My second life is a bit strange?

The waiter quickly brought over a bunch of barbecue, but it looked like it was only half-cooked. Then he brought over a small grill, with the charcoal burning bright red, and a wave of heat hit us.

"This is a characteristic of Xuzhou barbecue: it's grilled until half-cooked, and then we grill it ourselves, so it won't get cold by the end."

Chapter 41 Almost Sent Away

Feng grabbed a handful of lamb skewers and placed them on the grill. Each set of four lean pieces had a piece of fat sandwiched between them. As soon as they were placed on the grill, the fat sizzled and oozed oil, and the aroma of the fat immediately wafted far and wide.

The noise startled the sleeping Big White in the pocket. It immediately woke up with a meow and stretched out its paw to reach for the skewers, but Feng quickly slapped its little paw away.

Kaguya handed Big White a cat treat, which calmed him down. After eating, Big White stretched and curled up back up to continue sleeping.

Feng then had a free hand to continue grilling. When he saw that it was almost done, he sprinkled on some chili powder and cumin: "Come and have a taste."

He handed Kaguya a skewer, then took another one for himself. He ate it all off from the base of the skewer, stuffing his mouth full of meat. As soon as he tried to stop, the meat juices exploded in his mouth, accompanied by the aroma of chili powder.

Kaguya had never eaten barbecue like this before. The barbecue she had eaten before was carefully grilled by chefs and seasoned with a few spices, emphasizing freshness.

This was the first time I'd ever tasted food with such a strong aroma filling my mouth. My eyes widened in amazement. The balance of lean and fatty meat was perfect, and there wasn't a hint of gamey smell.

Seeing the other person's confusion, Feng said, "This is goat meat, it doesn't have a gamey smell."

What kind of meat is this?

"Sheep's eye".

Kaguya took a bite. It was smooth and soft, but the cartilage inside was a bit tough on the teeth, creating a complex texture.

Kaguya was a little tipsy. There was no need to be polite here. She could eat however she wanted, and the pleasure was just too great.

"Xiao Feng, this is homemade pickled cabbage. Try some."

"Thanks, Brother Long."

"You like it here?"

"Yes, sitting by the street, enjoying the evening breeze, and chatting with your best friend is a very happy thing."

"what is this?"

"Lamb balls and lamb kidneys."

Kaguya's expression changed slightly. She could accept lamb kidneys, but this lamb...

"I'll eat this one, you try the kidney."

Lamb kidneys have a mealy texture and a slightly bitter taste. After the bitterness disappears, they have a meaty aroma. They're neither particularly delicious nor unpalatable.

"Now comes the main event, mutton fat wrapped liver. The outside is all white mutton fat, and the inside is liver. Doesn't it look greasy?" Feng flipped the skewers, deliberately revealing a surprise.

“That’s what we need. It’s a specialty of Xuzhou barbecue. Xuzhou barbecue is eaten rolled up, and this is a flatbread, which is also a specialty food.” Feng put the grilled mutton fat wrapped liver into the flatbread, pulled out the skewer, added a few skewers of mutton and grilled sausage, then rolled it up into a pancake and handed it to Kaguya.

Kaguya was already used to being fed. With one bite, the aroma of the flatbread and the meat blended together perfectly without any conflict. The mutton fat made the flatbread less dry. In short, she was satisfied.

Kaguya felt like her mouth was always stuffed with food; eating this kind of thing was definitely more satisfying when you ate it in big bites.

After the two finished eating, they leaned back in their chairs. Kaguya rubbed her stomach; she had never eaten so full and satisfied before. This was practically a battle.

After finishing the barbecue, Brother Long brought over some braised skewers, which were placed on a bamboo plate.

Beef tripe, konjac, quail eggs, squid tentacles.

They were all stained black by the authentic braising sauce.

Kaguya tried a skewer; it tasted bitter at first, followed by a spiciness that went straight to her brain.

Kaguya's whole body went numb from the spiciness, and she even saw phantoms. Although it was spicy, it tasted delicious, and she couldn't stop eating it. When she stopped, it felt even spicier.

Kaguya exhaled softly, sticking out her pink little tongue.

"This is only mildly spicy."

A gentle breeze carried a slight chill as Kaguya gazed absently at the fireflies swirling around the streetlights, feeling a strange sense of warmth. The sounds of laughter from different people filled the air; the night was so peaceful.

The waiter cleared everything away and wiped the table clean with a cloth. Kaguya thought it was time to pay the bill, but when she saw the large plate of red crayfish that was brought to her across the table, a bunch of questions popped into her head.

Looking at Feng with a blank expression, he asked, "Can this thing be eaten?"

You should know that crayfish are kept as pets in Japan.

Kaede skillfully broke off the head, peeled off the shrimp shell, grabbed the tail, dipped it in the broth, and brought it to Kaguya's lips: "Ah~"

Kaguya blushed and obediently opened her mouth. As she ate the lobster, her lips touched the other person's hand, and the spicy flavor of the lobster seemed to penetrate her heart.

"This one is spicy, this one is garlicky, and this one is thirteen-spice; they're all quite delicious."

"Delicious." The lobster meat was very springy, but a bit spicy. My lips turned completely red, and I took a big gulp of soda while holding the cup.

