The bibimbap was colorful: red was chili sauce, green was shredded lettuce, and yellow was shredded fried egg. The translucent rice grains were distinct, each one soaked in the essence of the sauce.
“Our Korean bibimbap was even nominated for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status back then! Come and try it!” Liu Yunyan was quite confident in her older sister’s cooking skills and carefully introduced the ingredients of the bibimbap to Xi Xi and her mother one by one.
As she spoke, she gently scooped up a spoonful of mixed rice and fed it to the mermaid baby in her arms. Chu Zhiqin was still a little worried, but seeing that the little guy seemed fine and was enjoying the spicy food, she couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Whether she was hungry or genuinely impressed by the food, Xi Xi ate a whole bowl of bibimbap in one go, much to Chu Zhiqin's dismay, who then asked Liu Enxi for cooking tips.
Liu Yunyan looked at Liu Enxi with great pride, wishing that her sister could cook all the hometown dishes for Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin to try.
The afternoon passed quickly, and Cheng Xu's family arrived around dusk.
Through the light screen camera, Xi Xi saw a family of three soaking wet from afar, looking particularly disheveled. She learned from asking that the family had actually crossed the storm by swimming!
According to Cheng Xu, they were initially unaware of the dense reef formation on the western coast of the island, which disrupted their plans. They were caught between a rocky outing and a dead end, and ultimately had to take a detour.
As a result, the family of three had to walk almost half a circle before they finally found a suitable shore, which was extremely exhausting.
Shivering from the cold, his teeth chattering, Cheng's father finally had to take out three cleaning talismans to dry his clothes.
Although the scenery on the isolated island was beautiful, Chen Xu and his family had no time to appreciate it. They hurriedly climbed the rocks, taking the shortest route to the highest point.
Chu Zhiqin and Liu Enxi brought over three bowls of steaming hot tofu stone pot soup: "Hurry up and drink some, drink something spicy, it will warm you up right away!"
The tofu was made by Chu Zhiqin using soybeans, and the soup was something she learned from Liu Enxi on the spot.
The Cheng family gratefully accepted the soup bowl. Instantly, a warm current slid from their throats into their stomachs, dispelling the chill in their bodies and awakening their taste buds.
However, Cheng Xu couldn't handle spicy food well, and his face soon turned red, followed by a fit of coughing. While tears streamed down his face, he stubbornly tried to save face, saying that he had accidentally choked on his trachea.
Xi Xi and Liu Yunyan were immediately amused. Liu Yunyan even teased Cheng Xu, saying that a kid will always be a kid, able to come up with a bunch of whimsical reasons for eating spicy food. For a moment, Cheng Xu's parents also couldn't help but laugh so hard they were doubled over.
Cheng Xu's mother looked at Xi Xi gratefully and said, "Thank you so much. We really don't know what we would have done without you."
Xi Xi waved her hand, her smile fading, and said very seriously, "I haven't figured out the intricacies either. The only thing I know for now is that the magnitude of each earthquake is bigger than the last."
"However, this is an NPC's house, and I think it's better than the open space we find ourselves. But just to be on the safe side, I've also made an evacuation plan. If this convenience store really can't hold on and shows obvious signs of collapse, everyone should immediately go out and run to the open space below."
Xi Xi took out the route she had drawn beforehand and passed it around for everyone to look at. Cheng's father looked at the alternative shelter locations on the paper, nodded in agreement, and felt that Xi Xi's words made a lot of sense.
Time ticked by, and as the earthquake approached, everyone grew increasingly tense. Silence filled the convenience store, and time seemed to drag on forever.
Suddenly, a subtle and strange tremor came from the soles of my feet, as if an invisible hand was gently shaking the earth.
Soon, the tremors became more and more intense, as if the entire island was being controlled by an invisible force and began to shake wildly.
Xi Xi and the others squatted in the corner closest to the convenience store door. The building began to creak, and through the glass door, they could clearly see the cracks on the ground spreading rapidly like a spider web.
Not far away, a low bush shook violently and made a "crack" sound, then broke into pieces of broken branches and leaves, which were scattered all over the ground.
The taller trees further away also looked as if they had been ravaged by a gale, their trunks bent into exaggerated arcs, as if they were about to break at any moment.
The room was in a similar state of chaos, with the chandelier swaying wildly as if it might fall at any moment. Fortunately, the shelves had been completely emptied, and any unsold items had been moved to a corner of the room by Xi Xi, preventing them from being scattered everywhere.
The magnitude of this earthquake was significantly higher than one level. However, looking at the overall situation, it is quite clear that the interior of the convenience store, relative to the outside, can be described as "as stable as Mount Tai".
Xi Xi made the right bet!
However, since the convenience store is located on the highest point of the island and the surrounding area is not very spacious, Xi Xi used a spirit shield as her last resort to prevent the ground from sinking beneath the building.
Liu Enxi was tightly hugging Liu Yunyan and the mermaid baby. The two sisters huddled in the corner, their eyes still filled with uncontrollable fear.
The Cheng family was much calmer in comparison. Cheng's father stood in front of Cheng Xu and his mother, staring intently out the window to make sure they didn't miss the best time to escape. His face was full of determination and resolve.
The ground was undulating like waves, making every step extremely difficult, but the floor inside the convenience store was intact, which relieved everyone.
When Xi Xi's Earth Spirit Shield shattered, she clearly felt a strong shaking. Then, everyone stumbled and fell like dominoes, with a buzzing sound in their ears and their vision blurring, until Cheng Xu took out another Earth Spirit Shield from his pocket.
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