The moment he lifted the thick padded curtain, the two young men tending the fire pit stood up and looked over.
Cui Jiuyang gave them a friendly smile and a nod without saying anything, then walked over to the fire pit and sat down beside them, warming himself in silence.
The two young men on night watch were rather amusing. Probably bored with keeping watch, they had each skewered several steamed buns on sharpened branches and were slowly toasting them beside the fire pit. Apparently, this was the midnight snack they had prepared for themselves.
Without waiting for Cui Jiuyang to ask, or for any polite exchanges, the older-looking young man deftly took a steaming-hot bun from beside the fire. Its surface had turned an enticing caramel brown, and he carefully offered it to Cui Jiuyang.
Before Cui Jiuyang even reached out to take it, a rich, enticing aroma of toasted wheat forced its way into his nostrils. Mingled with the smoky fragrance of the charcoal fire, it made his stomach rumble and stirred his appetite, though he had not felt hungry before.
The searing flames had already coated the ordinary bun in a crisp, hard shell. Cui Jiuyang took it, blew on it a little, then pulled it apart.
Crack, crackle... A string of crisp, pleasing sounds immediately rang out as the crust broke. The sound alone made it impossible not to imagine the wonderful texture of that toasted shell crunching between one's teeth.
Inside, the bun had become pleasantly chewy after roasting over the charcoal. In his mouth, it carried a faint, natural wheat fragrance and traces of sweetness.
That simple sweetness and wheat fragrance, together with the toasted aroma of the crust, momentarily gave Cui Jiuyang the illusion that he was eating the pizza crust he remembered.