They all have special skills

The restaurant where I work is still pretty good right now, but if I were to work in one of those izakayas that are open until late at night, it would be much harder and I would basically have to say goodbye to the normal human routine.

After the two handed over their work, while they were clocking in together, Qing Shuichuan did not forget Qing Shuiqian's instructions and extended an invitation to Toyokawa Xiangzi: "If you don't have plans later, come to my house for dinner."

"As for dinner..." Shoko Toyokawa seemed a little hesitant, but she wasn't really hesitant. To be honest, she was quite happy to be able to spend time with her two daughters, not to mention that she had already broken the ice with her youngest daughter last night, so she didn't have so many concerns.

But since the invitation was made by Shimizukawa, and as a girl, she knew in advance about their future relationship, she would still seem a little concerned and had to consider maintaining her dignity.

Qing Shuichuan didn't think too much about it. Seeing her eyes drooping, as if she was worried about something, he thought she was worried about gaining weight from eating at night for several days in a row: "Eat less. Akane prepared dinner. She should be looking forward to you coming over."

Having said that, Toyokawa Shoko could only nod.

The two walked together all the way home, and as soon as they entered the entrance hall, they smelled a fresh and spicy fragrance.

The aroma was particularly overbearing, unreasonably drilling straight into my nostrils! It seemed to contain a hidden blend of spices. For Toyokawa Shoko and Shimizu Kawa, who had been working for several hours on an empty stomach, the aroma alone instantly whetted their appetites, their tongues watering and their mouths churning with cravings.

"Welcome back, Mom and Dad! You've worked so hard!" Qingshui Ai quickly pounced over with her short legs and gave them both a loving hug.

Given her precocious mentality, she felt a little shy about deliberately doing this, but it was a necessary step aimed at evoking a warm and comfortable home atmosphere and launching a subtle psychological offensive!

Sure enough, this trick worked. Shoko Toyokawa's heart softened instantly. She squatted down and looked at her little eldest daughter, and couldn't help but put her face against hers.

She originally didn't like children. Children were ignorant, liked to make a lot of noise, and were also very tactless and caused a lot of trouble out of nowhere... But now it seems that she just doesn't like children other than her own family.

Ai's face is so soft, like butter pudding, and she has the gentle scent of children's shower gel. I really want to hold her and sleep with her...

Not far from the entrance, Akane Shimizu, wearing an apron, was stirring something with a long-handled spoon by the stove. Seeing the interaction between mother and daughter, she smiled and said, "Mom, you've worked hard. Change your shoes, wash your hands, and sit inside for a while. We'll be ready soon."

"Okay..." Toyokawa Shoko changed her shoes and walked inside with Ai Shimizu holding her hand. When she passed by the stove, she hesitated and asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

She actually didn't have much confidence. After all, she knew her cooking skills were not up to par and she probably couldn't help much. But as a mother, she felt a little embarrassed to let her daughter prepare dinner and eat it herself, so she still had to say some polite words.

But Qingshui Akane shook her head nonchalantly: "No, no, I'm almost ready. There's nothing I can help you with."

As she spoke, she turned up the fire. Qingshuichuan was the last to enter the house and closed the door behind him. Qingshui Akane waved at him, motioning him to come over and take a look.

The cooking pot on the stove had not yet completely boiled, and tiny bubbles were coming out of it. A layer of bright red oil was visible in the pot. Just looking at it made people feel a phantom pain on the tongue, but they couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation. He actually liked spicy food.

"Want to have hot pot tonight?"

"Yeah, I made the hot pot soup base myself. I spent the whole afternoon preparing it. It's not the half-baked stuff out there. It smells really good, right?"

"It really smells good." Qing Shuichuan looked at the bone fragments in the kitchen trash can and nodded in praise. It was rare that his little daughter knew how to make broth.

