Chapter 66
The resort for the starting athletes were very large, and it was by mountains and rivers . However, it was winter now, so the surface of the lake was frozen and even the mountains were dull and grey . There was only a hint of green from the pines and the cypress . Thus, those who came to the resort in this season were generally there for the hot springs . Still, swimmers were almost soaking in water every day, so they were not that interested in the hot springs .
By the side of white lake expanse, only they were there grilling .
Oh, there was also an old man who was fishing . If a little snow was added to the scene at this time, then it would be a scene straight out of a poem — "A straw-caped man with hat in lone boat light;
Alone, angles cold river in snow white . "
It was just a passing thought of Yun Duo, but unexpectedly, like magic, the gloomy grey skies suddenly began to snow .
She stretched out her hands to catch some of the snowflakes and could not help but scream inside: Is this even possible?!
If it was snowing, then they could not continue with their open-air barbecue . Luckily, the resort was fully-equipped and was able to provide them with beach umbrellas . Other than umbrellas, the grilling equipment were naturally also rented from the resort, along with some charcoal . In fact, the resort also supplied ingredients as well, such as marinated lamb skewers or ribs, but out of concerns for food safety, Qi Rui-Feng and the others decided to bring their own food .
Yun Duo saw them bring out piles and piles of things from the trunk — whether it was mutton or vegetables, the food was all skewered neatly and separated into neat categories, arranged in two layers of food-safe plastic bags . There was also a box of seasonings with a very complete set of seasonings inside .
Yun Duo was rather surprised . "You prepared all this yourselves?" It wasn't easy!
Xiang Yang-Yang shook her head, "No . The young cook from the cafeteria helped prepare this . "
Yun Duo muttered, "Why does it seem like the young cook is getting a lot of screen time? It's like he's a hidden boss . . . "
Tang Yi-Bai laughed and flicked a finger against her forehead .
They set up under the beach umbrellas and began grilling . The snowfall was becoming heavier — the snowflakes were as big as fingernails, drifting down everywhere, like there was a fairy scattering white flowers down from the sky .
The fishing old man seemed uncomfortable that his poetic scene of being "a straw-caped man with hat in lone boat light" had been intruded upon by a bunch of foodies . He got up and packed up his things, about to leave . When he passed by the grill emitting thick smoke, the old man's face twitched and he asked, "Do you all want to buy some fish?"
"What fish?" Qi Rui-Feng peered towards his fishing basket and saw that there were about 10 small silver-white fish inside . They were very small, not even the size of the nail of his little finger . His lips twitched, "So small . "
The old man explained, "These are smelt . They don't grow much bigger . "
Ming Tian: "What a weird name!"
The old man: " . . . "
Yun Duo said, "Smelt are very tasty! And we won't have to clean its belly and insides . Its digestive system is very small, most of its belly is filled with fish eggs . "
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The old man nodded and gave Yun Duo an approving look, as if he had found a confidant .
After hearing what Yun Duo said, Xiang Yang-Yang brought a large clean plate over . "Is that so? Then just sell it all to us!"
Yun Duo sweatdropped . "Yang-Yang, don't rush . We haven't even discussed pricing . . . "
The old man raised up a palm . "All these fish, 50 dollars . "
Out of the six people, 5 had zero bartering skills, while Yun Duo was too embarrassed to bargain . After all, the old man had braved the cold day to catch all these fish .
The old man saw them hesitating, so he added, "Besides that, I can also help you all start the fire . "
This condition was too persuasive — they quickly nodded and backed away . The old man took out a flat green glass bottle from a pocket . Inside it was some high-concentrate alcohol . He took a large mouthful and then sprayed it towards the charcoal fire .
Whoosh — the flames rose .
Yun Duo: = . = That was simple .
The old man gave the remaining half bottle of alcohol to them . Qi Rui-Feng took interest in his fishing equipment as well and spent 300 dollars to buy them .
Now the fire was burning, Yun Duo stood by the grill cooking the food . Tang Yi-Bai helped fan the flames by the side while the others were responsible for drooling . After a while, Qi Rui-Feng became a little impatient and went off with Xiang Yang-Yang to go fishing by the river . Ming Tian and Zheng Ling-Ye each held onto a bottle of seasoning, waiting to sprinkle it over the food .
