fictionpage Chapter 492 She's about to give birth, and it's one baby followed by two!
Chapter 492 She's about to give birth, and it's one baby followed by two!
The air was quiet for a second.
Xia Ning looked down at her work, remained silent for a moment, and then flipped the grilled fish over.
Hmm, the bottom is a bit darker than the top.
"...This is called a caramelized flavor." Xia Ning took the grilled fish off the rack. "The outer layer is crispy, and the inside is tender. It's an ultimate contrast in textures."
The entire room fell silent once again.
Yuanbao lay down beside him, its tail tip twitching slightly.
Lin Feng handed Xiao Cheche to Su Wan, picked up his chopsticks without saying a word, and stuffed a piece into his mouth.
He chewed it twice.
I chewed it a couple more times.
Everyone was watching him.
Lin Feng swallowed, took a deep breath, and flashed a bright smile: "Delicious!"
Tang Xiaorui asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
"Really." Lin Feng picked up another piece, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it with a crunchy sound. "My wife's grilled fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a wonderful aroma. Most people just can't grill it to this level."
Xia Ning turned her head to look at him, and it seemed that a small part of her usually cold eyes had been melted by the setting sun, and something soft overflowed from them.
Hua Hua, having somehow gotten close, tilted her head back to look at the unappetizing piece of fish on the grill, then at Lin Feng's earnestly eating expression, before slowly turning her head and saying to Yuan Bao:
"You should learn from them! The emotional value they provide... is just right!"
Yuanbao looked down at his paws and fell into deep thought.
........................
Half an hour is neither a long nor a short time; it's enough for the aromas on the beach to build up in layers of complexity.
Tang Xiaorui was the first to complete her work.
Her knife skills weren't particularly good, but she was patient. She sliced each piece evenly and arranged them on the crushed ice like a flower slowly blooming.
Tang Xiaofu followed closely behind, neatly arranging three large rows of seaweed rice rolls.
The rice was mixed with sesame oil, the tuna was minced, and it was sandwiched with cucumber strips, egg crepe strips, and pickled radish. The seaweed was rolled up tightly, and the cross-sections showed distinct colors, making it look like a series of exquisite miniature hand rolls.
Little Lin Che stretched out his arms in Su Wan's arms to reach for it, babbling anxiously.
"You're too young to eat this." Tang Xiaofu smiled and poked his chubby cheek. "When you grow up, Auntie will make it especially for you."
It was much quieter on Evelyn's side.
She chose a piece of lean meat near the tail end, and instead of cutting it, she held the whole piece in her hand and rubbed it thoroughly with coarse salt, black pepper, and fresh dill. Then she tied it into a tight cylindrical shape with cotton string and placed it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In front of Wasim was a deep frying pan, the oil inside sizzling with tiny bubbles.
He cut the tuna into thumb-sized cubes, marinated them for ten minutes with turmeric powder, paprika, cumin powder and a little cinnamon powder, then coated them with a thin layer of chickpea flour before cooking them in batches.
In the frying pan in front of Su Wan, the butter was sizzling and melting, and the tuna steak was immediately put into the pan, and the pleasant frying sound rang out.
She seasoned it with just a little sea salt and black pepper, pan-fried it until golden brown on both sides, slightly crispy on the outside, and still maintaining a beautiful rose pink color in the middle, and drizzled half a lemon's juice on it before taking it out of the pan.
The long table was quickly filled to the brim.
Tang Xiaorui's sashimi was arranged on crushed ice, glistening and translucent.
Tang Xiaofu's seaweed rice rolls were neatly arranged and smelled delicious with the aroma of savory sauce.
Evelyn's slow-roasted tuna came out of the oven with a uniform pink color on the cut surface.
Vassim's Pakoras are piled up into a small golden mountain.
Su Wan's pan-fried tuna fillet lay quietly on a white porcelain plate, simple yet sophisticated.
As for Xia Ning's grilled fish belly, although its appearance was still not very presentable, it became a unique sight when it was placed on the table.
Lin Feng picked up a piece, chewed it a couple of times, and his eyes lit up.
"This is really delicious," he said.
Su Wan also took a bite and nodded: "I didn't expect that burnt food could have a burnt flavor."
"This is called the Maillard reaction," Xia Ning said, picking up her glass with a hint of pride. "Most people can't control this level of intensity."
Tang Xiaorui pursed her lips, but her chopsticks had already honestly reached for the charred fish skin.
Yuanbao and Huahua, along with their six fluffy kittens, were happily eating on a nearby mat.
Yuanbao buried his head in his food, eating with gusto, his whiskers covered in crumbs, while Huahua gently tore the fish into small pieces and fed them to the kitten beside her.
The six little creatures huddled together, chattering and scrambling for food, their round bodies rubbing against each other.
As the charcoal fire on the barbecue grill gradually dimmed, the music on the Bluetooth speaker switched from reggae to folk.
The intro is a clean acoustic guitar strumming, and the melody glides past your ears like a sea breeze, carrying a touch of nostalgic warmth.
Lin Feng listened for a few seconds, then his eyes lit up: "Our Time, this song is so fitting."
Everyone raised their beer glasses and clinked them together in the last rays of the setting sun.
With a "ding," the amber-colored liquor swayed slightly, and bubbles overflowed from the rim of the glass, sliding down the fingers.
Su Wan took the first big gulp and let out a satisfied sigh: "I've never had such delicious beer in my life."
"That's because you were tired just now." Xia Ning took a sip, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.
Vassim downed most of the glass in one gulp, then let out a loud burp, which made Tang Xiaofu and Tang Xiaorui chuckle to themselves.
Lin Feng, holding a cup, leaned against the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone on the beach, and spoke softly:
"I could live like this forever and never get tired of it."
Xia Ning turned to look at him, but didn't reply. She simply touched the rim of his glass with her beer glass.
Another "ding" sounded.
........................
After a hearty meal, it got completely dark.
Wasim took out a ukulele he had bought at the mall during the day, and plucked the strings with a smile:
"Evelyn and I will put on a show for everyone."
Evelyn sat beside him, her hands folded on her knees, a slight smile curving her lips.
Wasim's fingertips fell, and the prelude flowed out lightly.
Evelyn began to sing softly, her voice gentle and clear, as if cleansed by a spring, singing the classic song "Auld Lang Syne".
Upon hearing this, everyone present joined in, humming along softly.
No one noticed when Leng Meng started frowning.
"Mengmeng?" Su Wan was the first to notice something was wrong. "What's wrong with you?"
Leng Meng did not answer, her lips pressed into a thin line, and one hand slowly pressed against her abdomen.
She didn't move, but slowly lowered her head—
A small, dark water stain was silently spreading on the hem of her skirt below her thighs.
"My water broke." Leng Meng's voice was calm.
As soon as she finished speaking, Vivian's body stiffened abruptly, and her fingers gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
"I—" She looked down, her voice trembling slightly, "My water broke too."