armyinform Chapter 532 Before Meals
Chapter 532 Before Meals
"Burp—" Tang Wan put down the empty bamboo skewer, stroking her stomach with her right hand. "I'm full. How about you, husband?"
"I'm about 70% full." Lu You pulled out a tissue and wiped Tang Wan's mouth clean. "Shall we sit a little longer, or pay the bill and leave?"
"Let's pay the bill and leave! I want to go home."
Tang Wan finished the remaining tea in her cup, got up, and walked to the front desk.
"Hello, check."
The receptionist, with a professional smile, asked, "Okay, what's your table number?"
"number 15."
"Please wait a moment." The waiter beeped a few times on the computer, and a red, festive number popped up: "Cheng Hui 1888".
"Young Master Duo!?" Tang Wan wondered if she had misheard.
"1888, we're having a promotion right now! Sign up for a card and top up 1000 yuan to get a 100 yuan discount coupon!" the waiter said with a smile.
"I……"
Fill your dam!
Tang Wan suppressed the urge to swear and took out her phone to pay.
Looking at the spending notifications on the screen, Tang Wan felt as if she could hear her wallet crying.
He returned to his seat and left with Lu You.
As soon as she stepped out of the store, Tang Wan's suppressed anger could no longer be contained and erupted.
"What a terrible yakitori place! It's a lousy roadside stall. The food is mediocre, the service is terrible, and yet it costs nearly a thousand yuan per person. They might as well rob people!"
Tang Wan raised her middle finger towards the shop door and spat fiercely.
"You traitorous collaborator, you opened a shop that sells goods at prices higher than the Japanese themselves! You should go bankrupt as soon as possible! You idiot, you bastard, you piece of shit, you bastard!"
Lu You couldn't help but laugh.
Tang Wan always spoke with restraint; even when she was angry, she would only occasionally utter one or two uncivilized interjections.
Lu You had never seen anyone swear at five or six words in a single sentence like this before, and it was easy to see that Tang Wan was truly enraged.
"Alright, little bomb." Lu You pressed down Tang Wan's right hand, which was making an indecent gesture. "We're still outside, so watch your manners."
"I was already being very polite by not blocking the entrance and calling it a rip-off! Nearly two thousand yuan for a single grilled bird skewer? Give it to me, and I could grill five meals of it!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Tang Wan had a sudden inspiration and grabbed Lu You's wrist.
"I've got it! I know what to do for May Day!"
……
That's roughly the situation.
"Tsk tsk, two thousand yuan for street-side barbecue skewers, you guys are really willing to spend it!" Li Yu couldn't help but tease. If it were him, he would have gotten up and left the moment he saw the menu, not caring about this or that.
It's not that Li Yu can't afford two thousand yuan, but if it's a high-end restaurant, she would just pay two thousand yuan, after all, the environment, service and ingredients are what they are.
Street-side barbecue stalls use ordinary frozen ingredients, are set up in noisy main streets, and offer only basic service like pouring a cup of tea and serving a dish—virtually nothing. They are completely unworthy of the 2,000 yuan price tag.
"Consider it a lesson learned, it doesn't matter."
A short while later, a feeling of weightlessness came over me, but it was gone in an instant.
Then, the elevator doors on both floors opened simultaneously.
"Let's go, we're here."
Lu You stepped out of the elevator first, followed closely by the others.
Turn right after exiting the building, walk a few steps, and stop in front of the black security door at the end of the corridor.
Lu You pressed her right thumb onto the recognition area, and after a "beep" sound, she opened the door.
"Please come in. The slippers are in the shoe cabinet. Pick whichever you like."
The group entered the house.
Tang Wan immediately came out to greet them, hugging the two girls tightly with a joyful expression.
"Sisters, it's been so long! I've missed you all so much!"
Xu Nian curled her lip and said disdainfully, "You miss me but you never come to find me? Your boyfriend and I are in the same major."
“Exactly! It’s one thing that my law school dorm is far away, but I’ve been living in the building next to yours every year,” Wang Linghua chimed in.
