People are in the magic card, instigating rebellion against the world.

Chapter 182 Question! What's the difference between Sakura and a walking meme?
Ye Hui nodded: "That's right. When Naoko mentioned this just now, I felt something was wrong. I guess it's because the Clow Cards, which can control the sealing, have locked us up here."

Tomoyo then walked to the door, carefully inspected the lock and the gaps in the door, and even tapped on the iron door with her finger. Finally, she shook her head and said, "The door is completely sealed. Not only can the lock cylinder not be turned, but the gaps in the door also seem to be blocked by something. It probably can't be opened from the outside either. We'll have to figure out a way ourselves."

Sakura looked at the tightly closed iron gate and wrinkled her little nose: "Ugh, I haven't made strawberry desserts for Yukito yet... I finally managed to pick so many strawberries, and if we're stuck here with the strawberries still outside, we won't be able to make the desserts. I should have brought the strawberries with me, so we could have made the desserts here first."

Ye Hui:
He rubbed his forehead.

Even at a time like this, Sakura is still thinking about Yukito.

Also no one.

Sakura realized that her thinking might be a bit problematic. Now, as long as she captures the Clow Cards, she can still make sweets normally in the afternoon, and there is no need to rush.

So, she quickly composed herself and turned to Ye Hui: "Ye Hui, how about we just blow a hole in the house, and once we get out, you can restore the walls and everything else?"

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +10]

Ye Hui: ()
"Hmm, that works too, but I think unless you blow up the whole house, the Clow Cards still won't appear. They're probably blocking the doors and windows right now, and if they don't appear, you can't capture them. If you don't capture them, we still can't make desserts this afternoon."

"That seems to be the case." Sakura pouted.

Ye Hui shook his head, deciding to give her a little hint first: "Sakura, have you ever heard a saying?"

"What did you say?" Sakura immediately perked up her ears.

Looking at her, Ye Hui said with a smile, "The one who tied the knot must untie it."

"What's trapping us now is the lock, so to open it, we naturally have to start with the thing corresponding to the lock."

"The one who tied the knot must untie it?" Sakura repeated, her brows furrowing slightly as she fell into deep thought.

She quickly recalled the Clow Cards she had encountered before, trying to find clues related to the lock.

Seeing that she didn't react immediately, Ye Hui paused and gave a more obvious hint: "Since it's a lock, you naturally have to use a key to open it. That's the most direct way, isn't it?"

"Key?" Sakura's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing those two words, finally grasping the key point. "That's right! Locks and keys must be a pair. If there's a lock, there must be a key that can open it!"

But her excitement lasted only a couple of seconds before her face fell again, and she said dejectedly, "But we don't have the key right now! This is a warehouse, and we don't know where the key is. How are we going to find it?"

Ye Hui scratched his head, then patiently continued to guide her: "Sakura, think about it again, it might not be the warehouse key."

"Do you have... a very special key? A key that can work with Clow Cards?"

"The key I have? And it corresponds to the Clow Cards? When did I get such a magical key?" Sakura was stunned for a moment, subconsciously touching her pockets and looking at the bracelet on her wrist, but didn't find anything special.

Ye Hui: I'm dizzy.
Tomoyo suppressed a laugh, walked over to Sakura, gently patted her shoulder, and softly reminded her, "Sakura, have you forgotten your most important key? Don't you always use it when sealing the Clow Cards?"

"Uh." Sakura followed Tomoyo's gaze and looked down at her neck.

The sealed key, hanging there, was quietly close to the collar, with a corner peeking out, its metallic luster shimmering in the light.

"Ah! This is it!" She suddenly realized and quickly reached out to take the sealing key off her neck.

But looking at the key she usually used to transform and seal the Clow Cards, she became uncertain: "Can this... also be used to open the door to this warehouse? It's a key to seal the Clow Cards, not a key to open the door."

"Why don't you try and see? How will you know it won't work if you don't try?" Ye Hui smiled slightly. "You've used it to deal with so many Clow Cards before, maybe it will work this time too."

