Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Liu Ming felt that Kyoko's mood seemed much better than before, her smile was brighter, and she worked with more vigor.
Liu Ming shook his head. This was a good thing, so he didn't think about it anymore.
Today, several children would be visiting his home. Since he had promised to treat them well, Liu Ming wouldn't just casually go through the motions.
After waking up in the morning, he went to the kitchen to prepare some dishes for entertaining.
The guests this time were children, and they were all about the same age as Xiao Hina, only a few years old.
The dishes adults usually ate weren't quite suitable, and he could make those during lunchtime anyway, so there was no need to specifically prepare them now.
As for fried snacks, although delicious, they seemed to easily cause internal heat, and eating too much wasn't good for children's health.
After much thought, Liu Ming finally decided to make some pastries. In ancient China, these were a type of dessert, and they would definitely suit their tastes.
These pastries, unlike modern desserts, did not use high-calorie ingredients like milk. Instead, they blended the original flavors of the main ingredients in various ways. This not only made them taste excellent but also had great benefits for one's figure.
For example, the Eight Treasures Cake, with its sweet and delicious taste, soft and delicate texture, also had functions such as invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting appetite, and treating infantile malnutrition.
Another example is mung bean cake, a perfect summer snack. It's soft in texture, without any greasiness, and also clears heat, detoxifies, and quenches thirst.
There were simply too many, so he wouldn't go into detail about each one.
.....
Today was a holiday. Not only was Xiao Hina off from school, but Sora and Miyu were also on holiday.
When they woke up, they were quite surprised to find that Liu Ming, this lazy fish, was already busy in the kitchen.
"Brother Xiao Ming, are you alright today?" Miyu stood at the kitchen door, looking at Liu Ming curiously.
"Morning, Miyu." Liu Ming greeted her, then continued to be busy.
"Uh~" Miyu was stunned.
Something was strange, definitely strange.
She ran out to find Sora and explained the situation.
Sora rolled her eyes at her, then grumpily explained, "Xiao Hina's classmates are coming to play today, and Uncle is busy preparing things to entertain them."
"You really are something, you're Xiao Hina's second older sister, yet you don't even know about this."
Miyu was immediately embarrassed, but it wasn't her fault. Here, Xiao Hina had so many people doting on her, especially Liu Ming who spoiled her rotten, so there was no need for her, the second older sister, to worry.
Of course, it wasn't that she truly didn't care about Xiao Hina. It was just that everything concerning Xiao Hina was basically handled by Liu Ming, and she usually just had to play with Xiao Hina.
Around 10 o'clock, the guests finally arrived.
The arrivals were not just Xiao Anzu, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Dong; Teacher Doma and Teacher Yamamoto were also present.
"Xiao Anzu, Xiao Mei, Xiao Dong, you've arrived! Hello, Teacher Doma! Hello, Teacher Yamamoto!" Xiao Hina ran over, happily welcoming everyone.
"Hello, Xiao Hina," Teacher Yamamoto smiled gently.
"Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Hina's older sister, Takanashi Sora. Welcome to our home. Thank you, teachers, for taking care of Xiao Hina at school," Sora also greeted them.
"I'm Xiao Hina's second older sister, Takanashi Miyu. Hello, everyone!" Miyu also jumped out.
Next, everyone introduced themselves.
Kyoko looked curiously at the little girl whose name was similar to hers.
"Why isn't Mr. Liu here?" Teacher Doma curiously surveyed the Chinese Restaurant. He hadn't been here for several years and didn't expect it to have changed so much, becoming more luxurious and beautiful.
"Xiao Ming is in the kitchen. I'll go call him out now," Miyu said, then ran towards the kitchen.
"I'm coming too!" Xiao Anzu's expression brightened, and she followed.
Xiao Mei and Xiao Dong exchanged glances and also followed out of curiosity.
Seeing this, Sora didn't stop them. Since Liu Ming was in the kitchen, she wasn't worried about anything happening to them.
She led the two teachers to a table, where they sat down, and then poured a glass of water for each person.
"Handsome Uncle, I've come to see you!" Xiao Anzu's voice arrived before she did.
Upon seeing Liu Ming, she wanted to climb onto him, just like before.
Liu Ming quickly extended his hand to block her little head, preventing her from getting close.
"Xiao Anzu, don't mess around! It's very dangerous here. Also, you need to call me Gege, or I won't give you anything delicious."
Liu Ming was currently by the stove, and the Chinese Restaurant's kitchen was not like home, especially a Chinese Restaurant. The flames from the burners were very fierce.
Miyu, who had entered first, also realized this and quickly pulled Xiao Anzu back, moving her a little further away.
"Handsome Gege, hello," Xiao Mei said softly.
"Handsome Gege, hello," Xiao Dong also greeted him.
"You've arrived! Wait a little longer, there will be delicious food soon. Xiao Hina, go play with them," Liu Ming said with a smile.
"But Xiao Anzu wants to stay here with you," Xiao Anzu said.
It was Miyu's first time seeing such a mature child, and her eyes widened. Suppressing a laugh, she warned Liu Ming, "Xiao Ming Gege, she's still a child! How can you do this?"
Liu Ming glared at her, annoyed. Xiao Anzu was already giving him enough trouble, and she was fanning the flames.
"Why don't you hurry and take them out? Xiao Anzu, be obedient."
.....
About fifteen minutes later, Liu Ming emerged carrying two large trays.
Everyone in the Chinese Restaurant immediately looked over, curious about what was on them.
"Mr. Liu, we apologize for disturbing you today," Teacher Yamamoto stood up, her voice as gentle as ever.
"Not at all. Xiao Hina was well taken care of by you at school. Please treat this place as your own home; there's no need to be polite with us," Liu Ming said softly.
"Liu Ming Gege, what do you have there? It smells so fragrant!" Teacher Doma curiously lifted his head, wanting to see what it was.
Liu Ming didn't let him have his way, raising his hands high. He glared at Teacher Doma and said, "If you want to eat, you can, but go and get Grandma Doma first."
"Huh?"
"What 'huh'? Go quickly!"
Teacher Doma could only obediently go next door to call her.
Liu Ming set down the trays, which held several kinds of pastries: red, white, green, and so on. Various colors intertwined, presenting a charming, colorful painting. Moreover, because they were freshly baked, they were still emitting wisps of steam, like a fairyland on earth.