Spinning Flower Hands at Lightning Speed

The night before, Zhou Shuling had blanched several carefully selected slabs of pork belly and set them to marinate. By this morning, they had been perfectly infused with flavor.

Inspired by the details of the tiger-skin braised pork Liu Chang'an had made on Lunar New Year's Eve, she poked countless holes into the pork skin with a toothpick, brushed on a layer of white vinegar, then brushed it with honey.

They said crispy roast pork was best made in a hanging oven, but Zhou Shuling did not have one. All she had was an oven redeemed with mobile phone credit points. She wrapped the lean-and-fat layers of the marinated pork belly in foil and put them into the oven.

By the time she called the three of them over for breakfast, Zhou Shuling's crispy roast pork had turned golden and crackly on the outside. The lean meat was lightly charred, yet all the juices had been sealed within. After cutting off a piece and putting it in her mouth, she found it incomparably tender and delicious. Threads of meat juice burst and splashed in her mouth, blooming with the pure essence of the meat and striking every taste bud.

Zhou Shuling had prepared dipping sauce, but aside from Shangguan Dandan, who dipped hers in sweet chili sauce, Liu Chang'an and Zhou Dongdong both ate it plain.

Watching them eat with such concentration, Zhou Shuling felt boundless satisfaction. She propped herself against the table with both hands, cradling her cheeks as she looked at Liu Chang'an one moment, then Zhou Dongdong and Shangguan Dandan the next.

How wonderful.

Liu Chang'an picked up a piece to feed Zhou Shuling. She had been too busy watching everyone else eat, wearing a silly grin.

When Zhou Shuling saw his chopsticks coming straight toward her,