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墨書 Inktalez
Jin Bo looked quite surprised. In the darkness, he could only see a silhouette from afar. With so many girls on the island, how could he instantly recognize it was Yuan An?
"It looks like her," Song Jiu said, though he wasn't entirely sure. The most noticeable features of Yuan An were her long legs, and he had just seen a figure flash by that resembled her build. However, he thought to himself that as long as the body shape wasn't too different, many ladies would have similar backs. With that in mind, Song Jiu lost some confidence and muttered, "Maybe not."
"Let's go; we might as well see what happens," Wu Wentao said, crossing his arms and making light of the situation. After spending quite some time in the basement earlier, he could now smell the fragrant evening breeze, and his stomach grumbled in protest. The three stood for a moment; there was nothing unusual coming from the woods, so they decided against investigating further.
The open Coast had its lights on, with movable fences slanting along the seaside. Between the wooden posts shaped like guns were tangled wires securely fastened with insulating tape. Colorful bulbs lit up one by one, decorating the beach under the night sky. The barbecue grill was already set up, sizzling with delicious seafood being served in turns. Shaved wood tables were filled with plates of food and drinks, while groups of men and women laughed freely, radiating joy like it was New Year's.
Cao Zheng and Qianqian were busy by the grill. They had gone out with the island's fishing team earlier that morning and had a decent catch. Chef Jia and Pockmarked Girl were nearby, helping to wash fresh fish and shellfish in a basin. The entrails mixed with blood were tossed onto plastic sheets; while they smelled delightful, there was also a strong fishy odor.
Song Jiu and his companions returned a bit late and missed the first wave of food. They could only grab plates and wait, occasionally sneaking bites from others' plates when they weren't paying attention.
"You didn't see wrong," Wu Wentao said as he approached with a handful of bamboo skewers. He generously shared two skewers with Song Jiu and Jin Bo, then scanned the crowd before whispering, "Yuan An isn't here."
Song Jiu held a grilled fish up to his face and sniffed it suspiciously. While everyone else smelled deliciousness, all he could detect from his skewer was a burnt odor.
Wu Wentao rolled his eyes at him, snatched the subpar skewer away, took a bite with a grimace, and forced it down while mumbling, "I'm talking to you; are you listening?"
"I heard you," Song Jiu replied after swallowing hard. It wasn't wise to think too much on an empty stomach; he waved his hand to indicate they would talk later and scanned the crowd again. Suddenly, he spotted freshly cooked food at Chef Jia's station and hurriedly left Wu Wentao behind to rush over.
"Don't rush! There's enough for everyone!" Pockmarked Girl's voice reached him before he got close. He wasn't the only one feeling ravenous; there were too many hungry souls around and not enough food to go around.
Song Jiu felt a twinge of regret; if he had known earlier, he should have filled his stomach before heading to Stilt House. By the time he squeezed to the front at Chef Jia's station, a new batch of meat had already been placed on the grill.
"What were you doing?" Chef Jia asked as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. Seeing Song Jiu standing there eagerly, he chuckled and said, "Our people have already eaten several rounds; we've been looking for you for ages."
"Just had a little issue," Song Jiu sniffed, leaning closer to Pockmarked Girl and playfully patting her cheek. "Hurry up and bring me some private goods; I'm starving."
"No private goods, but I have a pot of fresh ones. Who told you not to come earlier?" Pockmarked Girl was not easily swayed by his charm. She laughed and brushed his hand away, grabbing a handful of fine salt and evenly sprinkling it over the fish and shrimp. Watching the oil sizzle just right, she skillfully flipped the half-cooked seafood with a bamboo skewer.
"You heartless thing," Song Jiu muttered, getting a face full of dust. He turned his gaze to other grills, and just as he was searching like a hungry wolf, a plate suddenly poked into his face. On it lay half a fish with an unpronounceable name, its head and tail removed, leaving only the most succulent part. Starving, Song Jiu didn't think twice before grabbing the plate, skipping the chopsticks entirely, and began devouring it with his hands.
Freshly caught seafood was indeed different; combined with excellent cooking skills, Song Jiu didn't pause for breath as he chewed on one side of his mouth while spitting out bones from the other. In the blink of an eye, the fragrant fish meat was gone, leaving not even a morsel behind.
"Sister Jia, your cooking is unbeatable," Song Jiu said contentedly, letting out a satisfied burp and licking the grease off his fingers. Suddenly, he felt nostalgic for the roadside stalls from years ago; at that moment, if he could have a bottle of beer, it would be perfect.
Chef Jia smiled at him and pointed behind him.
Song Jiu paused for a moment before remembering he hadn't thanked the living Lei Feng yet. He quickly turned around only to see Barbie Doll standing in front of him with a playful smile in her eyes.
"Have you eaten?" Song Jiu's face flushed red as he realized there was only a fish skeleton left on his plate; asking that question felt unnecessary.
Natalia chuckled lightly and naturally sat beside him. She pointed at the plate, lightly licked her lips with her tongue, and gave him a thumbs-up.
Song Jiu stared at her actions in surprise, then smiled and gestured, "If it's good, wait here; I'll get you some more."
Understanding his gesture, Natalia smiled sweetly and nodded.
Feeling indebted after receiving help, Song Jiu couldn't just leave after finishing everything. So he picked up the plate again and began weaving through the crowd like a beggar, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he searched for freshly grilled food. After wandering around for several rounds without finding any grilled fish, he spotted Yuan An.
Yuan An was sitting with Luo Yu and Dai Wei at another table where they had set up their grill. Alongside grilling, they were also serving stir-fried dishes right away. A young man who looked quite youthful was providing excellent service; grilled and fried foods were promptly delivered to their table in abundance.
