Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Chapter 69 Drizzling Rain

He poured the peanuts in, turned on a low flame, and pushed them back and forth with a wooden spatula.

The peanuts bounced around at the bottom of the pot, making a soft, crackling sound.

Lee Ji-eun glanced at it, somewhat eager to try.

"Can I try this?"

Li Ran handed her the wooden shovel, "Just push at a steady speed."

She took the wooden shovel and pushed the peanuts a couple of times.

Li Ran then turned back to continue making the dumpling soup.

The only sounds in the kitchen were the peanuts hitting the bottom of the pot and the bubbling of the soup.

After a while, Lee Ji-eun glanced at him and asked, "When are peanuts considered ripe?"

"If you can smell the fragrance, it's about time."

She lowered her head and smelled it carefully.

"I can't really smell it."

Li Ran glanced at her, walked over and looked at the color of the peanuts. "Push them a little longer, they'll be ready soon."

The peanuts slowly rolled around at the bottom of the pot, their outer skin gradually turning darker and redder.

Lee Ji-eun gripped the wooden spatula, her eyes fixed on the peanuts in the pot.

Occasionally, one or two peanuts would crack open, revealing the slightly yellow peanut kernel inside.

She pushed it a few more times, and the spatula made a rustling sound as it hit the bottom of the pot.

"I think I can smell a fragrance." She turned her head to look at Li Ran.

Li Ran was sprinkling dried shrimp into the dumpling soup.

Hearing this, he leaned over to take a look, nodded, and said, "It's almost done. Turn off the heat."

He sprinkled some salt on the peanuts and then stirred them with chopsticks.

Lee Ji-eun reached out and turned off the fire, then waited for him to finish sprinkling salt before putting the peanuts into a plate next to him.

Li Ran stirred the dumpling soup and turned off the heat.

He first ladled out two bowls of dumpling soup.

The cabbage was cooked until it was a little mushy, and the egg was broken into small pieces and floated on the soup.

A few drops of soup were stuck to the rim of the bowl. He wiped them off with a tissue, then picked up the bowl and handed it to her.

"You can take it over first."

Lee Ji-eun took the bowl with both hands and walked steadily to the table to put it down.

She came back and brought out a second bowl. Li Ran followed her out, carrying freshly cooked peanuts.

On the dining table, two bowls of dumpling soup were still steaming.

The dough pieces, varying in size, floated in the soup.

Shredded cabbage and egg flowers are intertwined, with dried shrimp floating on the soup noodles.

The peanuts were roasted until slightly charred and glistening with oil.

Li Ran took the chopsticks and spoon and placed them on the dining table.

Lee Ji-eun has already sat down.

She picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful of soup, blew on it, and took a sip; it was still a bit hot.

"Phew~"

She opened her mouth and fanned herself with her hand.

"It's bound to be hot when it's freshly served, drink it slowly." Li Ran shook her head and sat down opposite her.

Lee Ji-eun picked up a piece of dough, blew on it vigorously, and then took a bite.

The dough balls are coated with the savory broth, and when you bite into them, you can still feel the chewy texture of the noodles themselves.

"How does it taste?" Li Ran asked, staring at her.

Lee Ji-eun gave him a thumbs up, "Delicious!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

He scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and then put it in his mouth.

The shrimp flavor has already been cooked out in the dumpling soup, mixed with the sweetness of the cabbage and the aroma of the eggs, the saltiness is just right.

Lee Ji-eun picked up a peanut, chewed it, and found it quite fragrant and crunchy.

She scooped up another spoonful of soup.

This time I blew on it for a little longer before putting it in my mouth.

She rarely looked up when she ate, scooping the soup down from the edge of the bowl and gently scraping it along the rim to prevent any spills onto the table.

Li Ran picked up a peanut.

The peanuts were a little cooler than when they were fresh out of the pan, and the saltiness blended well with the peanut flavor itself.

It tasted good, and after he finished chewing it, he picked up another one.

The rain started falling again outside the window.

The rain now is not heavy, much less than at the beginning.

Fine raindrops pattered against the windowpane like needles.

Brin crawled out from under the table, jumped onto the empty chair next to it, and curled up into a ball.

Its tail dangled from the edge of the chair, the tip of which swayed slightly.

Little Black also came over from the doghouse.

It sat down next to Lee Ji-eun's legs, looked up at her, and pressed its ears back.

"You can't eat this." Lee Ji-eun glanced down at it.

The peanuts are coated with salt.

Dogs metabolize sodium much less efficiently than humans. Ingesting just two or three grams of salt per kilogram of body weight can cause poisoning, and four grams can be fatal.

Although there probably wasn't that much salt on the peanuts, Lee Ji-eun still wanted to be careful.

Xiao Hei rested its chin on her feet and slowly swept its tail twice on the floor.

Li Ran stood up, went to the kitchen to get dog food, and also brought over cat food.

The dog food was poured into the stainless steel bowl, making a clinking sound.

Xiao Hei immediately perked up its ears, turned around, and ran to him.

"Good for you." Li Ran put the dog bowl on the ground.

Looking up, I saw that Brin had somehow gotten close to me.

He's not proactive in anything, but he's number one at eating.

He shook his head and poured out the cat food again.

Lee Ji-eun glanced at it across the table and smiled.

She had already emptied most of the dumpling soup in her bowl. She put the spoon in the bowl, leaned back in her chair, and looked out the window at the fine drizzle.

Li Ran returned and sat down again.

There was still a little less than half a bowl of dumpling soup left in his bowl. He wasn't in a hurry to eat it, stirring it slowly with a spoon before scooping it up.

"By the way, how far have you written your novel? Have you finished writing today's chapters?" Lee Ji-eun suddenly asked.

Li Ran's heart tightened instinctively. Oh no, he had almost forgotten that the person in front of him was not only his tenant, but also the biggest financial backer of his writing career.

He smiled somewhat sheepishly, "Soon, soon."

Lee Ji-eun looked at him suspiciously. "You spoke too quickly. You didn't just create a new chapter title, did you?"

"How is that possible! It's still ahead of schedule."

She pouted.

She looked out the window at the endless rain and said, "I was thinking of going out for a day tomorrow after I woke up. After working for so long, it's time to relax."

"The weather changes so fast! Yesterday the forecast said it would be cloudy, but now it's raining so heavily."

"Weather forecasts are sometimes not very accurate." He nodded.

"If you really want to go out, it's not impossible even if it rains."

"There's an indoor market nearby that sells all sorts of odds and ends. It's perfect for a rainy day."

Lee Ji-eun tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Is it far?"

"It's only a ten-minute drive."

"Okay." She took another sip of soup. "Let's see if the rain stops tomorrow morning. If it stops, we'll go somewhere else; if it doesn't, we'll go to the market you mentioned."

"By the way, don't make my portion tomorrow morning. I'll probably sleep in a bit longer. It's such a rare treat to be able to sleep in."

"Okay." Li Ran nodded.

Brin stretched and lay down in the cat bed.

They had already finished eating the food in their dog and cat bowls.

They ate much faster than Li Ran and the others.

Little Black was already asleep in its nest, belly up, with its four paws curled up in front of its chest, occasionally kicking its legs, probably chasing something in its dream.

Li Ran finished the last sip of soup, then stood up to clear the bowl.

He also took away the empty bowl in front of Lee Ji-eun, and gathered the chopsticks and spoon together.

There were still quite a few peanuts left in the plate. Li Ran didn't touch them.