Tea-flavored Romance

Jiang Mufeng: My cousin-in-law is the real God of Cookery!

Jiang Muyu: +1...

Jiang Chaoyun: +1...

"Sister Xiaoxue, can we have lunch at your house today?"

"Of course, we're going to eat together tonight anyway... Where's your mom?"

"I'm chatting with Uncle Gu and the others..." Jiang Muyu replied expectantly, "Brother Ningyuan... could you make that tofu dish from last night again... I think everyone really liked it."

"Sure, the table's big enough anyway, adding another dish won't hurt," Ning Yuan replied. "What about Mu Feng? Do you two want to order more food?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I want squirrel-shaped mandarin fish!"

"I want spicy chicken! I love the spiciness!"

"That's great... Thank you, Brother Ningyuan..." The little girl, Jiang Muyu, rolled her eyes and suggested, "How about I help? Can the two of you manage?"

"You want to help? Sure." Gu Guanxue said casually, "Of course I'm too busy, you're always welcome to lend a hand..."

"That's great... Ah... I suddenly remembered that Huai Ge asked me to borrow an album before, I almost forgot about it... Here's what I'll do, I'll go find someone to help you... Sister Manyue is very free right now, I'll call her over right away!"

Master Ning: "..."

My heart sank, and the knife moved too slowly...

Is this little girl trying to add a touch of festive red to this New Year's Eve dinner? Speaking of which, this seems to be the first time Xueyue has appeared in the same frame since I came to Yanjing, right?

Don't mess with me, little sister, I'm not ready yet!

Gu Guanxue maintained her smiling expression, seemingly unconcerned, but in reality, she glanced at Ning Yuan casually. Master Ning, feeling uneasy under Xuebao's gaze, unconsciously quickened his swordsmanship.

Cooking, cooking... Let's set a small goal for today: survive until New Year's Eve dinner, that'll be a success...

Jiang Muyu left the kitchen, having successfully completed her mission, but as soon as she turned around, her two older brothers grabbed her hands. They glanced in Ning Yuan's direction and asked in low voices with suspicion:

"Aren't you always the embodiment of Manyue's will? Why are you suddenly helping the villainous cousin-in-law? Is this Manyue's idea? Or did you arrange it on your own?"

"Of course not." Jiang Muyu shook off her buddies' hands and said seriously, "I just don't want our Jiang family members to be taken away by the Gu family, okay? We may be close, but we can't compromise on this kind of thing..."

Jiang Mufeng was horrified upon hearing this: "Jiang Muyu, you're clearly just after your cousin-in-law's cooking! You're disgusting!"

"You're talking nonsense! Do you think I'm the kind of person who would ruin Sister Manyue's plans just because I'm greedy for food?" The little girl, Jiang Muyu, argued with a flushed face, "This kind of thing isn't called being greedy... If Brother-in-law Ningyuan came to our house, how could it be called being greedy for Sister Manyue's plans..."

After saying all that, Jiang Muyu spouted phrases like "you guys don't understand," which made Jiang Mufeng and his companion burst into laughter, filling the air with a cheerful atmosphere. However, before they could finish laughing, the female protagonist they were talking about, Miss Manyue, appeared before them, looking at her younger brothers with a puzzled expression:

What are you laughing at?

"..."

"It's nothing... I was just looking for you, Manyue-jie. Why did you come down here?"

"Grandpa asked me to help out in the kitchen." Jiang Manyue asked casually, "Who's in the kitchen right now?"

"It's just Sister Xiaoxue and Brother Ningyuan."

"Okay, I understand." Jiang Manyue calmly strode forward, and just as she was about to reach the end, she suddenly turned her head and casually mentioned:

"Don't come to the kitchen unless it's absolutely necessary."

Jiang Muyu: "..."

"Okay, okay, Sister Manyue..."

Chapter 341: A Backstab from Old Master Gu!

Jiang Manyue walked into the kitchen and started preparing a bunch of fresh bok choy, while Gu Guanxue chopped garlic to make the sauce...

Despite the snowflakes fluttering outside the window, the somber atmosphere inside the house seemed no less intense than outside. Although only Jiang Manyue had entered this space, the change she brought to the atmosphere in the kitchen was indescribable.

What? You're asking what Master Ning is doing?

A memorable scene: Ningyuan chopping vegetables.jpg

In fact, ever since Miss Manyue walked into the kitchen, Ning Yuan's hand holding the knife had been trembling slightly. He carefully put away the extra knives in the kitchen, and then focused intently on tackling the large white radish in front of him.