"Sakura, Ye Hui-kun is right," Tomoyo said with a smile. "Why don't we give it a try? I believe in you, Sakura. You're a magical girl who can seal the Clow Cards!"

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +6】

Sakura looked at the sealing key in her hand and nodded: "Okay! I'll give it a try!"

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +7]

Sakura gripped the sealing key tightly and walked step by step to the dark blue iron gate.

She took a deep breath, aimed the key at the brass keyhole on the door, and gently pushed it.

The key fit perfectly into the keyhole, without a single gap, as if it were custom-made for it.

The next second, a powerful gust of air suddenly surged from all directions of the warehouse, with a force so great that it could almost blow a person away.

"Whoa!" Sakura was pushed backward by the sudden gust of air, staggering and almost falling to the ground, but luckily she managed to grab a chair next to her in time.

"What's going on?! Why is the wind so strong?" Sakura steadied herself, but her hair was blown into a mess.

“It’s the lock, it’s about to come out, that’s the power it’s releasing,” Ye Hui said calmly.

He was somewhat surprised that the lock card would use a similar airflow effect as the wind card.

The Clow Cards have now been restored to the point where they can be used from multiple angles.

He quickly raised his hand, gathering a wisp of spiritual energy: "Shadow Control Technique".

The shadows in the warehouse instantly came to life, like soft ribbons, wrapping around the tables, chairs, and benches flying wildly in the air, then steadily catching them and gently putting them back in their original positions. Even the white curtain that was about to fall off the crossbar was firmly fixed to the wall by the shadows and restored to its flat state.

In a short while, apart from the still howling air currents, everything else in the warehouse returned to normal.

The airflow continued tirelessly, but then paused for a moment.
Why am I the only one doing the work?
Ye Hui walked to Sakura and Tomoyo's side, raised his hand and drew a circle around the three of them, and spoke again: "Golden Light Spell".

A faint golden shield instantly formed, enveloping the three of them.

Inside the protective shield, everything was calm and still; not even a hair would flutter.

Outside the protective shield, a fierce wind still howled, causing the material boxes in the distance to rattle and clatter, creating two completely different worlds.

Before long, the airflow outside the shield gradually decreased and eventually dissipated completely.

Immediately afterwards, a lock-shaped object emitting a pale blue light slowly emerged from the keyhole and hovered in mid-air; it was the lock itself.

"Is that the real lock?" Sakura looked at the glowing lock and subconsciously tightened her grip on the sealing key.

“That’s right, that’s it!” Ye Hui nodded, his eyes fixed on the lock plate.

He could see the light from the lock plate slowly fading, as if it wanted to slip back into the keyhole and blend into the iron gate.

"Oh no! It's going to lock the door again!" Sakura thought anxiously, and was about to go forward.

Ye Hui stretched out his right hand, clenched it in the air towards the lock, and said crisply, "Freeze!"

Follow your words!
The lock, which was slowly approaching the keyhole, was suddenly frozen in mid-air, remaining motionless as if about to disappear, and even the light stopped flashing.

“Sakura, it’s your turn. Use the sealing key to subdue it.” Ye Hui turned to Sakura, who was still in a daze, and said.

"Ah, hi-yi!" Sakura realized what was happening, quickly walked to the lock, and held up the sealing key in her hand.

The key instantly transformed into a familiar magic wand at her touch.

"Restore your original form—! Clow Card!"

The words fell.

The lock, which was suspended in mid-air, trembled slightly, turned into a pale blue light, and was slowly absorbed into the card at the tip of the wand.

A moment later, the colorful card turned into a physical card, swirled several times in the air, seemingly unwilling, but finally slowly landed in Ye Hui's outstretched hand.

Ye Hui took the card.

[You despicably exploited the trust of Kinomoto Sakura, a disciple of the Heavenly Spiritual Root. After she painstakingly subdued the Chains of Destiny, you borrowed them under the pretext of research!]

