Chapter 346: Chicken Wings Stuffed with Shrimp Paste

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: Chicken Wings Stuffed with Shrimp Paste

He was already at the door, his hand on the doorknob, yet Lily Hart hadn’t said a word.

Old Man Keaton stood before the door, waited a moment longer, but ultimately couldn’t resist turning back. "Boss Hart..."

"What is it? Having regrets?" Lily Hart asked casually, her arms crossed and leg jiggling.

’I knew it...’

Old Man Keaton hesitated. "No, it’s not that. I’m just going to wear these clothes on my way out, okay? You’re not going to charge me for them, are you?"

’I knew no good could come out of his mouth!’

Lily Hart said through gritted teeth, "They’re a gift!"

Only then did Old Man Keaton’s face break into a wide grin. He’d been worried this whole time, afraid she’d make him strip the clothes off right then and there and return them.

Finally unburdened, he twisted the doorknob to leave. He had just opened the door a crack...

...when his gaze met that of the customers outside. Startled, he immediately slammed it shut and muttered, "Why are there so many people out there! Oh, this is torture! I’m scared of crowds!"

Lily Hart watched his back with a disgruntled look. Seeing him open and then close the door, she couldn’t help but ask, "What are you mumbling about?"

"Can I stay here until eleven before I leave?"

’There are so many people out there. I can’t imagine having to walk out with so many people staring at me.’

’No, no, no way!’

Lily Hart tossed out a single phrase, "Suit yourself."

She stomped back to her RV, and the moment she was inside, she chugged a glass of water. After a few deep breaths, she finally calmed down.

"That man... so ungrateful!" Lily Hart muttered under her breath.

It was almost noon. Roman Rowe came skipping over, but his demeanor instantly turned serious when he saw her stormy expression. "Who upset you, Boss Hart? I’ll go beat them up!"

Lily Hart glanced toward the breakfast shop, but her eyes darted away just as quickly. Roman Rowe noticed and followed her gaze.

"The breakfast shop? Is business slow? No, it looks pretty crowded. Did someone cause trouble? Or was it that old man again?"

A torrent of questions poured out of Roman Rowe, but Lily Hart simply shook her head in response to all of them. She had no desire to complain.

It wasn’t that she was angry, just weary of it all.

Seeing that he couldn’t get an answer out of her, Roman Rowe felt a bit frustrated. The thought of someone bullying Lily Hart made him so angry he spun around in place a few times.

After getting his emotions in check, he asked, "So, what do you want for lunch? I’ll make it for you!"

’Good food heals all wounds!’

Lily Hart perked up slightly. "I’m craving chicken wings stuffed with shrimp paste."

"Huh?" Roman Rowe said. "What kind of dish is that? Chicken wings stuffed with shrimp paste?"

’I know what both those ingredients are, but how do you stuff a chicken wing with shrimp paste? I thought they could only be stuffed with their own bones.’

He glanced at Lily Hart but didn’t ask further, afraid he would seem ignorant.

He quietly went to the kitchen, took out the two ingredients, and set them down before him.

After thinking for a long, long time, he finally got to work. First, he removed the two bones from a chicken wing.

’That should create space inside. Then I just squeeze the shrimp paste in? Yeah, that must be right.’

Roman Rowe felt confident in his plan. He rolled up his sleeves and got right to it.

The shrimp paste was bought from the store; it came in a triangular packet that was easy to squeeze once you snipped off a corner.

He picked up a chicken wing and the shrimp paste packet and began to squeeze. Lacking experience, however, he ended up with most of it slipping out.

He sighed to himself. ’Slippery stuff, this shrimp paste.’

Undaunted, Roman Rowe tried again. He’d learned his lesson with the second one, shoving the tip of the packet deep inside the chicken wing before squeezing.

Sure enough, it worked much better. The deboned wing, which had looked somewhat deflated, now appeared round, plump, and quite adorable after being filled with the shrimp paste.

They were the perfect two-bite size. After stuffing all the wings, Roman Rowe nodded in satisfaction.

’Just by looking at them, I can already imagine how delicious this dish is going to be!’