At this moment, he became one with his sword, entering a state of selflessness. However, Master Ning, being new to this state, was clearly not yet proficient. Miss Manyue had only taken a few steps after getting up to drain the water from the bok choy when Master Ning couldn't help but turn his gaze to her:

Take a peek... and another peek...

Very well, with such a slender figure, it's impossible for her to hide any controlled knives. No matter how brave Miss Manyue is, she can't possibly pull out a long knife from her chest and finish off the scumbag with a "thoughtless slash"—after all, it's impossible for Manyue to hide anything in her chest.

It was Xuebao who finally broke the deadlock. She glanced at the unfriendly Miss Manyue, cleared her throat, and chuckled, "Manyue, why don't you go watch TV instead of coming here to cause trouble... I remember you were someone who never lifted a finger in the Jiang family."

"I just don't do housework often, but that doesn't mean I can't," Jiang Manyue said calmly. "You should still be careful. You haven't forgotten the pain of cutting your finger before, have you?"

"That's why I entrusted the task of chopping vegetables to Ningyuan," Gu Guanxue continued with a smile. "Actually, doing housework occasionally is quite fun. Manyue, don't be so lazy in the future. Move around more often, so that you don't have to come and help reluctantly when Grandpa Jiang orders you around."

Jiang Manyue's eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at the smiling Xuebao, then slowly withdrew her gaze:

The clashes between the Xue and Yue sisters often happen silently, like thunderclaps. When this question is posed to Manyue, she is unhappy if it is said that Grandpa Jiang ordered her to come and help, but she is even more unhappy if it is said that she came voluntarily. She can want to come, but you can't tell that scumbag that she wants to come, because it concerns whether that bastard will take advantage of her.

“You’ve misunderstood. It was Grandpa Gu who was worried that you might cause trouble since you haven’t been in the kitchen much, so he asked me to come and check on you.” Jiang Manyue replied softly, “It seems that Grandpa Gu is overthinking things. You don’t intend to accept my favor.”

"Of course I welcome your help with open arms, how could I say I'm not grateful?" Gu Guanxue smiled and said, "Since you think the work I'm doing now is too dangerous, why don't you make the sauce?"

"No need. I'm just looking after you, it doesn't mean I'm your nanny."

"Don't say that. You used to be my nanny, after all."

"I do not remember."

The two girls started their battle, exchanging words back and forth. Poor, weakling Master Ning had nowhere to hide and could only keep his eyes down and continue painting his world-famous masterpiece.

Before long, Xuebao's side was already starting to fall behind. There was still a gap in combat power between the Tea Emperor and the Tea Saint. Although sometimes Xuebao could barely maintain the same combat power by burning his potential, it did not mean that Xuebao could continue to burn.

What if the tea isn't served by Jiang Manyue? After scanning the area, Xuebao's gaze quickly settled on a weak, pitiful, and helpless point of leverage. A sly smile crept across her lips:

What are Jiang Manyue's weaknesses now?

"Ningyuan, will you teach me how to cook later?" Xue Sheng changed the subject, "Although I can ask you to cook when I want to eat, it would be nice if I could cook for you occasionally, wouldn't it?"

Master Ning: "..."

"Can't I? If you teach me step by step, I should be able to learn quickly, right?" Gu Guanxue glanced at Jiang Manyue, who was still washing things by the pool, and asked with a smile, "Anyway, it doesn't get in the way, and I can teach Manyue while I'm at it."

Jiang Xihua expressionlessly turned off the tap in the sink, her gaze sweeping across Master Ning's face like a sharp blade. Although she didn't say a word, Master Ning seemed to have already understood her body language:

[Those who aren't afraid of death, let's give it a try.]

Master Ning swallowed hard, thought for a moment, and compromised, saying, "Actually, I think you and Manyue don't need me to teach you cooking skills at all. How about you each cook a dish? It would feel more heartwarming if everyone worked together to make a New Year's Eve dinner, wouldn't it?"

"Oh...that's not bad either." Gu Guanxue thought for a moment, then, seemingly with some mischievous idea in mind, blinked and made this agreement: "But Manyue, you don't know anything about cooking. If all else fails, how about you make a cold dish, like cucumber salad?"

"You don't need to worry about it," Jiang Xihua said calmly. "I can still cook a dish or two."

"Then it's settled. Ningyuan, you go out for a bit, and after we've finished cooking, you can guess who made it!"

"Isn't this a bit much?"

Whoever guesses correctly gets a kiss from you!