[Goho Daidoji Tomoyo had no suspicions, little did she know that they had all been deceived by her innocent appearance!]

[Congratulations on completing the character side quest "The Lock of Destiny"! You have obtained the reward divine power "Finger Transformation"!]

[Pointing: The ability to change something with a single finger.]

Ye Hui didn't keep the lock card in his hand, but gave it to Xiaoying.

This card doesn't have any special value.

"Quickly put it away, we should head out."

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +13]

As the lock was sealed, the iron gate opened automatically.

"Great! The door's open!" Sakura cheered. "I can make my strawberry desserts now!"

Ye Hui and Zhi Shi exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of helpless smile in each other's eyes.

They walked out of the warehouse side by side. As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw several workers in farm work clothes pacing around the doorway, looking anxious and holding wrenches and screwdrivers, clearly still trying to figure out how to open it.

When the staff saw the warehouse door suddenly open by itself and Ye Hui, Xiao Ying, and Zhi Shi walk out, they were all stunned and forgot to put down their tools.

One of the staff members, wearing glasses, was the first to react. He quickly stepped forward and asked in confusion, "You... how did you get here? This door wouldn't open no matter how we tried. How did you get in? No, you were already in there, weren't you? How did you get out?"

"We were just passing by when we saw the door wasn't closed properly, so we thought we'd go in and take a look. But as soon as we went in, the door closed by itself, and we were trapped inside for a while," Ye Hui explained innocently. "Luckily, the door suddenly opened by itself again, so we quickly got out."

? ?
The staff members looked at each other in bewilderment.

They tried several times just now, but the door didn't budge. How could it suddenly open by itself?
However, they couldn't explain this strange situation either, and there was no point in asking any further questions, so they could only suppress their doubts for the time being.

"Alright, alright, it's good that you're all alright." An older man waved his hand, breathed a sigh of relief, and said thankfully, "Go back and rest now, the strawberry dessert making activity is about to start this afternoon."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Sakura said sweetly, then grabbed Ye Hui and Tomoyo's hands and ran off like a happy little rabbit towards the rest area, afraid of missing the afternoon's activities.

Several staff members watched their retreating figures, then glanced at the open warehouse door, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

One of the staff members scratched his head and muttered, "Tell me... what's going on with this door? It was working fine just now, how come it suddenly wouldn't open, and then suddenly opened by itself?"

"Who knows? Maybe the lock cylinder got stuck and then popped open by itself just now," another person guessed casually, picking up tools as he spoke. "Never mind, let's check the door first, just in case something goes wrong and it disrupts the children's activities."

……

Ye Hui and the other two quickly returned to the rest area.

As soon as Sakura entered, she eagerly raised her hand and shouted to her classmates who were tidying up their lunchboxes, "I have great news for everyone! The warehouse door is open, so we can make strawberry desserts as usual this afternoon!"

"Really? That's great! I thought we wouldn't be able to do it today!" Li Jia immediately looked up, a surprised smile on her face.

"Yay! Now I can make strawberry jam to take home!" Chiharu cheered along with her.

Yamazaki blinked: "Looks like I'm still in luck."

Naoko put down her water glass and looked at Sakura curiously: "Sakura, how did you guys open the door? The staff said the door was locked, but it was fine once you got in?"

Sakura scratched her head and chuckled sheepishly, "We don't know either. The door opened by itself when we got there. We just happened to be there at the right time."

"That's amazing?" Naoko was somewhat surprised.

"Perhaps the staff just happened to have found a way to open it when you arrived," Chiharu guessed with a smile, without asking any further questions.

Yamazaki then adjusted his glasses, preparing to begin his explanation, and cleared his throat, saying, "Speaking of which, this kind of door that suddenly can't be opened and then suddenly opens again would definitely be called a variant of 'ghost wall' in ancient times. It's said that it might be due to an abnormal airflow in the space, forming..."

"Alright, alright, Yamazaki, stop talking nonsense." Chiharu patted his shoulder before he could finish, interrupting him. "Everyone hasn't had dinner yet, let's stop talking about this nonsense."