When the first batch of food was done, Tang Yi-Bai lifted a skewer of meat to Yun Duo's lips . "Have a taste?"
Yun Duo took a bite and chewed on it . Her eyes lit up . "Delicious! I'm truly a genius chef!"
Tang Yi-Bai chuckled and rubbed her head, and then he finished off the rest of the skewer . After he finished, he passed her a skewer of grilled mushrooms . He pushed her to one side . "You take a break . Let me take over . "
Ming Tian had a lamb skewer in one hand and some crispy ribs in the other . As he ate, he said adoringly, "Big sis, you're so amazing! I want to marry you!"
Tang Yi-Bai swept a cool glance at him .
Ming Tian choked and quickly tried to make amends . "No, what I meant was, I want to marry big bro Yi-Bai to you!"
The corners of Tang Yi-Bai's lips lifted, and he glanced sideways at Yun Duo .
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Yun Duo blushed and ignored them . She called out to the two at the river bank, "Yang-Yang, Qi Rui-Feng, come eat!"
Xiang Yang-Yang skipped over with the fish basket and transferred the smelt inside onto the large plate . During this period of time, she and Qi Rui-Feng had managed to catch another 5 or 6 fish, and they were feeling a great sense of achievement . She grabbed a couple of skewers of food, then turned to leave for the river bank again . From start to end, Qi Rui-Feng did not even turn his head — he was that focused . Yun Duo saw that he was already coated with a layer of snow . In just a while later, it would probably be hard to tell he was a person . Xiang Yang-Yang had clearly realised this as well . She walked over and used her scarf to slap away the snow on him . Qi Rui-Feng jumped at the sudden slaps, so much so that the fishing rod dropped from his hands .
Yun Duo: Suddenly feeling a little sorry for Qi Rui-Feng . . .
Ming Tian and Zheng Ling-Ye went back to the resort and brought back some alcohol . They had a wide range of taste — there was great variety in the drinks they brought back . There was wine, plum wine, beer, and even a bottle of Wuliangye . Aside from that, they did not forget Yi-Bai's instructions to bring Yun Duo a bottle of fruit juice .
But Yun Duo felt like drinking some alcohol .
Qi Rui-Feng finally came back and the group surrounded the grill to eat and drink, having lots of fun . The snowfall was gradually becoming lighter . Right now, the surface of the lake had already been covered by an even layer of snow . It was all a sheet of white as far as the eye could see, and the air was especially crisp and fresh .
Yun Duo marinated the smelt very simply with salt and some cooking wine, and then she placed them on the grill . The flesh of this type of fish was very tender, and they contained a lot of fish eggs . Their fresh sweetness could be enjoyed without needing much complicated preparation or handling . Thus, as soon as they were done on the grill, the poor 20 or so little fishes were all snatched up .
When they were finished eating, everyone still felt like they had not had enough .
However, they were also really already full . They all had very good appetites today — all the food they had brought along were finished, and they had eaten the additional fish as well . Rubbing their tummies, they cleaned up the area .
Perhaps because she had drunk some wine, Yun Duo felt her heartbeat was a little fast — thump, thump, like a white rabbit on stimulants .
Tang Yi-Bai saw her rubbing her chest with her red face, and he was worried that she wasn't feeling well, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just feeling . . . erm, a little excited . "
He touched her forehead . "From the wine?"
"Yes, most likely . "
"Go back to the resort to rest first then . "
In fact, among the group, Yun Duo had drunk the least . Even Xiang Yang-Yang was buzzed, singing all the way back to the resort, while Qi Rui-Feng clapped to provide her with a beat .
They decided to rest for an hour before going off to ice-skate .
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However, Yun Duo found herself unable to sleep when she laid down at the resort . She did not feel tired at all . Her heart was still beating rather fast, but not erratically, and her mind was clear . She even felt like her whole body was filled with energy, like there was a small universe burning quietly within her .
This was probably how Popeye felt after eating some spinach . . .
Ah-ah-ah, what in the world was going on? Why was the plum wine so powerful? Could it be that it was actually tonic wine?
Boohoohoo . . .
She could only get up and start surfing the news on her phone . After surfing for about an hour, Tang Yi-Bai came knocking on her door to ask if she was awake .