I just feel a little sorry for my small apartment. The power of my pocket range hood is not strong enough, and the smell of the red oil soup base cannot be completely removed. After this meal tonight, I guess the smell of tonight will linger in the house for the next few weeks.

"It's rare that I've made so many preparations today. Dad, you have to work hard tonight~" Akane Shimizu said this vaguely and with an ambiguous expression.

Qingshuichuan heard the hidden meaning in her words, but when he was about to ask, she pushed him away and urged him to wash his hands.

In the living room, dishes and chopsticks had been prepared on the small dining table, and a brand new gas stove was placed in the middle. It was the kind of small stove that uses canned gas to make a fire, which is common in restaurants or camping outdoors.

The small stove is brand new. Qingshui Qian saw that she didn’t have one at home, so she bought it on the way to the supermarket today.

She let the soup base heat up on the stove while she got to work, pulling out the ingredients she had prepared for the soup from the refrigerator. The best beef was a must, along with her friend's top-quality pork chops, expensive king crab legs, and a variety of fruits and vegetables...

The small table couldn't fit at all, so it had to be placed on a tray on the tatami.

Both Shimizukawa and Toyokawa Shoko were shocked.

Especially Qingshuichuan, he was thinking in his heart, wondering if his little daughter had overestimated his current financial level. It was true that he gave her more than 300,000 yuan at one time, but that was not for her to spend it all at once! The future father being rich does not mean the current father is rich!

If she continues to spend like this, he probably won't be able to support her even if he works two part-time jobs.

Akane Shimizu was smiling and in a good mood, and Ai Shimizu had been sticking to her since Shoko Toyokawa entered the room.

Soon the hot pot soup base on the stove began to gurgle, and the aroma in the house became even richer. The time had come, and Qingshui Qianguan brought the pot and the soup to the gas stove on the small table, turned to low heat, and let the soup base reach a slight boil.

Finally, she gave each person a dipping sauce she had prepared with sesame oil, crushed peanuts, green onions, etc., and everything was ready.

"It's time to eat. Come and try my cooking." Akane Shimizu clasped her hands together, with no anxiety on her face. She seemed quite satisfied with the dinner she had prepared today. She first put the high-quality beef she bought from the supermarket into the boiling pot.

"Thank you for your hard work. We won't be polite then." Qingshuichuan adjusted his mentality quickly. Although he felt a little distressed about the cost of this meal before, he turned around and thought that the people sitting around him were his future family members, and he instantly became open-minded. If he didn't give his money to them, who would he give it to?

At the urging of her eldest daughter, Shoko Toyokawa also clasped her hands together and said with gratitude, "I'm starting."

Her pretty face flushed as she sat around the hot pot at the table. It was July now, and it was a bit hot even at night. Eating hot pot at this time... couldn't be a particularly good choice. But the little daughter had worked so hard to prepare it, so how could she be picky? After taking the first bite, no matter how it tasted, she would give high praise!

After she made this decision in her heart, her little daughter directly picked up a few slices of beef and put them in her bowl. The beef was steaming hot and moistened with red oil, and it looked very delicious!

Under her daughter's expectant gaze, Toyokawa Shoko blew on the sauce, dipped it in a little, and put it in her mouth. The moment she put it in her mouth, the fat of the high-quality beef mixed with the flavorful broth exploded in her mouth! The spicy, salty, and fragrant flavors danced in her mouth, almost forcing her to swallow her tongue!

It’s delicious for one thing!

On the other hand, it’s been so long since I last saw Shoko Toyokawa!

Ever since she broke with her family and moved out with her father to become self-reliant, she hadn't tasted any high-end ingredients. That small piece of premium snowflake beef just now awakened her culinary memories as a young lady! Her tongue, which had suffered for so long, was finally satisfied again!

"It's delicious, really delicious..." Toyokawa Shoko was at a loss for words for a moment. To show that she was telling the truth, she deliberately stared into Shimizu Akane's eyes to show that she was not just saying polite words.