"When will you start?" Master Ning asked seriously. "Whether we're close or not doesn't matter. What I really like is this atmosphere of fair competition."

"Who said it was such a bet?" Jiang Manyue said coldly, "Gu Guanxue, if you want to kiss me, kiss me yourself, don't drag me into it."

“Since you don’t like this bet, let’s change it.” Xuebao smiled confidently, “But before that…”

"Notary? Could you please step outside for a moment?"

Master Ning: "..."

Master Ning had no idea what kind of bet Xueyue and her two childhood friends had made in the kitchen, but no matter how you looked at it, it must have been related to this New Year's Eve dinner.

Most of the ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner were already prepared, and giving the two most beautiful girls in the department some time to settle their personal grudges didn't seem like a big problem. With that thought, he took off his apron and obediently left the competition area, giving his two girlfriends plenty of space…

Oh no, it should be called a current girlfriend and an ex-girlfriend...

After putting on his coat, Master Ning stepped out of the house. The snow scene in the northern winter was undoubtedly magnificent and beautiful. The snow was much lighter than before, but it was still much more spectacular than the delicate snowflakes in the south. Just as he was looking up and admiring the scenery, a snowball hit Master Ning with precision and elegance, who wanted to compose a poem in the snowy landscape.

"Hey, isn't this my cousin... Brother Ning?" The culprit, the chubby Jiang Mufeng, peeked out and said, "Sorry, sorry, it was just an accident... Quick, look down, cousin-in-law, they're attacking!"

Master Ning instinctively ducked to dodge several incoming snowballs. Looking up, he saw many small black dots moving about in the snow on the street outside the courtyard, several times the number of people on their side. This made Ning Yuan very depressed, and he asked in a strange way, "Mufeng... how come you attract so much hatred? So many people want to embarrass you to death?"

"Hey, don't even mention it. Those bastards bullied the two younger brothers of the Gu family because they outnumbered them. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I fought back... Do you want to join us? We can smash every single one of those bastards outside."

"Forget it, I'm an adult, after all. It would be ridiculous for me to have a snowball fight with a bunch of kids like you..."

"Boom..."

Ning Yuan: "..."

"Bring me the snowballs you've made. I want them to know what it means to punish those who offend my Gu family, no matter how far away they are!"

Master Ning, whose physical attributes, strength, and skills had been comprehensively enhanced, was naturally at a disadvantage in a snowball fight against this group of teenagers. He could basically hit whatever he wanted, and every snowball he threw would inevitably result in a scream. The chubby boy watching from the side was dumbfounded and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Jiang Mufeng: "Brother-in-law, you're too amazing! But could you please use a different word? My cousin Manyue will definitely explode when she hears this."

"You're just a kid, you don't understand... Where's the ammunition? Replenish it quickly..."

"They're here, they're here..."

Ning Yuan, as the backbone of the group, quickly rallied the two younger members of the Gu family and Jiang Mufeng to break through the encirclement. They used a pinpoint attack to precisely target the enemy's key figures, ultimately securing victory in the snowball fight. This astonished Jiang Mufeng, who repeatedly asked Master Ning if he had any special techniques for snowball fights.

"Brother Ning! How can I become as strong as you?"

"Nothing special, just practice makes perfect..." Master Ning put his hands, which were red from the cold snow, into his pockets and said disdainfully, "With your talent, it's probably difficult for you to reach that legendary level, but you can use a quick and easy technique to make everyone around you feel like they're the best."

"What method?"

Have you ever heard of the hidden weapon technique of concealing flowers in the snow?

What does this mean?

"If you put a piece of poop inside a snowball, you'll become a god descending to earth."

Jiang Mufeng gasped, then lowered his head in deep thought, remaining silent. Master Ning, unconcerned about how the young man interpreted his joke, patted him on the shoulder, turned, and went back inside to enjoy the warmth of the heater…

Before long, a series of terrified screams and the sinister laugh of a god who had grasped the profound mysteries rang out from outside...

"Jiang Mufeng, you son of a bitch... Get the hell away from me... I'm not playing this game with you..."

"I'm so... please don't..."

Wherever the deity went, there was only howling and wailing, and people tumbling and crawling. Master Ning pretended that whatever unspeakable things happened afterward had nothing to do with him. He rubbed his red little hands and returned to the kitchen. Inside, Xuebao was picking up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, holding it in her palm, and putting it in her mouth. Seeing Ning Yuan appear, she immediately smiled and beckoned him to come over right away.