Chapter 88
When at sea, you naturally have to eat seafood.
Fresh and sweet shrimp, plump crabs, and meaty yet not greasy fish with a slightly sweet aftertaste... These are all freshly caught and sent directly to the kitchen for cooking, so you can hardly taste any fishy smell, only the sweetness of the sea.
Xu Gui had originally intended to catch a few sea urchins, but quite a few were dug up instead—the area where they had previously filmed had grown a lot of sea urchins, and the people on the boat had caught a whole bunch.
Sea urchins can be made into sea urchin fried rice or eaten raw. Xu Guixian was invited to try a raw sea urchin. He found that the taste was surprisingly sweet and refreshing, cool and smooth, with a rich aroma of oil and a very delicate texture.
To describe its texture in detail, Xu Gui felt that it had a texture similar to egg yolk, but the flavor was richer, sweeter, and more delicious.
The staff member serving her the sea urchin glanced at Xu Gui's expression and, seeing that she was adapting well, smiled and said, "I was just worried that Miss Xu wouldn't be used to eating raw food."
Many of these freshly caught seafood items can actually be eaten raw, possessing a unique freshness that is absent when cooked. They are very tender. However, while most people who live by the sea can tolerate this taste, many people who do not live by the sea find it difficult to accept.
So the staff were genuinely worried that Xu Gui wouldn't be able to eat it.
However, it is clear that Xu Gui not only enjoys the food, but also eats it with great relish. She even ate sea urchin fried rice. The chef on this cruise ship is definitely a top-notch chef. A bowl of sea urchin fried rice was so fragrant that it was devoured as soon as it was served. Xu Gui only got a small bowl.
However, you can't eat too much, because there are other delicious seafood options. If you fill your stomach with fried rice, you won't have the chance to try other delicacies.
They also caught eels on the boat, and the chef made eel rice and pan-fried eel... Xu Gui ate the latter and felt that the meat was very tender and had a thick aroma of fat. Moreover, that thick aroma was completely different from the aroma of animal fat. Anyway, it was very fragrant.
Her ability to enjoy any food and find everything delicious, and her high tolerance for all kinds of seafood, drew a wave of envy from Yuan Lu, who was standing next to her.
As a native of the inland region who has never been to the coast, Yuan Lu's tolerance for seafood is quite limited. At most, she can eat a little sea urchin fried rice. She finds it even more difficult to accept eating raw seafood, which instantly reduces her opportunities to enjoy delicious food.
Fortunately, there were also things she could eat: steamed sea fish and shrimp—shrimp was her favorite type of seafood.
Steamed prawns have an extremely pure flavor, lacking the influence of seasonings, presenting a very simple and unpretentious taste. The snow-white and pink prawn meat dipped in the chef's special seafood dipping sauce is incredibly fresh, with a chewy and tender texture.
Yuan Lu: "This is truly the best shrimp I've ever eaten!"
Among all the seafood dishes on the table, the most eye-catching was the steamed grouper that was served later. As soon as it was brought out, it attracted countless eyes.
Grouper is not uncommon, but wild grouper is especially rare, particularly such a large one. Many people have heard that wild grouper is delicious, but they don't really know exactly how delicious it is.
The fishermen on the cruise ship couldn't help but sigh. They had been fishing at sea for so many years, and wild grouper was becoming increasingly rare. Sometimes they wouldn't catch one for a long time. But as soon as Xu Gui went into the water for a swim, the grouper would rush into her arms.
Hey, what are they going to say? Is the newbie buff really that terrifying?
The chef didn't use a complicated cooking method for this grouper. As the saying goes, the best way to cook is the most original way, which best brings out the natural freshness and aroma of the fish. So, the kitchen steamed this grouper.
The steamed grouper was served still steaming hot. Since it was caught by Xu Gui, it naturally belonged to him, and the kitchen staff placed it in front of him.
Feeling the gloomy gazes cast upon her, Xu Gui smiled, first picking up a large piece of fish with her chopsticks and placing it in her bowl, then pushing the fish onto the table.
"Let's all eat together!" she said with a smile. "Everyone says this wild grouper tastes good, so let's all try it and see if it's just an exaggeration."
Hearing this, the others were somewhat flattered. Kuang Ming, sitting next to her, gave her an approving look upon hearing her words, then picked up his chopsticks and reached out, saying, "In that case, I'll try some first..."
The first piece of fish he picked up wasn't put into his own bowl, but rather casually placed into the bowl of the person next to him. Then he called out to everyone, "Don't be shy, everyone. This grouper is so big that even Xu Gui couldn't finish it all by himself. Please have a taste!"
