lid was finally lifted, she couldn't help but exclaim...
Oh my, a dozen or so plump buns were lying inside. When she touched them, they felt incredibly soft. Following the master's indication, she tasted one and almost swallowed her tongue. Madam would surely love these...
She picked up the buns and rushed towards Madam's bedroom.
As she stepped onto the main hall stairs, the courtyard door suddenly pushed open. A sturdy old man, sniffing like a giant hound, followed the scent to her. Xiaotao urgently held the tray of buns close to her chest, warily watching the old man.
The old man sniffed the buns and his eyes lit up. "So fragrant! What is this delicacy?"
"These are breakfast made by the Third Young Master for Madam. Sir, you are..."
"The kid's handiwork? Hehe, let me taste!"
The old man directly picked up one bun, opened his mouth wide, and the bun disappeared into his large mouth...
Xiaotao's mouth widened in amazement. Lin Su, who just came out of the kitchen holding a bun in each hand, also widened his eyes.
Damn! Mr. Boshan?
Does this old man have no sense of literary dignity?
Stealing my poems was bad enough, but now he's even stealing my buns?
Lin Jialiang came out of the room and was shocked to see Mr. Boshan. "Mr. Boshan!" He deeply bowed, being a local literati, he knew Mr. Boshan.
"Haha, marvelous! Such delicious food, only this kid could make it..." Mr. Boshan completely ignored Lin Jialiang, reaching for another bun on the tray.
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Mr. Boshan's reaching hand suddenly retracted. Silently, one of the buns from Lin Su's hand disappeared, and the gap on the tray where one bun was missing was now filled.
And Mr. Boshan, like a Daoist who has attained enlightenment, remained calm.
As the door opened, Lin's mother saw the eminent figure in front of her and was shocked. "Mr. Boshan!"
Benefiting from the glory of the noble family in the past, she was acquainted with most of the upper-class figures in Haining.
Mr. Boshan, the high-ranking person he was.
Mr. Boshan gave a slight bow. "Madam is courteous!"
"Mr. has manners!" Lin's mother gave a deep bow.