Chapter 323: Pirate Captain, Clothes-Bursting Lucoa!
A touch of fish-belly white appeared in the eastern sky, and the contours of the mountains awakened in the faint light. From silhouettes of thick ink, they gradually revealed the colorful layers unique to autumn.
The sea of clouds lingering between the mountains was quietly dyed by that touch of white, its edges revealing a faint pink-orange hue.
Suddenly, a golden thread burst out from the gap between the sea of clouds and the horizon.
Immediately after, a red sun rose slowly from the east, and ten thousand golden rays surged forward—the originally quiet sea of clouds instantly turned into a golden-crimson ocean, so magnificent it was breathtaking!
"The sunrise is so beautiful! The sea of clouds is just too spectacular!"
Yurine sat on her moon chair, gazing into the distance in awe, the sky full of colorful clouds reflected in her reddish-brown eyes.
Her mood instantly brightened the moment the sun came out.
To be honest,
The scenery before her was simply too beautiful, too healing! Beautiful enough to make one forget all the troubles in life and instantly immerse oneself in it.
"..." Lucoa and Pekola, on the other hand, didn't have much of a reaction.
What hadn't they seen in their long lives? Compared to the sunrise, the two sisters were more concerned about the breakfast Ryohei had prepared.
"Alright, come eat!"
Soon, a gentle voice rang out, sounding like the music of heaven to the sisters' ears.
Lucoa and Pekola immediately got up and walked towards Ryohei.
"Is it ready? That was 'fast'!"
Wearing a pair of grey yoga pants that outlined her long, straight, shapely legs and the curve of her round, full peach-shaped buttocks, paired with a blue-black crop top that showed off her fair, slender waist and full bust line, Lucoa deliberately emphasized the word "fast".
"Why does that sound so wrong coming from you?"
( ﹁ ﹁ )
Ryohei cast a sideways glance at Lucoa and placed a steaming bowl of longevity noodles in front of Yurine. "This bowl of longevity noodles is for Yurine."
"Hmm..." Pekola's gaze lingered briefly on the remaining three bowls of dumplings, then fell on the longevity noodles beside them. She spoke softly, "Hers is different from ours."
Golden noodles were immersed in a clear amber soup base, with little specks of glistening oil floating on the surface.
Two stalks of emerald green bok choy nestled on the side, complementing two thick brown shiitake mushrooms.
Lying in the very center was a sunny-side-up egg with crispy edges but a runny yolk, and on the other side, the words "Happy Birthday" were meticulously carved out of carrots.
"Because today is Yurine's birthday!" Ryohei said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A Chinese-style birthday usually involved eating a bowl of longevity noodles.
They would drive back at noon and have a simple bite, but in the evening, Ryohei planned to cook red bean rice and prepare a sumptuous feast. Of course, a birthday cake was essential too.
Chinese, Japanese, and Western styles all combined—he would spoil his own woman!
Yurine fully felt Ryohei's affection. Her heart warmed as she picked up the longevity noodles and said happily, "Arigato!"
"Actually, today is my birthday too."
Pekola picked up a bowl of boiled dumplings and spoke up unexpectedly.
"Eh?"
Ryohei looked at her in surprise.
Yurine and Lucoa looked over as well.
"Just kidding."
The corners of Pekola's mouth, who rarely showed emotion on her face, lifted in a shallow arc. After speaking, she lowered her head and took a sip of the dumpling soup, the lines on her face instantly softening.
"So savory! The soup even has a hint of numbing spice..."
"...You said it so seriously, I almost believed you!" Ryohei couldn't help but retort as he watched Pekola lower her head to drink soup as if nothing had happened.
This little sister-in-law was really mischievous; he really wanted to spank her!
"Me too!"
Lucoa held up a bowl of dumplings, tilted her head, and said in a light tone, "I've decided! From now on, every May 24th will be my birthday!"
"...Can you decide that yourself?"
Yurine, who was sipping the rich noodle soup, paused and looked at Lucoa in surprise.
At the same time—
Ryohei, who picked up the last bowl of dumplings, also paused.
Because May 24th—was the day Lucoa had presumptuously summoned herself...
"Of course I can. If I say it is, it is. My birthday, my rules!"
Lucoa held her head high and puffed out her chest. Those amazing curves immediately bounced boing-boing twice, looking very bouncy and supple.
Then—
She scooped up a fat white dumpling with her spoon and put it into her mouth along with some soup.
Lucoa also wanted to celebrate a birthday, wanted Ryohei to celebrate it for her, but her date of birth was long impossible to verify; it was too ancient.
The methods of calculating time back then were different from now, so she might as well set a meaningful date herself.
"Then... my birthday is set for August 16th!"
Pekola's cheeks bulged as she ate dumplings like a greedy little squirrel.
She followed suit and decided on her own birthday, then turned to look at Ryohei, her eyes bright with praise:
"These dumplings are really delicious! Even better than the shepherd's purse dumplings we ate a few days ago!"
They were truly fragrant!
With a light taste, the thin yet resilient dumpling skin broke open gently between her teeth, and a rush of heat mixed with the savory aroma of shrimp, the mellow scent of pork, and the pungency of chives surged out first.
The first thing the tip of her tongue touched was the bouncy, tender shrimp, which seemed to come alive and jump lightly between her teeth.
Next was the rich juice of the pork filling, gently wrapping around her taste buds.
Finally, the finely chopped chives, carrying a hint of just-right pungency, instantly brightened the deliciousness of the former two—like a ray of sunlight suddenly breaking through on a cloudy day!
Three layers of savory flavors blossomed distinctly, then sublimated into a fuller taste as they blended together.
After swallowing, that hint of sweetness still lingered in her mouth, making her want to eat another one, anticipating the perfection of the next bite.
"This is the Three Delicacies filling (San Xian). I'm glad you like it." Ryohei also put a dumpling into his mouth, feeling the rich savory flavor and the burst of juice, and couldn't help but nod to himself.
"I like the Three Delicacies filling too."
Lucoa chimed in and scooped up another fat white dumpling into her mouth.
Feeling that familiar, intense savory flavor—
In an instant, she seemed to travel through time and space, arriving on a pirate ship, becoming a pirate captain.
The salty, wet sea breeze blew through Lucoa's long hair with golden highlights.
She stood on the deck, and in front of her was a whole row of navy warships, their cannons menacing.
With an order from the enemy commander, countless cannonballs came screaming in, fire tearing through the sky.
Lucoa was powerless to resist and could only let out a sound like "Uwah—!" Amidst the deafening roar and scorching heat waves, her clothes were blasted to shreds, instantly entering a "shameful" clothes-bursting state...
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