Chapter 147 Are you an undercover agent?
Seeing Lin Xiaoman's exaggerated expression, Su Yingxue couldn't help but laugh. "The secret lies in the heat and the honey." She pointed to the grill. "Too high a heat and it'll burn; too low and it won't be fragrant enough. The honey should be brushed on at the very end; this will both increase the sweetness and create a beautiful crispy crust."
While devouring grilled beef skewers and grilled beef fat, Lin Xiaoman mumbled indistinctly, "This taste...this taste is simply amazing! If you opened a barbecue restaurant, it would definitely be a nationwide sensation!"
Su Yingxue winked smugly. "That's why I said I'm better suited for infiltration than you." She pointed to the key. "With this, we can get in anytime. As for how to get information out of us..." She smiled mysteriously. "Let the food do the talking."
As night deepened, the lights of the barbecue stalls shone warmly and brightly. In the distance, a small villa with plain-colored curtains stood quietly, as if waiting for something. At this moment, Lin Xiaoman and Su Yingxue were weaving an invisible net with food, quietly approaching their target.
The aroma of barbecue wafted in the wind, like invisible threads, quietly slipping through the windows of the small villa and into the house. Wang Zhiqiang, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Sui, who had just enjoyed a delicious braised pork trotter rice, found their stomachs rumbling again. The lingering fragrance of the pork trotter rice seemed to still be on their tongues, making them swallow hard.
Wang Zhiqiang patted his flat stomach and thought to himself: The skewers at that barbecue stall downstairs seem pretty good, should I go down and get some? He stood up, stretched, and started walking downstairs.
At this moment, in front of the barbecue stall, Su Yingxue was skillfully flipping the food on the grill, the firelight illuminating her focused face. Lin Xiaoman stood beside her, helping to grill the butter. Her movements seemed efficient, but upon closer inspection, her figure seemed vaguely familiar, as if she were hiding something. She would steal glances around from time to time, and when she caught sight of Wang Zhiqiang walking towards them, her body visibly stiffened, and her hands trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"Oh dear!" Lin Xiaoman exclaimed in surprise. It turned out that she hadn't controlled the heat of the butter properly. After placing a large handful of butter on the grill, the flames suddenly leaped up with a "whoosh," like an angry little beast frantically devouring the butter. The butter was instantly roasted black, its originally golden and tempting color turning pitch black, and it was emitting pungent black smoke.
Lin Xiaoman frantically tried to salvage the situation, frantically turning the clump of blackened butter over with tongs, but the more she struggled, the worse it got. The black smoke grew thicker, choking her until her eyes watered. Her face flushed red, she was anxious and panicked, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her hands trembled even more violently, almost causing her to drop the tongs.
Wang Zhiqiang walked up to the barbecue stall and immediately saw the chaotic scene. He frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between Lin Xiaoman and the lump of blackened butter. When Lin Xiaoman saw Wang Zhiqiang, her body trembled violently, and her hands moved even more frantically, dropping the tongs to the ground with a clatter.
Su Yingxue quickly stepped forward, turned down the heat, and comforted Lin Xiaoman, "Don't panic, don't panic, we can start over." She then turned to Wang Zhiqiang and smiled, "Brother Wang, what would you like to eat today?"
Looking at the scene before him, Wang Zhiqiang couldn't help but wonder: Why does this girl look so familiar? I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. He stroked his chin, his gaze lingering on Lin Xiaoman for a few seconds before he looked away and said, "Give me a few skewers of lamb, and five more skewers of beef tallow. Don't burn them this time."
Lin Xiaoman lowered her head, her face flushed, and hurriedly picked up the tongs, took a few more pieces of butter, and carefully placed them on the grill. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, her eyes fixed on the butter, not daring to relax for a moment, and her movements became exceptionally gentle, as if she were handling a fragile treasure.
Su Yingxue skillfully flipped the lamb skewers on the grill. The flames danced, and the skewers gradually turned golden brown, releasing an enticing aroma that temporarily masked the burnt smell. She secretly glanced at Lin Xiaoman, giving her an encouraging look.
Wang Zhiqiang stood to the side, watching Lin Xiaoman's nervous appearance, his doubts deepening. He stroked his chin, thinking: What's wrong with this girl? Something feels off about her.
Wang Zhiqiang, already harboring suspicions, became even more determined to probe further after witnessing their actions. Leaning against the barbecue grill, he casually remarked, "Boss, your skewers are so good, why don't you set up a stall at the night market? There are so many people there, your business would definitely be booming."
Su Yingxue's hands moved swiftly, skillfully flipping the meat skewers on the grill, the charcoal fire making her cheeks slightly red. Without looking up, she replied, "The rent over there is too expensive; our small business can't afford it." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned and called towards the kitchen, "Xiaoman! Come quickly and grill a couple more skewers of lamb for Brother Wang!"
Lin Xiaoman peeked out from the kitchen, her face still showing the embarrassment of burning the butter. Su Yingxue winked at her, then introduced her to Wang Zhiqiang, "Look, this is my cousin, she just started helping out. College students have nothing to do during vacation, so I had her come to get some experience." She deliberately raised her voice, adopting a more elder-like tone, "Am I right? College students shouldn't be so introverted, all they do is play on their phones all day. Look at her, she even burns a skewer! Anyone who didn't know better would think she was playing some kind of barbecue game!"
Wang Zhiqiang was amused by Su Yingxue's words and couldn't help but burst into laughter. The laughter reminded him of his daughter, who lived far away. "Exactly! These kids nowadays, all they do is glue to their phones all day." He nodded repeatedly, his wrinkles smoothing out with a smile. "My daughter's the same way. During her holidays, all she does is play on her phone and sleep. Getting her to help with chores is like climbing Mount Everest."
While grilling skewers, Su Yingxue chimed in, "That's right! These young people nowadays..." She suddenly raised her voice, "Xiaoman! Go inside and set out our tableware, and while you're at it, get that new box of tissues!"
"Okay!" Lin Xiaoman quickly replied, then fled into the kitchen. She walked briskly with her head down, afraid that Wang Zhiqiang would notice anything amiss. In the kitchen, she leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nervous emotions.
Su Yingxue continued chatting and laughing with the "customer," but her hands moved even more nimbly. She glanced towards the kitchen every now and then to make sure Lin Xiaoman wouldn't suddenly appear and cause trouble again. In the light of the charcoal fire, a hint of alertness flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure as a street vendor.
Wang Zhiqiang munched on a freshly grilled lamb skewer, nodding as he chewed, "Boss, this skewer is really well grilled. Much better than the ones at the night market." He deliberately used deliberate phrasing to gauge the other person's reaction.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com