The night market barbecue in Shachi is really lively. It is the busiest time of the day except for the morning market. In addition to the residents of Shachi Town, people from nearby cities also come to the night market to eat barbecue. Generally, people drive 20 minutes to get here, especially in summer. Many people are used to running out to find food at night. Late-night barbecue is a common choice for countless people.
The night snack barbecue beach in Shachi is quite famous. In other places, barbecues are divided into "stalls", but here they are divided into "beach". There is a large beach by the sea, and at night they set up a night market for barbecue, which is very large in scale.
At around six or seven o'clock, when the sun is almost setting, the barbecue stalls start to open for business. They set up the tents, put out tables and chairs, burn charcoal and serve dishes. The smell of smoke becomes noisy along with the sunset.
Xin Xiaolu and her friends went there early, and there weren't too many people there yet. Most of them had just arrived. They sat at the table waiting for their food to be served. They chose a stall close to the beach. Grandpa and Xin Yan came to order food, but Xin Xiaolu didn't move. She sat at her seat and watched the sunset over the sea. The sunset that the locals were used to seeing was very interesting to Xin Xiaolu, and she never got tired of watching it even after watching it many times. The sunset, sunrise, and evening tides here are all very good.
"Xiaolu, do you want to eat this?"
The stall was not far away, Xin Yanlai shouted this over there, and Xin Xiaolu saw that he was holding a big lobster in his hand, with his claws waving in the air, looking very ferocious.
Lobsters can also be grilled? Xin Xiaolu had never eaten it before. She made an OK gesture and said, "Eat."
The food was laid out. Because it was a barbecue at the seaside, there was a lot of seafood, and it was all very fresh. It was placed in a large basin for people to choose. The boss kept chattering, "Hey, these are all freshly caught. They have been here for less than two hours. You can tell how fresh they are. There are so many barbecue restaurants here, but you can tell that my ingredients are the freshest and best."
The special seafood barbecue is delicious and cheap. While waiting for the food to be served, the surrounding area was filled with people. There were more than a dozen stalls and hundreds of tables, but only a few were not full. Cars kept coming. A small van parked in an open space not far away, and a group of seven or eight middle-aged people got off. They were probably brothers who came out to chat and drink; a family of three on a motorcycle; a young couple driving a car; a person walking alone; and a group of young children who came on bicycles.
After the sun completely sank into the sea, the smoke and aroma of barbecue filled the beach. There were shouts and voices all around. Everyone had vivid expressions and different emotions in their eyes. Xin Xiaolu could easily feel the feeling of being a "human" at this time. The more this feeling came, it was as if she was also infected with more "popularity".
The barbecue they ordered was served, and the aroma of meat and seafood suddenly became strong. The grilled shrimp placed in front of Xin Xiaolu was split open, and the shiny shrimp meat piled with garlic sauce was still sizzling in the red shrimp shell. There were opened clams, fresh and fragrant grilled octopus sprinkled with cumin, crispy grilled small fish as long as fingers without bones coated with a layer of chili powder, and various meat and vegetarian dishes... Just looking at them made people's appetites grow.
Xin Yanlai bought drinks. He and his grandfather each got two cans of cold beer, and Xin Xiaolu got a bottle of Coke.
His beer can was steaming, and the water droplets quickly soaked the disposable tablecloth. Eating barbecue and drinking cold drinks is probably the most relaxing and free time in summer. What surprised Xin Xiaolu was that his grandfather also enjoyed this kind of barbecue time. How should I put it? He looked like a serious and healthy old man who drank wolfberry tea, but I didn't expect him to be so skilled at eating barbecue.
While Xin Yanlai stood up to add more food to the stall, Xin Xiaolu took a sip of his beer. There was only one sip left, and she drank it all.
It doesn't taste very good. She put the beer can back as if nothing had happened under her grandfather's gaze.
Xin Yanlai turned back and sat down, picked up the beer can, and took a light touch.
"…" He clearly remembered that he had one mouthful before he left, how come it was empty? He first looked at his grandfather, who was sipping his cold beer and taking a bite of roasted tofu, ignoring his gaze. Xin Yanlai understood and turned to look at Xin Xiaolu, who was calmly drinking her Coke and taking a bite of the spicy octopus.
Xin Yanlai put the beer can on the ground and said to Xin Xiaolu, "You can't drink."
Tsk, I was discovered as expected. Xin Xiaolu thought, I didn't expect there was only one bite left, otherwise I wouldn't have been discovered. Grandpa looked at the sea and raised the corner of his mouth, not caring about them.
Xin Yanlai: "Did you hear that? You can't drink beer secretly." Maybe because he likes her, he doesn't dare to let her have any bad habits, for fear that he will lead her astray. Xin Yanlai felt a little sad.
Xin Xiaolu gulped down her Coke and agreed to him straightforwardly: "No more."
After they finished their barbecue, the three of them walked back slowly. Leaving the noisy night market barbecue beach, after turning two streets, the noise and bustle became vague. Digesting after a meal is a very leisurely activity. When they walked to a gentle slope, Xin Yanlai pointed in the direction of the sea, "Look."
There were people setting off fireworks on the beach, probably people who went there for fun, on a whim. They were just ordinary two-color fireworks, not very high, with a bang, and quickly dissipated, nothing fancy, and after more than a dozen explosions, the place returned to calm.
This is a little surprise that is as sudden and short-lived as the fireworks themselves, like suddenly seeing a beautiful flower on the side of the road, which makes people feel inexplicably happy.
