When the faintly strange aroma of the medicinal dishes quietly drifted into the living room, it was already the time when the streetlights had just started to come on.

The few people who were chatting animatedly suddenly fell silent in an eerie way. Ali sniffed hard and then murmured in a puzzled tone, "What a strange smell, it actually makes me feel a bit hungry."

At that moment, Ye Xiaolei, who was sitting not far from her, whispered in surprise, "The unique fragrance of hawthorn after steaming, mixed with the smell of pickled sour cucumbers, is like a cool spring in summer, smelling it alone makes one's mouth water."

Qian Shanxue was silent, but her beautiful eyes looking in the direction of the kitchen were exceptionally bright.

Su Xiaonuan looked just as surprised but said, "Haven't you ever eaten Shen Qiang's cooking? He's a somewhat famous medicinal cuisine host and was quite popular online for a while."

Qian Shanxue said with shining eyes, "A chef who cooks with medicinal ingredients?"

Su Xiaonuan smiled.

Seeing that all three of them were attracted by the aroma of Shen Qiang's medicinal dishes, Ali said unhappily, "The smell is okay when sniffed, but eating it, that's not necessarily true. Think about it, if we can smell it from so far away, how intense must the flavor be when eating it?"

"No need to guess, I know it won't taste good."

Hearing this, Su Xiaonuan smiled coquettishly, "That's not necessarily true. Shen Qiang's medicinal dishes are recognized by many and widely imitated. If they really weren't good, then I don't think people would bother to follow suit."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiaolei's eyes also brightened, "Yes, yes, the smell is so fragrant, but the intensity is controlled very well. I dare say, even if it were brought in front of us, the flavor would not be any stronger than it is now."

Ali raised an eyebrow, "What a joke, the spread of scents always goes from strong to faint. How could it be possible that what we smell from ten meters away is the same as what we smell up close?"

When Ali expressed her skepticism, Ye Xiaolei became nervous and explained, "I was born with a keen sense of smell, so I can be sure..."

"What a terrible excuse, obviously impossible," Ali interrupted.

Qian Shanxue frowned slightly, "Ali, weren't you feeling very tired? Why don't you go back to your room and rest?"

Ali fell silent.

Su Xiaonuan then gracefully stood up and said, "I'll go help out, you all have a chat. Dinner will start in a bit."

Ye Xiaolei quickly stood up, her eyes bright, "I'll help too."

The two went to the kitchen.

By then, Shen Qiang's dishes were almost ready. When coquettish Su Xiaonuan entered the kitchen, she naturally wrapped her arms around Shen Qiang from behind and smiled, "You've worked hard."

Shen Qiang looked at her helplessly and smiled, "Well, if you really feel I've worked hard, then you should know how to reward me."

Su Xiaonuan's face turned red in an instant, and she spat out in embarrassed urgency, "What are you talking about? Didn't you see little sister Xiaolei here?"

Shen Qiang turned his head and saw Ye Xiaolei standing awkwardly at the kitchen door, not knowing whether to enter or to leave, and couldn't help but smile, "Come, help serve the dishes."

Ye Xiaolei, tense and embarrassed, immediately agreed and swiftly began to carry dishes to the dining room with Su Xiaonuan.

When Shen Qiang had everything sorted out and came out of the kitchen,

He was astonished to see that the normally aloof Qian Shanxue was now sitting eagerly at the dining table, with eyes that sparkled bright, and next to her sat Ali, who had an equally astonished look and was swallowing saliva.

He took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet.

After opening it, Shen Qiang poured himself a glass and then placed the bottle of red wine on the table.

Watching as Shen Qiang showed no intention of pouring wine for anyone else, Su Xiaonuan couldn't help but pout and gave Shen Qiang a reproachful glance. But before she could make a move, Qian Shanxue, her eyes shining, had already snatched the bottle of red wine and naturally poured herself a glass.

Equally indifferent to the others, her focus was fixed on the dishes on the table, full of color, aroma, and taste, as she asked expectantly, "Can we start eating now?"

Everyone's gaze swiftly turned toward Shen Qiang's face.

After all, this was Shen Qiang's house, and everything had been prepared by him.

"Please, help yourselves," Shen Qiang said, casually swirling his glass of red wine.

Before his words had even finished,

Qian Shanxue had already speedily picked up a piece of the marinated sour cucumber and popped it into her mouth. At the moment she began to chew, the crisp cucumber's natural fragrance and refreshing texture, combined with the unique sourness from the marination, exploded instantly.

Like a shock wave, it cleared the dryness in the mouth from the hot summer, and immediately revived the taste buds that had somewhat numbed from the scorching heat.

"Turning decay into a miracle! Who would have thought that such an ordinary cucumber could become so delicious in his hands!"

Observing Qian Shanxue's somewhat eerie gaze,

Ali laughed by the dining table, "The Colonel never shows any expression when eating. So, how is it, did I guess right? This pickled cucumber of Shen Qiang's must taste awful, right?"

As she laughed, Ye Xiaolei, who was nearby, couldn't control herself any longer. She sniffed the sour cucumber on her chopsticks obsessively and whispered, "Such a captivating scent."

With that, she placed the very green-looking sour cucumber into her mouth.

Crunch!

The instant when the sour cucumber was bitten in half in her mouth.

The juices from the marination burst forth like a storm, unleashing a tsunami in the hollow of her mouth.

"The natural aroma of the cucumber has not only been preserved through the marination, but it has also been endowed with a unique sour taste. The crispness satisfies the palate, and the perfectly balanced freshness and acidity awaken the taste buds. My God, how is this possible? This is just a simple marinated sour cucumber, yet at this moment, it's like a flavor bomb that's simply irresistible."

Seeing Ye Xiaolei suddenly become stunned, Su Xiaonuan's eyebrows knitted in curiosity as she quickly picked up a piece and tasted it. Slightly chewing, her eyes immediately lit up with splendor.

"Sour cucumber is just an ordinary home-style dish that almost everyone can make, but usually, during pickling, the freshness of the cucumber is replaced by sourness! What did Shen Qiang do? It's miraculous—the aroma of the cucumber has not lost the slightest, but rather, it's tightly locked within the pickled sour cucumber, combined with a refreshing sour taste, and a faint aftertaste, it's simply the most perfect sour cucumber I've ever eaten in my life!"

At this moment, seeing Shen Qiang smiling confidently, the three of them acted peculiarly and fell silent. After hesitating for a while, Ali picked up a piece of sour cucumber with chopsticks, and raising her eyebrows teasingly said, "Alright, although I already know this must certainly not taste good, I still have to try it out of obligation. Otherwise, I'll have nothing to say when I criticize you later."

Shen Qiang smiled, "If you don't want to eat it, you can put it down."

"Do you admit it's not delicious? Afraid I'll find fault?" Ali lifted her eyebrows, tossed the sour cucumber into her mouth, and meanwhile, she plotted on how to critique more professionally.

However, the instant she began to chew.

Crunch!

The sound as the crisp cucumber broke apart, releasing the full natural aroma and the perfect sourness, was like a gigantic tornado hurricane that instantly woke all the taste buds in Ali's mouth.

Ali, stunned, felt her face flush and her mind clear with coolness.

"Crisp, tart, rich natural fragrance, not only completely dispelling the summer heat but also making one feel as if they have stripped off their clothes and are running freely along a breezy beach, relaxed and exhilarating..."

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