Chapter 161: Selling Cups, Free Milk Tea
Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Selling Cups, Free Milk Tea
"Here, Little Master. Have some milk tea."
Lu Wu held the cup with both hands and offered it to the little monk, her apology looking very sincere.
"You didn’t drug this, did you?"
The little monk was still paranoid, his gaze toward Lu Wu full of distrust.
"Drug it? Now that’s a good idea. I’ll have to try that next time."
Lu Wu responded enthusiastically as if inspired. The little monk quickly took a sip of the milk tea to calm his nerves.
Compared to fruit tea, the pure milk tea had a richer texture, yet it wasn’t cloying.
His tongue had barely touched it, but the little monk already felt that the tea he usually drank had become utterly flavorless.
The mellow aroma of tea rolled down his throat, so silky smooth that the little monk didn’t even have time to adjust to the milk tea’s mouthfeel.
He looked down at the milk tea, as if he couldn’t believe it could taste so wonderful.
Lowering his head, the little monk bit down on the straw and took a big slurp. The pearls, glistening with syrup, leaped into his mouth.
The black pearls gently tapped against his teeth, soft yet springy. The moment he bit into one, a sweet, slightly bitter caramel flavor emerged, only to be quickly enveloped by a perfectly balanced sweetness.
DRIP!
That was the sound of a bead of condensation from the cup’s wall hitting the stone-paved road.
The water droplet was crystal clear, a perfect embellishment.
Perhaps it was an illusion.
After a few sips, the refreshing milk tea slowly flowed through him. The milky aroma melted between his lips and teeth, and the coolness it brought greatly eased the restlessness in the little monk’s heart.
Previously, he had been insistent that there was something wrong with Lu Wu, but looking at her now, he felt the young woman before him was very kind.
"It’s so sweet."
This was a compliment to its "sweetness."
A faint blush appeared on the little monk’s face. He stole a glance at Lu Wu, who was cleaning her stall, and tugged at his cassock, his voice muffled.
"Big Sis, I’m sorry. I was wrong about you."
He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He had been feeling irritable for the past few days and couldn’t even focus on his cultivation.
That was why his senior brothers had suspended his training and let him do some trivial tasks to pass the time.
He knew the next half-month was a special time for the Heavenly Buddha Temple. He was afraid someone might take the opportunity to cause trouble, but in his worry, he’d forgotten to cultivate his own mind, getting hung up on details and misunderstanding her.
’How could someone who makes such a delicious drink be a bad person?’
Evidently, this was another customer conquered by Boss Lu’s delicious creations. Hearing the little monk’s apology, Lu Wu waved her hand dismissively.
"It’s fine, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have scared you."
"So, what do you think? It’s good, right?"
Lu Wu asked with a grin. Her milk tea had its soft opening with Uncle Li yesterday and had received high praise.
In the end, Uncle Li had refused to let her leave, insisting she make several of each type of milk tea on her menu for him to enjoy later.
"It’s delicious! Super delicious! It tastes as good as it sounds!"
Right now, the little monk really wanted to let out a "meep."
There was still half a cup of milk tea left, and the little monk couldn’t bear to drink it all.
"Big Sis, can I... can I return the cup to you later?"
He wanted to save the milk tea.
"No need to return it. I sell the cups and the milk tea is free."
The System’s pricing was expensive, but Lu Wu didn’t rip off her customers. The cup alone was not only stylish but also very practical. Taking it home to drink water from would look quite classy.
"Ah! Then, Big Sis, can I buy another cup?"
The little monk had taken Lu Wu’s joke seriously.
His innocent expression was incredibly endearing to Lu Wu.
’Kids are so much fun.’
"Of course."
"Which one do you want to try next? Big Sis will make it for you."
As he was her second young customer, Lu Wu wanted nothing more than to roll up her sleeves and show the little monk what true skill looked like.
"I want to try this Taro Boba Milk Tea."
He knew what taro was, and he knew that mashed taro was called taro paste.
’But could something like that really be combined with milk tea?’
Facing the little monk’s big, curious eyes, Lu Wu nodded and began to work.
The method for making milk tea was more or less the same. The base was still black tea, and the brown sugar pearls also had their part to play. But as the newcomer, the taro paste was the star of this particular cup.
The taro paste needed to be dense and smooth.
The steaming time couldn’t be too long. When mashing it, she also had to add some cream and butter in batches to make the taro paste’s texture silkier and reduce any graininess.
All of this took time, so Lu Wu had already prepared the ingredients in advance.
She lifted the lid, revealing a large spread of light purple taro paste in the container, looking just as gorgeous.
The sunlight from above sprinkled onto the stall, coating the taro paste in a soft glow.
"This is for eating?"
The little monk asked in astonishment, staring at the taro paste that looked like a work of art.
"Of course."
Lu Wu smiled and scooped up the taro paste. After being refrigerated, it was even thicker. The spoon left numerous folds on its surface. She spread the taro paste to cover the bottom of the cup, and as if that wasn’t enough, she smeared a layer on the cup’s inner wall as well.
The taro paste held its shape well, emitting the sweet fragrance of a root vegetable.
The next steps were largely the same.
Lu Wu placed the various ingredients into the cup, the ice cubes clinking softly.
On the very top, Lu Wu sprinkled a layer of pretty taro powder as a garnish.
"Please, enjoy."
Lu Wu passed the cup over with one hand, her other hand held behind her back.
The little monk was flustered by Lu Wu’s rather ceremonial posture. His long eyelashes swept down over his eyes. He carefully set down the half-finished milk tea from before, then picked up the new one.
After his previous experience, the little monk was full of anticipation.
He took a small sip and tilted his head. ’It tastes about the same as the last one.’
"Stir it a little. When you drink, remember to suck up the taro paste too."
Lu Wu imparted her knowledge on how to properly drink taro boba from the side. While the little monk was distracted, she stealthily reached out and patted his head.
’This texture...’
’So smooth, like a little peeled egg.’
The little monk, fully aware of Lu Wu’s actions, puffed up his cheeks, which were full of milk tea. He didn’t resist. Instead, he tilted his head slightly toward Lu Wu, as if signaling that she could keep going.
’Anyway, his senior brother also likes to pat his head, saying it’s a stress reliever.’
’Big Sis bought me milk tea, so it’s okay to let her pat my head a bit.’
"Whoa!"
Lu Wu didn’t hold back and went in with both hands.
The little monk had entered the Buddhist Sect at a young age and even had ordination scars on his head.
His little head, with a faint shadow of stubble, had a nice shape—so round you couldn’t help but want to keep touching it.
Lu Wu was lost in the bliss of head-patting.
With her back to the mountain path, she didn’t notice that an Ascetic had already reached the summit.
The path was familiar to the Ascetic. He walked step by steady step, and after an arduous climb, he arrived at the peak.
As the cool mountain breeze brushed against his cheeks, he expected to be greeted by the resonant sound of Buddhist chants.
But to his surprise, the first thing he saw was a woman clutching a little monk, refusing to let go, and continuously taking liberties with him.
’Can’t she see the little monk has his head down and his shoulders hunched, sobbing helplessly?’
The little monk, head down and slurping his milk tea: ’Ah, this milk tea is so good.’
Meep!