Firework-grilled barbecue (Part 1)
Jiang Yichun followed the scent of cumin and jogged all the way to a familiar shop.
She looked up at "Grandma Tian's Barbecue" and looked down to see a "Store for Sale" notice posted on the glass door.
She frowned: "No, this is the place."
"How did it get transferred?"
She sniffed, her brow furrowing even deeper: "Something's not right, I definitely smelled it..."
He Yinxin walked behind her, tugged at his scarf, and coughed a few times: "Jiang Yichun, what's wrong?"
His gaze also fell on the brightly colored "Store Transfer" sign.
"This shop..."
Jiang Yichun met his gaze: "It's been transferred, but I can clearly smell the aroma of barbecue!"
Her foodie nose doesn't lie.
He Yinxin's face remained expressionless. He pushed up his glasses and said, "Maybe it's another place. Barbecue tastes pretty much the same everywhere, so maybe..."
"No way! Grandma Tian's barbecue has a unique flavor, it's this flavor!" Jiang Yichun's feet were rooted to the ground as she stared at his cold face. "Besides, I promised you I'd go eat this barbecue, and I should keep my word. I said..."
She choked, half a sentence stuck in her throat.
Why am I being so stubborn again?
It's just a barbecue stall, not some matter of principle or bottom line. Why make such a big deal out of it?
Just like the senior said, the two of them could have gone to eat something else.
Does my stubbornness seem strange?
Will my senior be... angry?
He Yinxin sighed softly, the moisture at the corner of her mouth condensing into mist: "Okay. I understand. Since I'm looking forward to the delicious barbecue you mentioned, we should find it."
"I keep my word."
He looked up, a slight smile playing on his lips: "So, let's look for it?"
His reflective glasses suddenly became a sharp sword piercing Jiang Yichun's heart, causing her a strange pain.
Jiang Yichun took a few steps back, avoiding his gaze, and stammered, "Um. Thank you, senior."
He Yinxin suppressed her smile, looked around, and waved to her: "This road runs east to west. The barbecue smell is coming from this road."
"Jiang Yichun, you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
"If you can find Grandma Tian, call her."
"If we can't find that this is due to force majeure, we'll go eat other barbecue."
"Don't blame yourself, I have problems too."
Jiang Yichun met his gaze again, his brows furrowed, as if deep in thought.
If he weren't standing in the night market, he would really look like a boss who takes on all the work of the team.
Looking at his serious expression, a strange warmth enveloped her and overwhelmed the stinging pain in her heart.
Can a cold "machine" really create warmth?
She chuckled and said, "Okay, Senior He."
"Don't worry, Grandma Tian will definitely be there to smell this."
"Then let's do it this way."
After they finished speaking, the two went their separate ways to look for a barbecue stall.
Jiang Yichun continued along the right side of the road, the unique aroma of cumin wafting further and further away.
Her nasal cavity was gradually filled with mutton stew and iron pot stew from the roadside.
The various meat aromas, like spider demons in a spider's web, tempted her appetite, causing her stomach, which had been filled with spicy hot pot, to collapse and create some space.
She couldn't help but slow her pace until she reached the red light at the end of the road.
Grandma Tian doesn't seem to be on this street.
She exhaled a breath of water vapor under the twilight lights, watching the mist dissipate in the dim light.
How did I and He Yinxin end up in a suspenseful drama over a barbecue stall? And we're both rushing to take the blame?
That's a bit silly.
Jiang Yichun touched his forehead and clicked his tongue softly.
She turned and walked back.
"Beep beep beep—" The cell phone rang.
Jiang Yichun answered the phone, and He Yinxin's soft breathing came from the other end: "Jiang Yichun, I found Grandma Tian's barbecue stall."
"She set up a stall next to the shop selling lean meatballs, and put up a sign that said it was formerly 'Grandma Tian's Barbecue Shop'."
Her eyes lit up: "Really? Senior He, send me an address, I..."
“I’m in front of you now, I’ll take you there. You… look at that camphor tree on your right.” The other person’s voice trembled slightly.
