Dressed in lounge clothes, an apron, and oven mitts, Mimosa took the baking tray out of the oven. Six egg tarts sat neatly in two rows.
The sweet scent of eggs immediately filled Qin Ran's nose.
As Mimosa set the tray on a wooden rack, Qin Ran eagerly picked up a tart and popped it into his mouth.
Unlike most people, Qin Ran neither licked the filling nor took a bite from the edge. He put the entire tart in his mouth, pressed it between his tongue and palate, then chewed and swallowed. This let him savor its softest parts while bringing out the texture of its crispest crust to the fullest, without losing the slightest trace of flavor. It accomplished several things at once.
"How is it?"
Mimosa asked expectantly.
"Mm. As good as ever."
Qin Ran answered.
At his answer, Mimosa's eyes curved into a smile. With light steps, Mimosa walked to one side, picked up a green plant in a glass bottle, and placed it, bottle and all, on the table. It complemented the white tablecloth perfectly, bringing out the golden color of the egg tarts and catching the eye at once.
"This is table presentation. My teacher taught me about it when I was learning to cook."
"She said serving perfect food without equally perfect presentation was an insult to the food."
Mimosa explained.
Though the teacher was a native, Mimosa still treated her with respect. In that regard, Mimosa was much like Qin Ran.
"Your teacher had a point."
"So you should accept these."
"Perfect food deserves perfect cookware and tableware, of course. These might not be perfect yet, but they're quite good."
As he spoke, Qin Ran pushed the bundle at his feet toward Mimosa.
"These are for me?"
Mimosa looked at Qin Ran