The surrounding classmates couldn't help but laugh, and the little incident passed just like that. No one took the warehouse door incident to heart anymore.

The afternoon activities proceeded as scheduled.

The staff first led everyone to the archives and played a video about strawberry cultivation.

The video clearly shows the process from strawberry seedling to flowering and fruiting, and also introduces the characteristics of different strawberry varieties, such as which strawberry is sweeter and which has delicate flesh.

Next, the process of making strawberry desserts was shown, from strawberry daifuku to strawberry cake. The steps were simple but interesting. If anyone wants to make something, they can watch a more detailed tutorial on their own later.

Sakura sat in the chair, watching with great interest, not blinking at all. She held a small notebook in her hand, occasionally jotting down a few key steps, and was already thinking about what kind of dessert to make for Yukito.

"Hmm, bring a few more daifuku, otherwise Snow Rabbit won't have enough. We also need to bring some for Keko. Cake is also a good choice; Snow Rabbit can eat it right now and doesn't need to take it back. We can also make a few more boxes of strawberry jam."

After the videotape finished playing, a cheer erupted in the archives.

Finally, the most anticipated part has arrived: making desserts by hand!
The staff neatly arranged the tools and materials on the worktable: glass jars containing low-gluten flour and glutinous rice flour, stainless steel bowls containing whipped cream and butter, as well as butter cut into small pieces and a sieve for sifting flour.
And the most important element—the strawberries that the students picked themselves that morning—was now neatly arranged on a white porcelain plate, each one bright red, plump, and very fresh.

"Everyone can freely choose the materials and tools according to their own preferences to make their own strawberry desserts," the staff announced with a smile, adding thoughtfully, "If you have any questions about any steps, feel free to ask us, and we'll be there to help guide you."

Sakura, carrying a basket full of strawberries, hurried to an empty worktable, placed the basket on it, and turned to look at Tomoyo and Hikaru who had followed her, her eyes sparkling: "Tomoyo-chan, Hikaru-kun! Have you decided what kind of dessert you want to make? A cake or daifuku?"

Tomoyo walked to the workbench next to her, picked up a cherry blossom-shaped jelly mold, her purple eyes crinkling with anticipation, and said, "I want to make some cherry blossom-shaped strawberry jelly, and a few servings of strawberry mousse. When they're done, I can embed some small pieces of strawberry in the jelly, which should look really nice and taste even better."

"Then I'll make more varieties too!" Sakura said with a cheerful smile.

She really wanted to make a dessert that Snow Rabbit Brother would love to eat.

However, it seems that Snow Rabbit likes all kinds of sweets and doesn't have any particular preference for any one kind.

That's why she decided to try to make more varieties of desserts so that Snow Rabbit Brother would have more choices!
And we can also try to make sure Snow Rabbit is full!

Sakura pondered for a while, then turned to Ye Hui: "Ye Hui-kun, besides daifuku and cake, what else do you think I should make? Something that Yukito-kun would like, but not too difficult to make." Ye Hui walked to the worktable, glanced at the ingredients, thought for a moment, and suggested: "Actually, since you've already made daifuku and cake, you can combine the ingredients for the two desserts to make a mille-feuille cake. That way, the strawberry jam will still have a use."

Tomoyo nodded in agreement: "Yes, the strawberry daifuku is very easy to make. Just steam the glutinous rice skin, wrap it with cream and strawberries, and you can also use the steamed glutinous rice skin to make mille-feuille cakes. Add strawberries, cream and jam, and it will be soft and chewy with just the right amount of sweetness. It should be very popular."

"Great idea!" Sakura clapped her hands, suddenly full of fighting spirit. "Then let's make daifuku and mille crepe cake! As for the strawberry cake, let's see what ingredients we have left~ Hehe, I'm going to make the most delicious strawberry dessert in the world and give it to Yukito-san, he'll definitely love it!"

