VFGRC Chapter 64

Did his eyes deceive him? Or did he mishear? He was actually pitied by a little child!

But… he really wanted a bowl of sweet rice wine balls!

Who knew that when he keenly smelled the scent of alcohol in the shop, his mouth was practically watering.

After casting a complex look at Xing Xing, his gaze returned to Yue Qing.

Yue Qing and her dad locked eyes.

Her dad blinked, his eyes revealing an expectant, longing expression for the sweet rice wine balls.

Knowing her dad’s thoughts well in advance, Yue Qing smiled, “Alright then, I’ll buy you a bowl of sweet rice wine balls… I’ll get a bowl for myself too.”

Seeing other customers enjoy the sweet rice wine balls with relish and being a fan of them herself since she was young, Yue Qing couldn’t help but wonder just how delicious the sweet rice wine balls at this shop really were.

After speaking, Yue Qing looked around, searching for the payment counter.

“Sister, sister. You pay here, okay!”

That soft and sweet voice, like biting into a fluffy apple marshmallow, rang out.

Yue Qing lowered her head.

She saw Xing Xing struggling to raise his short arm, pointing to an open counter with a sign that read “Payment.”

Yue Qing’s eyebrows arched, and a gentle smile once again appeared on her face.

Her hand couldn’t help but ruffle the fluffy hair on Xing Xing’s head.

Xing Xing hadn’t had a haircut in a while, so his hair felt exceptionally smooth and thick to the touch, and it was particularly pleasant.

Xing Xing obediently stood still, allowing Yue Qing to pat his head.

After all, his sister was a guest of his dad! He reluctantly allowed a guest to pat his head.

Yue Qing only lightly ruffled his head a couple of times before withdrawing her hand and heading to the payment counter.

“Hello, I’d like two bowls of sweet rice wine balls…”

At the payment counter, a handsome young man with a gentle demeanor appeared.

The young man was dressed in a deep blue plush sweater, wearing a creamy white apron. His delicate features exuded a gentle and mild disposition.

His lips curved slightly upward.

“Two bowls of sweet rice wine balls? Sure, please make the payment over here.”

The young man’s voice was as soothing as his demeanor.

After Yue Qing completed the payment, Yu Bai stood up and walked over to the pot containing the freshly made sweet rice wine balls. He scooped two bowls and handed them to Yue Qing.

Meanwhile, another customer called out, “Boss, two servings of teppanyaki barbecue over here!”

Yu Bai replied, “Sure, I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

Yue Qing accepted the sweet rice wine balls. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, “Are you the owner of this shop?”

“That’s right.”

“Then… did you make all these snacks?”

“Most of them are made by me, but some steps involve my staff as well. Besides me, there’s another chef working at the live-cooking counter…”

The variety of snacks in this shop was so diverse, and they were all crafted by the young owner in front of her?!

It was truly impressive!

Yue Qing, who usually only knew how to eat and not how to cook, couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise in her eyes.

The owner was gentle in personality, handsome in appearance, and knew how to cook… He was practically the perfect partner in Yue Qing’s heart!

With a “sizzle,” Yu Bai’s slender hand skillfully flipped the ingredients on the iron plate.

Yue Qing blinked gently.

She wondered if this shop owner was married…

Before she could ask, that soft and sweet child’s voice once again echoed in her ear.

“Daddy! Can I have a small bowl of sweet rice wine balls? Just a small bowl, I’m hungry…”

Inside the display case.

“No, no,” Yu Bai said as he busied himself with the teppanyaki barbecue, “Don’t think I don’t know. Were you just eating snacks at that window over there? Having another bowl of sweet rice wine balls would exceed the limit!”

Xing Xing pouted.

Oh dear, Daddy actually caught on to the fact that the aunties secretly fed him snacks!

Oh well, it’s fine! Since Daddy won’t let him eat more, he just won’t eat!

Hearing the conversation between Yu Bai and his son, Yue Qing widened her eyes in surprise.

So that child was actually the shop owner’s son!

This shop owner already had a son!

While Yu Bai conversed with Xing Xing, his head was slightly lowered, but the gentle smile at the corners of his lips and in his eyes became even warmer.

This shop owner must really love his son, to the point that there was hardly any room for a third person to join in their relationship.

While Yu Bai and Xing Xing were still talking, Yue Qing approached her father with two bowls of sweet rice wine balls.

When her father saw Yue Qing coming over, his expression was full of anticipation.

However, when he noticed that Yue Qing seemed somewhat disoriented, he couldn’t help but ask with concern, “What’s wrong? Darling, did something unhappy happen to you?”

Yue Qing shook her head. “Nothing, there’s nothing unhappy.”

She was just regretting that a budding feeling within her had been swiftly extinguished in its cradle.

“Dad, let’s have some sweet rice wine balls.”

As Yue Qing spoke, she placed the two bowls of sweet rice wine balls in front of herself and her father.

Her father blinked and stretched his neck to look far away at Mother Yue, who was still standing by the display case, chatting with the aunties.

Then, her father retracted his head. “We’d better eat these sweet rice wine balls quickly. Otherwise, when your mom comes back and finds out, both of us might be in trouble…”

Mother Yue, who strictly controlled her father’s diet, definitely wouldn’t want him to eat sweet rice wine balls. Even though the alcohol content in them was minimal, they still had a faint hint of wine flavor.