It’s just a pity that such a happy day didn’t end well.
In the middle of the night, Xin Xiaolu woke up and felt itchy on her face, hands, feet, and back. She fell asleep early today, but was suddenly woken up by the itch. She turned on the light and saw that her arm was red. She looked in the mirror and saw that her neck was also red.
The itchy feeling all over his body was so uncomfortable that Xin Xiaolu scratched his neck and walked out to knock on Xin Yanlai's door.
Xin Yanlai was woken up in a daze. He climbed up in his sleeping T-shirt and shorts. When he saw Xin Xiaolu's appearance, he was startled and immediately woke up. He put on his glasses and touched her red hand.
"What's going on here?"
Xin Xiaolu scratched his arm, "I guess it's an allergy."
Grandpa was awakened by the noise, and after a careful look, he said, "It's an allergy. I'll drive her to the clinic."
The town clinic was not far away, and they could see it every time they passed by the vegetable market. Xin Yanlai was relieved to hear that his grandfather said it was nothing serious, and he took Xin Xiaolu downstairs and said to his grandfather, "No need, Grandpa, you continue to sleep, I'll take Xiaolu to see him."
He moved quickly, pushed the bicycle out of the shed, took Xin Xiaolu on it, opened the gate and rode out. He didn't even change his clothes or slippers, but at least he remembered his phone and wallet.
Xin Xiaolu sat in the back seat, holding his phone and wallet, scratching his arm with his free fingers. To be honest, the itch was more deadly than the pain.
The bicycle rushed down the gentle slope quickly. The night wind blew on her legs and face. Xin Xiaolu felt a little better. Xin Yanlai rode the bicycle and comforted her: "Xiaolu, we will be there soon. Hold on to me and don't fall down."
Fortunately, the clinic was still open. There must be people here who are allergic to seafood. The doctor has seen a lot of them. After seeing Xin Xiaolu's situation, he said calmly, "If you are allergic to seafood, I will prescribe some medicine for you to take and apply some medicine on the red areas on your body."
Xin Yanlai: "But she also ate seafood before, how come she didn't have an allergic reaction?"
Doctor: "I guess you ate too much today. Also, don't drink alcohol, it will make it worse. Little girl, don't keep scratching it, just bear with it."
Xin Xiaolu couldn't help it, and she almost scratched her arm. Xin Yanlai took the medicine and took Xin Xiaolu home on his bicycle. He quickly gave her the medicine, asked her to wash her hands and feet, and applied the medicine to her.
The hands and feet were not so painful, but the most uncomfortable part was the back. Xin Xiaolu couldn't scratch it, and it was so itchy that he almost wanted to rub against the wall.
Xin Yan came to help her apply the stain on one arm. When he heard her say that she also applied it on her back, he was stunned for a moment, and then said, "There's also stain on your back? This... Why don't you apply it yourself?"
Xin Xiaolu: "I can't put it on."
Xin Yanlai looked at her with embarrassment and a little awkwardness, but said nothing.
But before he could stop her, Xin Xiaolu quickly lifted up the clothes and bra on her back, and turned her back to him, "It's itchy, hurry up."
There was indeed a patch of red there. Xin Yanlai silently squeezed out the ointment and applied it to her.
Although she applied the ointment, it was not so effective. Xin Xiaolu still felt itchy and couldn't help scratching. Xin Yanlai came back from washing her hands and saw her about to scratch, so he quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Don't scratch, don't scratch."
Xin Xiaolu learned how to act like a spoiled child without any instruction. She knocked her head against Xin Yanlai's hand that smelled of medicine, and said in a weak voice, "... I feel uncomfortable."
Her face also turned red due to the allergy, and it really didn't look good. Xin Yan hesitated again and again, but still couldn't bear it, "Can I gently scratch it for you?"
Xin Xiaolu scratched her arm with her slender fingers. He had just washed his hands, so his fingers were cool, and scratching slightly relieved the terrible itch.
"My legs are itchy too." Xin Xiaolu lay there, tossing and turning like a fried dumpling, bending his legs and trying to scratch.
Xin Yanlai held her legs again: "Don't move, the medicine will fall off, I'll do it." And with her legs raised like this in a skirt... If you're not careful, you can see it... Oh well.
The little brother was worried, distressed and embarrassed. He scratched her arms and calves. After a while, Xin Xiaolu turned over and asked the little brother to scratch her back through her clothes.
She fell asleep while being tickled, and she was still restless even after falling asleep, with her brows tightly furrowed. She subconsciously scratched the itchy places on her body in her sleep. Xin Yanlai originally wanted to leave, but seeing her like this, he could only sit back and continue tickling her.
Grandpa came up quietly once without saying a word. He stood outside the door and watched for a while. When he saw that his grandson was taking care of people attentively, he quietly went downstairs and returned to his room.
The lights in the room were turned off, leaving only a small dim table lamp. One of the French windows was open, and the door was half open. The wind in the room was ventilated, and the temperature was very suitable for sleeping. Maybe it was because the medicine worked, or maybe it was because Xin Yanlai had the patience to scratch until the itchiness was the worst, Xin Xiaolu finally fell into a deep sleep and stopped moving restlessly.
Xin Yanlai got up in the middle of the night, and it was almost dawn now, so he looked a little tired. He sat by the bed and looked at Xin Xiaolu quietly for a while. Her face was still a little red, and she looked pitiful and cute. He couldn't help but lean over and kiss her forehead, then got up quietly and went back to his room.
The author has something to say: I... want a little brother too!