"Oh dear, I'm just too busy with student council work, I don't have time."
Xu Nian chuckled and retorted, "So you'll have time to go on dates with your boyfriend?"
"You value romance over friendship, you're hypocritical and pretentious!" Wang Linghua added insult to injury.
That was the truth, and Tang Wan was speechless.
Moreover, there was nothing she could do.
Twenty-four hours a day, eating, drinking, and relieving oneself take up part of the time, studying takes up part of the time, student council takes up part of the time, and finding Lu You to kiss takes up another part of the time. All the time is taken up, so how can there be any time for sisters?
After everyone changed into slippers, Lu You invited them into the living room.
"Please sit wherever you like, I'll get you some water."
Li Yu plopped down on the sofa, placed the items in his hands on the coffee table, and adopted a domineering attitude.
"Do you have any 82 Lafite? I have a healthy liver, so I like to drink something with a high alcohol content."
Would you drink 75% medical alcohol?
"A mere 75% isn't even worthy of being served. I usually drink 96% pure water."
Lu You ignored Li Yu and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
The girls were as noisy and chattering as ever, sharing their recent updates with each other.
"Wanwan, didn't you say you went to get your nails done? Let me see how it turned out. If it looks good, I'll get one done when I have time."
Li Yu silently pricked up her ears.
Xu Nian is interested in nail art, and as her boyfriend, he can't pretend he didn't hear it.
"What are you looking at? It's been two weeks, it's all gone by now!"
Even so, Tang Wan still opened her palm and showed her fingers.
Judging from the color, the nails are still pink, but the nail surface is noticeably rough and lacks the smooth luster of normal nails.
"You're really willing to spend a thousand yuan on something that won't even last two weeks!" Although it wasn't her own money, Wang Linghua still felt the pinch.
A little over a thousand yuan is enough to eat in the cafeteria for a month.
"Nail art requires maintenance. Without maintenance, it will only last two weeks. With proper maintenance, it can last a month or two without any problem."
"Are you planning to do it a second time?" Xu Nian asked.
"I'm not doing it anymore." Tang Wan shook her head. "Manicures are too damaging to nails. As you can see, I only did it once, and my nails are now pitted and uneven. Plus, having something on your nails makes your fingers feel stuffy and uncomfortable."
"There are negative effects? Then I won't do it." Xu Nian decisively gave up the idea of getting her nails done. Anyway, she wasn't particularly interested in it, so not doing it wouldn't have any impact.
As for Wang Linghua, she never cared about fancy and flashy things.
Deng Rui wanted to chat with Li Yu, but seeing that Li Yu's gaze was fixed on the girl, he gave up the idea and instead looked at the room's decor.
To be honest, in terms of size alone, Lu You's home isn't much bigger than Deng Rui's old neighborhood; it's at most ten or twenty square meters larger.
If you're talking about decorating, the two are not in the same league.
A white wall, white bricks, wooden furniture, and exposed electrical wires, all seemingly disconnected from each other.
One approach is to combine hard furnishings and soft furnishings to create a unified style, which gives a sense of comfort.
If I work hard for ten years, will I be able to buy one?
Deng Rui boldly estimated that without the help of a special opportunity, it would take at least twenty years to achieve this, let alone ten.
At least, that's certainly true in the capital.
Housing prices in the capital are too high; even with the current downturn in the real estate market, they are still beyond the reach of most people.
If this were in Guangzhou, I might barely be able to think about it.
"The water is coming."
Lu You's voice pulled Deng Rui's wandering thoughts back to reality.
Upon closer inspection, a transparent glass filled with a milky white liquid appeared on the table in front of me.
"Good grief, you're using the coconut juice your brother bought to treat your brother, huh?"
"Drink your drink, you talk too much nonsense!"
Deng Rui didn't get involved in the verbal sparring between Li Yu and Lu You. He picked up his cup and took a sip.
The flavor of coconut, the sweet aroma of dairy products, and the lingering coolness of spring.