He poked his head out for a look. Lily Hart was still on the sofa with her head down, fiddling with her Light Brain, though he couldn’t see what she was doing.

He first put the rice on to steam, then got to work on the stuffed chicken wings.

The steps were very similar to making cola chicken wings. Since Lily Hart loved chicken wings, Roman Rowe was already an old hand at cooking them.

Just as the main course was ready, the rice finished steaming. He quickly stir-fried some green vegetables and made a tomato and egg soup.

Two dishes and a soup. Roman Rowe brought them out one by one. Lily Hart’s eyes lit up, and she immediately sat bolt upright.

The dishes were set on the coffee table, and Lily Hart slid right off the sofa to sit on the carpet.

She took a photo first—the Light Brain eats first, after all—then looked up and gave Roman Rowe a thumbs-up. "Not bad at all. Your skills are really improving. Come on, let’s eat together."

Roman Rowe had been waiting for those exact words. He immediately went to grab a bowl and chopsticks, filling his bowl to the brim with rice.

The two of them sat on the carpet and began to eat, unable to wait another moment.

Lily Hart went for a stuffed chicken wing first. Judging by its rich color, the flavor was bound to be excellent.

She took a bite. The outer skin was seared to a perfect crisp, but the tender meat inside was bursting with juices.

The shrimp paste filling was delightfully springy and tender, savory and juicy. It was absolutely delicious!

Before she’d even had a single bite of rice, Lily Hart had already polished off two of the stuffed chicken wings.

The way she ate was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Seeing her look of pure satisfaction, Roman Rowe knew he had succeeded.

Even though he hadn’t taken a single bite himself, he was already completely content.

Just as he picked one up to put in his mouth, Frost Shaw arrived. Roman Rowe glanced at the time.

’It’s not even twelve yet, not quite lunchtime. What’s he doing here so early?’

Roman Rowe stared at him, forgetting all about the stuffed chicken wing in his hand. He watched as Frost Shaw quickly sized up the two of them and strolled over.

He asked with feigned casualness, "Eating so early today?"

Lily Hart replied offhandedly, "Yeah, I was hungry. Want some? Though I don’t think there’s enough for three."

Roman Rowe nodded vigorously. "Yeah, why don’t you go make yourself something to eat?" ’Don’t just stand here gawking.’

"I’m not hungry. I’ll just watch you guys eat," Frost Shaw said, copying them by sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

He folded his arms on the low table, creating a perfect perch for his chin.

Lily Hart didn’t seem to mind, but Roman Rowe felt awkward being watched. He was stuck, not knowing whether he should eat or not.

He tried his best to ignore Frost Shaw’s overwhelming presence across from him. ’Just focus on eating!’

Frost Shaw’s attention wasn’t on Roman Rowe. He only watched him for a moment before noticing his stiff movements, turning his head to hide a smirk.

After he was done observing Roman Rowe, he began to sneak glances at Lily Hart. This time, he didn’t dare to stare so openly.

’She really eats with such an appetite. One bite after another, no hesitation, no pretense. Watching her makes me feel... a little hungry.’

Resigned, Frost Shaw got up, served himself a bowl of rice, and quickly stir-fried some carrots with pork.

By the time he came back out, only one stuffed chicken wing remained. Lily Hart glanced at Frost Shaw.

With a look of pained sacrifice, she said, "Alright, alright, stop looking. The last one’s yours."

Frost Shaw suppressed a smile and quickly snatched it into his bowl, afraid that if he were a second too late, a certain someone might change her mind.

Roman Rowe was stuffed, so he no longer cared about the last wing.

Just as Lily Hart was yawning, Diana Sharp turned around and called out, "Someone won a starch sausage machine from a scratch-off! Lily, do you want to go take a look?"

Her eyes lit up. ’Starch sausages! You can’t have a night market without starch sausages!’

"Yes, yes, of course!" Lily Hart agreed readily, getting up and heading out.

Once she was out of the RV, she stood on her tiptoes and looked toward the commotion. Sure enough, the customer who had won the starch sausage machine was surrounded by a crowd.