Song Jiu paused, realizing that just moments ago, Wu Wentao had mentioned that Yuan An wasn't around. So who was the one sitting at the table, enjoying a feast?
" Brother Jiu, over here."
Just as Song Jiu was about to approach and inquire, he suddenly heard Jiao Ziqian's loud voice. Turning his head, he spotted Jiao Ziqian and his partner waving at him from the direction of the Coast lights.
"Getting a meal is really damn hard," Song Jiu shook his head helplessly. He returned to Chef Jia's side to grab Barbie Doll, who had been waiting for him in her seat. Navigating through the crowd of clinking glasses, he squeezed his way over to where Jiao Ziqian was.
"Where's Old Wu?" Jiao Ziqian was still craning his neck, looking around. He muttered, "Where did you guys go? I didn't see any of you earlier."
"Late arrival," Song Jiu replied casually, sensing that the noise around them wasn't suitable for serious conversation. He asked, "Did you save me some food?"
"Plenty," Ying Dou Dou chuckled, moving along the railing towards the long table where Qianqian was whispering something. In just a few minutes, a steaming plate of spicy seafood was brought over.
Song Jiu smacked his lips, feeling a wave of emotions wash over him; it seemed like the more he mingled, the more he had to rely on his close friends just to eat.
Jiao Ziqian appeared to have something on his mind. He instructed Ying Dou Dou to take Barbie Doll to the table and start eating while he stealthily pulled Song Jiu away into the crowd.
"Where are we going? Can't you let me eat first?" Song Jiu was confused and grabbed Jiao Ziqian's arm. "What's going on?"
"Big deal," Jiao Ziqian said mysteriously, winking. As they passed by Luo Yu's group, he signaled discreetly. Luo Yu and the others understood immediately and set down their bowls and chopsticks before leaving the crowd.
"What’s happening?" Song Jiu frowned slightly; it seemed there really was something going on.
"Jin Bo is in trouble," Jiao Ziqian said with a grimace, pulling Song Jiu out of the barbecue area. They climbed up the dirt slope towards the Coast until they were out of sight of the barbecue lights before stopping. " Brother Jiu, it's not safe here; someone is after Jin Bo."
“What?” Song Jiu was taken aback, his stomach suddenly feeling tight. He frowned and said, “Explain clearly, what’s going on?”
“Ask Yuan An,” Jiao Ziqian sniffed, peering over the dirt slope for a moment. After confirming there was no one behind, he turned back and said, “I thought you knew.”
“I don’t know.” Song Jiu felt a surge of anxiety; he had only learned some things from Jin Bo half an hour ago, and it hadn’t been long since then.
While they were talking, Luo Yu and a few others arrived. Dai Wei had turned back midway, as if he was specifically covering for them. Judging by their expressions, it was clear they had already discussed things beforehand.
Song Jiu felt a bit uneasy. Could it be that the three of them encountered something while at the Stilt House? It didn’t seem right; they hadn’t been apart for long, and the Coast was still lively without any signs of trouble.
“ Brother Jiu, Jin Bo is at the Stilt House; he just went over with a few people,” Luo Yu pointed towards the Stilt House by the Mangrove and frowned. “Where did you three go just now?”
Song Jiu was increasingly confused; it had been less than half an hour, so why was everyone asking about each other?
“Ziqian said someone is planning to harm Jin Bo.” Song Jiu decided to set aside what had just happened and frowned. “Did you see or hear anything?”
“I heard it from someone,” Yuan An coughed lightly. The light here was dim, making it hard to see his expression, but his voice clearly wavered.
Song Jiu glanced towards the Coast; it seemed no one had noticed their absence. Remembering what he had seen earlier at the Mangrove, he asked curiously, “Yuan An, didn’t you go to the Mangrove with someone just now?”
“Ah?” Yuan An was startled but quickly nodded. “Yeah, you saw that?”
“When you went in, I was about to head to the Coast with Old Wu and Jin Bo; I thought I must have seen it wrong.” Hearing Yuan An’s response, Song Jiu vaguely began to piece things together and frowned. “What’s going on? Who did you go with?”
“I’ll get straight to the point.” Yuan An’s gaze flickered as he frowned in thought. “Some people on the island have issues with Jin Bo. It’s said that when Jin Bo left the island, he promised to bring something back, but it seems he wasn’t successful. Now those people are holding onto this matter tightly and seem to be planning something.”
"Listening through the rain and mist, Song Jiu pondered for a moment and said, 'The person who went with you to the forest told you this.'
'Well, sort of. He mentioned it casually, and I found it a bit strange, so I asked a few more questions,' Yuan An replied, his tone somewhat unnatural. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, 'In any case, that's about it. I just spoke with Luo Yu and the others. I originally wanted to find Jin Bo to give him a heads-up, but before we could locate him, we saw him leaving with a few people.'
'Ziqian, go call Old Wu out,' Song Jiu instructed, staring at Yuan An for a while. He suppressed his doubts and added, 'You all head back first; eat and drink as you please.'
'We're not going to worry about anything,' Jiao Ziqian exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he rubbed his hands together.
'Don't act rashly,' Song Jiu said, rubbing his temples. It felt like he was on the verge of remembering something important but couldn't quite grasp it. After frowning and thinking for a while, he asked, 'Have you talked to Fang Fei?'
'I couldn't find her,' Luo Yu shrugged. There was no need for further explanation; just by looking at Song Jiu's expression, they all understood that they had likely figured something out.
'You all head back now. Find Old Wu and Fang Fei and let our people know. Don't drink; stay alert,' Song Jiu said, his eyes darting as he formulated a plan. He waved for Luo Yu and Ziqian to leave first, leaving only Yuan An behind. 'You come with me; I have more questions for you.'"
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