“I believe you too~ What about you, Ye Hui-kun? What kind of dessert are you planning to make?” Tomoyo smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Ye Hui, wiping the cherry blossom mold as she asked.

Ye Hui pointed to the whipped cream and crepe ingredients on the worktable: "I'm also planning to make a strawberry crepe cake and a strawberry mirror mousse. That way, the three of us can share the ingredients. If we make more or less, we can help each other out."

Tomoyo nodded slightly: "Okay~"

On the other side, Li Meiling watched as most people started choosing ingredients, pursed her lips, walked over to Li Xiaolang, put her hands on her hips, and said confidently, "Xiaolang! Let's make strawberry egg tarts! When I was in Hong Kong, I learned from a very famous pastry chef. I guarantee that the egg tarts I make will taste better than theirs, especially the crust, which is so crispy and crunchy! You've had them before."

Li Xiaolang glanced at her: "Hmm, have I ever eaten it? And are you sure you really know how to make it? Don't make the same mistake you did with the cake at school last time."

"That was a mistake! It was just an accident!" Li Meiling's cheeks flushed red, and her voice rose a few decibels, touched on a sore spot. "I'm sure I won't make a mistake this time. I've memorized all the ingredients! Are you going to make it or not? If not, I'll make it myself, and you can forget about eating it!"

“I’ll do it.” Li Xiaolang’s lips twitched as he reached for the glass jar containing low-gluten flour and compromised. “I’ll help you knead the tart crust, and you’re in charge of preparing the strawberry filling. Don’t get the ingredients wrong this time.”

Li Meiling's mood instantly brightened. She picked up the plate of strawberries and began selecting the ones she would use for the filling, a smile unconsciously spreading across her face.

Looking at Li Meiling's confident demeanor, Li Xiaolang sighed inwardly.

In any case, it's more reliable to do it yourself and keep an eye on Meiling.

Over here, Xiaoying had already poured glutinous rice flour into a stainless steel bowl according to Ye Hui's instructions, added a few spoonfuls of white sugar, and gently stirred it with chopsticks to mix the sugar and powder evenly.

Next, she slowly added water to the bowl, stirring clockwise with chopsticks as she added it, until there were no dry powder particles left in the bowl and it became a smooth white batter.

"Ye Huijun, is this how it is? Should we add some more water?" Xiaoying turned around with the bowl in her hand, her face still covered in a little white glutinous rice flour, looking like a kitten that had accidentally gotten flour on its face.

Ye Hui walked over and glanced at the batter in the bowl, then nodded: "It's already mixed very well, and the consistency is just right. There's no need to add any more water. Now you can put it in the microwave to heat it up. Remember to cover it with plastic wrap, but leave a small opening for ventilation."

He casually pulled a wet wipe from the tissue box next to him and handed it to Sakura, "Wipe your face clean first, little kitten, otherwise it won't be good if flour gets on your clothes."

"I'm not a little kitten!" Sakura took the wet wipe, muttering a protest, but still obediently wiped the flour off her cheeks.

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +9]

Ye Hui smiled, stopped teasing her, and turned to prepare the whipped cream he needed to make the mille-feuille cake.

Or, since Sakura and Tomoyo both need whipped cream for what they're making, he could make extra and prepare a few portions for them as well.

Sakura had carefully covered the bowl with plastic wrap, poked a few small holes in it with a toothpick, then put the bowl in the microwave, set the time, and stood by with her chin in her hands, staring intently at the microwave door.

But after waiting for a while, she felt a little bored, so she went to the sink and started processing the strawberries.

She first put the strawberries one by one into clean water and gently rinsed them to remove the impurities on the surface.

Then she carefully removed the strawberry stem with a small knife, and gently pressed it with kitchen paper towels to absorb the moisture on the surface of the strawberry. She was very careful with every step. In order to make the strawberry look nice, she would even try to keep the cut of the strawberry stem neat.

Tomoyo was also dealing with her own strawberries when she saw Sakura's serious expression. She clenched and unclenched her fists around the strawberries, but in the end, she couldn't help but put down her tools and pick up the camera to point at Sakura.

