The Stars In Your Eyes - Chapter 139

“TangTang, how’s the duck? Does it not suit your taste?”

Bai Yutang shook his head, “No auntie. This is the best osmanthus duck I ever taste. Very delicious. I will try to make it next time.”

“Then eat more. You’re so skinny. Here, finish this one.”

Bai Yutang now knows where his lover’s habit of putting food in his plate comes from. It was definitely from his lover’s mother. Bai Yutang could only smile stiffly and tried to eat the duck slower. He really felt full, but he could not reject each small plate that kept coming to his direction.

Previously he already ate cucumber salad given by Jian Kang Lu’s sister in law, which is a light and refreshing appetizer. The crisp cucumber is mixed with plenty of garlic, drizzled with an appetizing blend of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, then finished with a few drops of sesame oil. The sauce is light, yet it has a distinct sour flavour with a hint of sweetness, enhanced by the strong aroma of garlic.

Then he was given a plate of delicious fresh spring rolls by Wu Yajun, which are a light and healthy dish. The recipe said comes from Auntie Zhou’s family, including shrimp and ground meat. It comes with two sauces, a nutty sesame sauce and a sour spicy sauce.

Next Auntie Zhou gave him a small plate of steamed hairy crab. Bai Yutang knew hairy crab is expensive, prized for its subtle sweet taste, and for its cooling effect on the body. The crabs are steamed on top of a perilla leaf and along with ginger which are both warming foods to help neutralize the cooling nature of the crab.

Then his lover’s mother gave him not only one plate of this osmanthus duck, but two. The duck is braised using a moist-heat cooking technique to make the meat succulent and leave the skin taut, then pickled for a few hours and hung out to dry, before being simmered in a broth of ginger, onion and star anise. The result is a plain-looking dish packed with flavor. The dish goes by the name Osmanthus Duck due to the availability of sweet osmanthus, which is often added to the cooking broth.

All of it was very delicious, but this is too much. Not mentioning his lover’s sister in law already pointing out why Bai Yutang hasn’t tried the lotus root she cooked, and also the chicken wing fried until shown its crispy golden colour. Bai Yutang felt he fell in love with his lover again when Jian Kang Lu secretly took some of the duck meat from his plate and helped him to finish it.

From the lively conversation in the dining room, Bai Yutang now understood why all the women in this room have a menacing aura.

Auntie Zhou and her husband manage not only one company, but three. One of them was the cleaning company hired by big offices and companies in big cities. Their company branches spread in more than 20 big cities all over the country. That company was managed by Wu Yajun in the past five years, and expanded fast under her hands.

Bai Yutang knew that his lover’s sister in law was working in the human resources department at one of the biggest banks in their country. But what his lover didn’t mention is this small delicate lady was the HR manager in the head office. She was managing more than one thousand workers under her care.

Bai Yutang felt so small when he answered his lover’s brother’s question about his final project. His project seems so insignificant compared to the financial market and economic talking in this table.

“Too bad you’re still studying. But you’ll graduate soon, right? After you graduate you could help me redecorate my office.”

Somehow when Bai Yutang heard auntie Zhou’s voice, it was like a command he could not reject. So he just nodded his head and tried to make his voice sound cheerful when he agreed to her request.

“You will do well in your project. You must be smart to be accepted into T university, so I believe you’ll excel your project.”

Bai Yutang didn’t hear his lover’s father talk too much. But once he talks, Bai Yutang understands where his lover’s gentle tone comes from. He almost choked when he said thank you to those kind words.

“He’s not only smart, uncle. But cute too. It’s been so long I haven’t seen a cute young man like him.” Wu Yajun’s playful tone tickled Bai Yutang’s ear and it made him lose his words. Bai Yutang was uncomfortable to hear those cute words, he was a man. How come a woman told him that he was cute. And why on earth his future mother in law agreed with that?

“Yes, it’s been too long since I last saw a cute young man like TangTang. My own son stopped being cute 20 years ago. Ah..”

Bai Yutang didn’t know how all the people in this room were now calling him TangTang. It was like a silent agreement between them. He felt when they called him that way, it was like showing that he was still a young immature man.

“You’re still lucky. My ungrateful son has never been cute since i gave birth to him.” Auntie Zhou waving his chopstick like she regrets she ever gave birth to his son.

Jian Kang Lu chuckled to hear that. “True, even my beloved cold Ah Se still counts as a cute boy compared to your Yaxing, auntie.”

“I’m the cutest here! My mom told me i’m the cutest in the world.”

All of the adults in the table laugh to hear Jian Ming shouting. Jian Kang Lu teases him, “Does your girlfriend say that to you too? If your girlfriend didn’t say that you’re cute, then you’re not. Don’t believe your mother, Ah Ming.”

Bai Yutang felt he almost died from eating too much after lunch. They all moved to the garden on the back yard and enjoyed the mooncakes while looking at the lantern hung in the garden.

Bai Yutang had to admit even though he almost died from excessive eating, this mooncakes was on a whole different level from what he tasted before. The traditional mooncakes he tastes are made with less sugar and hence are a healthier alternative. Flavours include baked pure white lotus paste with double yolk, baked white lotus paste with assorted nuts and more.

He also likes the traditional yam pastry mooncake. Freshly prepared in the kitchen upon order, the silky and mildly sweet yam paste harmonises beautifully with the luscious salted egg yolk and pine nuts, resulting in a satisfying texture and well-rounded flavour.

