Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: As the Ancients Said, Girls Are Better Cooks [Seeking Monthly Votes!]

There are still three days before the carnival officially starts. These two days are perfect for wandering around and completing the punch-in tasks along the way.

Jing Chaoyi is still busy in the kitchen, while Li Younan takes out his phone, snapping pictures around the house, and even takes a video downstairs. After all, coming to Xiamen, renting a house is also a nice piece of material.

As he puts away his phone, Jing Chaoyi comes out with a plate of abalone. She says cheerfully, ”I wanted to make all the dishes, but I realized the abalone and oysters are more than enough. Let’s save the mantis shrimp for the next meal.”

Li Younan goes over to help. The abalone is spicy and fragrant, with a heavy dose of chili, while the fresh oysters are simply steamed. Once the abalone and oysters are set on the dining table, Jing Chaoyi turns around, opens the fridge, takes out two bottles of beer, and says to Li Younan, ”Have you heard the saying? Seafood goes with beer...”

Li Younan blurts out, ”And gout follows.”

Jing Chaoyi turns and uses her hip to close the fridge door, walking over with some discontent, placing the beer on the table, ”It’s supposed to be ’it’s so great you’ll have no friends,’ senior!”

It’s worth mentioning, Jing Chaoyi indeed has the confidence. Her braised abalone, whether in terms of flavor or color, is flawless.

The only flaw is, Jing Chaoyi is from Hunan, and she cooks in the Hunan cuisine style.

Li Younan actually can’t handle very spicy food. For a long time, this has been something that made him looked down upon by fellow townsmen. Because his mother doesn’t like spicy food, he also ate more mildly growing up, which led to his low tolerance for spiciness as he grows older.

Seeing Li Younan struggling with the spiciness, Jing Chaoyi looks a bit schadenfreudistic, handing him an ice-cold beer with a smile, saying, ”This helps with the spiciness.”

Li Younan glares at Jing Chaoyi, gulping down the beer in a few swigs. His only solace is the oysters, which are steamed, making them easier for him to eat.

After this meal, Li Younan expresses indignantly, ”Fine, I’ll do the cooking next time.”

Jing Chaoyi has a weird expression, saying in a doubtful tone, ”Senior, can you even cook? Cooking is not as simple as you think, as the ancients said, girls are better at cooking.”

Li Younan: ”...”

”Hee hee.”

Li Younan snorts, ”Don’t worry, I can at least cook something edible.”

Jing Chaoyi imagines a scenario of Li Younan, the handsome guy, fumbling in the kitchen, following guides on his phone while awkwardly handling kitchen tools, eventually serving something just enough to stave off hunger. She shakes her head, dispelling that terrible image from her mind, and says firmly, ”Forget it, mantis shrimp is expensive. The ones we bought are so big, a few mantis shrimp cost more than all the oysters and abalone put together.”

Li Younan says, ”It’s better than being spiced to death by you.”

Jing Chaoyi, feeling wronged, says, ”Oh, next time I won’t make it that spicy, you’re really embarrassing your country folks.”

At this point, Li Younan isn’t feeling so spicy anymore. Drinking beer, the cool liquid dispels the heat, and he says leisurely, ”Who told you that people from Sichuan and Chongqing must eat spicy? Chili peppers have only been in our country for how many years?”

Jing Chaoyi blinks: ”Huh? Isn’t it since ancient times?”

Li Younan chuckles, ”Study a bit of history, junior.”

The next day, since morning, it rains non-stop, so the two decide not to go out.

It is the last few days of the plum rain season in Xiamen right now.

After getting up, Jing Chaoyi cuddles on the sofa watching TV, while Li Younan is in the room browsing videos. Now as a creator, he consciously watches how others shoot their videos and how they write their scripts.

It must be said, any video creator who achieves something in this field has to put in unimaginable effort. A lot of time needs to be spent every day on creativity, editing, and scriptwriting, which seem to have no immediate payoff, and whether you succeed in the end depends on a bit of luck. And if you want to really profit, even more is involved, like business negotiations, brand partnerships, and, if necessary, participating in some events.

If Li Younan puts his energy into making videos, traveling will certainly become very painful and lose the leisure he once imagined.

