Taihu BBQ

Wen Chongyue said, “Wrong.”

Xia Jiao didn’t avoid his gaze, looking back at him boldly, “What’s wrong?”

She wasn’t sure where her sudden courage came from, but no matter what she said, he wouldn’t get angry.

Even if Wen Chongyue called her a fool—

“How can we have two cats?” Wen Chongyue mimicked her earlier gesture, lightly tapping her with a smile, pointing at her, his tone gentle, “We have Xia Mi, Wen Quan,” he pointed again, “and Jiao Jiao.”

He added, “Our family actually has three cats. both cats and dogs.”

Xia Jiao: “Teacher Wen, don’t think you can make up for the fact that you tried to trick me into a kiss earlier by suddenly praising me!”

… Well, Xia Jiao still quietly forgave him.

There was no way around it.

Xia Jiao admitted that she couldn’t resist Wen Chongyue’s “charm.”

It was strange. Xia Jiao was naturally a reserved and slow-to-warm-up person, so it was hard for her to make a completely uninhibited, deep friendship.

For example, during her four years in university, her only close friend was her senior, Jiang Wanju, who also became her best friend. After graduation, during her internships and previous job, she maintained friendly relationships with colleagues, but these never went beyond the “friend” category, never reaching the level of “close friend” or “best friend.”

But Wen Chongyue was different. Although they had only been living together for a little over half a year, Xia Jiao already felt as if she had known him for many years.

Actually, that’s not quite right. She wasn’t particularly familiar with Wen Chongyue yet, and she still discovered new surprises about him.

For instance, although Wen Chongyue seemed to eat anything, he couldn’t have too much garlic, onion, or spicy foods like chili peppers. He didn’t have a stomach problem, he was perfectly healthy, but excessive amounts—more than two raw garlic cloves, one raw onion, or two small chili peppers—would give him stomach aches and make his chest feel tight. It was probably a genetic issue.

Another thing: Wen Chongyue took care of everything at home, but he had a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It wasn’t the kind that forced his partner to follow strict rules, but he did insist on checking that the two cats were in their safe areas, that Xia Jiao had to be on the bed, that she had to give him a goodnight kiss, and that she had to be close to him before he could sleep.

It seemed like he subconsciously lacked a sense of security.

And, surprisingly, Wen Chongyue’s eyes weren’t actually nearsighted. He wore glasses for reading, but he had slight farsightedness, something he was born with, though he couldn’t explain why it happened.

Lastly, despite appearing perfect, as if he could handle anything—

In fact, he was extremely tone-deaf.

On their last day in Yangzhou, Xia Jiao encouraged Wen Chongyue to sing.

“Why don’t you try singing a song?” Xia Jiao said. “I’ve never heard you sing or hum before.”

Wen Chongyue politely replied, “I don’t have any talent for singing.”

Xia Jiao encouraged him again, “What are you afraid of? Didn’t you encourage me to do the same before?”

Wen Chongyue helplessly said, “This is for the sake of your ears.”

Xia Jiao leaned her ear close to him, “Then sing quietly so I’m the only one who hears it?”

Unable to resist Xia Jiao’s small request, Wen Chongyue agreed. Xia Jiao cheered, threw her arms around his neck, and happily added, “Sing something spicy, like ‘Red High Heels.’ Have you heard of it? I want to hear it.”

Wen Chongyue relented again and softly began humming.

As soon as he started, Xia Jiao was excited.

By the first line, she realized something was wrong.

When he reached the second line, she quietly, almost instinctively, moved her ear a little farther away.

By the third line—fortunately, Wen Chongyue stopped just then.

Wen Chongyue admitted, “It really isn’t very good.”

Xia Jiao’s expression turned serious. She said, “It’s not that you’re bad at singing…”

After a brief pause, Xia Jiao added, “After all, turning something spicy into something toxic isn’t easy.”

Wen Chongyue: “…”

Nobody’s perfect, Xia Jiao thought again, and that was true here too.

Wen Chongyue was still good enough!

On the last two days of the holiday, after a full meal, Xia Jiao and Wen Chongyue went to Sanshan Island. They took a boat from Dongshan Changqi Pier, heading to Sanshan Island’s Xianqi Pier, a 25-minute ride. The tourist crowd was slightly thinner, with more families from Suzhou and Shanghai. A gentle breeze blew from the tranquil Taihu Lake, and Xia Jiao breathed in the faint, unique scent of the lake water, which spread through the wind. With her previous experience from biking, this time Xia Jiao wasn’t rushing ahead recklessly. Instead, she leisurely rode around the island alongside Wen Chongyue.

