Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Hot Spring Bay
Studying English for over an hour was, as Grandma would say, more exhausting than a full day of farm work.
Everyone was completely focused, terrified of being the worst student in the class. Even after Jiang Si and Qin Shen announced the end of the lesson, they kept muttering the phonetic symbols, afraid they’d forget them in an instant.
Jiang Si laughed. "If you keep practicing like that, you’ll talk your mouths sore. Let your brains relax a bit. You can just ask us anytime you’re stuck."
Shen Baoying nodded. "I think I’ve got it down. I’ll go make dinner. Today’s the Winter Solstice. How about we have dumplings?"
Shen Baoying had learned it so quickly, which came as a huge shock to a stumped Jiang Linhai. "How are you so fast?"
Jiang Si laughed. "Mom has always been smarter than Dad!"
Jiang Linhai shot her a glare, but upon meeting Shen Baoying’s warning gaze, he immediately nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, your mom has always been smarter than Dad."
Jiang Linhai’s antics made everyone laugh. They all followed Shen Baoying into the kitchen, taking out the flour to prepare the dough.
Jiang Linhai had been Shen Baoying’s sous-chef for years, so he kneaded the dough with the practiced ease of a five-star chef. His skill drew admiring cries from Niu Niu: "Uncle, you’re amazing! You’re the best!"
Jiang Linhai, wanting to show off, started pulling the dough into Yangzhou-style noodles, flaunting all sorts of fancy techniques.
He pulled off enough dough for everyone’s breakfast noodles the next morning, then turned to his prospective son-in-law. "Xiao Shen, do you know how to make dumplings?"
Qin Shen nodded. "More or less."
His slight hesitation was a stroke of genius. Jiang Linhai’s gaze fell upon Jiang Si, who was patting a ball of dough to get it ready for rolling. He took the rolling pin from her. "I’ll roll out the skins. Sisi, why don’t you teach Xiao Shen how to wrap the dumplings? He grew up abroad, so he must be a bit rusty."
"If these dumplings aren’t sealed tightly, they’ll just turn into a pot of soup. You’d better teach him well."
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Jiang Linhai was creating an opportunity for the two of them to be together.
Jiang Si’s expression faltered slightly. She met Qin Shen’s innocent gaze and nodded. "Okay."
’It’s just making dumplings. Qin Shen is so smart; he’ll definitely get it after one look.’
Jiang Linhai rolled the dough with incredible speed. His fingertips danced as the skin expanded, and in just a second or two, a perfect dumpling wrapper appeared before their eyes.
Meanwhile, Shen Baoying had finished preparing three different fillings.
Chive, egg, and shrimp; pork and cabbage; and scallion and beef. Every filling was one of Jiang Si’s favorites.
Niu Niu, despite her age, was already a pro at making dumplings.
She picked up a wrapper, and with a few quick movements of her fingertips, formed an exquisite dumpling.
That particular folding style was the most difficult one.
And Niu Niu’s was so beautiful.
Jiang Si picked up a wrapper and glanced at Qin Shen, giving him a look that said, "Keep up."
Qin Shen’s long, well-defined hands, hands that held a scalpel, picked up the dumpling wrapper as if creating a piece of art.
His movements were deliberate, yet you could see a subtle clumsiness.
’He said he knew "more or less"? He doesn’t know how at all.’
Jiang Si chuckled to herself and began to teach him more carefully. "Look, like this. Scoop about this much filling. If you have trouble pinching the pleats, you can do it my way. Just press it shut with one hand."
This method was incredibly simple, but it only worked if the dough was perfect—not too sticky and not too dry.
Qin Shen nodded to show he understood. He placed a generous amount of filling inside and gave it a firm squeeze.
And just like that, the filling burst out.
The corner of Jiang Si’s mouth twitched. Her hands moved faster than her mind; she grabbed a towel and began wiping his.
Only when she was halfway done did she realize she was holding Qin Shen’s hand.
Everyone was sneaking glances at them, with obvious smiles playing on their lips.
A blush crept up Jiang Si’s face, and she abruptly let go of his hand.
Qin Shen’s low voice sounded by her ear. "Thanks."
Jiang Si’s heart quickened. She pretended nothing had happened and continued teaching him. "You used too much force. Be a little gentler."
"Mm."
His low, gentle voice sounded just like that of an obedient boyfriend.
In height, looks, and intelligence, the two of them were a perfect match.
Shen Baoying squeezed Jiang Linhai’s arm, her eyes practically sparkling. She was one step away from whistling and cheering them on.
’If these two don’t get together, heaven must be blind.’
Failure is the mother of success.
Qin Shen’s second attempt was a success. The dumpling was round and plump, looking rather cute, like a puffed-up pufferfish.
Jiang Si’s lips curled into a smile. She figured that even after they were cooked, she’d be able to pick out the ones Qin Shen had made.
After Jiang Si taught him a few more decorative folds, Qin Shen mastered the right amount of pressure. His dumplings grew more and more exquisite, earning praise from everyone for his skill.
In total, they wrapped over three hundred dumplings. They’d cook some today, and next time, they could just take them from the freezer and put them straight into the pot.
With the leftover dough, the deft-handed Shen Baoying shaped a few rabbit-shaped steamed buns and placed them in a steamer basket.
The dumplings were boiled in one big pot. Scooped out steaming hot, dipped in vinegar, and followed by a bite of raw garlic—the flavor really packed a punch.
Jiang Chengwu loved to eat them that way. Shen Baoying had also sliced some beef and made a cold side dish, so everyone could eat their fill of dumplings.
Big Black and Little Black squatted off to the side, watching and waiting to see who might offer them a bite.
But even if no one did, they would never jump up and try to snatch any food.
Still, when two pairs of pleading eyes were fixed on you, who could have the heart to let the two adorable furballs go hungry?
Once everyone had eaten their fill, they gathered around the stove to drink tea, eat nuts, and watch a movie.
Life was good.
Until 9 p.m., when a violent blizzard suddenly struck. The Icebreaker felt as if it were about to be lifted into the air by the gale. Inside the cabin, everything that wasn’t tied down tilted and came crashing backward.
In that instant, looks of panic appeared on everyone’s faces.
In a battle against nature, the only thing they could do was wait.
Thankfully, the blizzard didn’t last long.
As the storm subsided, the Icebreaker’s violent rocking gave way to a gentle sway.
The incident solidified Jiang Si’s resolve to find a place to dock.
Shen Baoying tied her messy hair back up and said, her voice laced with lingering fear, "That was a close call. We almost took off."
If it really had taken off, aside from Jiang Si, who could have escaped into her space, no one else would have survived.
Jiang Si, also shaken, said, "The ship isn’t as safe as we thought. We should find a place to dock as soon as possible."
Qin Shen frowned. "On shore, we could still be swept away by a sudden blizzard. Even a house might not be as sturdy as the Icebreaker, and hiding in a dugout would risk a cave-in. A better idea might be to dock the Icebreaker and then find a way to secure it."
Most docks have steel cables for securing ships, but since Jiang Si didn’t want to go near a developed port, they’d have to figure out how to anchor it themselves.
Jiang Si said, "First, let’s figure out where we can stop. I’ll look at the map."
Jiang Si took out a map of the Northern Country’s coastline, looked through it carefully, and suddenly saw a place called Hot Spring Bay.
It was a tourist destination. Not only could they dock the ship there, but it also had hot springs.
