Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 30: How Could My Loli Be So Cute?
Zhu Ping’an admired the cunning little girl’s name in his heart, but he kept the thought to himself. She was already tsundere enough; praising her to her face would only make her even more conceited.
Li Shu saw that even after telling Zhu Ping’an her name, he simply kept walking toward the river with the cow without reacting. She puffed up in frustration as she stared at his back.
Zhu Ping’an led the cow to the riverbank, tying it to a tree like last time, allowing the cow to drink and graze freely.
“Hey, little poor…” Behind him, Li Shu started to call Zhu Ping’an “little poor thing,” but halfway through she remembered their agreement and changed her words. “Zhu Ping’an, turn around.”
“What is it?” Zhu Ping’an turned around and asked.
Li Shu proudly pulled a small box from behind her and opened it in front of Zhu Ping’an. A wave of delicious aromas immediately made his mouth water. There were butter-almond pastries, meat pies, and another rolled pastry with a savory aroma that Zhu Ping’an had never seen before—probably some specialty of the era. Three different kinds of pastry filled the box, their fragrances striking him all at once and making it almost impossible to look away.
Seeing Zhu Ping’an’s drooling expression, Li Shu was extremely satisfied.
“Daddy is so annoying. He knows I’m full, yet he still insists on stuffing me with these things…” Li Shu pouted, sounding helplessly annoyed with her father.
I knew this cunning, tsundere little girl wouldn’t be so cute!
Zhu Ping’an exerted immense self-control to avoid swallowing too loudly. Seriously, how could these pastries smell so good? He hadn’t even had a chance to try any in ancient times. This little girl was really being too much, directly poking at his soft spot.
“Ah, anyway, no one else is going to eat them, so could you help me throw them into the river?” Li Shu blinked her big eyes and held the box out to Zhu Ping’an.
She handed it over so easily?
It could not be that simple; there had to be a trick. After yesterday, he could easily imagine this little fox smiling with narrowed eyes after spiking the pastries with laxatives or some other nasty substance.
Experience teaches wisdom.
“You throw it yourself,” Zhu Ping’an said, forcing himself to resist the urge to take the box and swallow the pastries. He turned around and said lightly.
“Haha, you coward!” Li Shu could not hold back any longer and let out a delicate, triumphant laugh. “Don’t be scared; I didn’t put anything in these pastries! They’re specially for you.”
No additives.
Upon hearing these four words, Zhu Ping’an excitedly turned around, ready to reach out, but he immediately stopped again.
How could this cunning little girl be so kind? Just a moment ago, she had gotten three chubby kids to come and beat him up. Why would she have prepared pastries just for him in advance?
“What’s wrong? Don’t you believe me?” Li Shu raised an eyebrow, reached out with her chubby little hand, picked up a pastry, took a bite, and put it back.
She actually ate it.
Zhu Ping’an suspiciously watched the cunning little girl as she chewed on that small bite of pastry and swallowed it.
“I only wanted them to scare you so you wouldn’t dare call me ugly again, and then I was going to give you the pastries. Who knew Zhuangzhuang and the others would be so useless?” Li Shu looked disappointed in the three chubby boys, then turned her big eyes toward Zhu Ping’an with an expression full of sincerity. “Since you just promised not to call me ugly anymore, it’s fine now. These pastries were meant for you. My mother said that when you have something good, you should share it with others instead of bullying them.”
Li Shu rambled on, but it all came down to one thing: the pastries really were meant for him.
Well, fine. Given how sincere she was, he would trust her once more.
Zhu Ping’an was moved by the little girl’s earnest gaze and stepped forward to take the box of pastries.
Li Shu watched Zhu Ping’an with eager anticipation.
Why is she looking at me like that?
What the heck? Why can’t I move my hand? What is going on? Did someone put glue on this box? Who can tell me how they have such strong glue in ancient times? Why can’t I take my hand off it? I knew it; my little girl couldn’t possibly be that cute.
“Hahaha…” Li Shu doubled over laughing, looking as though she had finally taken her revenge. “Little pauper! Little pauper! That’ll teach you to be so smug! Hahaha…”
Her true colors had finally shown! A moment ago she had pretended to be a harmless little white rabbit; now that her scheme had succeeded, she had turned right back into that cunning, headstrong little fox.
Li Shu laughed heartily, lifted her skirt with her chubby hands, and ran away on her short legs, apparently afraid Zhu Ping’an might chase after her in anger. After putting some distance between them, she confidently stuck out her tongue at him and headed home in triumph.
The pastries were fine, but the box had issues.
This pesky girl had gone to all this trouble—both the box and the pastries—just to prank him. Was it really worth it?
Truly, this is the kind of indulgence that comes from being wealthy!
The box looked quite high-end, and the pastries were delicious. A few more times wouldn’t be too bad, Zhu Ping’an reassured himself.
He gently tipped the pastries from the box onto a clean stone, then sat on another stone and submerged both his hand and the box in the river.
No matter how strong ancient glue was, it could not compare with modern 502 glue. If even 502 could be loosened after soaking, the same ought to work here. Sure enough, after a few minutes in the water, his hand came free of the box without leaving a trace. The box itself was finely made and quite attractive; it could be kept as a stationery box for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Not bad at all.
After washing his hands, he picked up the pastries from the stone one by one and popped them into his mouth, closing his eyes to savor them slowly. These pastries were so delicious they made him want to swallow his tongue—crispy skin with soft filling, either fragrant or sweet, exquisitely made. Just a slight chew was enough to let them melt in his mouth. It felt like a happiness that brought tears to his eyes.
“Eating three hundred lychees a day, not minding becoming a resident of Lingnan. Su Gong doesn’t deceive me.”
Lying on the stone, savoring the lingering taste of the pastries and watching the old cow swishing its tail as it grazed and drank, Zhu Ping’an felt that life in the ancient Ming Dynasty was becoming increasingly interesting.
After estimating the time, Zhu Ping’an decided it should be about right. He rose from the stone, picked up the basket he had brought from home, chose a shallow stretch of water where fish were swimming, and set the basket in the river.
He pulled a small piece of biscuit from his waist, broke it into crumbs, and placed them in the basket. An easy fishing trap was set up, and when he returned home later, the basket would be filled with that day’s catch.
This basket wasn’t just any basket; it was specially made by his father for fishing.
After setting the trap, Zhu Ping’an led the old yellow cow back up the slope. Li Shu had delayed him for quite a while, so Old Scholar Sun should have started the afternoon lesson by now.