The Prince's Beloved Little Wife

After discussing the various details of the jewelry store, it was already late afternoon before they realized it. Chen Mengyao suddenly stood up, grinning, and said, "To welcome Fifth Brother and Second Sister home, I've prepared a special feast for you today!" Then she rushed to the kitchen, directing the servants to wash and skewer the ingredients. She then ran to her spatial storage and pulled out a pile of ingredients and vegetables for the buffet, as well as many rectangular stainless steel plates. She instructed the kitchen to cook all the ingredients according to the information and methods she had given them, and then arrange them on the plates one by one. Next, she took out a lot of fruit, pastries, and drinks, and had the servants help wash and cut the fruit and arrange it on plates, and the pastries on plates as well.

For the drinks, Chen Mengyao used a modern self-service method, placing several large metal buckets on the kitchen floor. These buckets looked unremarkable, but they actually had a large capacity. These buckets were specially treated, with internal preservation and temperature control devices, so as long as the drinks were poured into them, they could maintain their optimal taste for a long time.

She entered the space and carefully selected drinks that she thought tasted good. She chose lemon juice, orange juice, coconut juice, grape juice, and Sprite. She took out many bottles of each and instructed the servants to help pour these drinks into several iron buckets. The refreshing tartness of lemon, the sweet richness of orange juice, the mellow aroma of coconut juice, the juicy sweetness of grape juice, and the refreshing fizz of Sprite—their flavors and aromas intertwined, immersing Chen Mengyao's sense of smell and taste in a complex and wonderful experience.

Chen Mengyao looked at the drinks she had prepared and smiled with satisfaction. She was confident that her fifth brother and second sister would enjoy them.

However, she planned to make another special drink—milk tea. Chen Mengyao first found tea leaves in her spatial storage and slowly simmered them over a low flame, the aroma gradually spreading. Next, she took out fresh milk, poured it into another pot, and heated it until small bubbles appeared around the edges, then removed it from the heat. At this point, the brewed tea was rich and mellow in color. She carefully filtered out the tea leaves, leaving only the tea liquor. Then, she slowly poured the heated milk into the tea liquor, and the moment the two blended, the aroma of milk and tea were perfectly combined. She then added sugar and stirred it well, achieving just the right sweetness.

Next, the special milk tea would be poured into the large iron bucket. Chen Mengyao found a large ladle, gently scooped up a spoonful of milk tea, and observed its warm color and alluring aroma. She slowly walked to the large iron bucket; because it was quite tall, a maid quickly brought over a small stool. Chen Mengyao stood on it and carefully poured the milk tea from the spoon into the bucket. As the milk tea poured down, a soft clinking sound echoed from inside the bucket.

She poured the milk tea spoonful by spoonful, each movement gentle, as if afraid of spilling a drop. When it was almost full, she stopped, carefully checked the amount of milk tea, and added another half spoonful. Then, she picked up a long stirring stick and gently stirred it in the metal container to ensure that the milk tea was evenly distributed in terms of concentration and flavor.

After stirring, she nodded in satisfaction, thinking that everyone would definitely like this unique drink. The entire kitchen was filled with a sweet and tempting aroma, making one's mouth water. But Chen Mengyao knew that this was just an illusion. She gently patted the metal bucket, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

After preparing the pastries, fruits, and drinks, she instructed the maids and servants to move the plates and buckets filled with food and drinks to the dining area. She then went out to the hall and sat down, waiting for the chefs to prepare the buffet.

When everyone sitting in the hall saw the servants carrying out buckets of things and plates of pastries and fruits, they were all a little curious about what special way of eating their younger brother/sister-in-law had come up with.

Just as they were speculating, Chen Mengyao came out. Seeing everyone looking at her expectantly, she quickly explained, "Today's meal is called a buffet, which means you choose the food you like. Besides these pastries, fruits, and drinks, I've also asked the chef to prepare quite a few dishes. You can freely choose what you like to eat later." Chen Mengyao continued, "The characteristic of a buffet is that there is no fixed menu or order. You can mix and match as you like and fully enjoy the pleasure of the food." After speaking, she took out many long tables from her storage space and placed them in different locations.

Everyone found it very novel and looked forward to this unique buffet.

While waiting for the dishes to arrive, Chen Mengyao introduced the drinks to everyone one by one, especially emphasizing the milk tea. She told them with great anticipation that this was the milk tea she had carefully prepared for her shop's opening, and earnestly requested that they taste it first and then give their honest evaluation. The Crown Prince, Ouyang Han, Prince Wen, Prince Duan, Prince An, as well as the three princesses and their two consorts, all poured themselves a little as if they had found a treasure. After carefully tasting it, they all praised it highly, saying that the taste was superb and that if they opened a shop, it would definitely be a great success. The little princess, in particular, loved it so much that she said she would make some more to take back to the palace for her father and the emperor to try, to which Chen Mengyao naturally agreed.

