VFGRC Chapter 29

TL: Moonlit

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In the newly opened park in City J, besides parents with children, there were also many young people playing together with their friends.

After all, New Year’s Day was a rare holiday for them as working individuals, so they naturally wanted to gather and have a good time.

The scenery in the park was indeed beautiful, but the prices in the park’s restaurants were much higher than those outside.

Song Qing, who came to the park with her friends, had prepared in advance. They brought their own picnic equipment and decided to do a small barbecue on the picnic lawn in the park.

Making their own food was definitely more cost-effective than being ripped off by the park’s restaurants.

However…

“Song Qing! You’ve burnt the chicken wings again!”

“Can you blame me? These chicken wings are so difficult to barbecue! And the fire keeps fluctuating… well, let’s scrape off the charred parts, and they should be edible, more or less, right?”

“Song Qing, your cooking skills are truly amazing! The skin of the chicken wings is burned, but the inside is still raw… if I eat them, I’ll probably have to be rushed to the hospital by an ambulance!”

“What else can we do? Don’t just stand there and complain. Why don’t you guys try barbecuing?”

Upon hearing Song Qing’s words, her friends were instantly rendered speechless.

Song Qing and her friends were used to having their parents cook at home. Even when they lived alone, they either ordered takeout or could only make extremely simple dishes like boiled vegetables or instant noodles.

For cooking in an open-air barbecue where they had to control the heat, it was undoubtedly a level of difficulty akin to hell for these cooking novices.

Not to mention making the barbecue taste delicious, they were already doing well if they could cook the meat thoroughly without burning it!

Song Qing and her friends busied themselves for over an hour, and even though it was winter, they were sweating from exhaustion. However, there were very few edible items to be found.

“Let’s give up on barbecuing.” One of Song Qing’s friends said angrily. “There’s a convenience store over there. I’m going to buy a box of instant noodles.”

“I’m going to buy instant noodles too, and I’ll add two grilled sausages! I’m really starving…”

Several of Song Qing’s friends were responsible for going to the nearby convenience store to buy instant noodles and grilled sausages, while Song Qing and two other friends stayed behind to clean up the mess.

There were many visitors in the park today, and even though the prices of instant noodles and grilled sausages in the park had increased several times, they were still highly welcomed by the park’s visitors. This was because the food in the park’s restaurants was both expensive and tasteless, so the visitors preferred the instant noodles from the convenience store.

Thus, when Song Qing’s friends went to buy instant noodles and grilled sausages, there were only a few boxes of instant noodles and two grilled sausages left.

These few boxes of instant noodles and grilled sausages were barely enough for Song Qing and her friends to fill their stomachs, but having something to eat was still better than nothing.

Just as Song Qing’s friends returned to the lawn with the freshly cooked instant noodles from the convenience store, they realized that Song Qing was nowhere to be found.

“Where is Song Qing?”

“She went over there.”

Everyone looked in the direction where Song Qing had left.

On the lawn, groups of visitors were resting.

The gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft rustling sound.

Before they could locate Song Qing’s voice on the lawn, a gust of wind carried the tantalizing aroma of grilled meat to their noses.

The rich aroma of the barbecue combined with the natural oil fragrance of the meat, the smoky scent from charcoal, and the pungent aroma of the sauces.

This aroma was like an enticing feather, teasing the hearts of the onlookers.

After a busy and hungry half day, when Song Qing’s friends caught a whiff of the aroma, tears uncontrollably flowed down their cheeks.

Damn! What kind of heavenly aroma was this!

How could they enjoy their tasteless instant noodles when they smelled this enticing aroma?!

—

As a moderately famous online food blogger in City J, Song Qing had a good appetite and a certain appreciation for food.

However, she had a weakness: she was a cooking novice.

Who said food bloggers must be good at cooking?

Of course, as a food blogger, Song Qing had some small “skills” of her own.

Song Qing had a keen sense of smell. She could easily detect scents that ordinary people needed to sniff carefully to notice.

Yu Bai set up a stove on the lawn, placed the meat on it, and drizzled it with some secret sauce.

At the same time, the blazing charcoal fire perfectly brought out the aroma of the grilled meat, blending the charred fragrance and the natural oils released by the pork belly.

It smelled so good! She was salivating!

