HLM -Chapter 1143 Muffin Stories

As both the town mayor and a friend, Wang Bo naturally attended the book signing as well.

However, he only needed to make a brief appearance as a guest at the opening. Some people were there for Craig, but no one had come for him. He was perfectly happy with that.

On the upper floor of the library was a VIP reading area—a small private nook tucked into a corner of the building. From there, one could overlook the hall below or gaze out at the open countryside. Sitting here with a book and a cup of coffee was pure enjoyment.

Eva had nothing planned for the weekend, so she came to the library to read as well. She brought some baked treats in an insulated container; when she took them out, they were still steaming.

Dale was brought along too. Wang Bo handed her a fairy-tale book to read, but she only pretended to read—her eyes kept sneaking glances at the snacks Eva had brought.

Unhappy, Wang Bo said, “Can you put a little more effort into studying?”

Dale’s face instantly lit up. She nearly jumped for joy. “Yes, yes, yes! Sister brought muffins—just give me a plate of those and I won’t need matcha cake, chocolate cookies, or strawberry pie!”

Wang Bo was stunned. “What are you even talking about?”

Anxious, the little girl said, “Don’t play dumb, brother-in-law! Didn’t you ask if we could serve some snacks?”

Wang Bo broke out in a cold sweat. “I meant—can you focus while reading?”

Dale deflated like a punctured balloon, instantly crestfallen.

Eva really had brought muffins—an English-style small cake, or you could say a kind of bread. Made primarily with flour and leavened with baking powder and baking soda, they were mixed and baked together.

This snack was one of New Zealanders’ favorite companions for reading. Muffins were soft, came in many flavors—both sweet and savory—and paired perfectly with coffee.

Eva had already ground the coffee beans too. Warm, sweet coffee was an ideal reading partner.

Wang Bo hadn’t eaten muffins very often in the past. In New Zealand, they were mainly sold in cafés, and most weren’t homemade but industrially produced, which made them rather bland.

Still, for most people, those muffins were good enough. Paired with a favorite coffee, spending less than ten New Zealand dollars could easily fill an entire afternoon. They didn’t make you fat, nor did they leave you feeling overly full or greasy.

What Eva made, of course, was in a completely different league from industrial products. Her skills were top-notch, and the flavors were varied.

Wang Bo took a look—each small plate held a different flavor: some with blueberries, some with raisins, and others with nuts like almonds and cashews. Those were the sweet ones. Eva had also prepared savory muffins.

Wang Bo liked those best—filled with vegetables, minced bacon, or diced ham.

Eva took out a muffin and sliced off a small piece of homemade butter. She cut the muffin in half, spread some butter on the cut surface, and handed it to Wang Bo.

Wang Bo took a bite. The muffin itself was soft and fragrant, slightly sweet. With the butter, the flavor became even richer. Inside, there were bits of ham, so when he chewed carefully, a salty meat flavor emerged as well.

Dale stretched out her hands eagerly. “Sister, I want some too.”

Eva smiled, took another muffin, and piled the butter directly on top, letting the heat of the muffin slowly melt it down.

Seeing this, the little girl started to drool.

Unfortunately, Eva then put the muffin into her own mouth and ate it with obvious enjoyment.

“Where’s mine?” the little girl asked, aggrieved and dissatisfied.

Eva said, “You need to watch your diet, Dale. You don’t want to turn into a big chubby girl, do you?”

Dale was indeed a bit chubby—but only slightly. Her baby fat gave her a round, doll-like face that was still adorable and pretty.

She pushed the book away and started throwing a tantrum. “I want to eat! I want to eat! I want to eat!”

Wang Bo said as well, “Let her have some.”

Dale nodded happily, but then Wang Bo continued, “Let her gain weight as much as she wants. She’s not our daughter anyway—so what if she gets so fat she can’t get married?”

Dale shouted, “That’s nonsense! How could I not get married? Lots of people want to marry me!”

“Like who?” Wang Bo asked.

Dale pulled out her tiny phone and called one of her friends. “Hello, Ron, what are you doing? What, playing Angry Birds? You’re so lucky—I’m reading a book!”

“You’re reading?” Ron said. “Dale, are you lying? Aren’t you tearing books apart? Didn’t you rip up your textbook yesterday—”

“Shut up, don’t talk nonsense!” the little girl said guiltily, glancing at Wang Bo and Eva before quickly getting to the point. “Ron, will you marry me in the future?”

Ron was shocked. “Dale, are you dying or something? Why are you suddenly talking about something so far away?”

“Get lost!” Dale hung up and called Xiao Si.

“Xiao Si, will you marry me in the future? You love me, right?”

Xiao Si replied cautiously, “Dale, what prank are you planning now? I love you, sure—but I won’t marry you. Otherwise I’d have nightmares!”

Dale exploded. “What did you say?! Say that again!”

Xiao Si mustered his courage. “I’ll marry a gentle woman like my mom. I definitely don’t want to marry you. But Sister Eva would be okay.”

Hearing that, Eva immediately covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

Dale hung up and called a few more people. In the end, none of them wanted to marry her—every single one was terrified of her.

Finally, she gave up completely and slumped onto the table in despair.

Wang Bo kissed her on the forehead and said with a smile, “Dale, think about what your friends said, and then think about how you usually behave. Don’t you have anything to reflect on?”

Dale nodded through clenched teeth. “I’ve reflected, I’ve reflected. Tell me—what kind of trash are the underlings I usually recruit?”

Wang Bo was speechless.

Seeing that the little girl was still staring at the muffins, he opened her storybook and said, “Come on, Dale, let your brother-in-law tell you a story.”

She shook her head. “You’re not my brother-in-law. My real brother-in-law would definitely love me and give me muffins.”

Wang Bo tried to divert her attention. “Then listen to this story first and tell me what you think. If your interpretation is correct, I’ll give you one.”

“The story goes like this: A rich man was about to die. He gave each of his two sons a dull hatchet and said, ‘Go chop firewood for a day. Whoever chops more will inherit all my property.’”

“The older son took the hatchet and rushed up the mountain to chop wood. The younger son took the hatchet, looked at it, found a whetstone, and started sharpening the blade.”

“After a while, he finished sharpening it and went into the house to talk to his father. He said… what do you think he said?”

Dale frowned, wracking her brain, then ventured, “He must have said: ‘Old man, where are the muffins at home? Give them to me now, or I’ll chop you to death!’”

Wang Bo tossed the storybook aside and said through gritted teeth, “You’re not getting any muffins from me today!”

Dale lunged forward to grab them anyway!