I just wanted to relieve the spiciness but I almost got sent away. I stuck out my tongue and breathed out, tears streaming down my face.

Feng, both amused and exasperated, asked for a bottle of soy milk: "Drink this to relieve the spiciness."

Kaguya took a big gulp, held it in her mouth for a few seconds before she felt better, and looked at Kaede with teary eyes, as if asking why it was so spicy.

"He must have been busy and forgot; this is just regular spicy."

"Why is the regular spicy flavor so spicy?! I'd rather have the garlic flavor."

The two of them ate a lot, but Kaguya really couldn't eat anymore.

"It's okay, this kind of thing doesn't take up much stomach space. It looks like a lot, but when you peel it open, there's only a little bit of meat. Rest for a while and then continue eating."

The two chatted and ate until after nine o'clock. Feng wanted to take her home, but Kaguya's driver came to pick her up.

He watched the other person leave before returning home.

...

Aren't you doing any club activities today?

"The cultural festival has just ended, and club activities have not yet resumed."

Eriri and Kaede walked side by side along the roadside. She kicked a small stone, startling a bird in the bushes, which flapped its wings and flew away.

"..." Eriri suddenly stopped and stood there, thinking about something. She covered her forehead with her hand and sighed deeply: "Sigh!"

"What's wrong?" Feng asked.

"I left my artwork in the drawer. I was planning to finish coloring it tonight, but ah~ it's such a hassle, but I have to go back and get it." Eriri looked at him dejectedly with a pitiful expression.

"Alright, it's not far anyway, I'll go back with you to get it."

Eriri, who was initially feeling a bit down, suddenly realized that she could go through it with Kaede again, and suddenly felt that leaving things behind wasn't so bad after all.

When Eriri arrived at school, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. As she changed her shoes, she said, "I feel like I'm late. It's so weird."

"The upperclassmen are still working hard; I thought there wouldn't be many people around at this time."

Feng looked at the middle school students who stayed at school, all in pairs. Had there been so many couples since the cultural festival?

Eriri blushed and secretly looked at Kaede.

This will lead to further misunderstandings.

She then looked at the other people, who were all chatting about something.

[Seriously, do you have so much to say? Aren't you afraid of getting caught by the teacher?]

"Hey, Kimura, you guys haven't left yet?" Kaede greeted Kimura and Takao with a smile as they came out of the restroom.

"It's all Kimura's fault, he had to go to the toilet, and the sun was almost setting." Takao pushed up his glasses and said reproachfully. He hadn't even played the game yet today, and now he was wasting his stamina, which was a serious offense.

"My stomach wasn't feeling well, but after using the toilet I felt refreshed and then suddenly I was hungry again."

"Let's eat takoyaki on the way back."

"Oh, good idea."

Chapter Forty-Two: Early Awareness

The two were chatting when they noticed a pair of shoes behind Feng.

Takao realized something, pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected a philosophical glint: "So the class president is just like those people."

After saying that, he grabbed Kimura and, like a ghost, floated away.

"Why did you hide behind me?" Feng asked.

"Because it will be misunderstood..."

Eriri spoke very softly, like a mosquito's buzz; if Kaede hadn't been so close, he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"Are you afraid that our classmates will misunderstand us as a couple?" Feng bent down, looking into Eriri's eyes with a mischievous smile. Although he was joking, he felt a little strange inside.

"Alright, let's go to the classroom and get it!" Feng led the way.

Eriri replied, "It's not that I'm scared, I'm just a little shy."

"Is that so..." Feng's lips curled up, and he turned back to stand beside her: "Then I'm going to play a trick on you."

"Ugh~ How could you do this! You just know how to tease me!" Eriri whipped Kaede with her twin tails, her shame exploding: "You stinky Kaede! You stinky Kaede!"

Eriri walked to the corridor next to the classroom and saw two people sitting close together through the window doing something indescribable, occasionally making "muamua" sounds.

"Eek!!" Eriri covered her mouth, her eyes turning into mosquito coils, and she was about to faint.

For Eriri, who only has junior high school experience, such a scene was still too stimulating.

"Isn't that Jun and Yuki? How did they get together? This is unbelievable." Feng never expected to hear such a juicy piece of gossip when he returned to his class.

"What do we do now? Should we go in?"

"Since we're already here, of course we should go in. Just keep your voice down." Feng slowly opened the back door, just enough for one person to pass through.

Squatting on the ground, Eriri moved little by little while holding onto the wall with one hand. She accidentally bumped into the broom behind her and fell to the ground with a thud.

Eriri shuddered in fright, gripping Kaede's clothes tightly with one hand, her body tense. She quietly raised her head to look at the two people who were completely unaware of her presence, lost in their own world.

Eriri breathed a sigh of relief, squatted down again, straightened the broom, grabbed her sketches, and quickly slipped out of the classroom.

The two hadn't walked far when they ran into the PE teacher, who was holding a folder and flipping through something: "Oh, it's the class monitor. Haven't you gone home yet?"

He glanced at Eriri, who looked embarrassed beside Kaede, with an expression that said, "I know what you mean," and then continued, "I have something to tell you. Next Wednesday, I've switched classes with the Chinese teacher. We'll be going to the gym for a physical fitness test during the first period in the morning. Remember to tell your classmates and get some rest early tonight."

"I understand, teacher."