Chapter 48

No. 7 Wandering Town was especially lively at this time, all to welcome the return of the former town leader and current Human Emperor, Her Majesty Mo Duoya.

No. 7 Wandering Town officially designated the day Mo Duoya took office as town leader as the Emperor's Grace Festival.

All kinds of colorful lanterns and ribbons were hung at the doorways of houses, making the town look as colorful as a fairy-tale village.

To ensure the Emperor's Grace Festival went smoothly this year, the new town leader, Hongci, had even gone all the way to the imperial capital to obtain a regulation artifact to cover all of No. 7 Wandering Town.

This allowed the temperature in No. 7 Wandering Town to be regulated, and unlike outside—where the heat could turn a person into roasted meat—the temperature in No. 7 Wandering Town was just slightly higher than the normal temperature before the calamity.

The regulation artifact had been somewhat affected by the calamity, but the residents of No. 7 Wandering Town were already very satisfied with it.

Hongci also sent someone to invite Rao Ke to set up a stall at the Emperor's Grace Festival. Rao Ke, who hadn't been out in a long time, readily agreed.

Rao Ke asked her employees if anyone wanted to come along with her. In the end, only Xue Jiali was free; the others all had their own matters to attend to.

Rao Ke planned to sell ice cream and special iced drinks. The ice cream was purchased directly from the mall in six flavors in large metal tubs.

As for the special iced drinks, they would naturally be made by Xue Jiali.

After packing up, Rao Ke brought Xue Qiu and Sesame Paste and set off with Xue Jiali.

Rao Ke drove the food truck into No. 7 Wandering Town, and along the way, the residents enthusiastically greeted her.

After all, Rao Ke and the Keke Shop were known by everyone near the Adventure Forest.

Rao Ke parked the truck at the stall spot Hongci had arranged for her, positioned it well, then opened the side panels.

Immediately, some curious residents gathered around. "Shopkeeper, what are you selling here?"

Rao Ke placed a small blackboard with prices outside and said with a smile, "Ice cream and special iced drinks. Would you like to try some?"

The customer who asked was actually the one running the stall next to hers selling iced berry slices. He immediately smiled and said, "Of course, I have to try it."

He looked at the items on the blackboard, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll take a milk ice cream with strawberry ice cream, and two glasses of plum lemonade."

"Alright, please wait a moment." Rao Ke picked up a paper cup beside her. "Everyone, please form a line and stay orderly. We've prepared a lot, so everyone can have some!"

"Okay!" The customers obediently lined up behind, and the line stretched quite long.

Up front, Rao Ke happily scooped ice cream balls, while Xue Jiali behind her earnestly made the special iced drinks.

The first customer to get the ice cream walked aside, scooped a small spoonful from the frosty ice cream ball, and put it in his mouth.

As soon as it entered his mouth, the ice cream melted rapidly, and then a rich milk flavor and strawberry flavor burst in his mouth.

The customer contentedly scooped away at the ice cream ball, bite after bite, and before he knew it, he had finished it.

The customer wanted to go back and line up, but then noticed that the line in front of the food truck had already stretched to the end of the street and even turned a corner. He immediately gave up that idea.

Anyway, they'd probably come again tomorrow, so the customer reluctantly returned to his fruit stall.

Then he remembered he had bought two cups of plum lemonade. He inserted a straw into one and was about to drink when he saw his daughter, who was busy dealing with customers, sweating profusely. He immediately felt a pang of guilt.

It was actually because he was bored that he had dragged his daughter out to set up the stall, but he had been lured away by the ice cream next door, leaving his daughter to handle the customers alone, working until she was drenched in sweat.

"Here, have a sip. You must be tired!" The customer quickly brought the drink with the straw to his daughter's lips.

His daughter took a sip, then looked at him. "Mm, it's pretty good."

The sweetness and sourness of the plum blended with the refreshing lemonade, creating a surprisingly different tangy flavor.

The customer sighed in relief. "I'm glad you like it. Their ice cream is even better. I'll buy you one tomorrow."

His daughter smiled, seeing her father's relieved expression, and decided not to bring up his irresponsible behavior from earlier.

"I'll take a chocolate ice cream with strawberry ice cream, a milk ice cream with chocolate ice cream, and two cups of mint milk tea." Rao Ke, busy working, looked up and found Laiensi and Babaka standing in front of her.

"Hi!" The two greeted Rao Ke enthusiastically. Rao Ke handed over their ice cream cups. "Just a moment, your drinks are being prepared."

"Alright." Laiensi and Babaka stood where they were, waiting.

Because Mo Duoya was coming back, the two had moved back into Mo Duoya's house and helped clean up the place.

"When will Mo Duoya arrive?" Rao Ke chatted with Laiensi while waiting for the drinks.

Laiensi wasn't very sure either. "I've heard she's been quite busy recently, so maybe tomorrow or the day after. I'm not entirely certain, but she'll definitely come."

