“And how do you know my dad has the day off today?” He works three days on, three days off, which doesn’t align with other people’s work and rest days; how did he know her dad was home today?
“I can calculate.” Shen Mo glanced at her, full of skepticism.
“…” Hua Jie tugged at the corner of her brow, puzzled at how he seemed to know her father better than she did.
After they stopped outside her house, Shen Mo waited for her to find her keys, then suddenly leaned in and tapped her shoulder.
“Look!” He said, pointing at his chin.
“What’s wrong?” Hua Jie widened her eyes to see, there was no pimple, what’s up?
“…” Shen Mo frowned, tilting his head up toward her, “Look closely!”
“What am I supposed to be looking at?” she asked, puzzled. Was he trying to show off how good-looking his jawline was?
But her gaze unintentionally slipped down, landing on his subtly bobbing Adam’s apple.
The direction of her gaze was fixed on the sharply defined Adam’s apple that jutted from his youthful skin.
It was like there was a sharp little stone hidden in his neck, sliding back and forth, tempting one to reach out…
Hua Jie quickly clenched her fist; that was not something she could just touch at will.
“Are you face-blind too?” Shen Mo looked down at her somewhat angrily, “Hurry up and open the door.”
He gestured with his hand.
Hua Jie pouted.
Was Idol Shen becoming more domineering, more impatient, and fiercer?
The two of them entered the yard one after the other, Shen Mo carrying the small box he brought from home, following her to the house door.
As she reached out to pull the door open, he kicked her heel slightly and said in a proud tone, barely above a whisper:
“I grew a beard!”
After saying that, he stretched his arm past her shoulder to open the door.
The door swung open, almost hitting Hua Jie’s face.
She quickly stepped back to the left and looked up at the boy, whose proud face boasted a slightly lifted chin with a few wispy whiskers.
Though not thick, they bristled defiantly, unruly yet impressive.
Hua Jie couldn’t help but laugh; was this something to show off?
Boys can really be funny.
She was still staring at him when he had already placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her through the door.
The young man had confidently said he came to see her father and that it had nothing to do with her, yet now he insisted she go in first, still somewhat embarrassed to barge in so boldly.
But just as Hua Jie took a step inside, Huanhuan was already excitedly pouncing.
Not on her, but on Shen Mo standing just behind her, wagging his tail wildly and even grunting.
“…” Traitorous dog.
Hua Jie stepped over the small dog’s head and entered the house first.
“Shen Mo is here,” Hua’s mother was preparing lunch when she saw Shen Mo enter the house and immediately said, “The juice is in that cabinet, help yourself.”
“No need, Auntie, I’m not thirsty,” Shen Mo hurriedly replied.
“Still shy? Hua Jie, pour him a glass,” her mother instructed.
“Okay, Mom.” Named to take care of the guest, Hua Jie ran into the inner room to put away her easel and other items, then hurried back out to respond.
“Where’s Uncle?” Shen Mo asked.
“He went out to buy some parts. Hua Jie’s new furniture design needs white paint, and leather for the sofa cushions. Plus, materials for the iron frame, welding and such, he still has to pick up the materials,” Hua’s mother answered seriously.
“Will Uncle be back for lunch?” Shen Mo followed up.
“He will be. He’s been out for quite a while now, should be home soon,” her mother said. Today she cooked a small chicken stew, made toothpick meat, and prepared dipping vegetables, as weekends are big meal days for their family.
“Auntie, I brought some prawns that someone sent from out of town, let’s have them for lunch,” Shen Mo then opened the cardboard box.
Both Hua’s mother and Hua Jie leaned in to look inside the box.
“Wow!” Hua Jie saw the prawns as long as a man’s hand. For a small northern town far from the sea in the year 2000, this was a rare treat.
Such good stuff that you can’t even buy here.
“What’s that? Squid?” Hua’s mother reached out a finger, moving aside the top layer of prawns to see the octopus below.
“Mm, big prawns, octopus, and below that, abalone,” Shen Mo said with a smile.
“Wow! Three-head abalone???” Hua Jie reached out and exclaimed in astonishment.
“You know your stuff,” Shen Mo looked up at Hua Jie. Despite her small stature, she was quite knowledgeable.