It's good, delicious.
Unlike Deng Rui's reserved manner, Li Yu boldly downed her drink in one gulp and handed the empty cup to Lu You.
"Continued Cup."
Lu You pointed expressionlessly to the dining room, "Pour it yourself from the table."
"I am a guest."
“My mom always gets this treatment when she comes.”
"Tsk, what an unfilial son!"
Li Yu put down her glass, got up, and walked into the restaurant.
When he came out, he was holding a bottle of coconut juice, the same one he had bought at the school supermarket on his way there.
"You have a huge pile of ingredients on your table. Can you handle it all? Do you need my help?"
Lu You scoffed, "You can?"
"will not."
As a second-generation rich kid, Li Yu is known for never lifting a finger.
"If you don't know, what are you talking about? Go play your game."
"That's exactly what I was waiting for!" Without a moment's hesitation, Li Yu plunged into the corridor and headed straight for the gaming room. "Hey, by the way, what's your computer password?"
"Just open it, no password needed."
The desktop computer at home is only used for entertainment, storing only games, videos, and chat software, and since few outsiders visit, there is no need to set a password.
After settling Li Yu in, Lu You turned her attention to Deng Rui. Tang Wan would take care of the girls, so there was no need to worry about them.
"I also have a gaming laptop, why don't you go play for a while?"
Deng Rui finished his coconut juice, stood up, and said, "Didn't you say there were a lot of ingredients that needed to be processed? I'll lend a hand as a way of repaying you for treating me to dinner."
"You can?"
The question was the same as the one Li Yu had asked before, but in a different tone.
Deng Rui smiled and said, "I started helping my mom cook when I was in elementary school."
In the kitchen, in front of the counter.
Lu You reached into the black plastic bag and pulled out a large, reddish-brown shrimp.
Seemingly anticipating its impending death, the prawn struggled and curled its tail, making smacking sounds.
A strange look appeared on Deng Rui's face.
The Australian dragon is about the length of an average adult male's calf, with a huge head, two long antennae pointing straight to the sky, and five pairs of slender, bamboo-skewer-like legs on its chest.
Deng Rui had only ever seen this thing in food bloggers' videos.
Lu You pressed down on the Australian dragon's head with one hand to fix it to the cutting board, and with the other hand, he picked up a bright silver kitchen knife that was three fingers wide.
"Old Deng, do you know what to do with the Australian lobster?"
Obviously, Deng Rui didn't know, but that didn't stop him from learning it on the spot.
"You demonstrate."
"Okay."
Lu You gripped the handle of the kitchen knife, aimed it at the gap where the Australian dragon's head and body met, first inserting a small section of the knife tip, then pushing it forcefully, moving it half a circle along the edge.
The Australian dragon convulsed violently, its two majestic antennae drooping down, lifeless.
Lu You did not stop there. She put the kitchen knife aside with her right hand, grabbed the shrimp, twisted it once forward and once backward, and pulled it out forcefully.
Clear blood gushed out, and the Australian dragon's head was severed from its body.
"Have you learned it?"
Deng Rui quickly reviewed the entire process and felt confident.
"You can give it a try."
"Okay, I believe you."
Lu You soaked the shrimp bodies in the prepared ice water, took a clean plate, and used a spoon to remove the shrimp brains.
Lu You didn't see the shrimp paste, so he figured the Australian lobster was male.
Lu You handed the kitchen knife to Deng Rui, making room for him.
"Please begin your performance."
Deng Rui took the knife, rinsed the cutting board to remove the blood, and then slowly took out the Australian lobster from the black plastic bag.
It was still entirely brownish-red, with two antennae, an uneven head, and was struggling and thrashing its body, showing that it was full of vitality.
Lu You had no intention of offering any guidance, but watched with great interest.
Deng Rui slightly rotated his wrist, mimicking Lu You's movements, to fix the shrimp's head, and then inserted the knife tip through the gap, circling it halfway.
