Dubian Che didn’t pay much attention at first, but inadvertently, he caught sight of a boy who had stayed behind, feeding the girl in the red ski suit.
"Cough, cough." He nearly choked on corn.
Jiutiao Meiji glanced at him with disdain, "Be careful."
"It’s not..." Dubian Che gestured with his eyes for them to look in that direction.
Both of them looked over to see the girl in the red ski suit opening her mouth while the boy fed her grilled meat with chopsticks, and she deliberately nibbled on the chopsticks.
Without speaking, the pair exchanged ambiguous smiles.
"The man from before, was holding hands with the girl in the pink outfit?" Kiyono Lin asked with certainty.
"Cheating." Jiutiao Meiji declared.
"Scumbag." Dubian Che shook his head and took another mouthful of corn kernels.
The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier.
On the grill, scallops bubbled away in tinfoil dishes.
"Jealous?" Jiutiao Meiji asked teasingly.
"Do I need to be jealous of him?" To avoid misunderstanding, Dubian Che hastily explained, "Not to mention his two, even two hundred, two thousand, twenty thousand wouldn’t compare to a single hair of yours, Meiji."
Jiutiao Meiji snorted derisively through her nose, "Smooth talker."
"Can we not talk about disgusting things while eating?" Kiyono Lin said while nibbling on broccoli.
The three diverted their attention away from that table and continued with their grilled meat.
Dubian Che devoured the perfectly cooked pork loin mixed with white rice.
He gobbled up three bites in succession and then sipped some sturgeon soup.
"The scallops are ready," Kiyono the chef announced.
"Hold on, let me test them for poison first," Dubian Che said as he reached for the tinfoil box with his chopsticks.
The scallops were perfectly moist and silky without direct fire. With a gentle bite, they cleaved in two, immediately bursting with a fresh and fragrant flavor in his mouth.
Too delicious for words, Dubian Che gave Kiyono Lin a thumbs-up.
Seeing how voraciously he ate, the other two started to eat as well.
"Mediocre," Jiutiao Meiji commented after eating.
"Lies." Kiyono Lin said, as she immersed herself in her own world, delicately savoring the scallop, "The garlic brings out the saltiness, complementing the seafood aroma nicely, but the scallop’s quality itself is slightly lacking."
Jiutiao Meiji shot her a look, lounging back with one hand propping up her chin, sipping on her juice intermittently.
She was full and beginning to feel sleepy.
"Waiter, another bowl of rice, please," Dubian Che called out.
"Okay! Just a moment, coming right up!"
Jiutiao Meiji watched him, her tone lazy, "Is it really that delicious?"
"I exhausted too much energy during the bath earlier," Dubian Che replied.
Under the table, Jiutiao Meiji, with crossed legs, kicked him.
Above the table, Kiyono Lin tied her hair behind her ear, picked up the sturgeon soup, covered her small face, and took a gentle sip.
As they neared the end of the meal, the two young ladies ordered ice cream and ate it in small bites.
Dubian Che dunked high-quality belly meat into sauce, mixed it with rice, ate it all up, and then indulged in mint-flavored ice cream.
Outside the window, the snow continued to fall.
Inside, the roast meat sizzled over the charcoal fire.
Right when Dubian Che finished his ice cream, the snow lessened, about the same as when they had arrived.
The three prepared to head back.
"I’ll go pay the bill; you guys put on your coats so you don’t catch a cold."
Dubian Che walked to the cashier.
"Thirty-five thousand yen," said the waiter.
Dubian Che took out four ten-thousand yen notes from his wallet and handed them over to the cashier.
"One thousand yen, two, three... Five in total," recounted the cashier before extending the change with both hands, "Your change of five thousand yen."
Dubian Che turned his head to see the young ladies were already behind him, fully dressed.
As they left the restaurant to the staff’s "Please be careful on your way, we welcome your next visit," they stepped outside.
The falling snow was cool and comfortable.
In the snowy vastness, they trod through the snow toward their cabin.
"Any plans for this afternoon? How about going fishing?" Dubian Che asked loudly.
"I’ll take a nap, then I have work," Jiutiao Meiji said, hands in her pockets.
"I also plan to sleep for a bit, then stay in the dorm to read," Kiyono Lin hugged herself.
After walking away, Dubian Che looked back.
In the blizzard, the illuminated barbecue restaurant with smoke wafting from its chimney looked like a mirage.
It was midday on a snowy day.