*
The campfire crackled and burned brightly, with a sizable pot on top, steaming the dozen or so crabs and some snails caught that afternoon.
Not far away, there was a smaller bonfire. Nan Qing was sitting cross-legged beside it, holding a branch with a sizable sea fish speared on it. Fish oil dripped onto the embers, stirring up wisps of salty, fragrant smoke.
Jun Beichen sat to the side, propping his chin up as he looked at the half-charred fish in her hand. The tail was carbonized, but the head still gleamed with a raw, fishy sheen.
He smiled and said slowly, "Qingqing, why don't you let that fish go? Or shall I do it?"
Nan Qing stubbornly stared at the slightly charred fish in her hand, still insisting:
"No need! It's almost cooked. It's just looking dark. Just wait, it'll definitely taste good!"
Actually, she was quite nervous, but she had just followed Qin Mobei's steps for grilling fish before: rubbed in salt and spices, and then just put it on the fire. It was that simple...
She carefully considered each step she took; she was right!!
Nan Qing snorted and stubbornly pushed the fish body into the flames. Although it looked ugly, she thought it would taste delicious once it was cooked!
But the fish's body in the flames gradually changed from charred black to a strange dark brown, and it also emitted a complex aura...
Nan Qing quickly pulled the fish out of the flames. Looking at the pitch-black thing in front of her that she couldn't tell was a fish, she swallowed hard. This... should be edible, right?
Not wanting to be looked down upon, Nan Qing gritted her teeth and brought the fish to her mouth, as if to prove that she was right!
Jun Beichen grabbed her wrist and, using her hand, moved the fish closer to himself, pointing to the blood streaks in the fish's belly.
"Qingqing, are you planning to save this to replenish your qi and blood? Wouldn't that be too much of a tonic?"
Nan Qing turned her head and looked at it, completely exasperated. This fish was so disobedient! Why were some parts of it as black as charcoal, while others were still bright red?!
But she still stubbornly and unreasonably said:
"I deliberately grilled it to medium-rare!"
"You don't understand. This is how fresh ingredients taste best—it's called preserving their original flavor!"
She felt she was right; if steak could be eaten rare or medium-well, why couldn't fish?
Jun Beichen chuckled at her defiant yet self-righteous demeanor, took her hand, moved the branches a little further away from the fire, and said indulgently:
"Yes, yes, but I prefer it well-done. Will you please accommodate me, Qingqing?"
"We'll put it outside and let it roast slowly over this low heat. Anyway, the crabs over there aren't cooked yet, so there's no rush with the fish. We'll take our time."
Nan Qing simply shoved the branch into his hand, gave a light snort, and said defiantly:
"Then I'll let you have it easy. I was almost done baking it anyway~"
"Let me tell you, don't let its appearance fool you, I've put so much flavorful on it, it's absolutely delicious!"
Jun Beichen pursed his lips as he looked at the grilled fish in his hand, afraid that he would laugh out loud. He was watching how his Qingqing prepared the fish.
They certainly used a lot of spices...
Salt, chili powder, cumin, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and whatever else you could see, I rubbed it all on and stuffed a lot of it into the fish's belly.
This fish must smell very fragrant, but as for whether it tastes good... it's really hard to say.
But seeing Qingqing's enthusiastic expression, what could he say? It was an honor for the fish to be personally rubbed and grilled by his Qingqing!
After a while, feeling that the fish was almost ready, Jun Beichen took out a dagger and peeled off the dark fish skin, revealing the tender, snow-white fish meat inside.
Nan Qing immediately leaned closer, her nose almost touching the fish, her eyes sparkling, and she happily said:
"See! I told you it would be delicious!"
"Smell it, it smells so good!"
She hurriedly asked Jun Beichen to get her a small piece of fish so she could taste her own cooking!
Looking at the glistening, fragrant fish in his hand, Jun Beichen realized he had been worrying too much. The fish looked really good, so he pinched a small piece of fish meat, tore it off, and offered it to Nan Qing, who was drooling.
Nan Qing opened her mouth and bit down, her tongue rolling over the fish meat as she chewed it slowly. But before she could savor it any longer, her expression became somewhat subtle.
It's salty with a hint of spiciness, spicy with a hint of numbing sensation, and the numbing sensation carries a strange bitterness and the pungent kick of an unknown spice.
But...you can't really say it's bad. The texture is actually alright, and the burnt flavor isn't too strong. It's just that the taste is hard to describe; it's a bit complicated...
Nan Qing stared in disbelief at the fish in Jun Beichen's hand. Where exactly did things go wrong?
She recognizes all those spices; they're all delicious!
There's no reason why such fragrant and delicious spices should taste like this when put together!
Seeing Nan Qing's complicated expression, Jun Beichen slowly tore off a piece and put it in his mouth. The moment the fish entered his mouth, he raised an eyebrow, not too surprised. In fact, it tasted much better than he had imagined.
He swallowed the fish, then tore off a large piece and put it in his mouth, continuing to eat.
Watching him eat one bite after another, Nan Qing suspiciously snatched the fish from his hand and took a bite. She scrunched up her face; yes, it really did taste the same as before...
Jun Beichen handed her a cup of tea and said gently:
"Just use less spices next time."
Nan Qing took a sip of tea from his hand, washing away the complex taste in her mouth, and muttered resentfully upon hearing this:
"The fire was clearly too big!"
"It's because it's burnt. Add more spices to make it more fragrant!"
Nan Qing glanced at the fish that Jun Beichen had almost finished eating in his hand, and said unconvinced:
"No, I'll try again. This time I'll put it right next to the fire; it definitely won't burn!"
Jun Beichen indulgently released her hand, watching with a smile as she forcefully speared the sea fish she had just prepared onto a tree branch, then picked up the spices and salt on the table and kept rubbing them on, muttering something under her breath as she did so.
He looked down at the fish in his hand, now just a skeleton, and was reluctant to throw it away.
Even if it tasted really bad, whether it was burnt or too salty, he would still eat it all up.
That fish was grilled for him by his beloved Qingqing herself!
Smoke curled upwards, the sea breeze mingled with various aromas, and the entire beach was empty and quiet, except for the crackling of the campfire in front of them.
Jun Beichen rested his chin on his hand and quietly watched Nan Qing's profile as she focused on grilling fish. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and a little bit of charcoal ash clung to the tip of her nose.
The fish in her hand had been turned over and over two or three times already, and she sprinkled spices on it as if she were performing a ritual to help the fish pass on to the afterlife.
His smile deepened. How wonderful...
The sound of the tide was their only guest, the stars were the candlelight adorning the night sky, and the still slightly burnt fish in her hand was better than any delicacy in the world.
Whether it tastes good or not doesn't really matter. In this mundane world, with her by his side, that's the flavor he craves most...
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