The island wasn’t large, as it had once been called “Little Penglai.” Interestingly, the real Penglai was in Shandong, but it wasn’t an island. During a rest, Xia Jiao excitedly told Wen Chongyue about it: “When I was in college, we had a girl from Shandong in our dorm. She was from Penglai. You know, I always thought Penglai was an island, because everyone said it was the ‘Fairy Island’… How could Penglai not be an island?”

Wen Chongyue cleaned his hands with a disinfectant wipe, opened a bottle of soda water, and handed it to her. Xia Jiao took a small sip and continued, “But the cherries in Penglai are really delicious. They’re big, bigger than a one-yuan coin… Teacher Wen, is it true that everything in Shandong is big? Their green onions are taller than me.”

Wen Chongyue gestured for Xia Jiao to extend her right hand. Xia Jiao, holding the soda water bottle with her left hand, obediently followed.

Wen Chongyue held her wrist, wiping her right hand with the disinfectant wipe, carefully cleaning each finger. “Maybe,” he said.

Xia Jiao pondered for a moment, “People from there are also tall and big.”

Wen Chongyue, with clean fingers, put a piece of freshly baked cookie into her mouth.

He had packed a small bag of chocolate chip cookies and cranberry biscuits, all freshly baked the day before, fragrant and crumbly.

Xia Jiao mumbled, “Are they also big—”

Wen Chongyue gently pressed the cookie and softly scolded her, “Don’t think about that.”

Xia Jiao bit the cookie and, as his finger brushed her tongue, quickly hid it before Teacher Wen could tease her. “I wasn’t thinking about anything bad.”

Wen Chongyue replied, “Don’t think about anything like that.”

Teacher Wen was really hypocritical, Xia Jiao thought. He did all sorts of questionable things daily, but now he was seriously trying to stop her curiosity.

What an unqualified teacher.

Sanshan Island lies between Dongshan and Xishan, with three peaks on the island that connect. Xia Jiao didn’t really understand historical landmarks and relied on her personal guide, Wen Chongyue, to explain.

He shared stories about the four-generation family stone, ancient Buddhist statues from the Tang Dynasty, and a stone bridge from the Ming Dynasty…

Although there were several small farmhouses offering stir-fried dishes on the island, they clearly didn’t suit Wen Chongyue’s taste. He had brought his own prepared sauces and spices, rented a barbecue grill, rolled up his sleeves, and cooked the food himself.

As for Xia Jiao…

She was in charge of cheering and praising.

Wen Chongyue brushed the sauce on the food.

Xia Jiao said, “You can tell from Teacher Wen’s arm strength, it’s strong and steady, like someone who has practiced calligraphy.”

Wen Chongyue evenly sprinkled the seasoning.

Xia Jiao added, “So meticulous, worthy of being a science major.”

Wen Chongyue turned the skewers.

Xia Jiao exclaimed, “Look at Teacher Wen’s technique, this skill—”

She paused, thinking hard but couldn’t find the right words to finish.

Wen Chongyue looked at her and smiled. “You still don’t know how good my skills are?”

Xia Jiao shoved a bite of oat bar into his mouth. “You’re not allowed to say anything inappropriate.”

Wen Chongyue laughed, sighing and shaking his head.

The barbecue for just the two of them smelled delicious. The lamb was roasted until it sizzled and oozed grease, dripping onto the charcoal, making a faint crackling sound. The chicken wings had been cut by Wen Chongyue a few times, the marinade deeply soaked, and when roasted, the skin was crispy and fragrant, with a satisfying crunch. The pork ribs were cut into small pieces and skewered with green peppers, and the taste was juicy and full of flavor with each bite of pepper and pork. There were also sausages; when Wen Chongyue thought they were almost done, Xia Jiao pressed his hand down, asking him to leave them for a bit longer.

Xia Jiao said, “The sausages need to be grilled until the skin bursts open to taste good.”

Wen Chongyue chuckled. “They’ll burn easily.”

“It’s fine,” Xia Jiao eagerly watched. “I like it crispy.”

There were more than just pork and chicken. There were also green beans, mushrooms roasted to a crispy golden brown, eggplant slices, shrimp, enoki mushrooms, rice cakes, corn, and baby bok choy…

There was also an essential platter of edamame and peanuts, along with a bag of classic peanuts.

However, these were bought from the store, and the taste wasn’t much different from what you’d find in any regular barbecue joint.