Song Qing asked her other two friends to clean up the barbecue grill they hadn’t finished, and then she eagerly ran towards the direction where the aroma was coming from.

Soon, Song Qing stopped in her tracks.

A simple and cozy floral tablecloth was spread out on the grass, and a chubby little toddler dressed in a snow-white down jacket sat there, resembling an adorable little snowman.

The toddler wore a light yellow bib around his neck and carefully held the bottom of a paper plate with his slightly protruding round belly. He gripped the edge of the plate with his left hand and held a biodegradable disposable fork in his right hand, skewering a piece of grilled pork belly from the plate.

The pork belly had just finished grilling, so the surface of the meat still emitted heat, and the sizzling sound of the oil could be heard.

The surface of the seasoned pork belly had a light brown color, and the fatty part was grilled to a slightly crispy texture—it was edible and wouldn’t affect one’s health.

Xing Xing pursed his soft cheeks and blew on the steaming piece of pork belly, revealing his white little teeth.

Xing Xing slowly took a small bite of the lean part of the pork belly.

Although the fatty part of the pork belly was slightly charred, the lean part still retained its juicy tenderness.

The juices trapped between the lean meat slices instantly burst into Xing Xing’s mouth.

Huff! It was a bit hot!

Fortunately, he followed Dad’s advice and blew on the meat before eating it; otherwise, his tongue would have been blistered by the pork belly!

There were some white sesame seeds sprinkled on Xing Xing’s small plate.

After savoring the flavorful meat in his mouth, Xing Xing dipped the remaining pork belly in the white sesame seeds and put it into his mouth.

As the white sesame seeds were bitten into, the fragrant aroma of sesame mingled with the meaty fragrance.

The meat became even more delicious!

Sitting on the tablecloth, Xing Xing enjoyed the grilled pork belly on his plate with relish.

At this moment, Song Qing’s thoughts shifted from “This toddler is so cute” to “How many years in prison would I get for snatching food from a toddler in public?”

Song Qing immediately shook her head, dismissing the dangerous thought from her mind.

However, she couldn’t control her gaze as it turned toward the toddler’s plate.

She really wanted to take a bite!

Facing away from Xing Xing, Yu Bai was busy grilling meat with the picnic utensils, and Ji Rongyu was dutifully assisting Yu Bai.

Yu Bai used the barbecue tongs to make a few cuts on the juicy grilled chicken wings to speed up the cooking process inside.

Yu Bai turned his head and said, “Xing Xing, have you finished eating the pork belly? I grilled some chicken wings and put them on your plate… You haven’t finished eating yet? Then I’ll put them aside for now.”

Ji Rongyu, who had been smelling the barbecue aroma for a while without being able to take a bite, brightened his eyes when he heard that Xing Xing hadn’t finished the pork belly on his plate.

The chicken wings wouldn’t taste good once they cooled down! Since Xing Xing couldn’t eat the chicken wings right now, he could!

Yu Bai had marinated the chicken wings the night before, specifically for this occasion. He brushed them with his secret sauce, and the aroma was incredibly enticing.

Ji Rongyu’s adam’s apple bobbed, and he was just about to consider taking a bite of the chicken wings when someone beat him to it and spoke up.

“Excuse me, can I ask if these chicken wings were grilled by you guys?”

Yu Bai turned his head and noticed that a pretty girl in a blue and white checkered dress with a bun hairstyle was standing in front of his barbecue grill.

The girl had curved smiling eyes and deep dimples. When she smiled, it was very easy for people to develop a favorable impression of her.

Yu Bai replied, “Yes.”

Song Qing’s brown eyes lit up, but then hesitation appeared on her face.

Song Qing pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t dare to.

Her gaze kept wandering back to the plate of grilled chicken wings made by Yu Bai.

Yu Bai quickly understood Song Qing’s thoughts.

Yu Bai asked, “Are you asking… if you can have a chicken wing?”

Song Qing’s cheeks turned slightly red.

It wasn’t easy for someone to directly go up to someone else’s barbecue grill and ask for food, even if they had thick skin, let alone a young girl like Song Qing.

But these grilled chicken wings smelled so amazing! And the grilled pork belly, while watching the toddler eat, she had been secretly salivating.

For that one bite, she could sacrifice her dignity!