Jiang Yichun gripped his phone, tilting his head to the right, where he met the familiar figure under the camphor tree.
He was still dressed in the same "idol drama" style as when he went out, and the hair that was originally neatly placed on his forehead was now fluttering in the wind.
His fair face was flushed, whether from the lingering spiciness of the hot pot or because... he had run to find him?
He Yinxin met her gaze and waved to her.
Jiang Yichun strode towards him, and looking at his heaving chest, her head buzzed. She sat down abruptly, realizing that he had indeed just run past.
Her lips trembled slightly, and some questions lingered on her lips before she swallowed them back down.
She left with only one sentence: "Then let's go over there, Senior He."
"Okay." His answer was as concise as ever.
This time, He Yinxin walked in front, with Jiang Yichun following closely behind.
The streetlights flickered, their dim yellow light elongating the shadows of the two people.
Jiang Yichun stepped forward, but never dared to let his toes fall into the elongated shadow.
Her mind started replaying a romance drama: it was a legend from an anime, that if you landed on the heart of the other person's shadow, the two of you could be together.
She gripped the hem of her clothes, slowed her pace, and stepped onto the gleaming cement road.
Although this legend is far-fetched, stepping on someone else's shadow... Grandpa always says that's unlucky.
What's more, the person walking in front of me is an outstanding senior I respect.
Stepping on a senior's head in the shadows is, well, extremely disrespectful...
Her heart pounded in her chest, her steps faltered, and she stepped on her shadow.
His heart was directly in the sole of his foot.
A warm current surged up Jiang Yichun's body from the soles of his feet.
"Huh?" she exclaimed, taking a few steps back again.
He Yinxin turned around: "What's wrong, Jiang Yichun?"
Upon seeing his expressionless face and hearing his flat voice, the inexplicable emotions that had been building up in Jiang Yichun vanished.
Her wildly beating heart returned to its normal rhythm.
Jiang Yichun scratched his head: "It's nothing, it's nothing. I almost stepped in dog poop just now."
Wait, his heart location, dog poop?
He Yinxin stood there, pouting, "Jiang Yichun, you were walking behind me, so did I step on your foot?"
"Dog shit."
He lowered his head, lifted his foot, frowned as he examined the sole of his shoe, and pulled a tissue from his pocket, clutching it tightly in his hand.
Jiang Yichun waved his hand and chuckled sheepishly, "No, no, senior, you just happened to go around that spot, okay—"
She strode forward and stood beside him, saying, "Let's hurry and go find Granny Tian."
He Yinxin put her foot down, but still rubbed it on the ground a few times.
He adjusted the scarf around his neck and gave a soft "hmm".
The two walked side by side toward the barbecue stall, drawn by the increasingly rich aroma of cumin.
Jiang Yichun stared at the wisp of smoke carrying the aroma of meat. Her gaze shifted downwards, and a familiar figure came into view.
Grandma Tian's wheat-colored face, with a few wrinkles, appeared before her.
Those calloused hands, marked with burn scars, were carefully skewering the meat onto the fork.
"Mother-in-law!" Jiang Yichun's eyes lit up, and her mouth began to water reflexively.
Grandma Tian's bloodshot eyes met the bright eyes of the girl in front of her, and her lips trembled, her hand holding the fork quivered.
"Koharu?"
Jiang Yichun shook off the boy who was walking at the same pace as her and strode towards Grandma Tian: "Grandma, it's been so long since we last met!"
"The last time I came to your shop for barbecue was before the break last semester."
Grandma Tian squinted and smiled: "Oh, right, you came with your three roommates, didn't you? Today—"
She glanced behind Jiang Yichun and exclaimed, "Oh my, it's been so long! Xiaochun, you've got a boyfriend now?"
"She has a very pleasing appearance and is quite tall."
“I’m not her boyfriend.” He Yinxin, standing behind Jiang Yichun, spoke first. He strode forward and stood beside her. “I’m her senior. She’s treating me to dinner today to thank me for helping her.”
