"I want to eat two skewers!"
Several people stared fixedly at the grilled squid in Gao Yuan's and his friends' hands, subconsciously licking their lips.
"Bro, is it really that delicious?"
"It's delicious," Gao Yuan said with a teasing smile. "Want some?"
"Yeah! We want to!"
Gao Yuan immediately opened his mouth and swallowed the rest of his squid in one bite. Then, lips glossy with oil, he smirked.
"I'm not giving you any."
Everyone: "…"
"I won't give you either!" Lele chimed in proudly.
"No way!" Jiaojiao and Haohao huffed, "You'll just be super jealous!"
"Come back," Lele's mother called, "your sister grilled more!"
"The pretty big sister is so nice to us," Lele bragged, then faced the crowd again. "I'm not giving you any!"
A few people almost coughed up blood.
"These little brats… acting like they're eating some rare treasure."
One person's stomach growled loudly. "It smells so good…"
"I've never smelled grilled squid this delicious. It must taste amazing."
"They probably added something addictive," someone muttered bitterly. "Eat it and you'll get sick."
"Before you blame anyone," Ye Jiujiu retorted sharply, "wipe the drool off your faces."
The aroma kept drifting over, making the onlookers swallow hard—desperate to buy just one skewer.
But Ye Jiujiu refused to sell to them.
Hungry, frustrated, and embarrassed, they finally slunk away in defeat.
I'm never coming here again!
…But it smelled so good!
After they left, several passersby and the neighboring shop owner gathered around.
"Boss, how much is the grilled squid?"
"It's not for sale," Ye Jiujiu replied. "It's just for entertaining friends. If you want to eat it, come to the restaurant another day."
Since no one could eat it today, they all felt unbearably tempted. Each of them silently decided they must come try it later—no matter the price.
There weren't many squid, octopus, or cuttlefish to begin with, and they were almost gone in minutes. Still unsatisfied, Gao Yuan and his friends ran to the supermarket outside the alley and bought sweet potato noodles, gluten, ham sausage, lamb skewers, and other snacks.
Ye Jiujiu deftly peeled the sweet potato skin and laid it on the sizzling iron plate. She brushed on a fresh layer of oil. When small white bubbles appeared, she added chili oil. The sweet potato skin slowly turned golden on both sides, releasing a smoky, caramelized fragrance that made mouths water from meters away.
Lele and the kids watched with glowing eyes, round faces full of longing.
"Almost done," Ye Jiujiu said. She sprinkled on chopped pickled radish, scallions, cilantro, houttuynia, and the leftover squid bits. Then she rolled it up.
A juicy, crispy, chewy roasted sweet potato skin was complete.
Everyone shared it, and the flavor was amazing.
"The outside is slightly crispy, but it's chewy too. The pickled radish is a little sour—it cuts the greasiness perfectly."
"The lamb skewers and sausages are good," Lele's mother said, smacking her lips, "but they don't compare to the squid. The difference is huge!"
"Of course," Gao Yuan said proudly. "The seafood here is always delicious. Boss, what seafood will you have tomorrow? I want to reserve a table."
"I don't know. It's delivered randomly," Ye Jiujiu admitted. She never knew what the refrigerator would send the next day.
If possible… please don't send squid or octopus again.
When she opened the refrigerator that morning and saw the chaos inside, her entire day had gone downhill. She could only pray that tomorrow it would send king crab or lobster instead.
After closing the kitchen that night, she even put her hands together and prayed sincerely to the refrigerator.
"Oh wise and mature refrigerator… please send some specialty seafood or big fish tomorrow."
If you send me squid again, I'll smash you!
Refrigerator: "…"
Even the production team's donkeys had an easier life than this cursed appliance.
After giving her solemn instructions, Ye Jiujiu left the kitchen. Outside, the wind howled wildly, branches shaking. Rain was coming.
She hurried back to her room. By the time she finished washing up, lightning split the sky, thunder rumbled, and a torrential downpour began—like the heavens had been cracked open.
The heavy rain lasted all night and didn't stop until morning. Pear leaves covered the ground. She turned back to fetch a broom from the kitchen.
Just as she reached the doorway, she heard a loud bang from inside the refrigerator—like a fish tail slapping against metal.
"A big fish?" Ye Jiujiu's eyes sparkled. Maybe the refrigerator was finally behaving!
She rushed over and opened the door—
—and froze.
Why was there… a small baby inside?