Many adults in Jinsong City didn’t even know what abalone was, and she could even tell the quality of the abalone?
“Don’t underestimate a food lover,” Hua Jie held the abalone, unable to resist admiring it. Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve had this!
“This must have cost a lot?” Hua’s mother stood up and looked at Shen Mo.
“It didn’t cost anything, someone sent it to my dad,” Shen Mo said.
“Why didn’t you keep it to eat at home with Teacher Shen?” Hua’s mother politely asked.
“My dad doesn’t like these things,” Shen Mo answered smoothly.
“I don’t know how to cook this,” Hua’s mother confessed, somewhat troubled.
“I can do it! Deep-fried prawns! Braised abalone! Stir-fried octopus with chives! Super delicious! Leave it to me!” Hua Jie said, already rolling up her sleeves to start cooking.
“You know how? Where did you learn?” Hua’s mother was astonished.
“Learned from books, guaranteed delicious!” Hua Jie said, already picking up the small box.
“Hey, those are expensive ingredients, don’t ruin them, what a waste that would be,” her mother still worried.
“Just watch,” Hua Jie had already begun taking things out one by one, starting to defrost them, then sent Shen Mo off to watch TV with the little birds while she went out to buy chives and various side dishes.
“This child…” Hua’s mother sighed as she watched the young girl run out, then poured Shen Mo a large glass of freshly made, cooled apple juice and picked the largest frozen pear from the yard.
She handed the glass to Shen Mo’s left hand and placed the frozen pear in a bowl in his right hand.
“What’s this?” Shen Mo was surprised, wondering what this dark frozen egg was.
“Frozen pear, haven’t you ever had it?” Hua’s mother looked at him with a gaze as if he were a pitiful alien.
“No.” It’s actually a pear? What kind of bizarre food is this?
“Try it, it’s really fragrant, you’ll want more after you try it,” Hua’s mother assured him, eagerly watching.
“…” Shen Mo reluctantly took a bite, his teeth froze, and it was very hard.
“Hahaha…” Hua’s mother laughed heartily, “You really haven’t tried it before, you’re supposed to suck on it, it’s very sweet when you do.”
She patted Shen Mo on the shoulder, then went out to continue cooking the chicken.
Inside, the room was cozy and warm, with the aroma of chicken soup mixing with the steam spreading throughout the house, making Shen Mo restless.
It was also overwhelmingly fragrant.
He had no choice but to hold the bowl and suck on the frozen pear.
After a while, through his relentless efforts, the frozen pear finally thawed, and the cool, sweet pear juice flowed from the cracked skin into his mouth, shockingly delicious.
“!”
This unassuming thing was surprisingly tasty.
So, surrounded by the aroma of chicken soup, he slurped on the pear.
Huanhuan nestled beside his legs, continuously thumping his leg with his large tail, and in the oversized birdcage, the matured White Spirit moved leisurely. Each of the two perches in the cage hosted a bird, with their long tails naturally hanging down, occasionally preening their feathers, appearing exceptionally relaxed and content.
Whenever Shen Mo sucked on the pear, making noise, the White Spirit birds seemed provoked, immediately bursting into song, asserting that in this house, only their singing was the most melodious.
Even the noise of eating could not surpass the birds’ singing.
In no time, Hua’s father returned, carrying bags big and small, which he dropped off in the yard before coldly entering the house to warm up by the stove. It was only then that he noticed Shen Mo gnawing on his second frozen pear.
“He’s here,” Hua’s father casually greeted, as if Shen Mo was a family friend who came over every day.
“Uncle,” Shen Mo put down the frozen pear, lifting Huanhuan into his arms. The little dog rested its fluffy chin on his shoulder, its whiskers tickling him. He reached out to smooth its fur, and Huanhuan immediately turned to nuzzle his cheek with its wet nose, acting rather spoiled.
“Come on, help me assemble the rack and press down the iron,” Hua’s father, now warmed up, took a sip of hot water and dragged Shen Mo out to work in the yard.
When Hua Jie returned from shopping, she saw her father wearing a mask and welding iron. Shen Mo had one foot on the ground and the other lifted high onto an iron bar placed on a high stool. Thankfully, his legs were long enough to reach.
His posture was quite imposing, exuding a rough and rugged masculinity.