Jiang Yichun's words were completely interrupted by his proactive explanation, and she could only nod in agreement: "Yes, yes, he is my respected senior, we really just had some barbecue."
"He, he really likes barbecue, haha."
He Yinxin's pupils contracted, and she buried the lower half of her face in her scarf again, nodding: "Yeah. Barbecue is really delicious."
Grandma Tian sized up the two of them for a while, then continued to chatter with her head down: "I understand, I understand, it's just fellow disciples."
"Alright, let's not talk about the past anymore. Xiaochun, what would you like to eat?"
She showed their transparent freezer to the two of them: "It has everything. Although the store is no longer there, the skewers are definitely still plentiful."
"Xiaochun, you like my chicken feet and grilled meat skewers the most, right?"
Jiang Yichun's eyes froze again when he saw the dazzling array of grilled skewers on the freezer.
She smacked her lips, her fingertips hovering in front of the freezer: "That's right, Grandma, I want two skewers of chicken feet and ten skewers of small meat, and, um, two skewers of fried cabbage and two skewers of enoki mushrooms, please."
She glanced at He Yinxin: "After all, I also need to consume dietary fiber."
He Yinxin trembled, his lower face still buried in his scarf.
Grandma Tian quickly took out the skewers from the freezer, put them on the grill, and looked up at He Yinxin: "Xiaochun's senior, what would you like to eat?"
He Yinxin finally poked his head out from under his scarf. His glasses fogged up again, and he glanced at the freezer.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he began to announce, "Three skewers of grilled mushrooms, one skewer of grilled chicken leg, two skewers of grilled chives, two more skewers of grilled shrimp, and one grilled oyster."
He frowned, his lips trembling again: "Um, and also, Grandma Tian, could you please not put chili peppers in my barbecue?"
"I've discovered that I can't handle spicy food very well."
"puff."
The two people next to him burst out laughing.
Jiang Yichun covered his mouth and laughed: "Yes, yes, let's make Grandma Tian's portion the original flavor. Senior He really can't eat spicy food."
Grandma Tian smiled and said, "I know, I know, I promise I won't get any chili powder on me."
He Yinxin glanced down at the two laughing men, his lips curving upwards as he tried his best to suppress the smile.
Finally, he could only helplessly pull the scarf up and bury the lower half of his face in it again.
"Thank you very much, Granny Tian. Jiang Yichun, let's find a place to sit." He turned around and plopped down on the wooden chair.
Jiang Yichun remained standing in front of the oven, her back to him, her eyes fixed on the smoking oven: "Senior, wait a minute, I want to see Grandma Tian finish baking."
He Yinxin gave a soft "hmm" and took out her phone to reply to messages.
Smoke rose from Grandma Tian's stove as skewers of grilled meat were placed on the glowing embers, emitting a soft sizzling sound.
She started by grilling Jiang Yichun's skewers.
The small meat skewers and chicken feet sizzle and ooze oil under the charcoal fire, releasing a rich meaty aroma.
Grandma Tian casually sprinkled cumin and chili powder on the meat, and the aroma of the meat burst forth with even more layers of fragrance with the help of the seasonings.
Enoki mushrooms and cabbage chunks sizzle as they roll around in the hot oil.
Grandma Tian scooped out the fried skewers, which were still dripping with oil, and soaked them in her secret sauce. The originally bland vegetables were instantly coated with a bright color.
Jiang Yichun's eyes lit up. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the fragrant skewers.
Recording delicious food on your phone allows you to feast your eyes on it when you're hungry again, and also lets you share it with others.
"Beep beep".
She received a message from Xixi:
[Xiaochun, what are you doing?]
Her eyes darted around:
I wonder if Sister Xixi likes barbecue?
Hehe, if Sister Xixi were writing her thesis right now, she'd probably be accusing herself, right?
With that in mind, she casually opened her chat with Xixi and sent the video of the grilled skewers she had just filmed.
Everything's Easy: [Eating grilled and fried skewers, XiXi, are you drooling?]
He Yinxin, sitting behind her, trembled slightly.
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