IRDFPFCIW Chapter 46

Jiang Tang walked in cheerfully, followed by his little followers George and Peppa. George was holding a…

As Qin Fei approached, the smile that instinctively appeared on his face froze. Catching a whiff of a familiar odor, his voice began to tremble. “Brother… why did you bring that thing back again… ugh…”

Jiang Tang turned to see the large durian that George was holding high. He couldn’t help but smile awkwardly. “This… I suddenly wanted to eat it, hehe…”

This all stemmed from when Jiang Tang had discovered durians in the wild and happily brought them home. As a result, when he opened the durian, these interstellar people seemed to treat it like a biochemical weapon and wanted to stay at least eight hundred meters away. No matter how much he encouraged them, they refused to give it a try.

Sure enough, for those who disliked durians, the smell could be suffocating. But Jiang Tang belonged to the group that loved durians passionately.

Perhaps this is what they mean by “one person’s honey is another’s poison”.

Since they didn’t like the smell, Jiang Tang never ate durian at home again. This time, he couldn’t resist the temptation and wanted to sneakily eat one by himself early in the morning. He didn’t expect to run into Qin Fei who was also up early.

Jiang Tang scratched his head. “This time, I’ll make durian pastries. The smell won’t be as strong.”

“… Durian pastries?” For some reason, that name sounded like dark cuisine! For the first time, Qin Fei had lost all expectations for his brother’s cooking.

“Xiao Fei, come and try it later! Durian pastries are really delicious. Trust me, brother, you might even grow to love the taste!” Jiang Tang refused to give up on promoting durians.

Qin Fei: No thanks, that’s unnecessary.

For the first time, Jiang Tang was busy in the kitchen by himself with no fluffy ones or people pretending to pass by to check on the food.

He carefully peeled the durian skin and the strong aroma wafted up. Jiang Tang took a deep breath, this was the smell!

Having made many desserts, the family now had all the necessary ingredients at home. Jiang Tang first mixed low-gluten flour and high-gluten flour and sifted them using a sieve. Then he put the flour in a container and mixed it with cold water to form a dough for the pastry.

Once the dough was ready, he kneaded in butter until it was smooth and not sticky, then let it rest for about twenty minutes.

Making pastry by hand is a bit cumbersome, but patience is key to achieving the best taste for the puff pastry.

Jiang Tang wrapped the butter in plastic wrap and pounded it flat with a rolling pin, then put it in refrigeration machine for a while. After the dough was risen, he rolled it out into a flat sheet. He removed the plastic wrap from butter slice and placed it in the center. He folded the dough over the butter slice from both sides to encase it.

Next, he rolled the dough with the butter from the center outward into a thin rectangular sheet using the rolling pin. Then Jiang Tang divided the sheet into four parts, bringing the right and left sides to the center, and folded the ends inward like a blanket, wrapping the dough tightly and refrigerating it again.

Repeating the folding and chilling process several times, he finally rolled the dough into a suitable thickness. Using a cup, he cut out circular pastry shapes, completing the dough.

While the dough was resting, Jiang Tang prepared the filling.

After removing the seeds, he couldn’t resist eating a small piece of the durian flesh. It was perfectly ripe and incredibly sweet. He put the durian flesh in a container and crushed it with a spoon to make paste. He mixed in a little white sugar and stirred evenly. He then covered it with plastic wrap to chill for a bit.

He took one egg yolk and beat it for later use.

Putting the prepared durian filling in the center of the pastry, he brushed the edges with egg yolk and wrapped the durian filling inside. Finally, he made a few small holes in the top of the pastry to prevent the filling from bursting during baking.

He brushed a layer of egg yolk liquid on the surface of the durian pastries, sprinkled a bit of black sesame, and placed them in the oven to bake.

As time passed, the durian pastries puffed up in the oven, resembling little golden boats.

A sweet aroma wafted from the oven.

Qin Fei was drawn in by the smell and thought: …Is this really made with that stinky durian? Don’t trick me just because I’m young!

As soon as they came out of the oven, Jiang Tang eagerly grabbed a piece of durian pastry. The pastry layers had puffed up beautifully. Biting into it while it was still warm, the outer layer was so crispy that it crumbled. The durian filling was soft and sweet. There was a lingering light durian flavor in mouth after eating, making people not want to leave.

“Brother… can I have a piece?”

Seeing the longing look on Qin Fei’s face, it was clear he had completely abandoned his previous flag of “I’d rather starve to death or jump from outside than eat that” and was now making “delicious” noises.

Jiang Tang and Qin Fei sneaked several durian pastries in the kitchen like little mice and ate a few pieces before finally stopping. Jiang Tang happily brushed off some crumbs from his hands and patted Qin Fei’s shoulder. Good little brother, let’s eat durian pastries together next time.

The secret durian-eating alliance was formed.