His and Xu Gui's attitude didn't seem like polite formalities. The others exchanged glances and then said, "Then we won't stand on ceremony?"
The group of people finally relaxed and started eating the steamed grouper with their chopsticks.
I don't know if it's because they had a preconceived notion that wild grouper is delicious, but when they tasted the fish, they just thought: As expected of wild grouper, it's really delicious.
Yuan Lu sat on the other side of Xu Gui. As Xu Gui's assistant, she had the advantage of being close to him and snatched a large piece of tender, bright red fish. She couldn't wait to stuff a piece of fish into her mouth. Forgive her, as an ordinary person, she had never eaten such high-end food before. So even though she was not used to seafood and even though she would throw up after eating it, she was determined to taste the saltiness of this grouper.
Yuan Lu's face showed a look that could be described as heroic, but once the fish entered her stomach, her expression changed.
Hey, hey hey hey!!
Yuan Lu covered her mouth and looked at Xu Gui with bright eyes: "Teacher Xu, this is a half-moon, it's so delicious!" She suddenly understood why the grouper was so famous.
This meat is so delicious!
Xu Gui looked at her and asked, "Don't you think it tastes bad?"
Yuan Lu cupped her face in her hands and said, "What's wrong with it? This is super delicious!"
Xu Gui seemed to understand something, and commented, "It seems you have a very discerning palate; you can only order the expensive stuff."
Yuan Lu was a little embarrassed. She just thought the fish was delicious. The fish meat was very tender and chewy, and the flavor was very rich. It was simply the best fish she had ever eaten.
She used to dislike seafood, but now she doesn't mind it at all.
This grouper not only captivated Yuan Lu's taste buds but also won over the stomachs of others; no one who ate it complained that it wasn't delicious.
Kuang Ming was very good at interpersonal relationships. While others were eating, he divided a third of the fish and had the staff take it to the kitchen so that the kitchen staff could also try it.
Many people might think his actions were unnecessary, or even that he was being too humble, since they were just kitchen staff and there might not be any further contact. However, for Kuang Ming, his principle was to make friends with as many people as possible within his acceptable limits.
No one can predict what will happen in this world. Who knows, maybe someone you just brush past will be able to help you someday? Anyway, it's just a casual act, so why wouldn't he do it?
*
They ate their meal for a long time. The sun was setting when they were eating, and by the time they finished, the sun had completely set, leaving only a reddish hue on the horizon.
The day's work was over, and the staff were drinking. After drinking a bit too much, they got a little excited, and some of them started singing loudly into empty beer bottles.
Xu Gui didn't like drinking and found the people noisy, so he took a glass of soda and went to the deck to look at the churning sea below.
As evening fell, the temperature at sea plummeted and the wind picked up, blowing her already dry hair wildly. Xu Gui reached out to smooth her hair, but suddenly heard a "snap" sound. She turned her head and met Bell's gaze.
Bell put down his phone, which was taking pictures, and walked towards her.
“Miss Xu,” he called out, “that scene just now was really great…you really suit the camera.”
Xu Gui felt that he should say thank you at this moment: "...Thank you?"
Bell laughed, his expression excited, and said somewhat excitedly, "I haven't been this happy in a long time. To be honest, after so many years and so many photos, I feel like I've run out of inspiration."
In photography, there seems to be no such thing as a lack of inspiration, because it seems to test shooting skills. But for Bell, it's not like that.
He said his inspiration came from the fact that he no longer felt as passionate and impulsive when he took photos as before, and that his works were no longer as inspired as they used to be, but rather mediocre and purely technical.
Although the outside world continues to adore him, only Bale knows that he has reached a dead end. He wants to break out of this predicament, which is why he travels all over the world, even to war-torn and dangerous places.
But now, he felt that long-lost passion and conflict of wanting to press the shutter again, and he felt once again the heart in his chest, born for photography, beating fiercely.
This feeling fascinated him, even made him dizzy.
"...Do you understand how I feel?" He looked at Xu Gui excitedly.
Xu Gui took a step back slightly and shook her head honestly and frankly: "Sorry, I don't know much about it."
Bell wasn't angry when he heard this. His excitement at the moment didn't really need outsiders to understand. As long as he knew why he was so happy, that was enough.
“I’m absolutely certain that choosing Ms. Xu as our promotional model for ‘fashion’ magazine was the best decision ever!” he exclaimed.
At this moment, he was in an exceptionally good mood. All his past confusion and melancholy had vanished, leaving only the excitement and exhilaration surging in his chest. He even wanted to sing a song like those drunk people.
Xu Gui looked at him and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Bell heard her voice and looked at her in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Xu Gui, seeing that his gaze hadn't left him, said thoughtfully, "Mr. Bell, have you completely given up on the idea of filming in that country?"