And then Auntie Zhou gave him the mooncake she bought from Paradise bake and pastry shop. The handcrafted fruity liqueur snow skin mooncakes is filled with silky smooth white lotus seed paste and a crunchy chocolate truffle core infused with different liqueurs. Encasing the soft centre is a thin layer of crunchy chocolate shell made using premium, natural chocolate from Valrhona.

“Do you like it, TangTang? We can order some and you can share it with your friends later.” Jian Kang Lu whispered to him. Bai Yutang nod, it seems great if he could share the delicacies of B city famous mooncake with his friends.

Bai Yutang felt the combination of a full stomach and the breezing autumn wind softly brush his face was deadly. He tried his best to stay alert and answered each question from his lover’s family. He felt ashamed to realise his sleepy state was similar to Jian Ming right now.

Bai Yutang could feel his face heated when Jian Kang Se nudged his lover and told him to get Bai Yutang some rest.

“Gege, I think your friend could get some rest inside. He must be tired, pestered by mother and auntie in the kitchen before.”

Bai Yutang wanted to grab his lover’s arm and told him not to dare bring him to sleep inside even though his eyes were very heavy right now.

“TangTang, let me show you my room and our library. You said that you want to see our book collection before.” Jian Kang Lu can see that his kitten was very sleepy right now. His kitten’s handsome face looked docile and serene, a sign he will fall asleep any moment. He tried his best to make some excuses.

“No, gege. Let me just stay here.” Bai Yutang wanted to bury himself when he heard Wu Yajun chuckled from his back. Since when she was sitting on his back? Bai Yutang can smell the rose scent from her body when she leans to whisper in Bai Yutang’s ear.

“Ah, our cute little boy looked even cuter when he was sleepy. It makes me want to pinch your cheek.”

“Yajun, I can see you still have your nasty habit.” Jian Kang Lu nudged her shoulder to get her away from his kitten.

“Auntie Zhou, why don’t you get her married soon? She will devour every cute man in your company at this rate and never get married.” Jian Kang Lu sipped his tea while bringing Bai Yutang closer to him.

“Jian Ge, please. Look at yourself. Expired old uncle. I’m still cute as ever. No one could guess i was over 30 years old.”

“That’s the magic of plastic surgery for you.”

“Ah yes, that’s why we girls need to make money as much as possible. To spend it on our doctors.”

Auntie Zhou only waved her hands, “No need to pester my daughter to get married, Ah Lu. Why don’t you set the example first for her?”

Wu Yajun gave the devilish smile Bai Yutang hates when she answered, “Or i can just marry you, Jian Ge. We are such a perfect couple. Expired old uncle and the plastic fairy.”

“Oh please. I still want to live a happy long life. Marrying you is the same like signing a slavery contract.”

Bai Yutang didn’t like this conversation. He lost all his sleepiness, and he wanted to hide his lover from this mischievous pretty devil.

“Then how if i just marry you, TangTang. I envy your skin, it’s so smooth and soft. I’ll treat you well.” Bai Yutang almost jumped when he felt that long perfect manicured pink nails caressing his cheek while Wu Yajun brought her body closer to him again. The smile on Wu Yajun’s face now even looks like a smile of a cruel devil queen who wants to torture her slave.

“Don’t tease TangTang. You’ll corrupt him like you corrupt my sweet sister in law.” Bai Yutang now almost had a heart attack when he felt his shoulder grabbed hard by his lover, snatching him away from this devil queen.

Bai Yutang didn’t know what to say. He could hear his lover’s brother and sister on law laughing from his side. He doesn’t know what that laughter means.

“Ah Jian Ge, why have you never brought TangTang before? You secretly kept him for yourself for two years. Sneaky old uncle.” Wu Yajun smiling and bashing her long eyelashes perfectly framed her delicate peach blossom eyes.

“Agreed. You should bring him on our next family lunch, Jian Ge. TangTang already promised to cook us his lemon chicken. Right, TangTang?”

Bai Yutang could only nod his head when Jian Kang Lu’s sister in law asked him with that wide grin plastered all over her face. He didn’t reject his lover’s offer again when Jian Kang Lu told him that he wanted to show his room to Bai Yutang. He just wants to run away from this beautiful garden that turns into living hell.

Bai Yutang felt sleepy again once he laid on the big bed. This room felt like his lover’s, but also unfamiliar at the same time. It was like looking at the imitation of his lover’s image. A place that sculpted Jian Kang Lu, but no longer depicts him.

“Gege, you seem very close with Wu Jie.” Bai Yutang doesn’t want to be jealous, but he can’t help it.

His lover just chuckled to hear him. “Yes we’re very close. Want to see her when she was young?”

Bai Yutang lay in bed when his lover showed him his photo album. The photos show Bai Yutang the newborn baby of Jian Kang Lu until he graduates. His lover was already handsome from when he was coming to this world until now. But he almost choked when he saw the young Wu Yajun.

“Is this really her?” In that photo, the beautiful cute little girl was wearing a swordsman costume with her front teeth missing, smiling widely.

Jian Kang Lu laughed, “Yes. She also once broke her arms here when we played the heroes and thief. She fell when she jumped from the sofa. Me and Ah Se grounded for one week, for not taking care of her well. Her brother got it worse, he was grounded for one month.”

Bai Yutang looked at his lover’s eyes, which were staring at him. Giving him that familiar gentle expression. Those eyes speak for his lover’s affection and he felt grateful for it.

“So, no need to be jealous of me and her. She was like a devilish little sister for me. And you know that I’m already taken. My boyfriend was so handsome and smart, no one could compare to him in this world.”

Bai Yutang closed his eyes when he felt the soft lips of his lover touch his forehead softly.

“TangTang, you are my world.”