Li Shishi playfully stuck her tongue out at the camera and ended her stream at lightning speed.
"My lovely fans! I'm signing off! Otherwise, there won't even be any soup left for me!"
The livestream abruptly went black.
For the more than four thousand fans watching, the world instantly lost its color, but the comments erupted into a tsunami.
"Don't go! Did that big chubby guy get the last piece of fish?!"
"I'm stunned. I've followed Shishi for three years, and this is the first time she's abandoned us for food. What kind of spell does this farm restaurant cast?"
"Anyone here from Yicheng? Send me the address! I'm going tomorrow! I need to see what kind of food can turn an entire film crew into a refugee camp!"
In the living room, Zhao Jie and the others were oblivious to the storm online.
All they knew was that they were enduring a form of torture called "aroma."
The smell drifting from the private dining room next door could no longer be called a mere fragrance.
It was a swarm of invisible hooks, forcing their way into their nostrils, scraping down their throats all the way to their empty stomachs, whipping every last craving into a frenzy.
"Fuck... that smells so fucking good..."
Wang Ye was the first to crack. He clutched his stomach and rolled around on the sofa like a slug sprinkled with salt.
"When did Lin's cooking get this insane?" Li Jingwen sniffed frantically, strings of drool dripping from the corners of his mouth.
Wang Shuo fidgeted restlessly, smacking his magnificent belly with his fan-sized palms. Thump, thump. "My stomach's staging a revolt," he complained in his rumbling voice. "It says if I don't give it an answer, it'll eat me!"
The women had already lost their composure.
Su Mei, Si Qi, Yang Ni, and Zhang Panpan had been holding the kittens and chatting gracefully just moments ago. Now, the two little cats had been discarded like worn-out shoes.
Without a word, they gathered at the doorway, craning their necks and staring hungrily toward the kitchen.
Not a trace remained of their poise as sophisticated city women.
Birds of a feather flocked together.
Every last one of Chen Lin's friends was a die-hard foodie.
Half an hour later, under gazes that almost seemed to burn, Chen Lin finally entered the private dining room carrying an enormous platter.
Chopped Chili Fish Head.
The instant the dish hit the table, even the light in the room seemed to brighten.
The platter was larger than a washbasin, and the enormous fish head occupied two-thirds of it, covered in a thick layer of bright, glistening red chopped chilies.
That red was no ordinary chili red, but a vivid ruby hue brimming with vitality.
It was a color unique to chilies watered with spirit spring water.
Chen Lin had specially selected this fish head. The bighead carp had weighed only two pounds when he put it in the fish pond, but it had now grown to over six pounds, with a head of astonishing size.
Scalding oil poured over the chopped chilies with a sizzle.
The chilies' fragrance, the fish's freshness, and the minced garlic's richness instantly surged to their peak, merging into an aroma so intense it seemed almost tangible before exploding outward!
"Gulp."
A perfectly synchronized chorus of swallowing filled the room.
Next, Chen Lin became a tireless magician.
Braised carp, steamed sharp-snout fish, fish with pickled mustard greens, pan-fried cured fish, chicken with chilies and Sichuan peppercorns...
Twelve hearty dishes streamed onto the table.
With every new dish, the air in the room grew heavier, and the mingled aromas became even more overpowering.
Zhao Jie, Wang Ye, and the other men stared with glazed eyes, drool dangling precariously from their mouths.
Su Mei, Si Qi, and the other women blushed faintly and swallowed in secret, feeling more embarrassed than they ever had in their lives.
At last, Chen Lin walked steadily into the room carrying an enormous clay pot.
He placed it in the center of the table and lifted the lid as everyone watched with bated breath.
Boom!
If the aromas of the earlier dishes had been rivers, what surged from the clay pot now was an entire ocean!
An indescribable aroma of extraordinary richness swept through the room in an instant, completely overwhelming the scents of every other dish!
It held the uniquely rich, gelatinous fragrance of softshell turtle skirt, the layered aromas of precious medicinal herbs, and a fresh sweetness that pierced straight into the soul!
Inside the clay pot, the broth was a rich golden color, like melted amber.
The enormous softshell turtle had been stewed until its flesh fell from the bones. Its thick, translucent skirt trembled gently in the rich broth, every inch radiating irresistible temptation.
"All right, dig in."
Chen Lin sat down with a smile and gave the order.
Those words, "dig in," were a bugle calling them to charge.
"Holy shit!"
Wang Ye let out a wild cry, wielding his chopsticks faster than a sword as he charged straight for the Chopped Chili Fish Head.
Zhao Jie, however, remained composed.
His target had been perfectly clear from the start.
Before anyone could see what he was doing, his chopsticks had plunged into the turtle stew and precisely seized the thickest piece of skirt. He stuffed it into his mouth without even looking.
The moment it entered his mouth, Zhao Jie's body went rigid.
The skirt needed no chewing at all.
A gentle nudge of his tongue turned it into a piping-hot, exquisitely savory stream of gelatinous warmth that slid down his throat into his stomach.
An explosion of savory flavor shot straight to the crown of his head!
Zhao Jie closed his eyes, his face filled with the bliss of someone who had attained enlightenment. Only after a long moment did he squeeze a few words through his teeth.
"Straight to the soul..."
Su Mei had intended to maintain her composure, but after seeing Zhao Jie looking as though his soul had left his body, how could she hold back?
Following his example, she picked up a piece of turtle meat.
The meat was tender and silky, melting in her mouth. Rich broth burst across her tongue, its sweet, savory flavor instantly conquering every taste bud.
Her beautiful, large eyes flew wide open.
All her restraint, all her decorum, shattered in that instant.
She didn't even have time to speak before grabbing a second piece!
Chen Lin watched his close friends devour the food like reincarnated starving ghosts, a smile of complete control on his face.
He leisurely picked up a piece of turtle skirt. Soft, tender, and delicious.
Mm, turtles raised in spirit spring water really did have extraordinary meat. A hundred times tastier than those so-called wild turtles.
His gaze settled on Wang Ye.
The man had gone completely mad.
He gripped a chicken drumstick in his left hand and brandished his chopsticks with his right. The bowl before him held a small mountain of assorted fish and chicken.
As he wolfed down his food, he roared indistinctly.
"Delicious! Fuck! This is so fucking delicious! Lin! Did you raise these fish on dragon meat?!"
Seeing the way Wang Ye was eating, Chen Lin's lips curled upward.
Wasn't this ready-made, top-tier promotional material?
He made no attempt to hide it, openly taking out his phone, aiming it at Wang Ye, and starting to record.
An hour later.
Wang Ye was the first to surrender.
He slumped in his chair, clutching his round belly with both hands, his face filled with pain and regret.
He bitterly regretted it!
Why had he been so greedy and eaten that extra sweet potato?
Now, faced with this table of heavenly delicacies, his eyes could still see, his nose could still smell, and his mouth could still taste, but his stomach had gone on strike!
It couldn't hold another bite!
"I hate this!" Wang Ye let out a despairing wail.
The four women had also completely abandoned their dignity.
Even Su Mei, the most composed and self-disciplined of them, had no semblance of decorum left.
Si Qi rubbed her slightly bulging belly and let out an utterly unladylike burp. "I can't, I really can't. I feel like I won't need to eat for a whole week."
Yang Ni looked utterly content. "I never knew being stuffed could make me this happy."
Zhang Panpan nodded vigorously, her mouth still full of the last piece of fish, and agreed indistinctly, "Exactly! I've decided. From now on, I'm coming to Chen Lin's every week for a proper meal!"
Only scraps remained on the table, and the plates were clean enough to reflect their faces.
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