novelraw Chapter 2255: Little Bun Romance 08
Chapter 2255: Little Bun Romance 08
"Whew! That was so delicious! This is real seafood!"
Xia Ke clutched her stomach, lying back in the chair, with a trace of soup still lingering on the corner of her mouth from the noodles she had just eaten. At this moment, she didn’t care about her image at all. Having such delicious food was already satisfying.
Ah Yin was still holding onto the large soup bowl, reluctant to put it down. Although the clams inside were already gone, the fresh and delicious soup couldn’t be left over; it had to be finished.
In comparison, Ah Jin and He Lianyu maintained a more elegant image while dining.
Ah Jin wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and nodded, "It’s indeed fresh and tasty. No wonder so many people come here for a taste."
At this moment, he not only marveled at the excellent taste of the seafood, but also secretly admired his parents’ foresight. If it weren’t for the friendly cooperation established with Dongling, many people in Dayong might not have had the chance to taste such delightful things.
He Lianyu also took out a handkerchief, but it wasn’t to wipe his own mouth; it was to wipe Xia Ke’s.
He gently wiped her mouth and then smiled, "How about it? Is there anything else you want to eat? I’ll take you to explore later."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ke immediately perked up, "Yes! I remember the last time I was here, there was a snack street by the seaside! It’s been so many years since I’ve been here, I wonder if it’s still there. Can we go to the snack street later? The food there is particularly good; I remember I loved the octopus balls and fried shrimp balls! Oh, and there’s also bobo pudding and cold jellyfish skin!"
As she spoke, Xia Ke began to drool again.
He Lianyu found this amusing and nodded repeatedly, "Alright, alright, I’ll take you, I’ll take you."
"I want to go too!" Ah Yin, holding the soup bowl, showed his big face.
Xia Ke glared at him, "We’re not taking you!"
Ah Yin was unhappy, just about to retort when someone beside them said, "Are you young gentlemen going to Seafood City? It seems you haven’t been to Yundian in a long time. Now, there’s no snack street. In recent years, it has developed particularly well, and now it’s called Seafood City."
The speaker was an older man, who seemed to have witnessed the transformation from a snack street to Seafood City firsthand. His face was full of pride and smugness.
Since it’s Seafood City, it’s probably more prosperous than before. Xia Ke’s interest was piqued even more.
After resting for a while at the inn, Xia Ke asked the maid to buy her a typical Dongling-style dress from a nearby store.
Dongling is by the sea, and both men and women can basically swim. To work conveniently on the beach, their clothing isn’t as conservative as in Dayong and Xiliang. Women in fluttering gauze dresses are everywhere, and many women visiting from other places also change into local dresses.
Some timid and more conservative women would wear a pair of white trousers inside their dresses, while some bolder women, like those from Dongling, would wear beautiful long dresses directly, with their smooth calves slightly visible under the gauze skirts, looking exceptionally beautiful.
Xia Ke wore such a gauze dress, remembering that her mother had worn one like it when she was here as a child, mesmerizing her father.
Looking at her own bright and pretty reflection in the mirror, Xia Ke’s cheeks turned slightly red, imagining how He Lianyu would react when he saw her later. Would he look at her the same way her father looked at her mother?
"Ke’er, are you ready? Can we go now?"
This was He Lianyu’s low inquiry from outside the door.
Xia Ke gave the maid a look, and the maid quickly went to open the door for He Lianyu, grinning.
"I heard your second brother snoring; let’s hurry and leave while he sleeps..."
Before he could finish his sentence, He Lianyu’s eyes were glued to the sight.
Xia Ke stood confidently in front of him, watching his suddenly dazed expression and the amazed look in his eyes, her cheeks turned even redder.
A sea breeze blew in through the window, lifting the stray hair by Xia Ke’s ears and her fluttering dress.
He Lianyu suddenly said, "A sea goddess, no less."
Xia Ke’s rosy lips gently curled up. A sea goddess? So, in his eyes, she was already a goddess.
As it turned out, not only in He Lianyu’s eyes but also in the eyes of other men, the beautiful Xia Ke was like a goddess.
To prevent Ah Yin from following them, the two quietly slipped out of the inn, holding hands as they headed towards Seafood City.
Back at the inn, Ah Jin, having witnessed everything, quietly closed his room door, glanced at his brother sleeping soundly like a dead pig, shook his head silently, and stepped forward to remove the calming incense from the table.
Ah Yin may look silly, but he’s actually quite sharp, belonging to the wise fool type. If he finds out that I used Calming Incense on him to cover for Xia Ke, I’m afraid the next few months won’t be peaceful at all.
