Tong Zhao needed to spend the morning preparing ingredients, so she didn't go out with Shan Song in the morning.
Before leaving, Shan Song relit the fireplace that had been sealed off the night before and helped Tong Zhao move the things she needed to the terrace: "If you need anything else, Zhao Zhao, remember to call me."
"Okay, come back soon." Tong Zhao gave him a good morning kiss and stuffed the funds from the random task that morning into Shan Song's pocket.
"Give your husband an allowance?"
Under Shan Song's amused gaze, Tong Zhao turned her head and whispered, "A poor family travels with plenty of resources."
Shan Song smiled and said, "I'll listen to my wife."
Everyone pitched in today. Before leaving, Jiang Li gave Tong Zhao a key to his house so he could easily access the things in the refrigerator. Tong Zhao rolled up his sleeves, looked at the ingredients, and prepared to get started.
Since Shan Song wasn't home, Tong Zhao took out her tablet and opened the live stream, occasionally answering questions from polite netizens to avoid just doing dry work.
Because Shan Song was absent, the comments in the live stream were noticeably bolder.
Tell us more about your story with Shan Song.
What's going on between you, Qin Chong, and Geng Keli?
So, were the previous rumors true?
Is it true that you're Qin Chong's brother, as some online sources claim?
Tong Zhao's gaze lingered on a newly appeared comment for a moment, then he wiped his hands, took a screenshot, and sent it to Qi Changzhou.
Before he could even send a message, Qi Changzhou had already sent an "OK" emoji.
"I'm watching, don't worry, sister-in-law."
Tong Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and continued kneading the dough.
Because he hadn't done any other tasks, Shan Song returned earlier than the others. Tong Zhao turned off the tablet when she heard the sound and went out to greet him.
Shan Song first brought in the meat and the seafood he bought along the way, and reported the financial expenditure to Tong Zhao: "I thought the mantis shrimp and red crabs were pretty good, so I bought some, which cost 660 yuan."
Both were foods that Tong Zhao loved to eat. He smiled and tried to accept them, but Shan Song dodged him, saying, "Don't you think your husband is wasteful?"
She teased him again, and Tong Zhao tiptoed to kiss him: "You don't mind."
Dan Song's lips curled into a smile: "You wouldn't mind spending it all?"
"Mmm, I don't mind."
Dan Song's smile widened, and after seemingly thinking for a moment, he asked, "You won't deduct all your allowance next time, will you?"
This time, Tong Zhao blinked, a sly glint in her eyes, nodded seriously, and held out her hand: "Give it to me quickly, or I'll take it all away."
Dan Song refused to let him handle anything that smelled fishy, and walked past him saying, "So what if you take it all? All the ones in our family are Zhao Zhao."
Tong Zhao reluctantly followed him to the kitchen, and while Dan Song was cleaning the seafood, she fed him the freshly baked chapata.
"Hmm? Salty?"
"Is it tasty?"
"Hmm, it has a very different flavor."
If it's not considered delicious, then it's just average. Tong Zhao mentally lowered the priority of savory snacks by one level.
Jiang Li and the others sent a message saying they wouldn't be back for at least another hour. The two of them had only eaten some noodles in the morning. Tong Zhao was fine; she had eaten quite a bit just from tasting the vegetables at home. But Shan Song was already starving.
Tong Zhao cut some of the pork ribs that had been roasted beforehand and fed them around Dansong with freshly baked bread.
The ribs were brushed with honey, giving them a bright red color. They sizzled and dripped with oil as they were grilled. One bite revealed a crispy exterior and tender interior. Served with some cabbage and pickles to cut through the richness, the taste was absolutely divine.
"Alright, you'll be full if you eat any more." Shan Song dodged another bite of roasted meat and kissed Tong Zhao: "The lychee wood is back, I'll go get it. It's not for roasted chicken."
"I'll go help."
How can they be so lovey-dovey?
[Tsk, my tooth hurts.]
At least show some restraint.
To be fair, Tong Zhao's cooking skills are really good.
In the end, Shan Song didn't let Tong Zhao help with unloading the timber. He sent Tong Zhao into the room, washed a small box of blueberries, and cut a bowl of custard apples, putting them together and handing them to him: "Good boy, go and rest for a while."
Tong Zhao held the small bowl and silently watched the person busy through the window. The sweetness in her heart spread to the tip of her tongue, and suddenly she felt that this strange fruit was not very sweet anymore.
The other groups drove back, and it took exactly one hour as previously mentioned.
Jiang Li jumped out of the driver's seat, tossed her head in what she thought was cool, and said smugly, "How about that? Am I the Akina Mountain racing god? Not a single point off!"
"Impressive." Qi Yan, maintaining his status as a good friend, gave a perfunctory thumbs-up, all in the form of a routine, devoid of any genuine feeling.
"...Tch." Jiang Li ignored him. "It smells so good! I can smell the roast chicken! Aning, let's go!"
The cabin wasn't furnished yet, but with eight people huddled inside, the space felt a bit cramped. However, all of that was negligible in the face of delicious food. Jiang Li pounced on the steaming roasted ribs on the fireplace, swallowing hard as she exclaimed, "Ah Zhao's cooking is amazing!"
Tong Zhao greeted him with a smile from the terrace: "The roast chicken is ready too."
"Ah, Ah Zhao, I love you so much!" Jiang Li exclaimed loudly.
Rong Mo coughed.
Jiang Li patted Rong Mo's shoulder: "Don't be stingy, you have to have the magnanimity of an empress!"
"..." Rong Mo laughed in exasperation. He was talking about him, but he thought the little brat should spend less time online.
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere was quite lively. Several people spontaneously carried the things that were kept warm in the house to the terrace. The terrace was well prepared with flowers, beer, fruit, and various exquisitely plated grilling ingredients around a warm little stove. Food that was emitting heat was continuously brought out of the house.
"We've prepared two ovens; the four of us will share one," Tong Zhao said, pointing to the area outside.
"Ah Li, why don't we use it together?" Qin Chong invited.
"OK!"
Qin Chong was taken aback by his quick agreement, and Geng Keli also looked over.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Li then pulled Tong Zhao and Luan Yining to sit with Qin Chong at the same time: "We're in one group, and they're in another!"
Wow, this is all perfectly planned!
[Ah Li, did you see the looks those people are giving us?]
[Le, this time he's completely stolen everyone else's wives.]
After a busy morning, everyone's appetite was whetted, and they barely spoke a few words in front of the rice, completely forgetting about interacting with the audience in the live stream.
"Ah Zhao," Jiang Li said between bites, "the bread you made is so delicious!"
"Why don't we open a shop? Does Ah Zhao have a secret recipe?"
Tong Zhao suspected that Jiang Li might buy emotional value in bulk, otherwise how could she be so smooth, praising him one after another until his face was stiff from smiling? In the end, he could only give her a few more pieces of meat to stop her incessant chatter.
Luan Yining also likes sweets, and although she is not as talkative as Jiang Li, she still praised Tong Zhao a couple of times.
Even Qin Chong, who had initially looked at the grill with disdain, ate several pieces with restraint. Tong Zhao had just caught a glimpse of him frowning after taking a bite of meat and assumed that the young master couldn't handle such smoky food.
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