The aroma of the grilled fish from Ma Linghua grew stronger and stronger, permeating the air and causing the surrounding anglers to sniff the air with its enticing scent.
However, this wonderful atmosphere was shattered by a loud shout.
"Hey! What are you doing? Protecting the forest is everyone's responsibility. You can't start fires in the wild!"
The man in patrol uniform stared intently at the source of the smoke, his voice booming through the woods.
Li Zhongguo was so frightened that his face changed color. Without thinking, he picked up the bucket and poured the water onto the fire.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
When water and fire come into contact, they make a loud noise, but the fire seems to have a tenacious vitality and continues to burn.
"This fire won't go out! What should we do, Linghua?" Li Zhongguo was sweating profusely with anxiety.
Ma Linghua frowned and first snorted dismissively, "Hey! What's there to be afraid of? We didn't burn the mountain."
"But if you get caught, you'll be fined 500."
When she heard Li Zhongguo say that he would be fined 500 yuan if caught, her eyes widened. "Oh! A fine of 500 yuan... What? A fine of 500 yuan? Why doesn't he just rob someone?!"
After saying that, she gritted her teeth and spat out a mouthful of saliva onto the fire with a "plop," and strangely enough, the fire went out as if by magic.
Ma Linghua didn't dare to delay. She quickly kicked the firewood into the water and then shoveled up the soil from the ground to cover the place where she had just started the fire. Her movements were swift and efficient.
After finishing all that, Ma Linghua straightened up, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and let out a long sigh: "Oh my god! I'm exhausted. Alright, Zhongguo, our fish is ready too, let's eat it while it's hot!"
As she handed the fish to Li Zhongguo, her eyes darted furtively in the direction the patrol team had come from, like a thief. Her nervous yet hopeful expression was both infuriating and hilarious.
Li Zhongguo took the fish from Ma Linghua, frowned slightly, closed his eyes as if he had made a great decision, gritted his teeth, and took a small bite of the fish.
In an instant, a strong fishy smell filled his mouth, sweeping over his taste buds like a surging tide, hitting his throat and making his stomach churn, almost causing him to vomit.
He quickly spat out the fish while Ma Linghua wasn't paying attention, his movements as swift as a thief's, a trace of fear still lingering in his eyes.
Just then, the patrolman caught up.
"Hey! Isn't this Old Wang?" Li Zhongguo greeted him, trying to appear calm.
"By the way! What's up, Lao Wang? Didn't you retire? Why are you back at work?" He tried to use this small talk to cover up his earlier panic.
Old Wang sighed helplessly, "Hey! Don't say anymore, I'm just covering for my son! He broke his leg while on patrol a few days ago, so I have no choice but to fill in for him for a while!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhongguo felt a pang of sorrow, but secretly rejoiced that he didn't have such troubles. He was also secretly pleased that his sons were all married off and he didn't have these worries, feeling incredibly relaxed.
"Oh right, I'm starving. You have some grilled fish? Perfect, fill my stomach." Old Wang looked at the fish, a hint of longing in his eyes.
Li Zhongguo, as if grasping at a lifeline, hurriedly said, "Okay, I've already eaten and I'm not hungry, you can take it! Don't eat it on the way, be careful not to choke on the shark fin, take it back to eat!"
His tone was somewhat solicitous, as if he hoped Old Wang would take the fish away quickly.
"Oh! Old Li, you're so honest, I like it. Thanks a lot, I'm off on patrol now. By the way, what's that over there..." Old Wang said with a smile.
"Oh! Look at my memory, this is my wife, Linghua," Li Zhongguo quickly introduced.
When Old Wang saw Ma Linghua, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Old Li seemed untouched by time; he didn't look old at all, and his wife was incredibly beautiful, exuding charm in every gesture. He was filled with envy.
"Hello, sister-in-law, I have to go now. I'll treat you to a meal another day!" Old Wang said politely.
"Okay! Take care." Ma Linghua nodded with a smile.
Li Zhongguo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that the fish had been sent out and he no longer had to endure that terrible fishy smell.
"Let's go! It's time to go home," Ma Linghua said calmly.
"Hey! No, we haven't caught any fish yet!" Li Zhongguo hesitated, after all, they came here to fish.
"I'm not fishing anymore, let's go home." Ma Linghua's tone turned harsh, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Li Zhongguo trembled, not daring to say anything more. He quickly picked up his bucket and fishing gear, following closely behind her like a little follower.
Along the way, Ma Linghua remained silent, walking briskly. Li Zhongguo didn't dare to breathe loudly, just silently following behind. The two figures gradually disappeared into the afterglow of the setting sun, leaving only silence behind.
When I got home, the door slammed shut, seemingly shutting out today's exciting yet slightly awkward experience.
"What's wrong, sir?" Ma Lihua blinked her big eyes and asked with a puzzled look on her face.
Li Zhongguo waved his hand helplessly, "Hey! Your grandma insisted on grilling fish for me, but I gave it away and she's not happy about it!" His words were full of helplessness and frustration, and his brows were furrowed into a knot.
"Grandpa, that's not right of you. That fish was grilled for you by Grandma herself. How could you give it to someone else?"
Ma Lihua pouted, her tone clearly accusing, her eyes revealing dissatisfaction.
Li Zhongguo was stunned. He hadn't expected Lihua to say that. He then looked at Lihua carefully and thought to himself: Why is Lihua just like Hehua? She is completely obedient to Linghua, like a little beast protecting its master.
"Alright! It's my fault, I'll go apologize to your grandma later." Li Zhongguo sighed deeply, like a deflated balloon, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
He knew that arguing about this was pointless, and that he himself seemed to have done something wrong.
Seeing this, Ma Lihua nodded in agreement, her little head bobbing up and down, and said in a serious tone, "Women! Men can just coax them."
Her youthful face was full of certainty, as if she had a profound understanding of this way of getting along between men and women.
Li Zhongguo was taken aback when he saw her like this, and then lit a candle for his future grandson-in-law.
But he silently agreed with her words and thought about how to coax his wife later to calm her down.
The news of the explosion at the five-star hotel was like a bombshell, instantly making headlines.
That place, which once symbolized luxury and enjoyment, has now become a scene of devastation.
Most of the people inside had suffered injuries of varying degrees, and their screams and groans seemed to still echo in the air.
Among these injured, Xiao Peipei was undoubtedly the most tragic.
She is currently lying in the hospital's emergency room, her fate unknown.
Her once pretty face is now covered in wounds and blood, and the doctor's somber expression suggests that she is very likely to be disfigured.
The explosion, like a demon, mercilessly dragged her into a dark abyss, altering the trajectory of her originally beautiful life.
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