"I've never had wings this good in my life!" Ising Yu exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears from the heat of the freshly grilled wings. Yet, despite the heat, her mouth continued to chew eagerly—the flavor was just too irresistible.
Seeing her reaction, Fong Le and E Jong Taa also picked up skewers and took a bite. The moment the chicken wings touched their tongues, their eyes widened in delight.
"Wow, just as Ising said! These wings are incredible!" Fong Le marveled, savoring the smoky, tangy flavor.
"M-Mo, you're a genius at this!" E Jong Taa gave Yang Mo a thumbs-up between bites.
Encouraged by their enthusiasm, Yang Mo picked up a skewer and tasted his own handiwork. Though it was his first time making them, the results exceeded his expectations.
"Brother Yang Mo, with skills like this, you'd definitely attract a ton of customers if you opened a stall!" Ising Yu said, eagerly reaching for another skewer.
In no time, the freshly grilled wings disappeared, devoured by the hungry group.
Yang Mo, however, remained critical of his own work. "The flavor is okay, but I still need more practice. I didn't control the heat as well as I should have," he muttered, noticing that some of the wings had slightly charred edges. "I need to work on flipping them more evenly and managing the temperature better. Grilling takes experience."
"No! They're already amazing!" Ising Yu declared, wiping the corners of her mouth with satisfaction.
Jammer smiled. "Auntie, didn't you want to set up a barbecue stall? Let me write down the recipe and the grilling techniques for you. With a bit of practice, you'll be able to reach my level."
"Really?!" Fong Le's face lit up. "With flavors like this, we'd definitely attract customers!"
"Of course! But I also think you should add some variety to the menu. Make the Orleans-style wings your specialty, but also offer other types of barbecue so customers won't get tired of the same thing."
Saying this, Yang Mo grabbed a pen and meticulously wrote down the steps, from seasoning proportions to grilling times. He even noted down tips on heat control and flipping techniques.
E Jong Taa took the paper with both hands, his smile full of gratitude. "Shia Mo, thank you so much! We invited you here to enjoy barbecue, but instead, you ended up helping us for half the night and even gave us such an important recipe."
Yang Mo waved it off. "We're family. It's only natural to help each other out. Didn't you often come over and help my parents back when I was little?"
Fong Le patted his shoulder with a look of deep appreciation. "What a good boy!"
Meanwhile, Ising Yu gazed at Yang Mo with admiration shining in her eyes. No matter what problem arose, Brother Yang Mo always had a perfect solution. She couldn't understand why the Lin family had let go of such an incredible person. "Seriously, the Lin family must be insane to abandon someone as capable as Brother Yang Mo!"
"My dear, I think you should spend the next couple of days mastering this recipe at home," Fong Le said, turning to her husband. "Once you've got it down, we'll buy a tricycle and set up our stall!"
"Good idea! I'll buy more chicken wings tomorrow and practice until my barbecue is just as good as Shia's!" E Jong Taa agreed enthusiastically.
"Brother Yang Mo, it's getting late. Why don't you stay over, just like before?" Ising Yu blurted out, her cheeks turning pink.
Yang Mo froze, feeling a bit awkward. When they were kids, they often stayed at each other's houses, but now that they were older, it didn't seem appropriate.
"Shing Yu, don't mess around," Fong Le chided gently. "Xia Mo is preparing for his college entrance exams, right? Studying is the most important thing now. He should focus on getting into a good university."
Hearing this, Ising Yu looked a little disappointed.
Sensing her mood, Yang Mo reached out and ruffled her hair. "Star Moon, don't be upset. We live so close—there's plenty of time to hang out."
"Brother Yang Mo!" she pouted, stomping her foot. "If you keep messing up my hair, I really won't grow any taller!"
"Who said that? You seem pretty tall to me!" Yang Mo laughed.
After joking around for a bit, Yang Mo bid farewell to his aunt and uncle and returned home. By the time he arrived, it was already ten o'clock. He took out a few sets of practice exams and began reviewing. In reality, he had already mastered everything in the textbooks, but he still wanted to brush up on his skills.
Despite his confidence, he knew that hard work was key. He was determined to pass the entrance exams with flying colors and get into Qing Bai University.
The Next Morning
In front of the school, a sleek black business car came to a stop. A young girl hurriedly stepped out, glancing around anxiously before urging the driver to leave as quickly as possible.
Only when the car had disappeared did she let out a relieved sigh.
Dressed in a light yellow dress with her dark hair tied into two playful ponytails, Ling Yu Luo looked as cute as ever. She clutched her textbooks tightly, her mind preoccupied with the day ahead...