When dinnertime came, Yan Xi and the others managed to return, hurriedly eating a meal with Yun Manman before leaving again.
Apparently, they had been in meetings for several days already.
Yun Manman felt sorry for the big cats, thinking they looked thinner.
So she decided to make some delicious late-night snacks to reward them.
Mango Pomelo Sago is a relatively simple yet delicious summer dessert.
The only troublesome part is making the sago pearls inside.
Add hot water to tapioca starch while stirring, then put on gloves and knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands. Roll the dough into thin strips and cut into small pieces, finally rolling each piece into a tiny ball.
This step isn't difficult but rather tedious. Fortunately, the mansion had a housekeeper and Sister Jiao to help, so it was done quickly.
Then cook the sago in boiling water until half-transparent, let it sit covered for fifteen minutes until fully transparent.
Put the cut mango, pomelo pulp, and sago together in a bowl, pour in coconut milk, refrigerate, and it's done.
The rich mango flavor mixed with coconut aroma, while the sweet and sour pomelo pulp would unexpectedly burst between your teeth. The soft and chewy sago added a bright touch to the whole dessert.
Yan Jiao sat in a lounge chair, slurping a spoonful of Mango Pomelo Sago from her bowl, contentedly narrowing her sky-blue cat eyes: "So delicious!"
"Manman's desserts are truly the best!"
Yun Manman put the prepared Mango Pomelo Sago into a large box: "I'm glad you like it."
"Please ask Uncle Meng to help deliver it!"
Housekeeper Uncle Meng knew the address of the military affairs office and had been there many times.
Uncle Meng smiled and said: "Of course, I'll definitely deliver it."
As he turned to leave, Yun Manman hastily called him back: "Wait, Uncle Meng, if General Lu Qi is at the military affairs office, could you bring him a portion too?"
Uncle Meng nodded: "Certainly."
Yan Jiao, sitting nearby, noticed the smile on Yun Manman's face and paused with her spoon midair.
Oh no, she felt like their little cabbage was about to be snatched away.
The rainy season was nearing its end, with a gentle drizzle falling softly on the earth, as if the recent thunderstorms had been an illusion.
Yun Manman walked into the dessert shop holding an umbrella, wanting to check if the two new apprentices she'd taken on had improved their skills during her absence.
The shop was filled with the sweet aroma of baking cakes; Sisi and Uncle Lin hadn't been slacking off.
As she approached the preparation area, their voices became clearer.
"...Manman said to stir clockwise, not counterclockwise!" It was Sisi's voice.
Uncle Lin argued back: "Impossible, I remember Manman saying it was counterclockwise!"
Sisi was clearly getting upset, her usually timid voice rising: "It'll fail if you do it counterclockwise!"
Yun Manman quickly asked: "What's wrong? What's going on?"
Uncle Lin rushed to say: "Manman, you're back just in time. Tell us, for stirring the egg yolk mixture, is it clockwise or counterclockwise?"
Sisi looked at her just as expectantly.
Yun Manman thought for a moment, then realized: "For this step, clockwise or counterclockwise doesn't matter. The important thing is not to stir too quickly, or it'll become stringy."
She apologized: "I'm just used to stirring clockwise, so I probably taught you that way."
Sisi and Uncle Lin both murmured: "So either way is fine."
Uncle Lin: "I did say that as a left-handed person, it sometimes felt awkward. Sorry about that, Sisi, I was wrong to blame you."
Uncle Lin, being quite straightforward, immediately apologized to Sisi.
Sisi's ears twitched, and she said in a soft voice: "It's alright, it was just a misunderstanding."
Yun Manman sighed in relief, seeing that her employees were getting along well.
She had been worried that Sisi, being socially anxious, wouldn't be able to handle Uncle Lin.
Uncle Lin suddenly remembered something and said to Yun Manman: "Manman, we didn't know you were coming back today, so there's not much food left in the kitchen fridge."
Yun Manman opened a food delivery app: "No problem, we can order some ingredients and cook. Or would you prefer to eat out?"
"Cooking ourselves will definitely taste better," Uncle Lin waved his hand. "Just order some meat and vegetables."
Sisi nodded in agreement.
So Yun Manman placed an order for some fresh vegetables and meat on the delivery app.
The delivery person who brought the order was still a sika deer from the Flying Deer platform.
However, this sika deer was slightly larger than the one who usually delivered in the Lili Town area, and didn't have the heart-shaped white fur on its forehead.
After handing the delivery to Yun Manman, the delivery person didn't leave immediately. He stood there checking his communication device for a while, then made a call, speaking in a low voice that was hard to make out.
Although the rain outside wasn't heavy and the delivery person was wearing waterproof clothing, Yun Manman still waved at him, inviting him to come in and take shelter.
The sika deer shook his head, only standing under the eaves while talking on his communication device, his round deer eyes full of anxiety and anger.
Yun Manman was a bit worried and kept glancing at him.
Then she took the delivery into the small kitchen.
When she came out again, the sika deer was shouting emotionally into his communication device: "No! I've told you, you can't take the child away! Do you have no conscience?!"
Through the rain, Yun Manman saw the sika deer's body convulsing and twitching, with wisps of black energy seeping through his waterproof clothing into the air.
The sika deer violently threw the communication device hanging from his neck to the ground, crushing it to pieces with his powerful hoof.
He staggered under the eaves, knocking over the umbrella stand Yun Manman had placed by the door, causing a loud crash.
His head swayed, his expression frenzied: "No, no..."
Yun Manman approached cautiously: "Sir, would you like a cup of milk tea?"
At the same time, she extended her spiritual power to envelop the sika deer, trying to stabilize his mental state.
Yun Manman had seen what beastmen looked like when they turned dark before, and the delivery person before her was clearly on the verge of a spiritual power outburst, about to turn dark.
"Manman! Step back! Don't get close!" Uncle Lin rushed in front of Yun Manman, wielding a bone cleaver and pointing it warily at the agitated sika deer.
The sight of a beastman turning dark reminded Sisi of her deceased husband and son, bringing forth buried sorrow and panic that made all her fur stand on end.
But no... she couldn't be afraid...
She was the spouse of a soldier, the mother of a soldier; she had to be brave, she couldn't retreat.
Sisi's hand holding the kitchen knife trembled slightly, her eyes fearful yet determined as she stood in front of Yun Manman: "Manman, don't get close, he's turning dark..."
Both Uncle Lin and Sisi had seen beastmen turn dark before and knew clearly how extremely dangerous these hate-beasts were once they turned. It wasn't something they could handle.
All they could do now was to quickly escape and wait for the police to come and eliminate the hate-beast.
The sika deer's face was contorted, his body slowly growing larger. The waterproof clothing that had fit him just moments ago was now torn and fallen to the ground, the beautiful spotted fur on his body gradually dampened by the rain.
His confused, hazy eyes fixed on Yun Manman and the others: "Where's my cub? Did you take my cub away..."
"It's over, he's targeting us! You two run, I'll hold him off!" Uncle Lin shouted.
Once a hate-beast locked onto prey, it would pursue relentlessly.
Yun Manman was sweating profusely, her cat eyes fixed intently on the sika deer approaching step by step, her concentration focused entirely on that strand of spiritual power she had extended from her spiritual sea.
She gritted her teeth: "I'll try to guide him..."