By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 58 As the ancients said, girls are better at cooking. [Seeking monthly votes!]

There are still three days until the carnival officially begins. These two days are perfect for wandering around and completing the daily check-in tasks.

Jing Chaoyi was still busy in the kitchen when Li Younan took out his phone and started taking pictures of the house from all angles, including downstairs. After all, renting a place in Xiamen would be good material for filming.

As I put my phone away, Jing Chaoyi came out carrying a plate of abalone. She said with a grin, "I originally wanted to cook all the dishes, but I realized that I already have enough abalone and oysters. We'll save the mantis shrimp for next time."

Li Younan went over to help. The abalone was spicy, with a lot of chili, while the fresh oysters were simply steamed. After placing the abalone and oysters on the table, Jing Chaoyi turned around, opened the refrigerator, took out two bottles of beer, and said to Li Younan, "Have you ever heard the saying? Seafood with beer..."

Li Younan blurted out: "Gout follows."

Jing Chaoyi turned around and slammed the refrigerator door shut with her hips. She walked over with a disgruntled expression, placed the beer on the dining table, and said, "You're having the time of your life, senior!"

It must be said that Jing Chaoyi certainly has the right to be confident. Her braised abalone is impeccable in both seasoning and color.

The only drawback is that Jing Chaoyi is from Hunan, so she cooks Hunan cuisine.

Li Younan actually can't handle very spicy food. For a long time, this was something that made him look down on by his fellow villagers. Because his mother didn't like spicy food, Li Younan ate relatively bland food when he was young, and as he grew up, his ability to eat spicy food wasn't as good.

Seeing Li Younan looking rather disheveled from the spiciness, Jing Chaoyi seemed a little gloating, smiling as she handed him an ice-cold beer, saying, "This will really cool you down."

Li Younan glared at Jing Chaoyi irritably, then gulped down his beer in a few mouthfuls. The only consolation was the oysters; they were steamed, and Li Younan could manage to eat them.

After finishing the meal, Li Younan said angrily, "Fine, I'll cook from now on."

Jing Chaoyi's expression was a little strange, and she said with a doubtful tone, "Senior, do you know how to cook? Cooking is not as simple as you think. As the ancients said, girls are better at cooking."

Li Younan: "..."

"whee."

Li Younan snorted and said, "Don't worry, it'll cook through."

A picture flashed through Jing Chaoyi's mind: the handsome Li Younan frantically scrambling in the kitchen, fumbling with cooking utensils while looking at a recipe on his phone, before finally managing to serve up a meal to stave off hunger. She shook her head, banishing the unpleasant image from her mind, and said firmly, "Forget it, mantis shrimp are very expensive. The ones we bought are huge; a few of them cost more than all the oysters and abalone we bought combined."

Li Younan said, "It's better than being burned to death by your spiciness."

Jing Chaoyi said with a wronged expression, "Oh dear, I won't make it so spicy next time. You're really embarrassing your hometown."

Li Younan wasn't so bothered by the spiciness anymore. Sipping his beer, the cool liquid dispelled the heat, and he said slowly, "Who told you that people from Sichuan and Chongqing have to eat spicy food? Chili peppers have only been around in our country for a few years."

Jing Chaoyi blinked: "Huh? Isn't it always been this way?"

Li Younan smiled and said, "Study history properly, junior."

The next day, it rained non-stop from early morning, so the two of them decided not to go out.

This is the last few days of the plum rain season in Xiamen.

After getting up, Jing Chaoyi nestled on the sofa watching TV, while Li Younan scrolled through videos in his room. Now that he was a creator, he consciously observed how other people filmed their videos and how they wrote their scripts.

It has to be said that every video creator who succeeds in this industry has put in unimaginable effort behind the scenes. They need to spend a lot of time every day on creative, editing, and copywriting work that doesn't seem to lead anywhere, and whether they succeed in the end still depends on luck. And to actually make a profit, there's much more involved: business negotiations, brand connections, and if necessary, participation in events.

If Li Younan focuses his energy on making videos, then the trip will definitely become very painful, losing the leisurely feeling he had imagined.

Thinking of this, Li Younan remembered that hot-tempered older brother. After a moment's thought, Li Younan sent a message to JK Long: "Hey bro, what do you do for a living?"

