Little Huo's Grilled Fish
The aroma is not the rich, sweet scent of street food stalls, nor is it the heavy fragrance created by piling up spices; rather, it is an extremely pure meaty aroma.
The aroma was a blend of subtle charcoal scent and a faint hint of herbal fragrance, creating an astonishingly rich and complex aroma.
But just one whiff of it makes your mouth water and your stomach rumble instantly.
Xiao Xiao sniffed, her eyes instantly lighting up, her voice filled with delight. "Wow, it smells so good! What is this smell? It smells amazing!"
Wang Dong'er took a deep breath, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. This aroma was indeed the most tempting meat smell she had ever encountered. Even the best chef in the Shrek Academy's cafeteria couldn't replicate this flavor.
Lin Ye's brow twitched slightly, and he subconsciously paused for a moment.
The smell? At the entrance of the Shrek Academy? And so many people are gathered there?
These keywords instantly combined in his mind, almost subconsciously, and a name immediately jumped out of his head.
Huo Yuhao!
He naturally knew about Huo Yuhao's unparalleled skill in grilling fish.
In the original novel, Huo Yuhao made a name for himself at the gates of the Shrek Academy by relying on his skill in grilling fish, and even made many important acquaintances through it.
He just didn't expect that he would encounter the famous grilled fish from the original novel so soon, when he had just been thinking about it at noon.
A faint smile unconsciously crept onto his lips, his eyes gleamed with even greater interest, and he took another step, squeezing his way into the crowd.
The other girls weren't stupid either. Although they didn't know the inside story beforehand like Lin Ye, they all guessed from the smell that with so many people gathered around, there was a high probability that someone was grilling something delicious.
I read Lin Ye's diary again at noon, and naturally, I thought of Huo Yuhao.
The group followed Lin Ye, squeezing through the gaps in the crowd. After some effort, they finally reached the front and could see the scene inside at a glance.
In the open space in the middle of the crowd, there was a simple barbecue grill, with the charcoal fire burning brightly underneath, emitting a faint red glow.
A boy dressed in the Shrek Academy uniform was standing in front of the barbecue grill, holding several skewers of fish in his hand, and methodically turning them over and grilling them.
The boy looked young, with a slender build and healthy wheat-colored skin. His features weren't particularly striking, but they were pleasing to the eye. His eyes were exceptionally bright, revealing a composure and resilience beyond his years.
His movements were extremely skilled; flipping the fish, brushing on the oil, and sprinkling the seasonings were all done in one smooth motion, without the slightest hesitation. Every movement was just right, clearly indicating that he did this often.
The fish on the grill sizzled as it roasted, golden fat dripping down its body and onto the charcoal fire, sending up wisps of fragrant white smoke.
That alluring aroma wafts out from here.
Next to the barbecue grill was a small wooden bucket containing cleaned fresh fish, and several small jars containing various seasonings.
The barbecue grill was surrounded by people. Some were waiting to buy grilled fish, some were standing by watching, and many others were holding up Soul Coins and shouting to make reservations. Business was booming.
There were layers upon layers of people setting up stalls, watching, and waiting to buy fish, roughly counting dozens of them, completely filling the small open space.
"Hey? Isn't that Huo Yuhao?"
Xiao Xiao stared at the boy in front of the barbecue grill with her big, round eyes, feigning surprise and speaking with just the right amount of doubt in her tone.
She learned from Lin Ye's diary that morning that Huo Yuhao would be selling grilled fish here, and even knew exactly how amazing his grilling skills were.
But she couldn't very well tell Lin Ye that she already knew about it, so she could only pretend to be very surprised, as if she had just recognized him.
She acted so convincingly, even the surprise in her eyes was just right, without the slightest flaw.
The other girls also realized what was happening and looked at the boy in front of the barbecue grill, all showing some surprise.
They all knew about Huo Yuhao from his diary, but they knew in their hearts that they didn't know Huo Yuhao at all.
There's no need for him to show that exaggerated "seeing an acquaintance" expression, and he certainly wouldn't say anything he shouldn't.
He simply showed a hint of surprise at a stranger's skill, without it feeling out of place at all.
Lin Ye's gaze seemed to be fixed on Huo Yuhao in front of the barbecue grill, but in reality, he was secretly observing the reactions of the people around him out of the corner of his eye.
He felt more than once that the girls around him seemed to know things in advance, and their reactions often had an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
But now, watching them all display perfectly timed expressions of surprise at strangers, without the slightest hint of anything unusual, I noticed something was amiss.
He pondered for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as he became puzzled once more.
Could he have guessed wrong? Were all those feelings of unease just his imagination?
He pondered for a few seconds, then shook his head, dismissing the question from his mind.
Why think so much? You can't figure it out anyway, so you might as well just let nature take its course.
His gaze returned to the sizzling fish on the grill, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
It was quite a coincidence. He had just been thinking at noon about when he would have the chance to try Huo Yuhao's famous grilled fish, and unexpectedly, he ran into him here that evening.
Upon closer reflection, this is actually quite normal.
Lunchtime is already very tight; the morning Cheng Gang ended and the afternoon classes are about to begin, with only a little over an hour of break in between.
Most students were rushing to the cafeteria for lunch and had no time to stop and enjoy their grilled fish. Huo Yuhao also didn't have the time to catch the fish, clean it, and then set up a barbecue stall at the college gate.
After the afternoon classes ended, there was plenty of time. There were no classes scheduled for the evening, so students had plenty of time to wander around and relax. Naturally, many people were willing to stop and buy a skewer of fragrant grilled fish to enjoy at their leisure.
No wonder this guy went to the cafeteria for lunch and didn't come out to sell grilled fish; he came at the perfect time.
He glanced around at the large crowd, raising an eyebrow at the students scrambling to reserve grilled fish with their Soul Coins.
He pulled Xiao Xiao beside him and squeezed forward a bit, ready to join the fun, buy a couple of skewers, and try what this grilled fish, which was described as miraculous in the original novel, was really like.