Song Qing nodded slightly, “Is it possible? I… I can pay for it. I can pay any amount! Just give me one chicken wing!”

As a food blogger, Song Qing had tasted countless rare delicacies.

But for someone who was starving, all those delicacies couldn’t compare to an ordinary-looking grilled chicken wing.

Yuba Bai smiled, “I brought a lot of marinated chicken wings, and I can still grill more later. You can have this plate of chicken wings.”

This plate only has six chicken wings, and Yu Bai can grill several skewers of meat and vegetables at the same time, so these six chicken wings don’t take much of his time.

Moreover, six chicken wings would cost at most a dozen bucks at the market.

Yu Bai also noticed that the girl had a round face but a thin figure and small stature. She kept stealing glances at the grilled chicken wings he made, as if she had a tight budget and couldn’t eat enough.

This reminded Yu Bai of Xing Xing, who used to have a round face but was skinny enough to feel his bones when he just got out of the hospital.

Love others, love their quirks.

So, since it was just six chicken wings, he decided to give them all to her.

Song Qing: !!!

Song Qing thought she could only get one or two chicken wings at most, but unexpectedly, the person was so generous and gave her a whole plate of chicken wings!

What a good person!

Without realizing that she was being labeled as financially struggling, tearfully, Song Qing said, “How much for these chicken wings? I’ll pay you…”

Yuba Bai waved his hand, “No need to pay, take them all. By the way, I also grilled some chicken cartilage. Have some!”

Just when Song Qing was about to say something else, she suddenly felt a cold gaze.

Song Qing: ?

A handsome and tall man who had been busy moving ingredients next to Yu Bai glanced at Song Qing with narrow eyes, and his gaze felt as chilling as an icy wind, piercing and icy cold.

The smile on Song Qing’s face froze, and the aura and oppression emanating from the man made her petite body tremble.

She was like a white rabbit facing a fierce beast and felt like the next moment she might be slapped to death by the beast.

Under the intense pressure, Song Qing forgot what she wanted to say.

That person’s gaze was just too terrifying!!!

Song Qing immediately took out the only one-hundred yuan bill she had in her pocket, stuffed it into Yu Bai’s pocket, and hastily grabbed the plate of grilled chicken wings and cartilage, quickly escaping.

It was only when Song Qing returned to the barbecue area with her friends, holding the plate, that she felt like she had saved her life and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Song Qing, where did you go just now?” Song Qing’s friend saw the plate of hot grilled chicken wings and cartilage emitting steam in her hands, and his eyes lit up. He reached out to take it, “Where did you get this? It looks delicious…”

Song Qing immediately moved the plate away, “But I risked my life to buy it…”

“Hmph, just six chicken wings and a few cartilages, and you risked your life to buy them? Don’t kid me! Hmm, they smell really good…”

“Song Qing, the instant noodles in the convenience store are all sold out. We’ll have to share one serving between the two of us.”

When Song Qing’s other friend approached her, he noticed that the previously faint aroma of barbecue in the air had become stronger.

He looked down and saw the grilled meat on Song Qing’s plate.

“Wow. Song Qing, you really outdid yourself.” He said, “Did you go and ask that family for grilled meat?”

Although the picnic lawn in the park was large, it was still an open area. The aroma of the barbecue made by other visitors was more or less noticeable.

However, since Yu Bai set up his barbecue grill, the aroma coming from his grill dominantly overwhelmed the other visitors’ barbecue scents. Anyone who smelled it couldn’t help but glance in Yu Bai’s direction.

They couldn’t figure out how this family managed to make their barbecue smell so good!

The other visitors didn’t have the audacity of Song Qing to ask Yu Bai for free food, so they could only buy some dry snacks from the nearby convenience store while smelling the barbecue aroma.

They sniffed the barbecue scent while munching on dry biscuits, barely satisfying their hunger.

“I bought it for a hundred yuan.”

“A hundred for this? It’s so expensive!”

“They didn’t ask for money. I forcefully gave them a hundred.” Song Qing defended Yu Bai, “Six chicken wings and several cartilage… Compared to the other restaurants in this park, it’s actually cheap.”

Yu Bai wanted to give her the plate for free, but Song Qing insisted on paying.

Because Song Qing knew that Yu Bai was a gentle and kind person, she didn’t want him to be at a loss.

