Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System-Chapter 142 - 96: The Homestay Sets Sail: Riverside Courtyard [13,000 Words!] (Part 3)
Dou Dou’s expression immediately became a bit anxious.
"This is Pleasant Goat!"
Li Younan promptly said with a serious face, "Oh! I mean, the Pleasant Goat who lives in the Goat Village, carved really well!"
Only then did a smile bloom on Dou Dou’s face.
The next day, the cameras that Li Younan ordered online finally arrived.
He installed them in several key positions he had reserved earlier, ensuring that the entire house, except for the bedroom and bathroom, had no blind spots, and even the small camping yard by the river in the back wasn’t overlooked.
A wireless router was naturally a must as well. This way, even when he’s not home, he can check on the state of his grandparents at any time.
Of course, there were other benefits too.
Another afternoon, Grandma cooked the first meal in the newly set up kitchen.
She made a whole pot of braised ribs, scooped some out into a bowl with a big ladle, and handed it to Li Younan, telling him to take it over to Ren Xiaohuan’s family to try.
Li Younan answered and headed out with the bowl of ribs, humming a little tune.
Ren Xiaohuan’s house was only a few dozen meters from his grandparents’—their closest neighbor. Li Younan often passed by their door but had never gone inside.
This time, as he arrived at Ren Xiaohuan’s gate, which was open, he went directly in.
Compared to the now refined look of his grandparents’ home, Ren Xiaohuan’s place was much rougher. There was a concrete yard, and in the corner, a dog was tied to a post, with half a bowl of cold porridge left in the bowl next to its kennel.
Sensing Li Younan’s entrance, the dog abruptly stood up from its lying position and barked twice at him.
Hearing the noise, a girl came out of the house. Recognizing it was Li Younan, she immediately scolded the mutt, "Little Yellow, no being fierce!"
Intrigued, Li Younan watched this scene, thinking Ren Xiaohuan seemed quite authoritative while scolding.
There was only one house at Ren Xiaohuan’s place. When she saw the ribs Li Younan was holding, she hesitated, momentarily unsure what to say.
Li Younan smiled, "Grandma made these. She asked me to specially bring them over for you all to taste."
Smelling the aroma, Dou Dou popped out, happily exclaiming, "Wow, ribs!"
Coming to her senses, Ren Xiaohuan quickly invited Li Younan inside to sit.
At this moment, Ren Xiaohuan’s mother was resting in the room, and the layout was quite similar to the living room of his grandparents’ house, with a big stove, and the kitchen area next door, separated by a curtain.
Detecting the smell, Li Younan curiously asked, "Are you cooking?"
Ren Xiaohuan paused, "How did you know?"
Li Younan slowly placed the bowl of ribs on the stove, which often doubled as a dining table, and said slowly, "There’s a burnt smell..."
Suddenly startled, Ren Xiaohuan hurriedly turned and ran into the kitchen, followed by an "Ah!"
When Li Younan went in, Ren Xiaohuan was staring blankly at a pot of already burnt fried potato shreds.
The potatoes here were of high quality, with a high starch content, making them prone to sticking to the pot if not soaked in water in advance.
However, such potatoes taste better when fried, albeit easy to burn if the heat isn’t controlled.
Normally, Ren Xiaohuan was adept at making this dish, and it shouldn’t have burnt.
But just at the critical moment, she heard Little Yellow bark and knew a stranger was in the yard, so she rushed out.
Seeing Li Younan, her mind went blank, and she forgot about the pot.
In just that brief moment, it had already burnt.
The rural stoves have a strong firepower, and with Sichuan people’s taste, fried potato shreds definitely needed a handful of dry chili, making the kitchen smoke quite suffocating.
Feeling a bit distressed, Ren Xiaohuan scraped out the potato shreds sticking to the bottom, clearly realizing they needed to be fried again.
Li Younan chuckled, "Need any help?"
Ren Xiaohuan quickly shook her head, "No, no, I’ll... I’ll just go wash the pot."
Li Younan pointed to the big iron pot and said, "This is quite heavy, sure you don’t need a hand?"
Ren Xiaohuan awkwardly smiled, "The pot is washed every day, it’s no big deal."
Li Younan realized, that’s true.
Then Ren Xiaohuan lifted the pot, needing to wash it at the yard’s faucet. Like his grandparents’ house before, Ren Xiaohuan’s place also didn’t have piped water in the main living area.
Watching this, Li Younan was deep in thought.
As Ren Xiaohuan headed out, Li Younan asked, "Are you going to fry again?"
Ren Xiaohuan’s voice floated in from outside, "Yes, yes."
At this time, Dou Dou obediently brought over a cup of water, saying, "Brother, drink some water."
Li Younan took it casually, patted Dou Dou’s head, took a sip, and placed it by the stove.
He glanced at the few fresh potatoes yet to be sliced and the knife on the chopping board...
Ren Xiaohuan finished washing the pot quite quickly.
A brush with the bamboo scrubber, and it was essentially clean.
She brought the pot in and was momentarily stunned.
At that moment, Li Younan had just finished with the knife.
On the chopping board were neatly sliced potato and green pepper shreds, along with a few cloves of garlic cut into slices.
Hearing the movement, Li Younan turned around, "Is the pot washed?"
Ren Xiaohuan blinked and nodded instinctively, "Yes, it’s washed."
"Bring it over then."
"Uh, but..."
"I fry a bit faster..."
"But..."
"Go bring me some dry chilies..."
Just as Ren Xiaohuan wanted to say something, Dou Dou was already holding a handful of dry chilies, standing by Li Younan’s side, proudly raising his hand.
