Chapter 30: Things Are Getting Better

What a coincidence—Su Xiao Nuo was thinking the same thing, only she swapped “Mrs.” for “wife.”

Young people, modernizing.

“Su Nuo, how come you even know this?”

Mengmei asked curiously in her mind.

“Did you really learn it?”

“Yeah.”

It was a summer when she was about ten years old, though she couldn’t remember the exact year.

In Su Nuo’s memory, that year the gardenias bloomed beautifully, their strong fragrance attracting buzzing little bees everywhere.

At that time, Su Nuo was standing inside the Cake Shop on the street, helping out while also freeloading a meal.

She sat in the corner, watching the Master spin a cake base rapidly, decorating it with cream and jam into various cute and beautiful designs.

The Master said, “You’re just watching—why don’t you give it a try?”

“Little Su, I know your grades are good and you’ll definitely get into university and find a good job,” the Master said.

“But as the saying goes, the more skills you have, the less you’re burdened. When you’re out in society, if you really can’t make it, having a craft is something. If you learn my carving technique, which I use on cakes, you can get by at any cake shop.”

So Su Nuo learned it.

Later, cake shops all switched to pre-made molds…

Anyway, this was the first time Su Nuo had used this long-locked skill again… no, the second time.

The first was when she made videos before.

She placed a little jam rabbit on the freshly baked pastry, then handed it to Big Sister: “Try it and see how it tastes.”

Lin Yingluo bit in and a look of bliss appeared on her face.

“It’s really delicious!”

Freshly baked goods from home had this advantage.

Desserts, when served to guests, if bought outside, were judged harshly—from appearance to texture and flavor, unless you were a master, it was just passable.

But if you said it was home-baked, then it was a whole different story.

The lowest rating would be “homestyle flavor.”

Any flavor at all was praised as delicious.

If the flavor couldn’t be judged, you’d say it was handmade, cooked over an open flame, with no additives or shady processes—healthy and hygienic.

No outside shop could compare.

Lin Yingluo genuinely thought it was delicious.

Especially when she thought about it being handmade by her own wife, her heart was filled with even more sweetness.

With the help of this psychological effect, unsweetened became half-sweet, half-sweet became full-sweet, and full-sweet became super-sweet.

Su Xiao Nuo: “I want to eat too!”

Eat, eat, here you go.

Su Nuo turned and grabbed a small cake, stuffing it into her mouth, letting the sweetness completely soak into her brain.

“Mmm, so good!”

At this moment, Big Sister and Mengmei reached an astonishing consensus.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning we’ll order ingredients and cake bases, and bake them fresh at home,” Lin Yingluo thought for a moment.

“Also, coffee…”

“I can brew it,” Su Nuo tilted her head slightly.

“Traditional Method: Slow Simmer Over a Small Flame.”

Lin Yingluo couldn’t hold back and rushed over to hug her, planting a kiss on the young girl’s cheek.

“Nuo Nuo, you’re amazing!”

***

[Xi: I’m working on the research project, hit a small snag. Everyone’s been busy until now; just got a chance to check my phone.]

Good, this directly explained the slow reply, answered the question, and politely apologized twice—once in explanation, once in attitude.

Lin Chu Xi finally sent the message.

When she put down her phone, she saw the classmates had already finished their discussion.

“What else is there to say?” a boy sitting at a computer shrugged.

“The club lost a hundred skilled hands—that’s why it disbanded.”

Another girl said, “Maybe they shouldn’t have expanded recruitment or commercialized it. The initial creative energy fades; it’s hard to maintain enthusiasm.”

“Maybe you’re all right, but we’re Business Administration students. Our paper can only focus on management issues.”

Someone in the crowd said this, and everyone fell silent, suddenly losing interest.

“That’s how it is. Let’s just finish the paper and get it over with,” the boy at the computer yawned.

Lin Chu Xi didn’t expect that while she was replying to a message, such a big change had happened.

It looked like in a few days, she could head home early.

Thinking this, she left the classroom, took out her phone, and called her sister to inform her about going home soon.

A little rebellious, but not running away from home—she still needed to report her schedule.

“In a few days? Okay, but the housewarming banquet ends tomorrow.”

“That’s fine. I wasn’t planning on going to something like that anyway, and… I didn’t have anyone to invite.”

When she said this, Lin Chu Xi hesitated for a moment because Su Nuo’s image flashed through her mind.

But would it be too soon?

They’d only really been friends for more than half a month; would it scare her?

Better wait a little longer to invite her, the girl thought.

“Alright, also, I have something to tell you.”

Her sister’s voice came from the other end of the phone. After speaking, she fell silent, seeming hesitant.

About half a minute later, she spoke again.

“Forget it, wait until you’re done with school in a few days. I don’t want to distract you.”

***

“This is truly delicious, Lin taitai. Your skill is excellent.”

Tomorrow’s cakes would be made tomorrow, and the trial cakes today were too many for Su Nuo and Lin Yingluo to finish, so they gave some to their neighbors.

The friendly Yu Xin family to the right still greeted them warmly.

The use of that title made Su Nuo feel a little embarrassed; she wished she could bury her face in a Big White Rabbit candy.

The household to the left was still not home.

She wasn’t sure if there was no one living there anymore or if the previous tenants were busy renting or selling the place.

As for the remaining household, the cute girl Lu Yao was still shy.

But just like Li Granny had said, she was better this time—at least she sat for a while in front of Su Nuo, ate half a cake, whispered “delicious” quietly with her head down, then hugged the box and ran upstairs.

“See? Much better than last time,” Li Granny said with a smile as she brought over some Buckwheat Tea.

“Next time you come again, you’ll improve even more.”

…Some kind of gradual socializing.

Su Nuo looked at the guitar on the living room wall, covered with anime stickers.

“Is she from the art school? Studying music?”

“No way, Yao Yao dropped out years ago,” Li Granny explained.

“The guitar was bought two years ago. She messes with it at home alone, watched a few cartoons, and said she imagined that one day a gentle, cute girl would come to form some kind of ‘Bang De’ band with her.”

Su Nuo was silent for a while, her gaze complicated.

“That’s pretty good.”

“I think it’s pretty good too. At least it gives her hope,” Li Granny smiled kindly.

“People, when they live, can’t live without hope.”

Suddenly feeling like she’d taken a life lesson, Su Nuo finished delivering the sweets and said goodbye.

On the way, she saw Lin Chu Xi’s reply and couldn’t help but admire the top student’s dedication—even during the holidays, she was still engrossed in her studies.

Back home, Lin Yingluo had just put down her phone and apologized to her.

“Nuo Nuo, let’s sleep separately tonight.”

Lin taitai needed to get up early tomorrow to make desserts.

If she couldn’t wake up, it would be bad, so they had to sleep in separate rooms.

She added, “Just this one night!”