Chapter 32
It’s so annoying. Chao Youqian regretted leaving a message under Zhao Tian’s circle of friends. The role of being used as a tree hole to complain really doesn’t suit him.
How hadn't he realized before that besides being a mouthful, Zhao Tian was also a chatterbox who couldn't stop talking? Was he going crazy from staying at home?
He cruelly turned on Do Not Disturb. The other person just needed a place to chat for a few words, and he just happened to reply. Chao Youqian put his phone aside, opened his tablet and started playing a popular farming management game.
The art style is very soothing, and the farming planning and harvesting have firmly grasped the bottom line of players, no wonder it is so popular. After filling the in-game warehouse to the limit, Chao Youqian rekindled his interest in farming. He would not consider actually contracting a piece of land in the countryside. It is impossible for outsiders to integrate into the village in a short time, not to mention the extremely low sense of privacy.
Although I often see some rural bloggers when watching videos. They raise all kinds of poultry, fruit trees and vegetables at home, and pick vegetables on the spot every time they cook to show the freshness, but the large area of land comes with high-intensity labor, which will be even more tiring when there is no equipment to help.
He was thinking of the villa in the same city. He'd been there several times during its renovations; the yard was enormous. The variety of fruits and vegetables grown hydroponically in high-rise buildings was limited. City H had few cases of Virus X, so they could just pack up and stay at the villa for a few days to test the waters.
After signing in and tidying up all the fields and pastures in the game and completing some daily tasks, an hour slipped by without a sound. Zhao Tian pulled out his phone and saw over a dozen messages, describing how miserable he was without a part-time cleaner, and how his parents, who rarely got together, were always arguing and ganging up on him.
The weather is hot and the villa is so large that even at low settings, it still feels a bit warm. It's humid and rainy, so the basement needs a high-powered dehumidifier running 24 hours a day to keep it cool.
He prayed for the lockdown to be lifted soon, so he could move to an apartment downtown and never again stay in a suburban villa where snakes, insects, rats, heat and humidity were rampant, and takeout was impossible to get. The last one was a bittersweet rant about his mom starting to cook some dark food again, and he had to go walk the dog in the yard to hide.
This resentment and poor verbal organization must have been suppressed for a long time. Chao Youqian shared it with Lang Xin with amusement, "Let's go to the villa this week. I wonder if there will be any leaks after so many days of rain. There's a lot of space over there, and maybe we can grow something in the yard."
Lang Xin hummed, sent a message with the license plate to the villa's property manager, and then asked, "What would you like to eat for lunch?"
"Zhao Tian really wants to eat crayfish. Here's what he wrote. It's worthy of being featured on Bite of China. So, let's have crayfish for lunch too."
Of course, crayfish are best eaten freshly killed. In Province H, a renowned crayfish-farming province, fresh produce was disrupted due to Virus X. Local authorities immediately adapted their approach, processing raw materials into semi-finished products for smooth shipment across the country.
I happened to have a few boxes of frozen crayfish in my freezer, bought online while I was home. In a large pot, I heated the frozen crayfish and the broth. Once boiling, I added some chopped cucumber, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and cilantro, sprinkled with a handful of cooked white sesame seeds, and the aroma was instantly fragrant.
Chao Youqian first took a high-definition photo and sent it to Zhao Tian, letting him talk non-stop, and then deleted and blocked the chat box to prevent the other party from bombarding him with a series of messages.
The crayfish is flavored with thirteen spices, with a spoonful of chili powder for added flavor. The broth is very rich and fragrant, without any fishy smell. The meat is very clean and firm, and the broth and crayfish complement each other very well, making you want to stop eating.
Chao Youqian ate while looking at the brand introduction on the outer packaging of the box. It turned out that it was produced in Qianjiang area of H Province. No wonder it tasted so good. He immediately ordered dozens of boxes online.
Although crayfish, a seafood with shells, loses some of its texture and becomes less chewy when frozen for a long time, it still tastes good and is easy to heat up and eat. A 700g box is mainly made up of broth, making it a great late-night snack or afternoon tea.
After eating half of it, pour the rest into a stainless steel double-handled soup pot, throw two pieces of dough into it to make crayfish noodles, and put it on the gas stove to heat.
Then take out a bag of frozen lobsters from the refrigerator, remove the packaging, thaw them, and put them in to cook. Add some refreshing side dishes to go with the noodles, such as fried peanuts in a vacuum storage can and a small bag of vacuum-packed pickled radish strips in the fresh-keeping layer. They are placed next to the noodles to whet your appetite.
Although it is not as “simple” as the caviar version that a certain video site’s rich up-loader has made, it is still a slightly luxurious pot of lobster noodles.
Chao Youqian spent the first half of the meal eating the ready-made food. Lang Xin peeled the shrimp very quickly, able to keep up with the two of them eating together. While the noodles were cooking, he poured Lang Xin a glass of sparkling water with his own dry hands. "You can eat it yourself, no need to peel it for me. I want to sip the crayfish broth. Go wash your hands and eat the noodles later."
