Su Li’s words pulled everyone out of the sad atmosphere, leaving them unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Lin Zhilan covered her face, no longer daring to look.
Su Jue: “…”
Su Lang pulled his son back, “Can you behave for a moment, kid?”
Su Li stretched his hand out toward his Second Uncle, “I, stamp.”
Su Lang lifted him up, “You already stamped him, son. Your Second Uncle’s only good thing is his brain—don’t break it.”
Su Jue: “…”
No one could bully people better than their family, both the old and the young.
After the jokes faded, Lin Zhilan still had to keep the promise she made to her Second Brother—to cook him a full table of delicious food.
Taking a fist-sized fresh sea urchin, she snipped around the top with scissors to open the lid, scraped out the black guts and organs inside, rinsed the yellow roe gently with a thin stream of water, squeezed a few drops of lemon juice to remove the fishy smell, added a bit of soy sauce, and ate a piece of sashimi right then.
Deng Jing was surprised, “You can eat this raw?”
“It’s delicious—sweet, fresh, and with a milky scent,” Lin Zhilan said softly. “Want to try some?”
Deng Jing felt a bit tempted.
Lin Zhilan ordered Su Lang and Su Jue to stand guard at the kitchen door like door gods, then quickly prepared another sea urchin and fed it to her Second Sister-in-law.
“How is it?”
Deng Jing’s eyes lit up, “It’s really good!”
Su Lang called from the doorway, “Honey, I want some too.”
Su Jue glared at him, “Can you act normal? Don’t be so mushy.”
Su Lang glanced at his Second Brother, clicked his tongue, and said, “Sour grapes.”
“I…” Su Jue was speechless.
Lin Zhilan prepared another one for Su Lang, but he wouldn’t take it—he insisted she feed him.
Su Jue turned his face away, refusing to look at the shameless couple, and inadvertently met Deng Jing’s gaze.
But Deng Jing quickly looked away.
Su Jue’s expression darkened.
After feeding Su Lang, Lin Zhilan asked Su Jue, “Second Brother, would you like to try some?”
Su Jue snapped out of it, “Alright, I’ll have a taste then.”
After handling a few, Lin Zhilan grew more skilled at opening sea urchins, finishing each one in no time.
She handed the prepared sea urchin to Deng Jing, “Second Sister-in-law, you go feed Second Brother. It’s not proper for me, a sister-in-law, to do it myself.”
Deng Jing lowered her eyes, looking flustered as she washed vegetables in the basin, “Isn’t Xiao Lang here? Just give it to him.”
Su Lang cleared his throat twice, “I can’t. My hand hurts; I can’t hold a sea urchin.”
Deng Jing slapped the water, glaring at Su Lang indignantly.
Su Lang smiled at her, and Deng Jing seemed to see a hint of Li Li’s mischievous grin in him.
Deng Jing didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh, “No wonder Mom says Li Li is just like you as a child. You father and son are both troublemakers.”
Su Lang outright denied it and quickly defended himself, “Second Sister-in-law, don’t be mad. My hand hurts, so I can’t hold it. Second Brother has hands, doesn’t he? Let him take it himself.”
Su Jue opened his mouth, “…I, my hand hurts too.”
Help!
Lin Zhilan, with her back to them, was shaking with laughter.
Su Lang’s whole body was vibrating too, afraid of laughing out loud and making the couple even more hesitant to act.
“Dad!”
Su Li suddenly appeared, hugging Su Lang’s leg.
Lin Zhilan quickly shoved the sea urchin into Deng Jing’s hands, “Second Sister-in-law, quick, quick—let Second Brother eat it before Su Li sees it.”
Deng Jing, caught off guard by the urgency, didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed. She hurriedly took it and fed it to Su Jue.
Su Jue opened his mouth to accept it, his eyes fixed on Deng Jing’s face.
Deng Jing blushed, set the empty sea urchin shell down after feeding him.
Only then did Su Lang pick up Su Li, who had been kept at a distance, “Aren’t you playing with your cousins? Why’d you come over?”
“Eat.”
Su Lang said, “Dinner’s not ready yet. Are you hungry?”
Su Li shook his head, “Dad, eat.”
“Good son, Dad’s not hungry yet. We’ll eat together later.” Su Lang deliberately misunderstood him.
Su Li got anxious, reaching out to pry open his dad’s mouth.
Su Lang quickly grabbed his hands and opened his mouth to show him.
When Su Li saw that there really was nothing inside, he looked a bit deflated.
Su Lang laughed, “Hungry?”
Su Li wasn’t hungry, just greedy.
Lin Zhilan didn’t dare let the kids eat raw food, so she grabbed a plate of dried sweet potatoes for him to nibble on with his cousins.
The plate was porcelain, so Su Lang carried it to the living room for him, finally calming Su Li down.
The feast tonight was almost as lavish as New Year’s Eve.
The sea urchin steamed egg was soft, sticky, sweet, and fresh. The crispy sea cucumber was thick, gelatinous, and tender. The pan-fried fish maw had a rich texture, with its umami flavor pushed to the extreme, making everyone unable to stop eating.
There was also a dish the adults loved: braised beef tendons.
The tendons were stewed until soft and tender, then taken out, cut into thick slices, rolled through a prepared spice mix, and pan-fried directly.
Once boiled soft, the tendons only needed a light sear to release the rich, distinct aroma of beef. Paired with Lin Zhilan’s secret seasoning, the smell alone was enough to make mouths water.
The tendons were as sticky as the finest glutinous rice cakes—soft yet chewy, easily absorbing flavor. With minimal effort, they soaked up the deep richness of the seasoning.
While the sweet freshness of the sea urchin steamed egg won over the kids, the beef tendon dish completely captured the adults’ hearts.
Su Bingcheng tentatively said, “This dish is perfect for drinking.”
Lin Zhilan glanced at him and smiled, “Dad, we have liquor at home. Want some?”
Su Bingcheng immediately broke into a grin, “That sounds great.”
Lin Zhilan took out a fine bottle of liquor from the cabinet—it was one Cheng Qingshan had sent over.
She had Su Lang unwrap the packaging, then hurriedly looked for glasses, muttering, “Mom can’t drink, and Second Brother’s on medication, so he can’t either. Then…”
Su Lang volunteered, “I’ll watch the kids, so I won’t drink either.”
“You’re so good!” Lin Zhilan gave him an approving look, then asked the quiet Lu Gang beside her, “Comrade Lu, would you like some?”
Lu Gang, busy eating with his head down, looked up and said, “No, can’t drink during a mission.”
Lin Zhilan took out three glasses and symbolically poured a tiny bit into Su Bingcheng’s glass, “Dad, just taste this for now. Don’t overdo it.”
Su Bingcheng was getting old—not only could Xu Yueyun boss him around, but so could his son and daughter-in-law now.
He let out a helpless sigh and took a precious sip of his liquor.
Lin Zhilan was stingy when pouring for Su Bingcheng but generous when pouring for herself and Deng Jing, filling their glasses halfway.
Su Li had his own small table and stool.
Seeing his mom pouring liquor, he sneaked over, squeezed to the table’s edge, stood on tiptoes, and gripped the tabletop with his chubby little hands, his chin barely reaching the surface. “Li Li wants some too.”
Lin Zhilan gave him a cup and filled it with plain water to fool him.
But Su Li was sharp—he pointed at the liquor bottle, “Want that.”
Still, old ginger is spiciest: Su Lang took the water cup and said, “If you don’t want it, Dad will drink it.”
“No, no,” Su Li got flustered, wrapping both arms around Su Lang’s arm, “Li Li’s!”
