Chapter 1862: Chocolate
"Weren’t you saying it tasted like spinach? How could it be bitter?"
"Raw... spinach."
Little Taotie blinked: "Can spinach be eaten raw? Have you ever eaten raw spinach?"
Hua Jinyan: "It has the unique flavor of cooked spinach, but with a bitter raw taste. I think it’s raw spinach, with the candy’s sweetness overshadowed by bitterness, it’s very astringent."
Little Taotie stepped back: "Why would a vengeful spirit like raw spinach?"
Since eating the Resentful Spirit Candy, Little Taotie had also had some missteps, having once tasted spicy candy with a heat that overpowered any sweetness, showing that the spirit had loved spicy food when alive.
Although Little Taotie was overwhelmed by the spicy candy, she handled it well, needing only to drink a lot of water. Little Taotie was someone naturally unafraid of spice—a spicy girl indeed.
But she never expected that besides spicy candy, there would also be bitter raw spinach candy!
She had never eaten raw spinach, but she had eaten raw sweet potato leaves. That was back in the mountains, when she was terribly hungry and had grabbed a handful of sweet potato leaves to eat.
Raw vegetables are particularly bitter, with an astringency that numbs the tongue.
After that experience, she understood that while green vegetables looked tender and luscious, most needed to be cooked before eating, with only a few exceptions good for raw consumption.
This is why Little Taotie fears bitterness, a problem stemming from that time.
It’s also why, when her second brother Qin Xin gave her coffee once, she found it so bitter it made her question life, afraid then even to try the fragrant-scented yuanyang tea.
Many people told her that yuanyang tea was intensely milky and sweet, not bitter at all, but she still dared not try it.
"Then why are you still eating it, why not spit it out?" Little Taotie looked at Hua Jinyan in disbelief, listening to the sound of him biting down on the candy.
Hua Jinyan: "Once it’s in my stomach, it’s all the same."
Little Taotie bit her lip, reluctantly picking another candy from the box.
This one was a purple candy.
"Your mouth is bitter, right? Quick, have a candy."
Little Taotie had already firmly pushed the candy into his mouth, Hua Jinyan was once again being fed.
Hua Jinyan’s cheeks flushed, because just now, her fingertip had brushed against his lips.
Little Taotie didn’t notice this detail, she just blinked her curious big eyes at him and asked, "What flavor is the candy this time?"
Hua Jinyan savored it and replied, "It’s... a mix of blueberry and raspberry jam, with a bit of tartness."
Little Taotie’s eyes sparkled as she licked her lips.
But before she could say she wanted to try it, Hua Jinyan crunchingly bit through the candy and swallowed it.
Little Taotie: "...You ate it too fast!"
Hua Jinyan: "I’m hungry."
Little Taotie felt aggrieved: "I haven’t even tasted it yet, and you’ve already swallowed it."
Hua Jinyan coughed dryly: "...Not sanitary."
Little Taotie made a couple of grumbling sounds, shielding the remaining two candies in the box as she turned her back.
She feared Hua Jinyan would be too hungry and spare even these two candies.
Hua Jinyan looked at her back and shook his head with a smile.
Little Taotie put a red candy in her mouth, finding it had a sweet cherry flavor.
Having finished one candy, she was reluctant to eat the last one, but to receive the reward of five chocolates, she put the final candy in her mouth nonetheless.
This time it was an orange candy, and she tasted its sweet and sour orange flavor.
After finishing the last candy, within three breaths, a piece of chocolate appeared in the box—a rather large piece of chocolate, nearly filling the box.
Little Taotie was extremely delighted.
She had thought all five would be small chocolates.
If only each one was this big!