Chapter 149 Dinner Test (2/2)

"Sizzle—!"

With a loud bang, a domineering and spicy aroma exploded out, carrying the pungent smell of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, and aggressively invaded the entire room.

"Cough...cough cough cough!"

An Sanchuan was choked by the smell and coughed violently. His already pale face turned bright red, and he almost dropped the enamel mug in his hand.

He quickly put down his things, covered his mouth, and hurried out of the house to get some fresh air in the yard.

Duan Zhou glanced back and scoffed, "What's wrong with him? He can't even handle spicy food. He's weaker than a woman."

Once the spicy chicken was cooked and the most pungent smell dissipated, An Sanchuan went back inside, sat back down, and continued eating his dinner with a blank expression.

Soon, all the dishes were ready.

A plate of bright red and oily spicy chicken, a plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a large bowl of rice.

"Come on, let's get started!" Yu Hao called out, and the group sat down together, wolfing down their food.

Duan Zhou's cooking skills were indeed impressive. The spicy chicken was numbing, spicy, and fragrant, with the chicken meat crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Yu Hao and Lü Hongwei ate until they were sweating profusely, exclaiming how satisfying it was.

An Sanchuan ate slowly.

After they had devoured half a plate of food, he spoke as if casually, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Comrade Yu Hao, you and Comrade Yan Yu have a good relationship, right?"

Yu Hao was struggling with a piece of chicken when he heard this and mumbled an indistinct "hmm".

An Sanchuan smiled, though his smile was still weak: "Comrade Yan Yu is really amazing. Today at the reed field, I watched from afar, and he did the work of several people all by himself. His strength and speed are unlike those of us educated youth."

These were compliments, and Yu Hao felt pleased to hear them. He puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Of course! How could my brother Yan not be amazing!"

“Yes,” An Sanchuan continued, his gaze seemingly casually falling on the dishes on the table. “He doesn’t look like an ordinary person. Was he a soldier before? The energy he exudes is different from others.”

At this point in the question, Yu Hao's somewhat dulled nerve was finally plucked.

He put down his chopsticks and looked at An Sanchuan suspiciously: "My brother is who he is, why make such a fuss? Why are you asking about this?"

Although he was straightforward, he instinctively protected everything about Yan Yu.

Brother Yan doesn't like others to pry, so he won't say a word more than necessary.

Tao Yuming had been eating quietly, but his ears were constantly listening. Upon hearing this, he slowed down his chopsticks, his vigilance towards An Sanchuan reaching its peak.

Could this person be after Yan Yu?

Seeing that Yu Hao had become wary, An Sanchuan didn't press the matter. He changed the subject naturally, as if it were just casual conversation.

"It's nothing, I just think he's amazing and I'm a little curious. Let's not talk about this anymore."

He took a sip of porridge to moisten his throat before speaking again: "By the way, I heard there are wild animals in the mountains around here in winter? Is there any chance we can go and hunt some game to improve our meals?"

This topic successfully diverted everyone's attention.

Lu Hongwei immediately became interested: "Yes! Of course we have! When I first came here, I saw pheasants, rabbits, and even yaks when I went up the mountain to collect firewood in the autumn! But those things are very clever and run very fast, so they are not easy to catch."

"That's right!" Duan Zhou perked up, putting down his chopsticks and gesturing. "Without a good hunter, we blockheads can't even dream of getting wild pheasants and rabbits. Those rabbits disappear in the blink of an eye when they run, you can't catch them."

The group chatted about their experiences in the mountains, and the atmosphere became lively again.

An Sanchuan listened quietly, nodding occasionally, and said nothing more.

He wore a gentle, harmless smile, but his lowered eyes gleamed with a deep, complex light that went unnoticed by anyone.

Tao Yuming picked up his rice bowl, using the act of eating to conceal his scrutinizing gaze. (This chapter has been finished. Please click to continue reading the next chapter!)