About fifteen minutes after Shinnshiow sat in the living room, he heard the bathroom door open. Yinqyueh had finished bathing. Three or four seconds later, Shinnshiow listened to the sound of the door opening. The girl went back into Shannchyuan's room. Less than five minutes later, Yinqyueh had already appeared in the living room.
"Who was the call from?" Yinqyueh opened her mouth with a very bright face.
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"Probably just the wrong number. Nobody's talking from the other end."
The girl's face changed. "It wasn't a wrong number."
"We can't draw any conclusions from that phone call."
"Does something like this happen often?"
Shinnshiow shook his head.
"Then what should we do now?" Yinqyueh asked.
"Don't worry too much about it. Maybe this is just a prank."
Yinqyueh still looked doubtful.
"Are you ready?" Shinnshiow smiled. He promptly shifted the conversation to something else.
The girl nodded. "Let's start cooking now."
Shinnshiow got up from the sofa and immediately walked towards the kitchen. Yinqyueh followed him while humming. Shinnshiow didn't know what song the girl was singing.
Arriving in the kitchen, Shinnshiow opened the refrigerator. He looked at the ingredients in the fridge. Quickly, he took the frozen condiments out of the refrigerator. He then took a giant wok. Shinnshiow placed the large skillet on the stove. After turning on the stove, he began to grease the wok's surface with butter.
"Wow! That's a huge wok." Yinqyueh exclaimed in admiration.
"There are six of us in all. So we have to use a big wok."
Yinqyueh nodded. "What are we going to cook this morning?"
"I don't know yet," answered Shinnshiow.
"You don't know yet?"
"I'll see what ingredients we still have. I should have gone shopping yesterday."
"About the frozen condiment that Shiowge just took out of the fridge. Isn't that the condiment for making fried rice?" Yinqyueh asked.
Shinnshiow smiled. "Right, this is indeed the seasoning for making fried rice. But I haven't decided what kind of fried rice yet."
"Then let's just cook simple fried rice. The important thing is that we have food to eat," Yinqyueh said. She didn't sound disappointed at all.
"You can fry the spices or not?" Shinnshiow asked.
"Of course, I can," Yinqyueh said.
Shinnshiow then set the stove to let out a big fire. "Then, please fry this seasoning first. Don't put the seasoning in the pan before the wok is really hot. When frying, take care not to reduce the heat. Be careful. The seasoning must be dry, but not to scorch."
"Okay! I'll try!"
"Don't fry all the seasonings. Use only about sixty percent."
"Sixty percent? All right!"
Shinnshiow then opened a drawer there. He took a pair of cloth masks and a pair of face shields. He gave a cloth mask and a face shield to Yinqyueh. "Before adding the spices, you must wear a mask and a face shield."
"Is this stove dangerous?"
"Of course not. However, there is a lot of spice in this spice mix. When this spice mixture has entered the pan, there will be a lot of spice particles flying up because of the heat. I'm afraid you'll sneeze if you directly inhale the particles of this spice-laden spice. In addition, because I had previously put it in the freezer, this seasoning mixture contains a very high water content. If we stir-fry, it will explode. If it hits the face, it will be uncomfortable." While answering Yinqyueh's question, Shinnshiow put a cloth mask and a face shield on his own face.
Yinqyueh seemed to understand Shinnshiow's point. She must have also realized that the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing was also to protect her hands from the explosion of water vapor or oil ejected from the wok. Yinqyueh then added a little butter to the wok. After the pan was already hot enough, Yinqyueh immediately put the frozen spices into the pan. Exactly as Shinnshiow said. There were big explosions. Luckily, Yinqyueh was ready.
"What kind of food restrictions do you have?" Shinnshiow suddenly asked that question. He just remembered that he should have asked that long before they started cooking.
"Hah?"
"Are there certain foods you shouldn't eat?" Shinnshiow corrected the words in his sentence. He realized, for some people, such a thing was something sensitive.
Yinqyueh frowned upon hearing Shinnshiow's unexpected question. But in an instant, she nodded. She seemed to understand what Shinnshiow meant. In contrast to the people in the city where they are currently located, who tend to be very liberal when it comes to food, most of the people in Yeuandong enforce restrictions on certain types of food.
"I think the food I am allowed to eat is the same as people in Yeuandong usually eat. Of course, there are certain types of food that I am not allowed to eat. Some of those types of food are foods that people in Yeuandong usually avoid. So, the food that I may or may not eat is the same as what uncles and brothers here may or may not eat."
"Not necessarily," Shinnshiow said seriously. He realized that for some people, such rules are essential. It could not be contested. "Our taboos here are not the same. For example, Dahge and Shyongge are exactly the same in terms of what they can and can't eat. But Yihge, Renge, and I differ from the two of them. Even the three of us differ from each other. So sometimes the food thing is a bit tricky for us here."
What Shinnshiow had just said was actually not unusual either. The Yeuandong region was indeed famous for its diversity of cultures and customs. So it was not a unique thing if there was such a difference between close friends. Even within a family, there were sometimes such differences.
"I didn't expect that the uncles and brothers here still hold so strongly to the traditions and culture of our place of origin." Yinqyueh chuckled.
"Actually, we are not people who are very obedient to such rules. But you know, in our hometown, things like this went into the bones. From birth, we are used to situations like that. So even though we are now far from our hometown, we have continued to stick with this habit. It's very difficult to let go. And yes, we really don't want to let go of those things."
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Yinqyueh nodded. "Things like that are not simple things. It all comes down to each person's personal choice. We must respect everyone's rights."
"Right!" Shinnshiow smiled. "Then what about you?"
"Yeah, I still hold on to such things, too. Although I have to admit, sometimes I have to break some rules. I live in a strange way. Move from one place to another. From one family to another. So sometimes I run into situations where I have little choice."
"So, what kind of food are you not allowed to eat?" Shinnshiow was still asking about it. "You haven't answered clearly before."
"I think I'm the same as Uncle Shannchyuan and Uncle Yihshyong," Yinqyueh said firmly.