In the scene, Sakura lowers her head, gently pinching a strawberry with her fingers. Sunlight shines through the skylight onto her, making even the shadows of her eyelashes appear exceptionally gentle.

"Sakura's serious expression is always so adorable, no matter how many times I watch it." Tomoyo looked at the camera, her purple eyes curving into crescents, and slowly exhaled, her voice gentle.

"Ding—" The microwave oven beeped, indicating that the glutinous rice balls were ready.

Sakura immediately put on heat-resistant gloves and slowly carried out the scalding hot bowl.

As soon as the plastic wrap was opened, a sweet aroma of glutinous rice wafted out, making one want to take a bite.

"Next, we need to knead it into a smooth dough, and add a little butter to increase its elasticity." Ye Hui walked over, pointed to the butter block that had been prepared in advance on the cutting board, and patiently instructed.

"Yes! I got it!" Sakura nodded, poured the warm glutinous rice dough from the bowl onto the cutting board covered with a thin layer of glutinous rice flour, and, imitating the technique from the videotape, reached out and gently pressed the glutinous rice dough, preparing to start kneading it.

The freshly baked glutinous rice balls were hot and sticky. As soon as her fingers touched them, they got stuck. She wanted to rub them hard, but she was afraid of getting burned, so she could only move them carefully little by little.

After struggling for a long time, not only did he fail to knead the dough until it was smooth, but he also ended up with his hands and even his wrists covered in glutinous rice crumbs.

Sakura: ●﹏●
"Ugh... It's so hot... Why is it so sticky..." Sakura looked at her sticky hands and pouted in grievance.

Ye Hui couldn't help but laugh at her flustered appearance.

What's the difference between Sakura and a walking emoji?
There doesn't seem to be much difference, but of course there are differences.

  That is—Sakura is way cuter than any emoji!
Ye Hui walked over, picked up the scraper on the cutting board, and gently scraped off the glutinous rice dough stuck to the cutting board. Then he used the scraper to cut the dough into small pieces. After the temperature dropped slightly, he reached out and pinched the small pieces of glutinous rice dough together, kneading them while slowly adding the softened butter.

In no time, he kneaded the sticky glutinous rice dough into a smooth and round dough with a faint sheen on the surface.

Ye Hui didn't know why the dough could glow; this wasn't a gourmet anime.

However, Sakura and Tomoyo's eyes can still sparkle, so the dough just glowing doesn't seem to be a problem.
"Ye Huijun, you really can do everything! You're so amazing!" Sakura's eyes lit up as she looked at the smooth ball of glutinous rice, her tone full of admiration.

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +10]

"It's nothing special. With a little practice, you can knead it just as well." Ye Hui placed the kneaded dough on the cutting board in front of Xiao Ying and handed her a small brush. "The temperature is just right now. You can try brushing some glutinous rice flour on your hands before kneading it slowly, and it won't stick to your hands."

"Okay! I will definitely try my best!" Sakura took the dough, carefully brushed a layer of glutinous rice flour on her hands, and confidently began to imitate Ye Hui's movements.

Meanwhile, Li Meiling's situation wasn't much better.

She had confidently declared that she could make strawberry tarts, but when she actually started, problems arose.

When she was sifting the low-gluten flour with a sieve, she accidentally spilled the flour all over the floor. As a result, she added too much flour, and the dough became as dry as a rock.

She wanted to knead the tart crust, but because she added too much butter, the dough became too soft and couldn't be shaped at all, making her so anxious that she broke out in a sweat.

Later, I added a small amount of butter, but it wasn't softened enough, and the dough was full of lumps.
Li Meiling had already failed three times just in making the tart crust.

"Why won't this dough hold its shape?! \(`Δ')／ Ugh!!" Li Meiling stared at the hard lump of dough in her hand, stomping her feet in frustration. Her two braids swung back and forth, looking aggrieved and resentful. "It was so easy when I learned it last time! The teacher showed me how to make it in one go!"