"Thank you, Mom. Today's work was not in vain." Qingshui Akane smiled even more happily, and it was obvious that she enjoyed it very much. She then picked up the blanched beef for Qingshuichuan and her sister. After all the ingredients in the pot were picked up, she put new ingredients into it.

At this time, Toyokawa Shoko, who started first, opened her thin lips slightly and began to inhale subconsciously. She didn't feel anything when she first put it in her mouth, but now the spicy and numb taste began to surge up, and spread more and more obviously in her mouth. Her whole mouth, including the esophagus in her body, is now hot.

Qingshui Ai bit her own pair of children's chopsticks and looked at Qingshui Qian calmly. The latter immediately narrowed her eyes, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and walked towards the refrigerator.

Qingshuichuan caught the eye contact between the two of them. He didn't know what the two were planning, but he didn't plan to ask directly this time. Instead, he kept silent while eating meat and planned to wait and see.

"Mom, eat more tonight~" Shimizu Ai put on a sweet smile, and Toyokawa Shoko nodded and rubbed her little head.

At this moment, she was a little envious of her future self, who would have such lovely daughters by her side and who would care about her so much.

At this time, Akane Shimizu brought a small tray with several disposable small bowl molds on it, filled with pudding jellies of different colors.

"Mom, try this. I just made it this afternoon. The main ingredients are various fruit juices and mint. It's perfect for relieving spiciness now. Try it and see how it tastes."

Shoko Toyokawa originally wanted a glass of water, but now she thinks that pudding is also nice, not to mention that these puddings look very good. She also feels more and more that her little daughter is really amazing, and her cooking skills are really good.

"Then I'm welcome."

"Hmm~ Try it quickly." Akane Shimizu handed over the small spoon impatiently.

Facing the "expectant" gazes of her two daughters, Shoko Toyokawa scooped a small spoonful and put it in her mouth. It was indeed mint added. It felt icy and cool as soon as it entered her mouth, and her mouth, which was already feeling extremely spicy, was immediately relieved.

"Delicious!" Shoko Toyokawa once again gave an admiring evaluation. Although the dessert was a bit overdone, making the flaws appear a bit large, it still tasted good.

The soft pudding just taken out of the refrigerator slid down the mouth into the esophagus, balancing the warm feeling brought by the spicy beef just now, which was very refreshing.

It’s just a little strange. After the cooling feeling of the mint wore off, I don’t know why my stomach always felt hotter. It turned out to be because the beef I just ate was too spicy.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Shimizu Ai and said, "Don't you want to eat one if I love you?"

Shimizu Ai immediately shook her head: "I tasted it when I made it in the afternoon. It's not the taste I like. I'll just drink the juice." She raised her small sippy cup, which was bought for her when Kasumigaoka bought her clothes.

"Give me one to try." Qingshuichuan stretched out his hand without hesitation, and Qingshui Akane naturally handed him one with a smile.

Qingshuichuan took it and took a sip. The mint flavor was a bit pungent. After the sweetness, a bitter taste like toothpaste slowly came up, but with a subtle difference... This is definitely not something that children can eat.

He tasted it and found nothing wrong with it, so he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the fish fillet that Qingshui Qian had given him, wondering if he was worrying too much.

Everyone enjoyed the hotpot very much. Qingshui Ai was young and couldn't eat much spicy food, so she only tasted a little at the beginning. After that, she mostly ate fruits.

After finishing the pudding to relieve the spiciness in the second half of the meal, Akane Shimizu took out her afternoon specialty freshly squeezed juice from the refrigerator with a smile.

Qing Shuichuan felt his lips burning and complained, "Why didn't you take this out earlier?"

Akane Shimizu replied with a smile, "I just think it tastes better in the summer if it's a little colder."

After saying that, she took the cup and hurriedly poured a cup for Shimizukawa and Toyokawa Shoko.

The juice was also delicious, light red in color, sour and sweet. I don’t know if it was because my mouth was numbed by the spiciness, but Qingshuichuan couldn’t tell what fruit it was.