On the lawn, besides her, other visitors were also eyeing Yu Bai’s small barbecue.

If Yu Bai had truly given her the plate of grilled chicken wings for free, other visitors might also want Yu Bai to give them free food.

Because the other visitors would think, if Song Qing could get free food, why couldn’t they?

But with Song Qing stuffing a hundred yuan bill into Yu Bai’s pocket in front of everyone, the other visitors couldn’t afford to think about asking Yu Bai for free food anymore.

While talking, Song Qing shooed away her friend’s reaching hand, saying, “Don’t touch it. I haven’t eaten yet!”

“Okay, okay, just eat quickly and let me taste it after you’re done!”

Song Qing muttered, “There are only a few chicken wings and cartilage… They might not be enough for me…”

“I’ll transfer twenty bucks to you. Can I have one chicken wing to taste later?”

“I’ll transfer fifty. I want two chicken wings!”

“I’ll transfer ten. I don’t like chicken wings, but I love cartilage!”

“Hey, you guys, stop it.” Song Qing said, “I haven’t tasted it yet, and I don’t know if it’s good… What if it’s just average? You don’t have to spend money for that.”

The grilled chicken wings and cartilage smelled great, but a pleasant aroma alone didn’t determine the taste of the food.

Song Qing thought that the man doing the barbecue looked quite young… From her years of experience exploring different eateries, she figured his culinary skills were probably at an average level, no different from a regular household’s.

Anyway, even if his skills were bad, they wouldn’t be worse than her “burnt outside, raw inside” grilled chicken wings.

Song Qing brought the chicken wing to her lips, and the aroma of the secret barbecue sauce on the crispy outer skin became even more intense.

Song Qing approached and smelled the barbecue aroma, so delightful that she hesitated to eat.

“Song Qing, quickly taste it! Is it good?”

Her friends, who were already captivated by the aroma of the grilled chicken wings, urged her on.

“Okay, okay, I’ll taste it now.”

Song Qing said and took a bite of the edge of the chicken wing.

On one side of the chicken wing, the shape was a smooth, gentle curve, while the other side had a pointed protrusion in the middle.

The side with the protrusion had less meat and more chicken skin, making it rich in fat and providing a fuller mouthfeel.

Song Qing bit into the part with a slight protrusion on the chicken wing.

The essence of grilled meat lies in grilling the rich fat of the meat and moistening the ingredients with it.

Yu Bai had grilled the chicken wings to a crispy texture.

When Song Qing took a bite, she and her friends, who were close to her, could hear the satisfying crisp sound as the chicken skin was bitten into.

Song Qing exerted a little force, tearing through the crispy outer skin of the chicken wing with her teeth.

The delicious chicken juice mixed with the crispy chicken skin, along with the tiny amount of remaining fat, flowed into Song Qing’s mouth.

The tender chicken meat soaked in the fat and chicken juice, as it entered Song Qing’s mouth, added a chewy texture similar to collagen-rich food.

The special barbecue seasoning complemented the grilled chicken wings. The mild lemon flavor in the seasoning balanced out the slight greasiness of the chicken wings and enhanced their aroma.

The crispy chicken skin was less, but Song Qing tasted more of the savory chicken meat.

However, it was different with the grilled chicken cartilage.

Though they were called chicken cartilage, they actually consisted of both the cartilage and a thin layer of meat wrapped around them.

Because the meat was thin, it was easier to cook through.

The edges of the meat were slightly crispy, while the inside was tender and juicy, similar to the grilled chicken wings, but with an additional crispiness from the cartilage.

“Crunch, crunch,” in the blink of an eye, Song Qing had finished a chicken wing and a skewer of chicken cartilage.

Song Qing’s friends asked, “How does it taste?”

In fact, they didn’t need to ask. Just by looking at the expression on Song Qing’s face, they could tell.

The taste of the grilled food must be excellent!

Song Qing stuck out her tongue and licked the oil stain on her lips, feeling unsatisfied. She said, “It’s not good, you guys don’t need to eat it.”

Song Qing’s friends: ?!

As she was about to reach for another chicken wing, she saw her friends picking up the plate she had placed on the tablecloth… and lifting it up together!

Song Qing: ?!?!?!