Li Xiaolang watched from the side and sighed silently.

He had known this would be the outcome.

Meiling always remembers the general steps when making desserts, but always overlooks the details.

The so-called master taught her to do it in one go.
I guess it was just the master craftsman doing it himself.
He stepped forward and took the dough from her hands: "Meiling, take a rest and have some water. I'll try it. You can just watch from the side."

"No way!" Li Meiling turned her face away. "Anyway, I'm going to make the strawberry tart today, or I'm not Li Meiling!"

Although she said that, she secretly slowed down her movements and did not snatch the dough back, but tacitly allowed Li Xiaolang to take the dough.

Ye Hui glanced at the two people making a ruckus over there and silently shook his head in his heart.

Meiling, you still need to recognize your own area of ​​expertise.

With so many Chinese desserts, why insist on Western-style tart crusts that you're not good at?

He looked away and began to focus on making his strawberry mille-feuille.

Making layered pancakes requires patience and skill. The heat of the pan must be controlled at medium-low. It cannot be too high to avoid burning, nor too low to cause the pancakes to stick to the pan. The amount of batter poured in should be just right, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. This will result in thin enough pancakes with a chewy texture.

Under Ye Hui's precise control, he gently rotated the handle of the frying pan, spreading each pancake evenly with slightly curled edges and a perfect milky white color.

He stacked the baked dough pieces one by one on a plate, quickly piling them into a tall, neat stack.

"Ye Hui, are you making a mille-feuille cake?" Naoko walked by carrying her burnt cookies. Seeing the stack of perfectly baked crepes, she couldn't help but come closer, looking curious. "These crepes are spread out so evenly! It looks so professional!"

"Yeah, it's just something I do casually. The key is to control the heat well," Ye Hui replied casually, while continuing to spread out another pancake.

"Even a casual attempt at making this is so amazing..." Naoko looked at the stack of uniformly thick and thin biscuits, then looked down at the charred edges and crooked shape of the cookies in her hand, and silently shed tears of envy.

Why is there such a big difference between people who make desserts? They're both making desserts.
Meanwhile, under Ye Hui's thoughtful guidance, Xiaoying's process of making strawberry daifuku went exceptionally smoothly.

She first placed the kneaded glutinous rice dough on the work surface, divided it into small, evenly sized balls by hand, then took one small ball, rolled it into a ball in her palm, and then gently rolled it out into a thin round sheet with a rolling pin, being careful to avoid the very edge so as to leave a little space for wrapping.

Next, scoop a spoonful of strawberry jam into the center of the round piece, gently lift the edge of the round piece with your fingers, wrap the jam around it little by little, pinch the opening tightly, and finally roll the finished daifuku in cooked glutinous rice flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands.

Finally, plump, round strawberry daifuku were born.

"Done! My strawberry daifuku!" Sakura looked at the neatly arranged daifuku on the plate, her face full of pride, her eyes shining.

She couldn't wait to pick one up and take a small bite. The soft and chewy glutinous rice skin had a subtle sweetness, while the strawberry jam inside was sweet and juicy. The two flavors blended together perfectly, balancing the sweetness and making it delicious without being cloying.

"It's so delicious!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes narrowing in delight.

"Chiyo, Ye Hui-kun! You two should try this, my strawberry daifuku is so delicious~" She picked up two daifuku, walked quickly to the two of them, and handed them to them, her tone expectant.

Tomoyo smiled and took it, taking a small bite. After chewing it carefully, she said approvingly, "It's really delicious! The glutinous rice skin is so soft and chewy, and the sweetness of the jam is just right. It's so good!"

Sakura shook the ahoge (cowlick) on her head.

Ye Hui also tried one, and it tasted really good.

For Sakura, who was making daifuku for the first time, achieving a thin skin, generous filling, and a non-sticky texture was already a significant improvement.

Of course, it's also possible that they put extra effort into making it for the snow rabbit?