Bell was taken aback. He asked, shocked and puzzled, "You can tell that?"
Xu Gui: "Mm."
Because the future she had predicted had changed; this was the first time she had ever felt someone's future change so quickly.
To know what will happen to many people at a certain point in the future, one can only know when that moment arrives. But at this moment, Xu Gui sees that Bell's future, where he died in a certain country, has already changed.
What was originally a future of death has turned into a life of smooth sailing and even career success.
Xu Gui: ...This changed way too fast.
Bell nodded and said, "I really don't plan to go to such turbulent countries again..."
It's a little embarrassing to admit, but his reason for going to such a turbulent country wasn't exactly noble; it was simply because he wanted to make better films.
As he mentioned before, perhaps because he had taken too many photos, his desire to press the shutter button had diminished considerably, and his love for photography seemed to be gradually disappearing. Under these circumstances, he wanted to make a change, so he increasingly wanted to find scenes he had never seen before.
In war-torn areas, filled with death and sorrow, the impactful images often stirred his emotions, reigniting his urge to press the shutter.
but……
“I feel my love for photography has returned,” Bell said excitedly, looking intently at Xu Gui. “It’s all because of you, Miss Xu. You’ve reignited my passion for photography. I feel so full of energy now!”
“I have so many scenes I want to capture… Ah, this feeling is just wonderful.”
Bell was so excited that he spread his arms wide and spun around twice on the deck.
Xu Gui stood to the side, watching him excitedly "go crazy," her expression somewhat surprised—she never expected that Mom Bell's future change would be because of her.
Me?
Xu Gui was shocked, then thought with some pride: As expected of me, so outstanding! I'm simply the best turtle in China!
*
Just as night fell, Xu Gui and his crew's cruise ship docked at the pier.
Next, they went back to the hotel to wash up... Xu Gui and his group's luggage had already been delivered to the hotel by the staff, so they could check in directly. By the time everything was settled, it was already past 11 p.m. Xu Gui and his group didn't say much and quickly went to sleep.
There was more filming the next day.
This shoot wasn't underwater, but on land, with a specially set up location by the staff. Fashion magazine even brought over a lot of costumes, which Xu Gui kept changing into during the shoot.
After a day of filming, Xu Gui was quite tired, as were the other staff members. The only one who was still energetic was Mom Bell, who was very excited from the start of filming until the end.
"Oh, that's great!"
"This is truly the best work I've shot recently!"
"That's right, that's the feeling, look this way..."
...
During the filming, Bell kept exclaiming in amazement. Even though Xu Gui thought he was the best turtle, he couldn't help but blush a little from Bell's praise.
The filming lasted all day, and Xu Gui's work trip was finally over when it ended in the afternoon. If possible, she could go back to City A tomorrow.
"...Mr. Kuang, if you're not in a hurry, you can stay in H City for a couple more days. We're having a concert here these next couple of days, it'll be very lively," the staff member said with a smile.
Kuang Ming looked at Xu Gui and the others, asking for their opinions: "What do you think?"
Xu Gui: "I'm fine with anything."
Yuan Lu quickly added, "I'm fine with anything too!"
Kuang Ming thought for a moment and said, "Then let's stay for a couple more days." Anyway, Xu Gui doesn't have any work right now.
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui and Yuan Lu had no objections. As for Fashion, knowing that they would be staying in H Province for a few more days, they proactively extended the hotel's room rate. As long as Xu Gui and his group stayed, they would pay for one day's room.
As for Xu Gui, on the second day of staying, he slept soundly until evening before taking Yuan Lu out to forage for food.
H Province was bustling at night, especially now that it was peak tourist season. Whether it was the beach or the shore, there were people everywhere. Xu Gui looked around curiously and felt that the beach here was completely different from the sea where his Xuan Turtle clan lived.
It's noisier here, there are more people... oh, and the water quality is worse too.
"I heard the concert is tomorrow," Yuan Lu told her, sharing the information she had gathered. "They've invited so-and-so celebrity and so-and-so singer!"
Yuan Lu's tone was somewhat excited, but Xu Gui's emotions didn't change much. After all, she didn't recognize any of these celebrities or singers, but she did recognize Doraemon.
Hearing her say that, Yuan Lu was speechless.
As expected of you, Teacher Xu.
Xu Gui took Yuan Lu to a barbecue stall by the sea for some barbecue. They enjoyed the sea breeze while eating, which was quite nice. It would have been even better if there were fewer people.
There are so many people here! As far as the eye can see, there are countless heads; you can hardly see the sea.
