Chapter 405: Chapter 233: Love Like the Tides
A large wooden table was moved in front of the fireplace, with an electric induction pot steaming at its center. The base of the pot was a thick, enticingly red and shiny butter hot pot broth.
The boiling butter rolled in the pot, with red dried chili peppers and green Sichuan peppercorns floating and sinking, a domineering aroma mixed with spicy and rich meat fat instantly filled the entire cabin, making every pore relax.
The table was filled with all sorts of ingredients.
In the center was a large platter of freshly sliced elk tenderloin. The red and white marbled texture was clearly visible, appearing extremely tempting under the light.
Next to it were lush, cold-resistant cabbage; thinly sliced cherry radishes; and the potatoes and dried mushrooms that Emily had retrieved from the cellar.
Lin Yu’an’s eyes were completely captivated by this vivid picture full of earthly culinary delight. He felt the stomach that had been tormented for fifty days by the wilderness roaring with joy.
"Let’s start!" Aliya smiled, using her chopsticks to pick up the first slice of elk meat and place it into the rolling red oil.
Lin Yu’an could hardly wait. He picked up a slice of meat, swished it in the boiling butter, and watched as it instantly turned from red to white, curling up as a layer of shimmering butter coated the surface.
He rolled the slice of meat in a garlic oil dip, then eagerly put it into his mouth.
An overwhelmingly delicious taste exploded instantly on his taste buds!
The tenderness of the elk, the richness of the butter, the heat of the chili, and the pungency of the garlic... all the flavors fused together perfectly.
This is the taste of happiness belonging to the civilized world!
Lin Yu’an could no longer speak, he just devoured piece after piece of that fresh meat like a beast starved for fifty days, feeling every cell in his body come alive again under the warm and spicy surge of energy.
Aliya and Emily did not eat much, only smiling and continuously adding food for him, watching his gluttonous demeanor with eyes full of affection and heartache.
The dinner ended, and the time reached eight o’clock in the evening.
Outside, on the dome of the world, the magnificent green aurora continued to dance and flow silently, like a sacred river of light spanning the sky.
It cast a soft and strange glow over the earth, coating the endless snowy plains with a layer of dreamy phosphorescence, tracing the silhouette of each spruce tree and every ridge.
Ethan and Olivia, the two little ones, had already fallen asleep deeply, breathing evenly and long, with a satisfied smile still hanging on their little faces.
Lin Yu’an tucked his son in and gently pressed a soft goodnight kiss on his daughter’s smooth forehead.
He stepped out of the nursery, closing the door softly, leaving the innocence and tranquility that belonged to children in that little world.
When he returned downstairs, the atmosphere in the living room had changed in a wonderful yet natural way.
The flames in the fireplace were no longer as vigorous, no longer leaping happily as before, only the glowing embers quietly and steadily emitted heat and soft red light.
This light, unlike bright and glaring electric lights, had a warm, hazy quality that draped the entire interior of the cabin with a layer of ambiguous amber glow.
Aliya and Emily had already finished bathing, dressed in comfortable, silky robes that outlined their graceful figures, waiting quietly on the sofa. Aliya’s robe was a passionate wine red, while Emily’s was a gentle moon white.
The air still held a trace of the spicy aftertaste of butter hot pot, but it had long been neutralized by the burning birchwood fragrance and the mixed floral scent from their post-bath bodies, forming a reassuring yet somewhat evocative scent unique to this home.
Lin Yu’an did not speak, he just slowly walked over, from behind the sofa, extending his arms to gently envelop them from behind.
His chest pressed against their warm backs, his face buried in their soft, still damp hair.
"I’m back," he murmured into Aliya’s golden curls, repeating the words.
"Welcome home," they replied in unison, their voices tender and like a dream. Then they looked up, eyes bright in the firelight and filled with endless love as they gazed at him.
He lowered his head, first kissing Aliya’s lips, filled with yearning for each other.
Then he turned to Emily, this time his kiss carried infinite tenderness and a trace of indescribable guilt.
He could feel Emily’s body, softer and more sensitive than usual after her pregnancy, trembling slightly in his embrace.
Lin Yu’an slowly released them, stepping around the sofa to face them. He did not sit down but knelt on the carpet, placing himself in a lower position, looking up at them.
"Let me take a good look at you," his voice hoarse, with a nearly greedy scrutiny.
He reached out with his large, scarred hands, first grasping Aliya’s hand. Her palm was warm and strong, full of life energy. Then he held Emily’s hand, her palm delicate and soft, with a unique pregnancy warmth.