Suddenly, Jiang Tang felt something was off. He raised his hand to his chest, frowned slightly, and felt an ominous premonition.

It wasn’t until he finished preparing that he realized he hadn’t seen his cat all day.

Ever since they returned from the deserted island, all three fluffy ones had been especially clingy, particularly the kitten. Every day while Jiang Tang was busy in the kitchen, the kitten would quietly sit on a high stool and watch him, wanting to be by his side no matter what he did.

No wonder Jiang Tang always felt something was off this morning. Not having his fluffy companion around was indeed strange.

Could it be that the durian smell was too strong this morning and the fluffy one was hiding from it? Jiang Tang gently called out the name of his fluffy one as he walked toward the room.

But when he entered the room, all he saw was the obedient little fox sitting on a soft mat and the little snow wolf just waking up, looking dazed.

Jiang Tang: ?

Why are there only two? Where’s the cat?

Jiang Tang petted the heads of the other two fluffies and searched around the room, but there was still no sign of the kitten. Then he felt uneasy.

No way, could his premonition be coming true?

Lin Yucang watched Jiang Tang pacing around the room, not sparing even the corners, and memories of last night flashed in his mind. That person had watched over Jiang Tang by the bed for most of the night.

That gaze seemed to etch the peaceful and serene face of the sleeping boy into his mind.

Lin Yucang sneered. This fool just left without a word?

And now the young man was worried and upset for him. Lin Yucang raised his head and met Jiang Tang’s red-rimmed eyes filled with helplessness. Lin Yucang’s heart felt as though it had been squeezed.

The young man was always optimistic and sunny, as if he could smile through any difficulty. This was the first time he had shown such an expression on his face, and Lin Yucang’s brows furrowed.

Jiang Tang searched everywhere for the little white fluffball but couldn’t find it. He felt like his mind had been struck with a heavy blow.

He stumbled slightly, barely managing to steady himself against the wall.

Qin Fei was startled to see Jiang Tang leaning against the wall with a pale face. He rushed forward and held Jiang Tang’s arm. “Brother! What’s wrong with you?”

Hearing Qin Fei call out several times, Jiang Tang finally reacted. He tightly grasped Qin Fei’s hand. “Xiao Fei, Xiao Fei, the cat, the cat is missing…”

“Ah? What’s missing? How did it go missing?”

“I can’t find it anywhere.” Jiang Tang’s voice trembled, his eyes turning red as if he was about to cry. “I felt something was off this morning. Kitty is so well-behaved. How could it suddenly disappear? What if something happened to it?”

Qin Fei now understood what was happening. He couldn’t help but feel anxious too. It was Jiang Tang’s favorite cat that was missing. No wonder his brother was so worried. But he knew he couldn’t panic along with him, so he comforted Jiang Tang, “Don’t worry, brother. Maybe it’s just hiding somewhere? Have you checked the whole house? I can help you look. Don’t panic, the cat will be fine.”

Jiang Tang gradually calmed down under Qin Fei’s comfort. It was indeed the thought of his cat possibly being lost that had thrown him into a state of confusion and panic.

After taking a few deep breaths, Jiang Tang patted his face, forcing himself to calm down.

What if the fluff was just hiding and sleeping and didn’t hear his call? Besides, there were still other places at home he hadn’t checked, and he hadn’t looked outside yet. He must not panic.

But until Jiang Tang searched from morning until dusk, and several people turned the house upside down, with George and Peppa scanning the area around the villa without finding anything, the small flicker of hope in Jiang Tang’s heart was completely extinguished by a basin of cold water.

The fluff had really vanished without a trace.

No sign at all.

Jiang Tang felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out. Qin Fei and the others had accompanied him in searching all day, even skipping meals. Jiang Tang went to the kitchen and quickly made a few bowls of noodles for them, but he himself had no appetite at all.

Meeting their worried eyes, Jiang Tang forced a smile. “It’s fine. Thank you all for your hard work today. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

After saying that, Jiang Tang turned and entered his bedroom.

Lin Yucang watched Jiang Tang’s retreating figure, his eyes darkening. He noticed the helplessness behind the young man’s smile, but now… he couldn’t leave directly like Wen Renyuan. He needed to find a way to reappear in front of Jiang Tang as “Lin Yucang” and not just as a fluffy creature.

Leaning against the wall, Jiang Tang finally relaxed his tense emotions. His legs felt weak, and he gradually slid down to sit on the floor.

His vision slowly became blurred. As he reached up to touch his cheek, Jiang Tang realized that his hand was wet. He had been crying without even noticing.

Jiang Tang was stunned. He wasn’t someone who cried easily. Perhaps it was because this was his first fluffy cat, which held special meaning for him. And after spending time with them day and night, these fluffies felt more like family to him.

He sighed, and his mind was in a chaotic mess.

It’s not alive. How did the cat get lost!