Chapter 31 - Tender Ripples (2/2)

He laughed. “I know how to conjure it up.”

She ignored his joke and took a big whiff, gazing at the smoked meat. “That’s cedar-smoked pork belly. They add Sichuan pepper when they braise it, as well as cassia bark, and cloves. By the color I can tell it’s top quality.”

“Oh?” He smiled. “You have a good nose. I didn’t know the smoking process was so involved.”

Xue Dongting eyed him, head lowered. “This wasn’t given to you by that widow was it?”

The corner of his mouth arched up. “No, though it was given to me by a woman.”

She glared at him. “You sure do have a lot of female friends.”

Song Yuming gazed at her, laughing. “Dongting, has anyone ever told you you’re much prettier when you’re angry? Better than your normal cold look.”

She hmphed and pointed at the meat in his hand. “If you want that then cook it yourself, I’m not eating it.”

He set the smoked meat down and came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Old Zhang’s wife gave it to me. But she already regrets it, so we’d better eat it quick before she comes to ask for it back.”

Xue Dongting had seen Old Zhang before. He was around fifty, so his wife must be older as well. Suddenly she realized the fisherman was teasing her and she pretended to be angry. “I’m cooking, stop fooling around.”

“Alright, I’ll fool around later.” He sensibly let go of her.

Xue Dongting wanted to laugh, but she kept a straight face. “Why would Old Zhang’s wife regret giving you that smoked meat?”

Song Yuming squatted by the fire loading more wood as he said, “Not long ago I went out to sea with Old Zhang. He dragged me on board and had me drink with him and we drank all night. Next morning we didn’t know where we were. We were out at sea a long while before we made our way back to shore. Old Zhang’s wife had been worried for days. She met him their on the shore and pulled him by the ear and dragged him back home.”