Thinking of this, Li Younan thinks of that grumpy guy. After some thought, Li Younan sends a message to jk Dragon, ”Bro, what do you do for work?”

The other side doesn’t reply. It’s morning, and Li Younan suddenly remembers that several times the other side messages at around four or five in the morning.

There’s no doubt, this guy’s sleep schedule is completely messed up, a really bad routine.

Outside, the rain keeps falling. As Li Younan passes time, it gets close to noon, and he goes out to cook rice.

At this moment, Jing Chaoyi suddenly realizes something, jumps up cautiously, even not bothering to wear slippers, and runs into the kitchen barefoot, peering at what Li Younan is up to.

Li Younan calmly glances at Jing Chaoyi beside him, saying, ”You came just in time, help me shoot a video.”

Jing Chaoyi’s expression is full of oddity: ”Senior, you are that narcissistic?”

Li Younan’s face drops immediately, saying with some annoyance, ”You really can’t provide any emotional support.”

Jing Chaoyi grins cheekily, ”Sorry, sorry, I’ll shoot, I’ll shoot.”

Good thing she can supervise Li Younan’s cooking, lest he ruins her mantis shrimp.

Li Younan starts preparing ingredients, and Jing Chaoyi notices Li Younan actually taking out the only bottle of dry white wine from the wine cabinet, she can’t help blinking, ”Having a drink to boost courage before cooking? Drunken fist? Drunken cooking?”

Li Younan doesn’t explain, saying, ”Make sure you shoot the video properly for me.”

Then Li Younan takes parsley flakes, garlic, the leftover butter from last time, and the cream cake Jing Chaoyi bought yesterday from the fridge. These things make Jing Chaoyi more and more puzzled, she can’t help asking, ”Aren’t you going to make salt and pepper mantis shrimp?”

Li Younan says, ”Is salt and pepper the only way to prepare mantis shrimp?”

Jing Chaoyi proudly says, ”I only know that one way.”

Li Younan smiles slightly, ”Then let me show you something different.”

Jing Chaoyi frowns, ”You better not mess it up.”

Li Younan ignores her comment; he searches around but doesn’t find scissors in the kitchen, so he can’t shell it in the usual way. However, for a cook of his level, using a knife is also fine.

Holding a knife, with a deft flick, the thin and crispy shell of the shrimp silently comes off, revealing the jade-like shrimp meat, so fast that only a fleeting shadow is left.

Li Younan glances at Jing Chaoyi in the meantime, seeing her eyes wide open, like a confused Akita dog.

Smiling slightly, he slides the shrimp heads and shells into the slightly heated olive oil, and with a sizzling sound, a rich aroma rises sharply, filling the entire space. He pours in clear water, letting them simmer in the pot, creating a small bowl of condensed golden essence.

The small copper pot is gently warmed as a block of butter slides in, melting silently into an amber wave, and a few minced garlic pieces fall, their fragrance just unfolding, as the translucent shrimp meat is gently placed inside. The fire’s flames gently lick, and the edges of the shrimp meat quickly take on an enticing light gold, and just as swiftly, they are taken out.

While cooking, Li Younan can spare a moment to face the camera and say, ”If you let this step go on for another second, it would waste this freshness.”

Jing Chaoyi pouts, ”Senior, you’re starting to act all pretentious!”

Pouring the clear golden shrimp broth in slowly, then a spoonful of white cream is poured, and the soup gradually becomes rich and smooth over a low flame, shimmering with a gentle pearly glow.

Jing Chaoyi’s gaze can’t help but fixate on the food in the pot.

Finally, Li Younan gracefully sprinkles some sea salt crystals and a few strands of black pepper, finishing it with a touch of verdant parsley flakes.

Done.

Jing Chaoyi stares dumbfoundedly at the just-finished dish, she has never even seen something like this before.

What the... The senior is actually this good!

”Senior, what’s this dish called?”

”White Wine Cream Gathering.”

Li Younan casually takes off his apron.

Just as Jing Chaoyi is about to say something, Li Younan is more concerned about his video, asking, ”Did you get the shot?”

Jing Chaoyi returns the phone to Li Younan, carrying the dish happily outside.

Li Younan continues watching the video, while outside, Jing Chaoyi lets out a loud, satisfied groan.

”Mmm—ah!”