They were going to go ice-skating now .
The ice rink was a proper open-air ice-skating rink opened by the resort . It had gone through regular testing to ensure the ice layer met thickness standards before being opened up for use . Perhaps because it was in the suburbs, there weren't many people skating . It was a far cry from the Shichahai ice rink .
All swimmers had pretty decent physical coordination . Even if they had not skated before, just by trying things out on the ice-skates, they managed to figure it out and were soon zooming around the ice like little sailboats .
Only Yun Duo kept falling again and again .
Yun Duo: . . .
She had clearly been enhanced with tonic! Why was it so useless now?!
Tang Yi-Bai could not bear to watch any further . He reached out towards her . "Let me teach you . "
"No . " Yun Duo stubbornly climbed up again, stumbling, and after skating just a few steps — crash! She fell again .
Tang Yi-Bai smothered a smile and went over to help her up . "Does it hurt?"
"No . "
Yun Duo wanted to push him away, but Tang Yi-Bai held onto her hand and would not let go . "Follow me . Don't move . "
She could only obey and be dragged along behind him like a wooden puppet . She moved very little and so had very little interference on him . The two of them moved forwards steadily and did not fall anymore .
Yun Duo looked at him . He was wearing a thin down jacket today, short and cinched at the waist, making him appear to have a narrow waist . On ice-skates, his legs looked impossibly long .
Even the thick apparel of the winter season could not hide his devilish figure .
His charm as a boyfriend was truly great . . .
Tang Yi-Bai slowed down and turned his head to glance at Yun Duo . He saw that her eyes were bright and sparkling, like embers, and he smiled . "What's with that look? It's like you want to strip me of my clothes right now . "
"What?!" Yun Duo turned her face away . She pushed his hand away and continued to skate forward independently .
Crash —
Fine, she gave up in despair .
Tang Yi-Bai helped her up once again . This time, he supported her waist from behind, pushing her forwards and picking up speed . They gradually left the crowd behind .
The scenery before their eyes was changing swiftly . She was being forced to rush forwards without doing a thing, so she began screaming in fright, "Aaaaaaaaaaah! Stop!"
Tang Yi-Bai did not stop . He bowed his head, rubbing her soft, cool hair with his chin, and then he moved forwards to seek her white and delicate ears, dropping a light kiss on her small earlobe .
The sudden soft touch to her ear startled Yun Duo and she could not help but jerk . Tang Yi-Bai was distracted at the moment and so wasn't concentrating on maintaining their balance . Jostled by Yun Duo, the two of them tumbled down .
Crash, crash .
They fell sideways, Yun Duo falling on top of Tang Yi-Bai . She was just about to climb up when Tang Yi-Bai flipped over and pressed her against the ice .
She had no room to resist and so was securely restrained, and then a kiss was upon her .
Two hands ran through her hair at the same time, holding her head in place to keep her from moving .
Yun Duo's face heated up and her mind was a jumbled mess . She wanted to remind him that this was a public place, but as soon as she opened her mouth, his agile tongue slipped into her mouth . At first, he was aimless but he soon found a rhythm — his tongue brushed the insides of her mouth, hooking against her tongue and inviting her to play . The kiss went on for a while, and then his tongue retreated slightly before pushing forwards even more energetically . He felt the slight graze of her lips and teeth in the kiss, and repeated the motion again and again . This was almost instinctive, even though he might not have known how suggestive it was at the moment .
Yun Duo's soul was almost kissed out of her . He sucked on the tip of her tongue, and she felt her strength leaving her, being sucked away by him . He was like a demon who specialised in sucking people's spiritual energy away . However, she was a willing victim . She lifted her arms to embrace him, and her eyes were closed as she bore his increasingly desperate kiss . Her heart raced even faster, but the surging energy in her body had been stolen away by him . She was weak from being kissed, but it was indescribably comfortable .
Their breaths mingled . Tang Yi-Bai could not bear to release her, wishing dearly that they could melt together and merge into one pool of spring water . Yun Duo gradually could not take it anymore — her breathing became increasingly laboured, and then she pushed him away .
She panted heavily and looked at his bright eyes . She thought: Could it be that I was just thirsty . . . ? So shameful! qaq