The only regret was that Wen Chongyue had to drive and couldn’t drink. Only Xia Jiao happily enjoyed a can of chilled beer.

With the cool breeze from the lake, Xia Jiao and Wen Chongyue leisurely ate for two hours.

There is a saying, “When Suzhou and Huzhou are abundant, the whole world has enough.” With Taihu Lake’s rich resources, a visit here would not be complete without experiencing some hands-on picking.

The two of them rented a boat to pick some lotus leaves and seedpods—by now, the lotus flowers had mostly faded. The timing around the National Day holiday is a bit awkward. The mandarins aren’t yet at their sweetest, but some people still go to pick them. Xia Jiao and Wen Chongyue picked a few, and she shared a funny story: “The late mandarins are named after oranges, but she doesn’t eat them much. She says eating too many will turn her skin yellow. I didn’t believe it, so I ate a bunch during the New Year and… not only did my face turn yellow, but I also got a mouth ulcer. It hurt so much.”

Wen Chongyue teased, “I think you’re yellow in more places than just your face.”

Xia Jiao, holding a small mandarin, bumped him with her shoulder in displeasure.

Wen Chongyue laughed and changed the topic. “A little bit is fine; the Vitamin C content is not low. Speaking of which, Zhouren actually likes eating mandarins.”

Xia Jiao raised the mandarin and asked, “Then if I bribe him with mandarins, would he let me pet his dog?”

“Jiao Jiao, the answer is still the same,” Wen Chongyue said, placing the mandarin into the small pocket of Xia Jiao’s apron. “Instead of asking him, why don’t you bribe me with some shrimp dumplings tonight?”

Xia Jiao snorted.

The autumn sunlight wasn’t harsh; though it still made people sweat, the breeze was cool. She pulled out a tissue from her bag, and at this time, the ripe mandarins weren’t particularly large. The skin was thick, so she wrapped it in a tissue and struggled to peel it with her nails. This “rough” method was taught to her by a roommate. Xia Jiao took a big bite, and the juice was rich and sweet like honey, with a slight tang that made her shiver and sigh in satisfaction.

People often say “green water and blue mountains,” but the water of Taihu Lake isn’t purely green. It has a slight grayish tone, hazy and soft, like a drop of ink falling into a wash basin, slowly spreading out with a pale gray hue. During dusk, the two of them went west on the island to watch the sunset. The evening glow tinged the surface of the lake, and though just a glimpse of the 36,000 acres of lake and mountains, it was breathtaking.

That evening, the two didn’t stay at the lake, but they bought some “Taihu crabs.” The locals were quite proud of them and firmly told them, “These are authentic Taihu crabs, there’s no fake!”

In reality, Taihu Lake at night was just as beautiful. The bridge arched like a rainbow, like a dragon lying on the water. The mountain road circled like a galaxy, sparkling with light. Inside the car, the song “Moon River” played, and Xia Jiao rested her hand on the car window, softly humming along.

She thought about the hazy rainy season, and how this song intertwined with those vague memories, like a gentle, damp dream.

Her fingers, resting against the glass, felt the vibration as the window slowly rolled down. Xia Jiao gazed at the endless mountains and water outside. The evening wind gently carried the lake breeze, her hair blown into a strand. She inhaled deeply and turned to look at Wen Chongyue.

He had cracked the window open slightly, slowing the car down so Xia Jiao could feel the night breeze and the lake ripples more clearly. Xia Jiao turned to watch the water, humming softly to the rhythm of the music. She heard Wen Chongyue casually ask, “You seem to really like this song.”

Xia Jiao tilted her face upward. “Mm.”

“Why?”

Her fingertips lightly tapped on the glass as Xia Jiao answered, “Maybe because it reminds me of my high school days.”

Wen Chongyue caught a glimpse of her expression, and she looked like a young girl lost in innocent memories.

Oh, her past crush.

A responsible adult shouldn’t disturb their spouse with such trivial matters.

Shouldn’t.

Wen Chongyue maintained his composure, “The sweet youth? How nice.”

Xia Jiao murmured, then felt the urge to laugh but held it back, lowering her head. “It was really nice.”

Especially, extremely, very nice.

She had everything she once imagined during her youth, things she never even dared to dream of. The person she once admired had become her husband. She had two cute little cats and lived in a bright, beautiful house with plenty of sunshine. She didn’t even have to worry about what to eat every night—

Thinking about this joyfully, Xia Jiao turned her face and cheerfully asked Wen Chongyue, “What are we eating tonight?”

Wen Chongyue calmly replied, looking straight ahead.

“Vinegar.”