Both of them walked into the restaurant. As they had made reservations beforehand, the waiter proceeded to lead them to their table after they gave their names.
“Their dessert is quite nice.” The dessert chef working in this restaurant came from Country F. Their desserts were rather famous. Many people came here just for them.
Lin Xinyan’s brows knitted into a frown. “Are we going to start eating even though they haven’t arrived?”
“You should have something to eat first,” Zong Jinghao insisted.
He arranged for the meeting here as he knew that she had developed a sweet tooth after she became pregnant. What more, she hardly ever left the house. Thus, he wanted her to try the desserts.
Lin Xinyan didn’t object. She thought that the place seemed rather classy and relatively peaceful. The other customers were also very well manner.
All the waiters working in this restaurant were guys. They each donned a black vest over their white shirt with a black tie on their collar. One of them walked to the front of their table and handed them a menu.
Opening up the menu, Zong Jinghao asked, “Is there anything in particular that you would really like to have?”
Lin Xinyan shook her head. “You decide.”
As she didn’t have morning sickness today, there wasn’t anything in particular that she really wanted to eat.
Zong Jinghao then proceeded to order two sets of desserts and a glass of goat’s milk.
Closing the menu, he handed it over to the waiter and concluded, “That’ll be all.”
“We’ll be serving your food shortly,” the waiter replied as he bowed slightly and left.
Feeling bored while they were waiting for their food, Lin Xinyan began fiddling with the freshly cut rose decorating the table.
Zong Jinghao, on the other hand, watched on silently. He felt that at that moment, she behaved exactly like a child. She was a little childish, but she also seemed quite cute.
Caressing her hair, he said, “Watch out for the thorns.”
The rose was renowned for its beauty. Yet, it had thorns pricking those who touched it.
Thus, people who sought for roses always ended up hurt.
Lin Xinyan retracted her hand. Qin Ya’s just like this rose right now. Her thorns, however, can only hurt Su Zhan alone.
Soon, the waiter served the desserts they had ordered.
There were two dishes in total. The first dish was lemon tarts. Country F’s desserts were mainly in the form of puff pastries, with lemon tarts being the most classic dessert. The authentic way to make this dish was to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, butter, sugar, eggs and other ingredients to make the custard. The next step was to scatter some lemon peel over the dish to make it more fragrant. Finally. the lemon-shaped mixture of strawberries and crisp candy was used to adorn the dish.
The sweetness from the combination of lemon and butter was just right. The lemon fragrance, fluffy texture, superb presentation and amazing taste of this dish made it one of the most popular desserts.
The second dish was another dessert that originated from Country F — the mille-feuille. The dough used for the crust had to be folded six times in order for the crust to become crispy after baking. Every layer had to be brushed with wine and every alternate layer stuffed with vanilla seeds coated in custard sauce. Finally, some icing sugar and nuts were sprinkled on the top layer. And coupled with a glass of lamb’s milk, one would have him- or herself a delicious yet nutritious dessert.
“They look good,” Lin Xinyan commented as she picked up a spoon. Perhaps it was because she was pregnant, she had become something of a glutton.
Especially after seeing such sumptuous desserts. She proceeded to take a small piece of lemon tart and place it in her mouth. The lemon tart was soft and fluffy. There was a rich taste of lemon and just the right tinge of sour within all that sweetness. On the other hand, it wasn’t so sweet to the point where it was cloyingly sweet. All in all, it was a very tasty dessert.
The mille-feuille was very delicious as well.
Perhaps because it was the afternoon and she was hungry. That was probably why she devoured her dessert rather quickly.
“Hey, slow down. No one’s going to take your food,” Zong Jinghao chided gently as he fished out a piece of tissue to wipe the butter on the corners of her mouth.
Lin Xinyan picked up a piece using her fork and put it by his mouth. “Try some.”
“I don’t like sweet stuff.” Zong Jinghao kept his mouth closed.
Refusing to give up, she wheedled, “Just one bite.”
As she spoke, she moved the piece closer to his mouth and even smeared some butter on his lips. Zong Jinghao had no choice but to open his mouth and eat the dessert.
“Remember to pack some for the kids before we leave,” Zong Jinghao reminded her after swallowing that mouthful of dessert.
Lin Xinyan nodded. The portions weren’t that big and were just about enough for one person. After devouring both portions, Lin Xinyan picked up the glass of ‘milk’. But after the first sip. she immediately detected something unusual with the milk. This doesn’t taste like the milk I usually drink.
Frowning, she asked, “What’s this?”
“Goat’s milk.”
Goat’s milk provided pregnant women with more nutrients as compared to cow’s milk. The amount of fat in goat’s milk was about a third of cow’s milk and more easily absorbed by humans. Furthermore, the prolonged consumption of goat’s milk wouldn’t result in people getting fat. The vitamin and micronutrient content of goat’s milk was much higher. This could help prevent the oxidation and breakdown of cells and aliphatic acids in pregnant women. This could also slow down the effects of aging on the skin and improve one’s complexion.
Lin Xinyan put down the glass.
Zong Jinghao picked up the glass of milk and insisted, “Drink it.”
Lin Xinyan, however, refused to take the milk and just stared at him silently.
Exasperated, Zong Jinghao threatened, “This milk has a lot of nutrients. Why don’t we start drinking this milk at home as well?”
“No, I don’t want that!” Lin Xinyan promptly objected.
“What do you not want? Is Jinghao bullying you?”
The first thing Su Zhan heard after he entered the restaurant was Zong Jinghao’s voice. He looked at the glass in Zong Jinghao’s hand and then at Lin Xinyan. “What are the two of you doing?”
Lin Xinyan took the cup in Zong Jinghao’s hands. She didn’t want to embarrass him in the presence of others.
“Did Qin Ya not come along with you?” After taking a look around and seeing that there was no one else, Su Zhan pulled out a chair and sat down.
Lin Xinyan didn’t like the taste of goat’s milk. But when Su Zhan asked this question, she instinctively placed the cup against her lips. It was as though she was trying to conceal the fact that she didn’t know how to answer his question.
After taking a sip, however, her brows immediately furrowed.
“Was Qin Ya unwilling to come along with you?” Su Zhan asked as he desperately tried to quell the disappointment within him.
“She’ll be here in a while,” Lin Xinyan replied as she put down the glass.
Upon hearing this, Su Zhan was immediately all smiles. “Xinyan, you’ve got to help me. I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve tried everything.”
“Her heart has become stone cold. No matter how much I try, she just won’t warm up to me.”
“Su Zhan…” Lin Xinyan’s voice trailed off. But even after a moment, she just couldn’t find the right thing to say.
Su Zhan’s heart leaped into his throat upon seeing the hesitant expression on Lin Xinyan’s face. “What do you want to say, Xinyan? Does Qin Ya no longer have feelings for me?”