“Dad,” Hua Jie called out warmly.
“Don’t look directly at the sparks, it’s bad for your eyes. Come inside,” her father advised.
“Okay,” she quickly entered the house carrying the groceries.
…
Outside, the men worked together energetically.
Inside, one stove stewed chicken, while another was reserved for Hua Jie’s cooking.
After defrosting the abalone, she cut it into diamond shapes. She boiled water in a pot, adding salt, sugar, and vegetable oil. Carrot slices and cauliflower were blanched in boiling water, then removed and cooled.
She then added more oil to the pot, sautéed ginger and garlic until fragrant, poured in soy sauce, added water, oyster sauce to enhance the umami and saltiness, and a little sugar to remove any fishiness. The cleaned abalone was then added to the pot to cook.
Once the abalone puffed up into a flower shape, she thickened the sauce, added it to the pot, and then poured the sauce over the arranged cauliflower and carrot slices on a plate, creating a beautiful and fragrant dish.
The octopus was cut into rings and shapes, treated differently based on the part. After blanching, it was stir-fried with chives to eliminate any fishiness and enhance the flavor. The slightly hot, tender, and bouncy texture was incredibly delicious.
The prawns were cleaned and deep-fried until the skin was crispy.
Onions, green onions, green peppers, chili peppers, ginger, and garlic were stir-fried in the pot and set aside.
More oil was added to the pot, rock sugar was fried until colored, followed by star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices to fry until fragrant. The prawns were then quickly stir-fried to absorb the flavors, and the previously fried onions and other ingredients were added back in with a little MSG to finish before being served hot, crispy on the outside and tender inside, irresistibly aromatic.
Her three dishes were served alongside her mother’s chicken soup, toothpick meat, and dipping vegetables. With the rice served, Hua Jie opened the door to call her father and Shen Mo to come in for dinner.
As they entered, they were greeted by a wave of delicious aromas. After washing up in a hurry, they sat down to start eating.
Only at the table did Shen Mo realize that although Hua’s father could now tolerate the smell of seafood, he still didn’t eat it.
His enthusiasm deflated a bit, the delicacies he had brought with great excitement had one less admirer, which slightly dampened his spirits.
It wasn’t until Hua’s father placed a large chicken leg in his bowl that Shen Mo’s mood lightened. The taste of the chicken leg immediately lifted his spirits, and he began to eat heartily.
The shrimp skins were fried until crispy and flavored perfectly, crunchy with each bite, the sweetness of the onions and the fragrance of various peppers subtly enhancing the taste.
Biting into the shrimp meat, the tender and bouncy texture was intoxicating, the unique sweetness of the shrimp was irresistible.
The toothpick meat was made of lamb, specifically from lambs on the vast grasslands, cooked with a generous amount of cumin and other spices, as thrilling to eat as skewers.
Then came a perfectly tender abalone, the aroma of garlic and various spices wrapping around each bite, making it exceptionally satisfying.
Squid rolls, chicken wings…
Ow-ow-ow, after getting a bit tired of meat, a lettuce rice roll followed—
Lettuce spread open on the palm, topped with fragrant rice, smeared with soybean and mushroom meat sauce, then layered with cucumber slices, tofu skin, and more, rolled up and bitten into, delicious enough to consider swallowing one’s fingers.
The refreshing lettuce perfectly balanced the richness of the meat flavors in the mouth.
Shen Mo ended up eating to fullness again.
After the meal, though Hua’s father pinched his nose, complaining about the need to burn incense to remove the seafood smell, there was still a look of satisfaction and joy in his eyes.
He lounged with his legs crossed, watching the two kids eagerly eating, which brightened his mood as well.
“Let’s rest a bit, then we’ll get back to work,” Hua’s father said.
“Okay,” Shen Mo nodded, wondering if he could score another meal later that evening.
…
On the other side of Jinsong City, Shen Jiaru had just phoned to ask about the recipes for the prawns, abalone, and octopus, which he repeated to his aunt. Excited, he clapped his hands and went around to the window to fetch a box of fresh seafood he had left there.
Moments later, he stood by the window, looking down at the now empty spot.
?
Where was his seafood?
The box was completely gone, only a row of footprints remained, leading to the gate.