The wind had softened even more, carrying over the fragrance of the snack stalls.
Su Yue tugged at Lin Li's sleeve and pointed toward the grilled squid and fish tofu stalls at the street corner. "Look, those two snack stalls from earlier are still there. Let's go buy a few skewers?"
Lin Li smiled. "Who was it just now saying she was full and couldn't eat another bite?"
"That's different." Su Yue smiled brightly. "Snacks go into a separate stomach. I'll only eat two skewers of fish tofu. You can have all the squid skewers left over..."
Lin Li was exasperated yet amused, so he could only follow her toward the stalls.
The grilled-squid vendor was busy flipping the squid. It sizzled on the iron plate, while the sauce he brushed on bubbled and sent an irresistible fragrance into the air.
The two of them queued up and bought two squid skewers and three fish-tofu skewers, then found a secluded corner.
There was a stone bench beside the greenery, just right for sitting down.
Su Yue bit into a piece of fish tofu. The sauce spread across her mouth, spicy and numbing with a hint of sweetness, while the texture was springy.
"It's delicious. This sauce is really well mixed."
She spoke indistinctly, then handed a squid skewer to Lin Li.
Lin Li took a bite. The squid's freshness mingled with the sauce's fragrance, without the slightest fishy smell.
"It really is good. The flavor's more authentic than quite a few barbecue stalls..."
Seeing Su Yue's look of satisfaction, he couldn't help smiling as well. The evening breeze carried the fragrance of food and Su Yue's laughter, making even the chill of the autumn night turn warm.
The river bend in the outskirts lay hidden deep in the wilderness.