"Mom and Dad, you guys eat first. I suddenly remembered that we've run out of garbage bags at home. Let's go to the nearby convenience store to buy some. Otherwise, it will be difficult to clean up the mess on the table." Akane Shimizu stood up when dinner was almost over.

"It's already evening, let me go." Qingshuichuan wanted to take her place, but was rejected.

"You and mom have been working all day, you should have a good rest now. Let me take care of small things like this. It's okay to be filial once in a while." After Qingshui Akane finished speaking, Qingshui Ai also stood up excitedly: "I want to go too. I want to buy some snacks."

"Then let's go together." The two changed their shoes at the entrance, opened the door, held hands, turned around and said goodbye to their parents in the house, and then left.

After leaving the apartment, the two daughters stopped and turned around to look back.

Shimizu Ai silently turned her gaze towards Shimizu Akane: "Surprisingly, no one noticed..."

She really found it unbelievable. After all, both the pudding and the fruit juice drink that was served later were made by Akane Shimizu while she watched them in the afternoon.

Although juice was the main ingredient, the second most common item was alcoholic beverages with English brands that she couldn't understand.

Akane Shimizu said proudly, "Of course, who do you think I am? Alcohol jelly, if made properly and refrigerated, is unlikely to taste like alcohol unless you chew it up and savor it repeatedly. Not to mention that I added mint for a more pronounced taste to reduce the likelihood of alcohol being detected.

Before they ate, they also tasted my special spicy and numbing red oil hot pot base, which not only further influenced their oral judgment, but also made them feel warm even if the alcohol jelly entered their stomachs and started to take effect, they wouldn't be surprised. They would just think it was the spicy hot pot that caused them, and wouldn't think of other possibilities.

"..." After hearing what she said, although Qingshui Ai acted as if nothing had happened on the surface, she actually had a little bit of admiration for her in her heart. It seemed that her sister was not a fighter who was not good at thinking as she thought.

There was indeed nothing wrong with the series of silky smooth combos she performed today.

Next it’s up to mom and dad themselves.

"Is it really okay that we're not here?"

"If we're here, it's fine, but that's not what you expected, sister~" Akane Shimizu ruffled her sister's hair and said, "Just trust me, everything will be fine."

…………

Volume 12: Chapter Seeing Her Birthmark ()

Qingshuichuan felt something was not right. He felt like his stomach was an active volcano that was about to erupt at any time. His stomach was churning and his body temperature was rising rapidly.

The first half of the dinner was fine, but as time went on in the second half, his body began to sweat naturally, just like his daily morning exercises. His back was already soaked with sweat. If Toyokawa Shoko hadn't been there, he would have wanted to take off all his clothes and blow the air conditioner.

It was really difficult to decide to let my little daughter eat hot pot in the middle of summer, especially with the spicy red oil base that few Japanese people are exposed to.

The eating process was lively and the food was delicious, but when you pair hot food with ice-cold drinks, I always feel like... my stomach will suffer afterwards.

"Toyokawa... Toyokawa...?" It was only after Shimizukawa called out twice while still conscious that Toyokawa Shoko's gaze, which was staring at the table, changed direction and looked towards him.

Her face was as red as blood, and the hair on both sides of her forehead was slightly wet with sweat. The sharpness that was faintly visible in her beauty in the past disappeared, replaced by that kind of peerless charm. She let down all her guard and seemed ignorant of the world, which made people's heart beat fast.

In the small apartment where the two of them were alone, the passage of time seemed to have stopped. They stared at each other closely, neither of them looking away, and an inexplicable feeling spread between them.

Qing Shuichuan didn't know why his brain was as sluggish as paste at this moment, unable to function. His mouth had its own thoughts and opened its mouth without authorization: "So beautiful..."

"Hmm?" Toyokawa Shoko blinked her watery eyes and subconsciously leaned towards him, wanting to hear clearly what he said.

