Chapter 76: A Feast of Flavors and Celestial Visions

Now they’re finally ready, here you go.

Zhong Tian returned the chicken drumstick Li Jianren had already bitten into, then, after gently blowing on his own skewer to cool it, took a hearty bite.

The chicken was of excellent quality, its meat firm and succulent, though Li Jianren’s generous seasoning made it a touch salty. Nevertheless, it remained utterly delicious.

Seated beside Li Jianren, Bai Ruijin withdrew her gaze from the pair, reaching for another skewer of marinated chicken drumsticks from the nearby table.

Sizzle—

“Jingjing, do you think this one’s done?”

…

“Want to give it a try?”

“…Give it to your sister.”

Lin Yu gazed at the second piece of ‘charcoal’ Lin Chu had produced, her expression instantly morphing into one of utter disbelief. ‘Sis, can you really not tell the difference between food and charcoal…?’

“Really? I thought it looked pretty good.”

“Then why don’t you eat it yourself?”

“Good things are meant to be shared, aren’t they?”

Lin Yu turned her face away, gently pushing aside the ‘charcoal’ skewer Lin Chu offered. ‘I respect my elders and cherish the young… You eat it.’

“Then, Zhong Tian, would you like some?”

‘Me…?’

Zhong Tian struggled to suppress any hint of revulsion or alarm. Under Lin Chu’s expectant gaze, he accepted the piece of ‘charcoal’ and carefully sliced through its almost entirely blackened surface with a small knife.

‘It was a chicken wing after all…’

‘How could it possibly be burnt like this…’

‘Still, the meat inside seems alright.’

Zhong Tian carved out a small piece of meat with the knife and tasted it.

‘It’s actually quite tasty.’

“Thank you.”

“Hmph, I told you it was edible! This is what they call crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, understand?” Lin Chu raised a hand to flick Lin Yu’s forehead. “I see someone here doesn’t appreciate quality goods.”

“What kind of ‘crispy on the outside, tender on the inside’ is that? Your chicken wing looks exactly like the charcoal in this grill! If Zhong Tian hadn’t cut it open, I wouldn’t have even known it was a chicken wing!”

“That’s called not judging a book by its cover, you know.”

“…Alright, alright, don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Unwilling to prolong the argument with Lin Chu, Lin Yu rolled her eyes and returned to grilling her own shrimp.

“Zhong Tian, grill me an eggplant.” Zhong Jing, seated across from Zhong Tian, spoke up.

“Okay.”

Zhong Tian took an eggplant from the table, brushed it with a layer of oil, and placed it directly onto the grill.

Eggplants require a longer grilling time. While waiting for it to cook through, Zhong Tian added two skewers of sausages and one skewer of shrimp to the barbecue rack.

“Hey, Zhong Tian, we’ve got scallops! Want to grill some?”

Li Jianren, who had just gone to the table to select ingredients, now held a foil container filled with several prepared scallops.

“Whatever you like is fine.”

“Alright, let’s get grilling!”

The grill was expansive; even with nine people simultaneously placing multiple skewers of food, there remained ample space in the center.

Zhong Tian pondered for a moment, then added two more eggplants.

‘Surely no one here dislikes eggplant… right?’

As Zhong Tian tended to the eggplants, the chicken drumstick in Bai Ruijin’s hand finished cooking. She bit her lip lightly before turning to Li Jianren and asking, “Jianren, would you… like to have this chicken drumstick?”

Li Jianren blinked at the chicken drumstick Bai Ruijin offered, then took it from her. “Mhm, thank you.”

“No problem… Um, if there’s anything else you’d like to eat, you can tell me…” Bai Ruijin added, “It’s easier for me to get ingredients from over here…”

Gnawing on his chicken drumstick, Li Jianren gave Bai Ruijin a thumbs-up.

“Delicious.”

Those two simple words instantly brightened Bai Ruijin’s mood.