Once the Australian lobster is completely dead, remove its body, soak it in ice water, and use a spoon to scoop out the lobster brain from its head.
Deng Rui remained calm throughout, his movements fluid and graceful, thoroughly enjoying the experience.
Lu You raised an eyebrow, surprised, and asked, "You've killed before?"
"I've killed the small ones before, but this is the first time I've killed a big one." Deng Rui turned on the tap, and the water gushed down, submerging his hands.
"But your level of proficiency doesn't seem like that of someone doing this for the first time."
"It's just a matter of a few quick moves, much easier than killing a chicken."
"You can even kill chickens?" Lu You was shocked.
Deng Rui turned off the tap, shook his hands, and said, "During the Spring Festival, we killed an average of one a day."
"Cow batch!"
Lu You gave him a thumbs up in admiration. He could kill fish, shrimp, and crabs, but he couldn't bring himself to do it to warm-blooded animals.
The shrimp processing wasn't finished yet, so Lu You picked up the knife again and continued to the next step.
Use the tip of a knife to cut the connection between the shrimp shell and the abdominal membrane on both sides, forcibly tear off the membrane, and then peel off the shrimp meat segment by segment.
During this time, due to residual muscle reflexes, the shrimp's body would occasionally curl up.
Five minutes later, a whole shrimp lay quietly on the cutting board.
The afternoon sunlight shone through the glass onto the shrimp meat, giving it a jade-like luster.
Lu You cut the shrimp meat in half.
Put one section back into ice water, cut the other section into six pieces, plate them, wash them, and then pour a small dish of fish sauce on top.
Simple Australian lobster sashimi, done.
Lu You took out chopsticks, picked up a piece, dipped it in a little fish sauce, and put it in her mouth.
It has a cool, crisp, and chewy texture, with a sweet taste and a hint of salty freshness from the sea.
Top-tier enjoyment deserves top-tier prices.
"Would you like to try some?" Lu You pushed the plate in front of Deng Rui.
Deng Rui's eyes flickered slightly, but he hesitated.
Will eating it raw cause diarrhea?
"That possibility cannot be ruled out," Lu You said truthfully.
Deng Rui hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the craving in his stomach, so he picked up his chopsticks and ate a piece.
Looking at Deng Rui's expression, Lu You smiled confidently and said, "Is it delicious?"
Deng Rui swallowed the shrimp meat, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's a very novel experience. Overall, it's delicious."
"Well, you two actually stole food!"
Along with the sound came the softness and warmth of a sun-warmed quilt on my back, and a heavy feeling on my left shoulder.
Lu You knew without even thinking that Tang Wan had arrived.
"Lobster sashimi, would you like some?"
Tang Wan didn't reply, but simply opened her mouth and let out an "ah".
Lu You picked up a piece of shrimp, dipped it in fish sauce, and fed it to her.
Wang Linghua followed Tang Wan into the kitchen.
Deng Rui picked up the plate and presented it to Wang Linghua.
"Want to try it? It's delicious."
Wang Linghua glanced at Deng Rui, took the plate, and also took the chopsticks from his hand.
"Wait……"
Before Deng Rui could even speak, Wang Linghua had already put the shrimp meat in her mouth, her two rosy lips holding a piece of chopstick tip.
Deng Rui's eye muscles twitched slightly.
That's incredibly fast!
Seeing Deng Rui's hesitant expression, Wang Linghua frowned slightly, feeling a surge of impatience.
"What?! Just say what you have to say!"
Deng Rui instantly composed himself and shook his head calmly.
"It's alright, I have nothing to say."
"Humph, that's inexplicable."
Lu You looked back at the living room, which was empty; there was no one in sight.
It seems Xu Nian went to the computer room to pair up with Li Yu.
Lu You then took another pair of chopsticks and handed them to Tang Wan, saying, "There are two more pieces of shrimp. Take them to your best friend so they can have a taste too."
Tang Wan gave an OK sign in front of her left eye, "Mission accomplished!" (End of Chapter)