There was no reply from the other party. It was morning, and Li Younan suddenly realized that several times the other party had sent messages around four or five in the morning.

Without a doubt, this guy has a completely reversed day-night cycle; it's a terrible sleep schedule.

The rain kept falling outside, and Li Younan killed time until it was almost noon before going out to cook rice.

At this moment, Jing Chaoyi suddenly realized something, jumped up alertly, and even ran into the kitchen barefoot without wearing slippers. She went to Li Younan's side and stared at him with wide eyes to see what he was going to do.

Li Younan calmly glanced at Jing Chaoyi beside him and said, "You're just in time. Help me take a video." Jing Chaoyi's expression was strange: "Senior, are you that narcissistic?"

Li Younan's expression immediately fell, and she said irritably, "You really can't offer any emotional value at all."

Jing Chaoyi said with a grin, "Sorry, sorry, I'll take a picture, I'll take a picture."

It would be perfect to be there and supervise Li Younan's cooking, so he wouldn't ruin his mantis shrimp.

Li Younan began preparing the ingredients. Jing Chaoyi noticed that Li Younan had taken out the only bottle of dry white wine from the wine cabinet. She couldn't help but blink and say, "Do you need some wine to boost your courage before cooking? Drunken Fist? Drunken Chef?"

Li Younan didn't explain, but said, "Make sure the video is taken straight."

Then Li Younan took out chopped parsley, garlic, leftover butter from last time, and a piece of cream cake that Jing Chaoyi had bought yesterday from the spice cabinet. Seeing these things, Jing Chaoyi became even more confused and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you planning to make salt and pepper mantis shrimp?"

Li Younan asked, "Is salt and pepper the only way to cook mantis shrimp?"

Jing Chaoyi proudly said, "This is the only one I know how to make."

Li Younan smiled slightly: "Then I'll show you something different."

Jing Chaoyi frowned: "Don't mess this up."

Li Younan ignored Jing Chaoyi's words. He looked around the kitchen but found no scissors, so he couldn't peel the shells using the usual method. However, for a chef of his level, a knife would suffice.

Holding the knife, the silver blade deftly probed and flicked, silently peeling away the thin, crisp shrimp shell to reveal the glistening, jade-like shrimp meat. The movement was so fast that it left only a blur.

Li Younan glanced at Jing Chaoyi during a break, and saw that her eyes were wide open, like a dazed Akita dog.

With a slight smile, he slid the shrimp heads and shells into the gently simmering olive oil. A sizzling sound followed, and a rich, fresh aroma burst forth, filling the entire space. He then added water, letting it simmer in the pot until a small bowl of concentrated, golden essence was extracted.

The small copper pot was warm when a block of butter slid in, melting silently into soft, amber-colored waves. A few cloves of garlic were added, their aroma just beginning to infuse the air, before a few translucent pieces of shrimp were gently placed inside. The flames licked them tenderly, and the edges of the shrimp quickly turned an enticing pale gold before being swiftly removed.

While doing this, Li Younan also managed to say to the camera, "If this step takes even a second longer, it will ruin the freshness and tenderness."

Jing Chaoyi pouted, "Senior, you're starting to put on an act!"

Slowly pour in the clear, golden shrimp broth, then drizzle in a spoonful of snow-white cream. The broth gradually becomes rich, smooth, and glistening with a warm, pearly sheen over a low flame.

Jing Chaoyi couldn't help but fix her gaze on the food in the pot.

Finally, Li Younan casually sprinkled sea salt crystals, swirld a few strands of black pepper powder on top, and garnished with a few sprigs of bright green parsley.

All right.

Jing Chaoyi stared blankly at the dish that had already been taken out of the pot; she had never even seen it before.

What?! Senior is so good at this!

"Senior, what's this dish called?"

"White Grape Cream Salad"

Li Younan casually took off his apron.

Just as Jing Chaoyi was about to say something, Li Younan, concerned about his video, asked, "Is it finished filming?"

Jing Chaoyi returned the phone to Li Younan and happily carried the dish out.

While Li Younan was still watching the video, Jing Chaoyi outside let out a loud, clear, and satisfied moan.

"Mmm—ah!"

(End of this chapter)