If her father ate them, her mother would surely be unhappy, and that unhappiness might extend to Yue Qing, who bought the sweet rice wine balls for him.

As he spoke, her father immediately took out a small spoon and scooped a spoonful of sweet rice wine balls.

Now it was March, the season when peach blossoms were in full bloom.

Yu Bai’s approach to making snacks was far from rigid; he disliked adhering strictly to conventional methods. Instead, he enjoyed infusing his own creative ideas into traditional dishes.

Thus, in the sweet rice wine balls he made, Yu Bai added a bit of peach blossom jam that he had made himself.

The originally transparent broth in the sweet rice wine balls now had a faint pink hue, with a few beautiful peach blossoms floating on the surface.

This “rosy” sweet rice wine ball won Yue Qing’s favor.

Just as Yue Qing was enthusiastically taking photos of the “peach blossom” sweet rice wine balls with her phone, her father couldn’t wait any longer. Using a small spoon, he scooped up a spoonful of sweet rice wine balls and brought it to his lips.

Her father took a light sniff of the aroma.

The fragrance of the wine mingled with the sweet scent of glutinous rice, lingering at the tip of his nose. Upon closer inhaling, he even caught a trace of elusive peach blossom fragrance.

Unable to contain himself, her father exclaimed, “It smells amazing.”

Then, he ate the spoonful of sweet rice wine balls in one bite.

The wine had a slight bitterness, but it was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the glutinous rice and the fragrance of peach blossoms. However, the stimulating sensation from the alcohol still lingered.

The glutinous rice balls were chewy and smooth, and when bitten into, each one held a world of flavors within.

Differing from the usual solid glutinous rice balls, Yu Bai had also incorporated peach blossom jam into the sweet rice wine balls.

As her father bit into the glutinous rice ball, the sweet peach blossom jam enclosed within the glutinous rice skin burst forth instantly, and the fragrance of peach blossoms enveloped his lips and teeth.

Her father’s eyes widened even more.

Because within the peach blossom jam, he could also detect a faint hint of wine fragrance.

When Yu Bai made the peach blossom jam, he had allowed it to ferment slightly, enhancing its flavor. This not only elevated the taste of the peach blossom jam but also harmonized better with the theme of “sweet rice wine.”

Having tasted the combination of wine-infused broth and subtly fermented peach blossom jam, Yue Qing’s father, who hadn’t savored any alcoholic flavor in a long time, was nearly moved to tears.

Sob, sob, sob! This bowl of sweet rice wine balls was simply too delicious! Absolutely delectable!

This bowl of sweet rice wine balls was the perfect substitute for alcohol!

He needed to quickly recommend these sweet rice wine balls from this shop to his fellow drinking buddies!

As Yue Qing looked up after finishing her photos of the sweet rice wine balls, she was almost startled.

Because sitting across from her, her father suddenly shed tears while eating a bowl of sweet rice wine balls.

Only then did her father realize that he had embarrassed himself in front of his daughter, and his face turned slightly red.

He vigorously wiped away the tears that welled up at the corners of his eyes.

Sniffling, he said, “These sweet rice wine balls are a bit hot. Look, they made me tear up.”

Yue Qing: I don’t believe it!

Yue Qing didn’t expose her father and simply responded with a couple of casual words.

Meanwhile, a suspicion arose in Yue Qing’s heart.

Could these sweet rice wine balls be so delicious? Could they really make her father tear up while eating?

Yue Qing also took a bite of the sweet rice wine ball.

“Oh f*ck.”

As Yue Qing swallowed the sweet rice wine ball, she couldn’t help but utter a swear word.

Oh my goodness! Could these incredibly delicious sweet rice wine balls really exist?

And she had actually tasted the flavor of peach blossoms from the sweet rice wine balls!

Countless snacks boasted the title of being made with flowers, but whether it was the flower cakes she had eaten before or the cherry blossom mochi from a neighboring island nation, Yue Qing hadn’t distinctly tasted a floral fragrance.

She had assumed that this shop’s peach blossom sweet rice wine balls were merely a gimmick for appearance’s sake.

Who could have imagined that these peach blossom sweet rice wine balls not only had a noticeable peach blossom flavor but were also incredibly delicious!

At this moment, while Yue Qing was eating the contents of her bowl and gazing at the familiar street scene outside the window, her mind became lost in thought.

Wasn’t this Sanjiaokou snack alley near her university campus?

When had a snack shop emerged here at Sanjiaokou that made such incredibly delicious snacks!

Just as Yue Qing and her father were about to finish the sweet rice wine balls in their bowls, there was a sudden sound as Yue Qing’s mother placed the snacks she was carrying on the table between Yue Qing and her father.

“I went to great lengths to get these snacks. I finally managed to buy them all. I’ve heard that these snacks are especially delicious…”

As Yue Qing’s mother spoke, she smiled and took a seat in the chair next to her father.

Suddenly, her mother’s expression changed.

“Wait a minute. What are you two eating now?”

Her mother’s sharp eyes narrowed, scanning Yue Qing and her father like searchlights.

After cooking meals at home for decades, Yue Qing’s mother had a keen sense of smell. She had detected an unusual fragrance in the air.

Yue Qing’s father, sitting beside her, immediately straightened up.

Raising an eyebrow, Yue Qing’s mother asked, “Alcohol?”