"Alright, here are your drinks. Enjoy." Rao Ke took the drinks Xue Jiali handed over and gave them to Laiensi and Babaka.

After selling all the ice cream, Rao Ke and Xue Jiali used magic to tidy up the food truck. Checking the time, they found it was still early.

"Since it's still early, do you want to take a stroll?" Rao Ke looked at Xue Jiali and asked with a smile.

Xue Jiali's face turned slightly red. "Mm."

"Then let's go. It feels pretty lively." Seeing Xue Jiali agree, Rao Ke picked up Sesame Paste.

Xue Jiali also picked up Xue Qiu, and the two walked side by side along the street.

Rao Ke wandered around with great interest and bought a bunch of things, while Xue Jiali was purely there for companionship.

Xue Jiali watched as Rao Ke played the ring toss, a smile in his eyes as his gaze followed her closely.

"Xue Jiali, look, I won this one!" Rao Ke held up an exquisite cloth doll to show Xue Jiali.

Then she was stunned for a moment by some emotion she saw in Xue Jiali's eyes.

Xue Jiali looked at the doll in Rao Ke's hand and praised with a faint smile, "Mm, impressive."

In a corner they didn't notice, the other employees of the Keke Shop, who had said they were busy, were all hiding in a small spot, secretly peeking at the two.

"How can this Ke Ke be so dense!" Chrisley said, feeling both a pity and a relief.

Aodisite nodded. "Those two—one is dense, the other is too shy to speak. I wonder how long they'll drag this out."

The other employees of the Keke Shop had all said they were busy precisely to create some alone time for the two.

After all, this inexplicable atmosphere between them was obvious to everyone but themselves.

Phylosain had a different opinion from the two ladies. "Not necessarily. I think the shopkeeper is playing dumb. She might be thinking it over too."

"You have a point!" Chrisley agreed, nodding.

Kalisa, seeing that Rao Ke and Xue Jiali were about to head back to the food truck, reminded the others, "Let's go quickly. Ke Ke should be heading back soon."

"Oh, oh, hurry up, don't let them catch us!"

The others scrambled in a fluster, barely making it back to the villa before Rao Ke and Xue Jiali arrived.

"We're home!" Rao Ke walked into the living room holding Sesame Paste and found everyone sitting there.

Rao Ke looked at the employees in the living room and said with a smile, "Why is everyone gathered in the living room? Waiting for us to come back?"

The employees scrambled in a panic.

Finally, Chrisley stepped in to change the subject. "Haha, we were worried you two might have run into some trouble on the way, haha."

The others fell silent. That subject change was way too forced! And why the two awkward laughs at the end?

As for Chrisley herself, she felt even more embarrassed, as if she could dig out a castle with her fingers.

Wenni, the crow on Chrisley's shoulder, closed her eyes, her feathers puffing up in embarrassment.

So humiliating. Wenni wished she could leave the scene immediately.

"Alright, thanks for your concern." Rao Ke didn't press further. She smiled and let Chrisley off the hook easily.

Rao Ke gracefully went upstairs. "I'll go wash up now. I'm a bit tired."

After Rao Ke left, Xue Jiali glanced at the others and then also went upstairs to his room.

Everyone in the living room let out a sigh of relief once the two main characters had left.

They exchanged glances, then each went back to their own rooms.

Rao Ke soaked in the warm water, having added a jasmine-scented bath bomb to the tub, filling the bathroom with the fragrance of jasmine.

Thinking about what had just happened, Rao Ke couldn't help but laugh.

They really hid so poorly and still had the nerve to follow them. Rao Ke shook her head helplessly.

Actually, Chrisley and the others thought they were hiding well, but they were really obvious. Rao Ke didn't even need to look for them; following the strange looks of passersby, she could see the sneaky group crouched in a corner.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. The fact that they deliberately created private space for her and Xue Jiali meant something, and Rao Ke understood that clearly.

Although Rao Ke was indeed slow when it came to romance, they were practically prying her eyes open to see the truth, and she wasn't stupid.

Moreover, Xue Jiali's reactions were very intense. Who would blush at just a few words or an accidental touch?

But it was quite fun. Rao Ke admitted that in the beginning it might not have been intentional, but later on, there were several times she deliberately teased Xue Jiali just to see his reaction.

In Rao Ke's view, Xue Jiali really fit her aesthetic, and she knew him well enough, since Ningfuer had almost shared every embarrassing incident of Xue Jiali's past with her.

"But let's wait a bit longer; it's still quite fun." Rao Ke smiled, feeling she could play with this a little longer.

Meanwhile, in his room, Xue Jiali took out a black, flat box and opened it. Inside was a dazzling green gemstone necklace—the Heart of the Forest that Xue Jiali had studied for a long time.

Xue Jiali carefully closed the box, still feeling a bit nervous about whether Rao Ke would like this birthday gift.

Though they were in the same space, their mindsets were completely different. But time wouldn't stop for them, and soon it was the day Mo Duoya was to arrive at No. 7 Wandering Town.