Her friends said in unison, “You’ve been working and exploring restaurants every day recently. Have you already eaten yourself to work injury? And you said you wanted to lose weight?”

“Eating too many grilled chicken wings and cartilage will make you gain weight. Let us bear the pain of getting fat for you!”

“We’ll give you two hundred bucks, and the plate is ours!”

Song Qing immediately jumped up, her face twisted in an unflattering manner, and she ran towards her friends, shouting, “Give the grilled chicken wings and cartilage back to me!”

“I don’t want the money, and I’m not dieting anymore!”

—

Yu Bai usually liked to wear slightly thicker clothes when going out to set up his stall, but today the weather was hot, and he had been walking around with Xing Xing in the morning, sweating.

The afternoon sun was no longer as cool as the light in the refrigerator; it warmed people’s bodies.

So Yu Bai took off his jacket and wore only a loose sweater.

The sweater was light-colored, so he deliberately tied an apron around his waist to avoid getting oil stains on his clothes while frying the food.

The thin string circled Yu Bai’s waist and formed a bowtie behind him, outlining his narrow and slender waist.

Ji Rongyu’s gaze dimmed, and he pulled up the corners of his lips somewhat displeasedly.

The girl who had just stood beside Yu Bai playfully stuffed something into his apron pocket. Due to the angle, he could only see that it was a pink piece of paper.

Could it be a love letter?

Tsk, what era is this? Still writing love letters? Such outdated tactics.

Yu Bai, who was focused on barbecuing, didn’t notice that Ji Rongyu had stood behind him.

As Yu Bai was flipping the leek on the grill, a hand encircled his waist.

Yu Bai’s body tensed slightly.

Other than Xing Xing, Yu Bai had rarely been so close to anyone else.

So he was not accustomed to it.

Who was the person behind him?

Yu Bai frowned, about to turn his head, but the person’s hand in front of him slowly moved downward.

Yu Bai’s expression gradually turned unpleasant.

Just as he was about to give the person a beating, the hand reached for his…

Apron pocket.

Yu Bai: ?

Ji Rongyu withdrew his hand from Yu Bai’s apron pocket, holding a one-hundred yuan bill.

The girl had shyly stuffed it into Yu Bai’s pocket. She gave him a one-hundred yuan bill? It wasn’t a love letter?

This couldn’t be possible!

Just as Ji Rongyu was about to continue reaching into Yu Bai’s apron pocket, a cold, sharp object pressed against his outstretched right hand.

Ji Rongyu looked up.

Yu Bai had a gentle smile, his eyes sparkling. He raised his right hand, holding an iron skewer that reflected dazzling light under the warm sunlight.

A wise man submits to circumstances.

Ji Rongyu silently retracted his right hand and blinked at Yu Bai, showing a pleasing smile.

Ji Rongyu: “I…”

Yu Bai smiled softly, “Are you hungry?”

Ji Rongyu’s smile faltered. He had a feeling that Yu Bai would drug him in the next second.

“This one hundred yuan is for you. You can buy some delicious food from the nearby convenience store.” Yu Bai’s voice was gentle, “As for barbecue… I think grilled pig trotters would suit you better. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any pig trotters…”

Yu Bai’s gaze fell on Ji Rongyu’s right hand.

Ji Rongyu’s right hand trembled, weakly saying, “I’ll go to the convenience store and buy something to eat with my own money…”

As the barbecue was coming to an end, Yu Bai showed kindness to Ji Rongyu, who was nibbling on biscuits and drinking mineral water on the side.

Under Ji Rongyu’s hopeful gaze, Yu Bai handed him a large handful of…

Freshly grilled leeks.

Ji Rongyu’s face turned almost green.

 

Author’s Note:

Ji Rongyu: Pretending to be intimate…

Song Qing: You misunderstood.

Ji Rongyu: Acting coy…

Song Qing: The object of attention is the grilled chicken wings and cartilage.

Ji Rongyu: A pink love letter…

Song Qing: Haha, it’s a hundred yuan bill!

—

Now.

Yu Bai: Darling, have some grilled leeks.

In the future.

Ji Rongyu: Sweetie, want to eat some grilled eggplant?

Yu Bai lying on the bed: Today we’re having eggplant pockets, the kind that’s chopped into several pieces!!!