After washing his hands, Lang Xin used a small hairpin to pin the loose hair around Chao Youqian's ear. He hadn't had a haircut in over a month, and his hair, which used to be medium-long, had recently grown out, disturbing the glutton's enjoyment of his meal.
Chao Youqian looked up cooperatively. He didn't want his hair to distract him from slurping his noodles. "Thanks. Why don't we get a haircut one of these days? We have to go see the villa anyway."
"No problem. Get a haircut that's easy to maintain. How about a buzz cut like mine? It's simple and comfortable." Lang Xin smiled as he twisted Chao Youqian's slightly longer hair into small tufts, caressing the smooth strands lovingly. He added, "Forget it, just get the cut you like. I'm already taking haircutting lessons on YouTube, so I'll take care of your hair from now on."
Chao Youqian's eyes were filled with the bubbling of a boiling pot. He had no particular preference for his hairstyle; he'd hired a celebrity named Tony for his graduation photos. The tens of thousands of dollars were well worth it. His already handsome face was accentuated by his long, dark hair, making him as striking as a summer ice cream cone. If it weren't for Lang Xin's skillful tactics in fending off romantic interests, Chao Youqian would have found his photos on the school forum completely flooded with adoring fans.
Now, this handsome young man with delicate features was slurping his noodles, a few drops of dark broth still clinging to the corners of his mouth. Lang Xin felt a sense of fulfillment. Being able to take care of Chao Youqian's daily needs and even more satisfied his endless desire to possess him.
After lunch, the carb-filled meal was incredibly satisfying, though the crayfish scent was so overpowering it soaked into my clothes. Even though I was feeling sleepy, it would take another half hour before I could shower or nap. Lang Xin finished up the remaining noodles, and he would be the one to load the dishwasher.
Chao Youqian walked around the living room to digest his food. He clicked Zhao Tian's profile picture to redisplay the dialog box. As expected, there were many complaints. Zhao Tian even sent a picture so dark that it was hard to tell what it was:
[Brother Qian, you're so heartbreaking. Look at my lunch today. Can you recognize what it is? ]
Chao Youqian enlarged the picture again and again. Hmm, isn’t it really a piece of blackened pancake?
[This is the honey teriyaki chicken thigh steak that my mother created! ]
A drop of cold sweat ran down his forehead. It turned out that what Zhao Tian said about his family being full of kitchen killers was true.
Absolutely. Have you ever considered buying a self-service stir-fry machine? This one I bought is pretty good. It gives you a stir-fried texture without the smoke. All you have to do is prepare the ingredients and add the seasonings according to the instructions. It comes with a dedicated measuring cup, so don't mess around and you'll be fine.
Zhao Tian replied again in seconds:
[Post a link! I don't know when the product will ship, but I'll get it if I buy it!]
Chao Youqian found the order link for this cooking machine. The price was a bit high but it had more functions than other machines on the market, and the fool-proof operation could save every kitchen killer.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, Chao Youqian felt a craving for something sweet. It was a mysterious, unscientific phenomenon: for a short while after a meal, people could uncontrollably crave dessert to conclude the meal.
Lang Xin was loading the dishwasher with dishwashing tablets. They usually used one or two a day, so they kept a large box in the laundry room. Chao Youqian pulled a plastic-wrapped donut from the freezer and frying it in the air fryer for a few minutes. The crust was caramelized, sweet, and crispy, and he felt elated after eating it.
After taking a shower, I took a comfortable nap. I have become accustomed to the daily temperature of over 30 or 40 degrees outside. This afternoon, it didn’t rain and the temperature was just over 30 degrees. It was a rare good weather recently.
So Lang Xin and Chao Youqian packed two bags of underwear and drove to their villa in the suburbs of City H. The location and configuration of the villa were quite good. As a first-tier city near City B, the high-end properties here were of a certain standard.
You still had to swipe your card to enter the gate. This villa complex included both townhouses and single-family homes, and several of the single-family homes were known for their large floor areas. Chao Youqian had bought a little late, choosing a single-family home just below the single-family home, which was in a very quiet location within the complex.
Previously, they felt that they lacked privacy because the layout of the community had different levels of terrain. Their building was considered to be at a high altitude, but there were several other buildings that were even higher, such as the top floor, and they could clearly see what was happening in the yard or on the roof.
I drove in directly from the side and opened the garage door. There were basically no signs of having been used on the several animal traps that had been set up in the yard. They were placed in the corners of the wall mainly to target suspicious people who climbed over the wall.
The moment I opened the door to the villa, I could smell only the slightest bit of dampness and the chilly, deserted air of someone who hadn't lived there. Although I wasn't living there, the smart home system allowed for remote control, and the air conditioning, with its fresh air system and dehumidification mode, was on a few days a week, ensuring dry storage conditions for supplies.
The room in the basement where the well is dug has a sterile waterproof membrane covering the wellhead, and it feels fresher than other rooms as soon as you enter.
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