About half an hour later, the servants brought out plates of delicious-looking dishes. Every long table was piled high with food, and everyone couldn't help but swallow hard at the aroma. In addition to various dishes, there were all kinds of noodles, dumplings, wontons, white rice, fried rice noodles, fried rice vermicelli, fried rice, and all kinds of sweet soups.

Seeing that all the dishes had been served, Chen Mengyao used her mind to retrieve from her spatial storage specializing in buffet dishes, drink cups, and bowls for sugar water. She then smiled and reminded everyone, "The principle of a buffet is to take only what you need and avoid waste as much as possible. Everyone can choose food according to their appetite, and you can always get more when you're done." She added, "However, please also pay attention to a balanced and healthy diet, and don't overeat!"

After hearing Chen Mengyao's explanation, everyone eagerly headed towards the dining table to enjoy this novel way of dining.

Crown Prince Wen, Prince Duan, Prince An, and the three princesses were delighted to experience this unique dining style for the first time, and they quickly picked up plates to choose their favorite foods to put on the plates.

Prince Wen was full of praise for the rich variety of the buffet. He excitedly moved between the various food tables, savoring the delicious dishes. He expressed his admiration for the chefs' superb skills, and was particularly impressed by the grilled steak, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with an excellent taste.

Prince Duan and Prince An were very satisfied with the freedom of choice offered by the buffet. They could choose food according to their own tastes and preferences, without being bound by traditional banquet rules. Prince An especially enjoyed the various fresh seafood, and he fully savored the pleasure brought by the food.

The three princesses, like three cheerful little birds, thoroughly enjoyed the feast at the buffet in the villa. Like curious children, they sampled a portion of each main dish and vegetable dish, finding the flavors intoxicating, like delicacies.

Finally, the eldest princess, like a graceful white swan, elegantly selected the exquisite desserts. Her love for the chocolate cake was boundless, praising its rich, aged flavor as if it were a thousand-year-old vintage, sweet but not cloying, like a gentle spring breeze. She also sampled the fruit tart; the fresh fruit, a gift from nature, intertwined with the crisp crust, creating a feast for the taste buds that left her utterly satisfied.

The second princess was like a seafood fanatic, her gaze drawn as if by a magnet to the tender lobsters and plump crabs. Like a connoisseur, she savored the freshness of the seafood, each bite a vibrant bloom on her tongue. She raved about the chef's skills, her praise echoing throughout the restaurant like heavenly music.

The little princess, like a joyful butterfly, was captivated by the colorful juices. She savored nature's bounty, trying strawberry, orange, and grape juices. She was as happy as a blooming flower, her face beaming with joy, saying the juices tasted refreshing, like a clear spring flowing through her mouth, bringing her immense pleasure.

Their children ate non-stop under the care of the maids, nannies, and servants. The older children would even take care of the younger ones while they ate. All the adults who saw this scene felt very gratified.

This was Ouyang Han's first time trying a buffet, and he was amazed by this novel way of eating. He was deeply touched by Chen Mengyao's thoughtfulness towards her family, like the warm sun in winter, warming his heart. As he savored the delicious food, he gazed at the happy and content faces of all his family members, a warm current flowing through his heart, as if he were in a warm harbor—this was the feeling of home! If it weren't for Chen Mengyao's arrival, he might never have had the opportunity to gather with all his siblings and share a meal. At this moment, his gratitude towards Chen Mengyao deepened, and love spread like a tide in his heart. He secretly resolved to give her a better life in the future, so that she could live a carefree and free life.

They stopped eating when everyone was too full. Seeing that there was still a lot of food left, Chen Mengyao called the servants over and asked them to take it away and distribute it. She especially wanted to share with the kitchen staff as a way of thanking them for their hard work. The servants were very happy and took everything away. Some even helped take the dishes back to the kitchen to wash them.

Crown Prince Wen, Prince Duan, Prince An, and the three princesses were very satisfied with their first experience of dining at the villa's buffet. They found the dining style both abundant and varied, as well as comfortable and relaxed, to be a wonderful experience. They looked forward to enjoying such a culinary feast again, and next time they hoped to have it at the palace so that their father, mother, and concubines could also try it. Chen Mengyao naturally agreed to take them to the palace again next time so that her father and the others could experience this novel way of eating.

After a satisfying meal, they rested briefly before going for a stroll to stretch their muscles. Chen Mengyao told everyone with a smile that there would be delicious barbecue later! This piqued the curiosity of the Ouyang Yan couple and the Ouyang Shuang couple, who had never tried barbecue before, and the others were equally excited. After all, they hadn't had enough last time, spending most of their time on hot pot, so they wanted to make up for it this time!