Zheng Qiao chewed on a freshly grilled chicken cutlet, watching Bai Ruijin and Li Jianren’s interaction with a sense of relief.

‘Looks like it’s going quite smoothly!’

‘Xiao Bai, you’ve really grown up!’

As she chewed her chicken cutlet, she began to imagine the scene once the two of them became a couple.

However, with that thought, Zheng Qiao envisioned Bai Ruijin and Li Jianren slowly cruising towards her in an open-top Lambor○ghini, waving hello.

‘The incongruity is just too strong…’

Ever since learning Li Jianren was a second-generation rich kid, Zheng Qiao had subconsciously affixed many stereotypical ‘rich kid’ labels onto him. Now, no matter how she looked at him, all she could picture was him spending money like water…

‘My apologies, Jianren.’

She set down her disposable plastic bowl and went to retrieve another marinated chicken cutlet.

****

Amidst the cheerful chatter and the crackling of the grill, the sun slowly descended, giving way to night.

Li Jianren went to switch on the lights installed on both parasols, their orange glow illuminating the central grilling area.

“It’s evening now.” Returning to his seat, Li Jianren remarked, “Finally, it’s getting cooler.”

“It is evening, isn’t it?”

Chu Lenghu looked up, the deep purple night sky reflected in her eyes.

Many stars were visible in the night sky above Taisan, and in this suburban villa area, they appeared even more numerous and distinct.

Chu Lenghu gazed at the myriad stars, lost in thought.

‘If only I had brought my painting supplies.’

Hearing this, Zhong Tian turned to Chu Lenghu. “Lenghu, do you like the night sky?”

“Yes.” Chu Lenghu nodded, her gaze still fixed on the heavens. “My whole family loves it.”

“My parents are professional astrophotographers. Every summer, they travel to different places to capture various celestial scenes, returning home in September with their breathtaking photographs of the night sky.” Chu Lenghu seemed to be in excellent spirits. She lowered her head, glancing sideways at Zhong Tian. “Do you know about Lenghu?”

‘Hmm… is it a place name?’

Zhong Tian ventured.

“That’s right. My name, Lenghu, is also a place name. It’s home to the clearest night sky in the Eurasian continent.” A smile graced Chu Lenghu’s face. “My parents loved the night sky there the most, which is why they named me Lenghu.”

“Does it sound like my name was chosen a bit carelessly?” Chu Lenghu chuckled. “But after seeing the photos of the night sky my parents took, I understood immediately.”

As Chu Lenghu spoke, she opened her phone’s photo album, scrolled through it, and handed it to Zhong Tian.

Zhong Tian took the phone. What greeted his eyes was a vast expanse of stars, their light so clear and brilliant that the entire night sky shimmered with faint hues of purple and yellow.

‘These are stars that could rival the bright moon…’

Beneath the sea of stars lay a stretch of barren, ochre-colored hills, imbuing the entire photograph with a sense of otherworldly solitude.

For a moment, Zhong Tian wondered if he was looking at a painting.

‘So, such beautiful night skies truly exist in real life.’

“Indeed.”

Together, Zhong Tian and Chu Lenghu looked up at the night sky over Taisan City.

Compared to the sky above Lenghu, the night sky here was undeniably far, far less spectacular.

“While it can’t compare to Lenghu’s night sky, I still think the stars here are beautiful in their own way.”

“Mhm.” Zhong Tian mused for a moment, then asked, “How about I teach you how to paint the night sky tomorrow?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“…Are the eggplants not ready yet?”

Zhong Jing’s words abruptly pulled Zhong Tian back to reality; he had almost forgotten.

The eggplants had, in fact, been ready for quite some time. With a touch of embarrassment, Zhong Tian picked up the small knife, sliced open all three eggplants, brushed them with soy sauce, sprinkled them with minced garlic, and then broke off two pairs of disposable chopsticks, handing one pair to Zhong Jing and the other to Chu Lenghu.

“Let’s eat the eggplant first.”

“Okay.”