"Yes, very well done, Sakura. It's even better than I expected," Ye Hui praised with a smile.

Sakura was overjoyed to receive their affirmation; her smile stretched almost to her ears.

Sakura: Ｏ(≧≦)Ｏ Hehe~
[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +8]

She put the remaining daifuku on a clean plate, covered it with plastic wrap, and said solemnly, "These are for Xue Tu Ge, Dad, and my brother!"

Ye Hui nodded, then continued to focus on making the strawberry mille-feuille.

The pie crusts have been neatly stacked to the side; the next step is to whip the cream and assemble the pie.

He took the heavy cream out of the refrigerator, poured it into a clean stainless steel bowl, added an appropriate amount of granulated sugar according to the ratio, and used a hand electric mixer to whip it on high speed.

The whipping cream quickly transforms from a liquid to a fluffy solid under the whisk. When you lift the whisk, it forms stiff, upright peaks that are both delicate and stable.

The assembly process is also very simple. He first places a crepe in the center of the cake plate, spreads a layer of light cream evenly with a spatula, and then neatly arranges the pre-cut strawberry slices on the cream to ensure that every bite contains strawberries. Then he places another crepe and repeats the steps of spreading cream and arranging strawberries, layering them one by one with skillful and smooth movements.

In no time, a strawberry mille-feuille cake with distinct layers and lots of strawberry pieces was completed, and the top was decorated with half a strawberry and mint leaves.

After finishing the mille-feuille, Ye Hui took out the materials to make the strawberry mirror mousse.

Pre-soaked gelatin sheets, freshly squeezed strawberry puree, and freshly whipped cream.

He first melted the gelatin sheets in a double boiler, then poured them into the strawberry puree and stirred until well combined. After letting it cool to room temperature, he slowly poured in the heavy cream and used a spatula to fold it in until fully incorporated, forming a smooth mousse mixture.

Finally, he slowly poured the mousse mixture into the round mold, gently shook the mold to remove air bubbles, and then put it in the refrigerator to set.

"Ye Huijun, are you making mousse?"

Sakura also started making mille-feuille. Thanks to Ye Hui's advance preparation, she finished quickly. After she was almost done, she came over and watched Ye Hui's process with curiosity.

"Yes, strawberry mirror mousse. After it's chilled and set, a layer of transparent strawberry mirror will appear on the surface, making it look even prettier."

Ye Hui replied, wiping the mousse liquid that had splashed on his hands, "When it's done, I'll give it to you and Zhi Shi to try first. As for the rest, you can take it to Xue Tu and the others."

He winked at Sakura.

"Yay! I love mousse too!" Sakura clapped her hands, jumping up and down.

[Kinomoto Sakura's emotional value +6]

Just then, Tomoyo placed the last strawberry piece on her mousse. Listening to the conversation between the two, she didn't stop what she was doing, but her purple eyes slowly curved upwards, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

【Daodaiji Chiyo’s Emotion Value +5】

"Go get the plate you used to serve the daifuku, and wipe the work surface again while you're at it," Ye Hui reminded him with a smile, pointing to the tissue box next to him. "The staff will be organizing a tasting event later, and everyone should put their finished products out to share. You can set some aside specifically for others to taste."

"Yes, I'll be right there!" Sakura nodded, turned around and ran back to her workbench to wipe away the remaining flour.

Tomoyo's strawberry jelly and mousse are also ready.

Cherry blossom-shaped jellies are placed on a transparent plate, with small pieces of strawberry embedded in the pink jelly.

The strawberry mousse was served in a white porcelain cup, topped with a layer of fresh strawberry crumbs. It looked no different from what was sold in dessert shops, and even looked better.

In fact, Tomoyo's cooking skills have always been excellent. Her steps when making desserts are clear and her techniques are skillful. Even the staff who pass by can't help but praise her.

It's just that Ye Hui always brings out some delicious food, leaving Zhi Shi with little room to perform.

Meanwhile, Li Meiling was still waging a final battle with her strawberry tart dough.

(End of this chapter)