Echoes of the Past (3)

It was midnight, inside the Yang Sui family's residence.

Little Yangyang crept stealthily from her bedroom all the way to the kitchen, preparing to become a little gluttonous cat stealing a bite to eat.

Earlier, her mother brought back several plates of delicious pastries from outside. Although she was greedy, she was restrained enough not to ask for more than two pieces at the time. However, when she had a craving for pastries in the middle of the night, she remembered them.

No sooner said than done, Yangyang reached the kitchen door in the blink of an eye, gently pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and there was a plate of delicious pastries on the center table.

After confirming that no one was around, Yangyang quietly slipped into the kitchen, making sure to lock the door from the inside.

"Is that all right?"

After making sure she had locked the door again, Yangyang ran excitedly to the table, ready to enjoy the winner's prize.

One bite, two bites, and the pastry blossomed with a sweet and delicate fragrance on her pink tongue, making her unable to resist eating another piece after finishing one.

After indulging in this feast for a while...

"Oh no, everything's gone!" Yangyang, looking at the empty plate with a hint of annoyance. "I'm doomed! If my sister finds out tomorrow, I'm definitely going to get a lecture..."

"No need to wait until tomorrow~ I'll take you in right now, you little glutton!"

A sinister male voice suddenly echoed from the kitchen, as if a ghost were about to kidnap the little girl who was secretly eating pastries in the middle of the night.

"Eek!" Yangyang cried out in surprise, quickly hiding herself in a corner, her body trembling as she said, "Waaah, I was wrong, please don't take me away..."

The voice didn't respond, which only made Yangyang feel like she was doomed today.

Just as she was filled with fear, the kitchen lights were turned on.

"Huh?" Yangyang looked at the suddenly bright kitchen and Xiao Ling standing in front of her with a bit of confusion. "You were the older brother back then! Did you chase away the ghost just now?"

"Well, I guess so..." Xiao Ling, somewhat embarrassed.

After all, that ghost was actually him in disguise...

"Thank goodness, I thought I was going to get kidnapped by those bad guys for stealing food..." Yangyang, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, blurted out that she had just stolen some pastries. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late.

"Oh~ no wonder you were in the kitchen, so you were cooking for yourself, huh?" Xiao Ling grinned mischievously. "Little girl, you don't want to get caught by your family for sneaking a bite of pastries..."

"Waaah... I guess I should just let the monsters take me away..."

"Let's put aside the ghost story for now." Xiao Ling smiled gently. "Go wipe your mouth with a handkerchief first; you look like a little kitten."

"Oh..."

Little Yangyang was obedient and obediently took the handkerchief Xiao Ling handed her and began to carefully wipe her mouth.

"Speaking of which, you seem quite worried about being caught stealing pastries?" Xiao Ling asked.

"Eating one or two pieces is fine, but the problem is I couldn't control myself and ate them all..." Yangyang, a little annoyed. "Although my sister won't blame me, it would be a lie to say she won't be upset if she sees all the pastries I've stolen and eaten when she wakes up tomorrow morning."

Xiao Ling nodded twice, then suggested, "How about we make an exact replica of the pastry now?"

"Huh? But I don't know how to do it..."

"Of course I'll be the head chef, and you'll be my assistant. Let's make it clear beforehand, we need to keep things quiet, otherwise it'll be hard to explain if we get caught."

"Okay, okay!"

"To be honest, I don't even know your name."

"Me? My name is Ling, you can call me Brother Ling."

"Brother Ling, why are you willing to help me?"

Still clueless, Yangyang didn't know why the other person was helping her, since they had never met before, yet the other person was still so kind to help her.

"I have a sweetheart. Her favorite thing to do is to help those in need. I even learned my pastry-making skills from her," Xiao Ling explained with a smile.

"Wow, that's amazing! She sounds just like a chivalrous heroine from a storybook!" Yangyang's eyes lit up immediately, her words filled with longing for a hero.

Haha, I wonder what she would think if she knew that the female knight-errant Hajiling was talking about was actually herself when she grew up.

"Right? Having been influenced by what I've seen and heard, I also feel that I should do my part to help others when they encounter difficulties," he continued.

"Are Brother Ling and she together?" Yangyang suddenly became very gossipy.

"We're currently in a situation where we like each other but haven't made it official yet," Xiao Ling said with a helpless smile.

"That won't do! Brother Ling, you must be bold and pursue the person you like!" Yangyang then put on a grown-up act and began to lecture Xiao Ling, "My father also bravely pursued love to win over my mother!"

"Since you know you both have feelings for each other, you should take the initiative!"

"Hey, why are you lecturing me now?" Xiao Ling said, puffing out his beard and glaring. "Watch out, or I'll tell on you!"

"Hmph, Brother Ling is so petty, he might get caught off guard one day."

"I'm an old-timer boatman, capsizing is no problem for me!" Xiao Ling laughed heartily. "Alright, enough with the chit-chat. Come on, let me see how your work turned out!"

"Here you go." Yangyang handed over the batter she had just mixed.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Xiao Ling took the prepared batter and quickly began her magical performance.

Under his skillful hands, the ordinary batter was transformed into the prototype of a pastry in the blink of an eye.

Even though Yangyang didn't blink once, she still couldn't fully see how the batter turned into a delicious pastry.

But this did not stop Xiao Ling from continuing to demonstrate the pastry-making skills he had learned by stealing. Amidst the clatter of pots and pans, the pastries gradually began to emit a sweet aroma, which immediately whetted Xiao Yangyang's appetite.

"What's wrong? Still not enough?" Xiao Ling smiled at Yangyang, who was eagerly waiting for the pastries to come out of the oven. "You just ate the whole plate of pastries."

"Um... I'll just have one more piece, just one!"

Xiao Ling chuckled twice but didn't respond immediately. Seeing his reaction, Yangyang knew that she was probably out of luck with the freshly baked pastry.

"Here, try a piece and see if the taste is the same."

Yangyang, who had been feeling a bit down, looked up and saw Xiao Ling holding a freshly baked pastry in front of her. She cheered a little and then picked up the pastry and ate it in small bites.

"Hmm... it's a bit hot, but the taste is pretty much the same. It should be enough to fool people," Yangyang commented like a famous food critic.

"Then my mission is complete," Xiao Ling said with a smile, then prepared to leave.

Where are you going?

"Go out."

Before leaving, Xiao Ling seemed to remember something and turned back to give Yangyang a special reminder: "Don't eat it all this time, or no one will cover for you."

"Okay, okay! I'm not that greedy..."

After Xiao Ling pushed open the kitchen door and walked out, Yangyang looked at the plate of freshly baked pastries and felt a little tempted again.

"Hmm... I'll just have one more piece, just one more!"