"Toyokawa, you are so beautiful." If it were any normal time in the past, Shimizukawa probably would not have said this so bluntly.

When Shoko Toyokawa heard this kind of straight ball attack, she would probably react with surprise or shyness, but today was different.

After hearing the other person's words clearly and realizing that it was a compliment to her, Toyokawa Shoko smiled smugly. As if her personality had changed, she took a step closer to Shimizu River with a silly smile: "I already knew about this kind of thing~"

----

"...But it's alcohol after all. Once the alcohol takes effect, they should be able to detect it, right?" Shimizu Ai followed Shimizu Akane into a private cinema open 24 hours a day.

The two future people have no identity now, and they don’t want to go back tonight to disturb their parents’ good time, so they can only spend the night outside.

Hotels require personal information to be entered, but private cinemas with separate private rooms do not require this. The rest environment is definitely not as good as that of a hotel, but it is no big deal for the two sisters to stay there for one night.

"Why do you think I let them eat the pudding first? This semi-solid substance has to go through a digestion process after it reaches the stomach. As time goes by, the alcohol will be slowly released and will take effect at a slow rate. Do you know what it means to boil a frog in warm water?

The parents didn't notice anything unusual after the first bite. Even if they realized something was wrong later, their consciousness gradually blurred and their bodies were already excited, and it was too late. At this time, what will happen between the two adolescent boys and girls who have a good impression of each other and clearly know that they will be together in the future, so they don't have so many concerns?

Everything is under control, don’t worry.”

Akane Shimizu came to the front desk of the private cinema to pay. Although Ai Shimizu still had doubts and concerns at this time, she shut her mouth obediently because there were outsiders present.

The waiter led them to a small private room. The room was very small and they needed to take off their shoes to enter.

The interior is fully covered with leather cushions and equipped with a TV and a DVD player. The cabinet below contains classic and popular Blu-ray discs, and supplies such as headphones, earplugs and disposable headphone covers are hung on the wall next to it.

In addition, there are comics, snacks, drinks and coffee in the lobby outside. Comics can be taken back to the private room to read for free and just returned afterwards. Some food and drinks are provided free of charge, while others require additional charges.

It was the first time for Qingshui Ai to come to such a place, and she felt a little unfamiliar with it, but Qingshui Akane seemed to be very familiar with it, and it seemed that she would visit this place more than once in the future.

After waiting for the door of the small private room to be closed and locked, Qingshui Ai finally spoke again, expressing the doubts she had not yet finished: "Shall we just rest here tonight and not go back?"

Qing Shuiqian smiled playfully: "Why, sister, do you still want to go back and cheer for mom and dad on the scene?"

Qing Shui Ai quickly denied: "Don't treat me like an idiot, how could I possibly think about that! I'm just a little worried... After all, besides making people excited, alcohol intake also has another side effect, making people want to sleep or something..."

She didn't have much confidence in the second half of her words. After all, she had never drunk alcohol as a child, and the knowledge she had about the effects of alcohol on the human body was also from books and movies. She was not sure whether it was really like that.

The room was a little stuffy, so Akane Shimizu turned on the air conditioner. "Excessive alcohol consumption does cause that, but I've been careful with the amount of both the pudding and the juice. If nothing goes wrong, it should be just enough to make Mom and Dad feel dizzy but still have enough energy to keep them awake. Besides that, considering the situation you just mentioned, I've also added some precautions to ensure they appear alert. Remember that pot of hot pot broth I made this afternoon?"

Qing Shui Ai thought silently for a while, then opened her eyes wide in disbelief: "You didn't put drugs in it, did you?" But she ate it too! She was still a child!

Akane Shimizu laughed. "They did add some things, but they're just harmless Chinese herbs. We ate so little tonight, so the impact will be minimal. But for Mom and Dad, who's had a hard day's work and enjoyed their meal, the effect should be quite good."