Chapter 213: Chapter 213
Almost right after the meal was finished, the honking of a car sounded outside. Li Xianglu got up first to open the door and saw everyone had come down, saying, "We’ve made steamed pork sandwiches at home, come in and have some before you leave."
Lu Anna and Iro had already tried Li Xianglu’s cooking, and upon hearing there was something they hadn’t tried, they both wanted to go have some.
Xi Yunmei sheepishly said, "We already ate at home this morning."
Li Xianglu laughed and shook her head, saying, "That doesn’t matter, Sister Yun Mei, come in and try it, it tastes quite good." As she spoke, she took Lu Ping’an by the hand and walked inside.
After they entered, they found that Iro and Anna were already sitting at the table, while Sister Xing brought over some rice porridge, and the two kept shaking their heads, insisting on just eating the pork sandwiches.
The steamed pork sandwich is different from the usual cured meat sandwich, with the pork belly slices mixed with various seasonings and some dark soy sauce mixed into the fine rice flour. When steamed, the rice flour absorbs the fat from the meat, making the sandwich in the hot lotus leaf bread not greasy at all.
The two people who had already eaten quickly consumed two sandwiches in one go, Xi Yunmei ate one, and Lu Ping’an ate more than half and still wanted more, but Xi Yunmei stopped him, telling him to eat more at lunch.
Iro’s brother, Ai Xin, sat there and ate three in a row, making Iro roll her eyes repeatedly.
When they got back on the road, it was already past nine.
The car was indeed large, Qin Zhen and Yu Wei voluntarily sat in the back row, while Li Xianglu sat in the middle with the little Lu Ping’an, making Lu Anna quite jealous. Even she wasn’t this close to her nephew, but Iro only laughed, saying the two were fated.
They chatted and snacked occasionally during the trip, and in four hours, they arrived at Beidaihe. This time they stayed in a guesthouse reserved for foreign guests. It was called a guesthouse, but it was definitely four or five stars, exceptionally neat and clean inside, and the décor was very stylish. Four girls shared two rooms, and the three boys, Qin Zhen and Yu Wei in one, and Ai Xin in another.
Li Xianglu and Xi Yunmei stayed together because Lu Ping’an wanted to be with Li Xianglu, so they ended up sharing a room, which made Lu Anna incessantly complain that the little kid was heartless.
Staying on the third floor, Li Xianglu put down her things and went to open the curtains, the view revealing a vast expanse of beach, with the cries of seagulls and the sound of the waves. Li Xianglu immediately felt the urge to shout loudly, it was so beautiful here.
Xi Yunmei smiled and said, "Alright, the beautiful scenery won’t run away, let’s tidy up first, then go for a seafood feast and then stroll by the sea."
Li Xianglu’s eyes widened with joy as she grabbed a skirt to change into. For convenience, she wore trousers and a short-sleeved shirt when she left in the morning, but since they were playing in the water, a skirt was more practical.
She changed into a water-blue long skirt bought in Hong Kong, and wore a pair of plastic sandals directly on her feet. These sandals weren’t available on the mainland but were bought in an upscale mall in Hong Kong for fifty yuan per pair. It was hardly imaginable, but if they were shipped from the distant UK, then they were worth the price.
Actually, plastic shoes are not good for the feet, but they can wade through water. Xi Yunmei also changed her skirt, made according to Li Xianglu’s long dress from last year, a small floral cotton pattern, which also looks very elegant and refined. Lu Ping’an didn’t need to change, he just followed them down.
As they reached the staircase, they ran into Qin Zhen and Yu Wei. Qin Zhen wore the big shorts that Li Xianglu had made for him long ago. Since it was hot, it was unbearable to wear long pants at home. Li Xianglu simply went to the sewing shop and made two pairs for each of the men at home, even Mr. Qin got some. Qin Zhen’s pair was sky blue, not particularly breathable, but looked nice when worn outside, didn’t wrinkle at all, and actually brought out Qin Zhen’s temperament.
Xi Yunmei saw them and laughed: "You really have your whole family of men looking neat."
Li Xianglu smiled and said: "Indeed, I’m the only woman in my family. If I don’t step up to manage, they would probably end up going out in sacks."
Xi Yunmei burst out laughing hearing this; the girl was really funny. Back when Lu Xun sent her over, the two of them even shared a bed for half a year. With this girl around, she felt more at ease.
When they went downstairs, everyone gathered at the restaurant and ordered food. Dishes were being served gradually. Lu Anna and Iro kept exclaiming over Li Xianglu’s dress, unable to keep up with how often Li Xianglu changed her clothes despite making so many themselves.
Li Xianglu laughed, it was true. Su Yan bought her quite a lot of clothes, bringing over plenty the second time she came. Li Xianglu had already complained about it, but Su Yan, true to her own style, and Xu Xi even brought her more stuff during his visits, always including clothes. They couldn’t just sit unworn, she couldn’t let them all go out of fashion.
Qin Zhen was maybe a bit shy, particularly quiet today, just ate and stood talking to Yu Wei on the side. This reassured Li Xianglu quite a bit; perhaps as he’s getting older, he’s becoming more stable.
After eating, nobody felt like resting, they all wanted to go play in the water. Ai Xin had been here many times, so he was very familiar with the surroundings. He said there was a Pigeon Island nearby, half an hour by boat. The island had various kinds of birds, and you could also find bird eggs, but you couldn’t pick too many.
Hearing this, the girls were all delighted and agreed to go. After a brief preparation, everyone got into the cars, and in about ten minutes, they arrived at a small pier. After negotiating with the pier manager, who ran a state-owned operation, they paid some money and rented a fishing boat, the boatman also came along.
It was a motorboat, and everyone sat by the edges, all terribly excited. The sea was calm, the boat not very fast, just a little bumpy, and everyone screamed excitedly as the boat jumped along the waves.
They soon arrived at the place, which didn’t have a specially built pier, just a raft made from old tires for getting onshore. Almost everyone got their clothes wet. Li Xianglu, wearing sandals, wasn’t worried, while others got their shoes a bit wet, but it didn’t dampen their spirits for having fun.
The island had an abundance of birds, almost visible halfway there as the sky was filled with them flying about. Upon landing, bird eggs were almost visible everywhere, and an excited Lu Ping’an picked up several at once, stuffing his pockets full.
Before boarding, the manager had given them two baskets, so there was no worry about where to put them. The island had lush vegetation, all green, and staff members were also picking bird eggs. Seeing them arrive, the staff explained that if the eggs shook too hard, they should not take them, as they wouldn’t be edible anyway.
Everyone excitedly split up and walked around. Originally, Li Xianglu, Qin Zhen, Yu Wei, and Lu Anna were together, but after turning a corner, Qin Zhen and Anna disappeared. However, they weren’t worried, as this place was supposed to be very safe.
PS: To my good friend Ni Ni, the book "The Wonderful Happy Strategy of Rebirth" is launching today. Friends can check it out when they have time, the author has a delicate writing style, good at detailing domestic life, and reimagining real stories into novel plots.