As the name suggests, Seafood City mainly sells seafood. Of course, there are other things as well, and the second most common items are various pearl necklaces and bracelets.
Having already bought quite a few pearl necklaces from Aunt, Xia Ke saw that the necklaces here were almost the same, so she didn’t bother looking further.
Besides these items, there were also some fruits and fruit juices made from them.
Yundian has a really good reputation. Although there aren’t many original residents here—most are visitors—but the store owners never overcharge. They operate on the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency, which puts everyone at ease.
"He Lianyi, look there! Stir-fried yogurt! Can yogurt be fried? Let’s go try it, shall we?"
Curiously pointing ahead, Xia Ke was accompanied by He Lianyu, who looked like a young man accompanying his partner on an outing, holding her hand tightly for fear she might get lost in the crowd.
"Alright, let’s go take a look."
He Lianyu nodded dotingly, holding her with one hand and considerately using the other to shield her from people brushing past unintentionally.
Though a subtle gesture, Xia Ke noticed it and felt both satisfied and happy inside.
Stir-fried yogurt is actually a very simple snack, but for Xia Ke, who had never seen such a thing, it was quite novel.
While eating stir-fried yogurt, the two continued walking. It was still relatively early, so there weren’t many people on the street. Come evening, however, Seafood City would be packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
The two had only strolled down one street, and the sky had already gone dark. On this street, they had stir-fried yogurt, stinky tofu, fried fish balls, fried shrimp balls, grilled oysters, vermicelli scallops, and deep-fried little fish.
If He Lianyu wasn’t worried about her eating too much and feeling unwell, Xia Ke might have eaten more.
Night fell, and Seafood City looked even more beautiful. Red lanterns hung from the trees by the roadside, and whatever was inside them lit up at night, serving both as illumination and decoration, making the scene very festive.
"Miss, have a skewer! Authentic grilled lamb skewers! Absolutely delicious!"
An uncle shouted at Xia Ke and He Lianyu, who were walking side by side. Xia Ke had already had skewers at a nearby stall and wasn’t hungry, so she smiled and waved it off.
Just as she was about to leave with He Lianyu, she suddenly heard an extremely familiar voice, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"Eating meat is eating meat. Why mix it with vegetables? Your way of eating is not authentic; mine is the most authentic!"
"Mine’s not authentic? Let me tell you, Lin Yuan at Dayong has opened so many restaurants. Wouldn’t I know the best way to eat meat? I’m telling you, grilled meat must be dipped in sauce and then wrapped in lettuce! This way, you get meat, vegetables, and the flavor of scallions and cilantro all at once. The various flavors explode in your taste buds—this is heavenly deliciousness!"
"Go away! I just want to eat meat by itself. I’m here to enjoy meat. Why stop me? If you like vegetables, eat them on your own and don’t mess with my meat!"
"I’m not leaving. I discovered this meat stall first. If anyone should leave, it’s you! Go back to Xiliang and chew on your wild beast!"
"Ha! Did you just call me a wild beast? You’re something else. Believe it or not, I can forsake your son’s marriage proposal! I won’t help matchmake for your son, leaving both your sons as bachelors for life!"
"You’d leave my son as a bachelor? I’d leave your son as a bachelor too! Ah Zheng, the match discussed this morning is off! I won’t marry Ke’er off to Xiliang!"
Sitting by the side, Xia Zheng stared blankly at his woman, unsure whether to nod or shake his head. What started as a debate over whether to eat meat or vegetables first escalated to the level of breaking off engagements—why?
He Lianyi took a sip of Yundian’s special beer and shook his head silently, casting a sympathetic glance at Xia Zheng across the table.
Seeing Lin Yuan call off the engagement and ending their in-law relationship, Shen Yao panicked too. She took a bite of the grilled meat and snorted, "You think you can call off the engagement just like that? I don’t agree! I must have your daughter marry into the He Lian family!"
"You think you can just marry her off? I won’t agree! What will you do then?" Lin Yuan retorted, stuffing a lettuce wrap with meat into her mouth, refusing to back down.
Despite their heated argument over whether to eat meat or vegetables, the two hot-tempered women continued eating face-to-face, which was quite a spectacle indeed.
Xia Ke and He Lianyu stood frozen, looking at the four people before them, both exclaiming, "Dad, Mom, you’re really here?"
The four in front of them were indeed Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng, along with Shen Yao and He Lianyi. It was truly a twist of fate; Shen Yao and He Lianyi had just arrived at Yundian, and right after, Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng showed up too. Moreover, they all ended up at the same barbecue place!
It had been nearly twenty years since Lin Yuan and Shen Yao last met, and the last time Shen Yao appeared in "Little Peach" attire, so Lin Yuan didn’t recognize her.