“If you want peace and quiet, head south up that mountain; it’s much quieter there,” someone interjected, their tone subtle.
Xu Gui looked over and saw that the person who had spoken to her was a thin-faced man. She casually asked, "Why is it so quiet over there?"
The man chuckled, his tone even more enigmatic as he said, "Over there, those are all ocean-view rooms, inhabited entirely by wealthy people. The location is superb; every morning you can open your window and see the sea, watch the tides rise and fall, and even witness the sunrise..."
“I heard that the sunrise there is amazing, the perfect angle!” someone chimed in, clearly familiar with the place. “I’ve seen photos of the sunrise there online, the angle is absolutely stunning.”
The gaunt man chuckled and said disdainfully, "Capitalists always keep the good stuff for themselves. Those people over there look down on us poor people. If you don't have any capital, you'll get cursed at if you go up there."
"Brother, you seem to be speaking from the heart?" someone nearby said.
The man paused for a moment, then said, "What do you mean by 'speaking from the heart'? I just heard people talk about what happens there before. I heard that people there don't treat the poor as human beings."
His heavy gaze fell on the mountain. After a few seconds of silence, he gulped down a can of beer and let out a sigh that sounded like he was in pain.
Xu Gui glanced at the man but didn't say anything. After finishing the barbecue, she and Yuan Lu strolled around and rested for a while. As they strolled, they ended up at the mountain that the two men at the barbecue stall had been discussing.
Once you get here, it's noticeably quieter. The hustle and bustle of the beach has disappeared, leaving only streetlights and people's shadows on the ground.
Halfway up the mountain, there was a gate guarded by security personnel. You needed to swipe a card to go up. Xu Gui and Yuan Lu were stopped here.
"Teacher Xu, do you want to go up and take a look?" Yuan Lu asked her softly.
Xu Gui looked up and said, "I'm just a little curious about the view up there..."
Yuan Lu looked troubled and said, "Then what should we do? How about we ask Brother Kuang if he has any ideas?"
Xu Gui hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll call Mr. Bell and ask..."
"Will Mr. Bell have a solution?" Yuan Lu asked.
Xu Gui: "There should be. Doesn't he have a powerful background?" If you need something that requires connections, then just find someone with connections.
Xu Gui went to the side to make a phone call. The security guard at the security booth stood by and watched them. He was very friendly and did not show any vigilance or hostility. Yuan Lu herself was a little embarrassed.
Suddenly, a car drove up from the foot of the mountain. The streetlights shone from afar. Xu Gui glanced at it but didn't pay much attention. However, she didn't expect that after the car passed by her, it would back up and move to her side before stopping.
Xu Gui: ?
Just then, the rear window of the car rolled down, revealing a face that Xu Gui recognized very well. Xu Gui couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Lu?"
Xu Gui saw Lu Baiyi's sharply defined, extremely noble face appear behind the car window. She found it unbelievable—how could she still see this person after coming all the way to H Province?
Just then, her call to Mom Bell went through, and Bell's voice came from the other end: "Ms. Xu? What's the matter?"
Xu Gui snapped out of his daze, looked away from Lu Boyi, and said, "Oh, Mr. Bell, it's nothing... I originally wanted to ask you for help with something, but now..."
She glanced at Lu Baiyi in the car. "It seems like we don't need to anymore."
She spoke politely to Bell for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. Then she walked up to Lu Boyi and asked with great surprise, "Mr. Lu, what are you doing here?"
Lu Baiyi said, "I'm here on a business trip... But Miss Xu, what are you doing here?"
Xu Gui said, "I also have a job here."
After she finished speaking, the two of them looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter at the same time.
“What a coincidence,” Lu Boyi said.
Xu Gui nodded in agreement, then glanced at the blocked intersection and said, "But it's really great to meet Mr. Lu here!"
She bent down and looked at Lu Baiyi, saying, "Mr. Lu, I'm very curious about this mountain. Could you take us up there to have a look?"
Lu Boyi glanced ahead and nodded: "Okay."
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui was immediately delighted and beckoned Yuan Lu over.
Yuan Lu was already standing two steps away. When she saw Xu Gui's actions, she immediately came over. She glanced at Lu Baiyi with curiosity, then quickly looked away. At this moment, her thoughts were similar to Xu Gui's: How come I keep running into this Mr. Lu everywhere? This is too much of a coincidence!
The two got into the car. Yuan Lu sat in the passenger seat, while Xu Gui sat in the back seat with Lu Baiyi.
"I was originally thinking of asking someone else for help, but I didn't expect to run into you, Mr. Lu, by such a coincidence..." Xu Gui said with a smile.
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