SFTD -Chapter 119 Sea Intestine in a Bread Pouch

About twenty minutes later, Charlotte came back out. Her eyes were still a little red and swollen, but her emotions had already stabilized. She had also changed into more normal clothes—sneakers, jeans, and a down jacket. All the messy decorations in her hair were gone.

Zhou Hai picked up his coat and bag.

“Let’s go. We need to get you a phone card. In China, people use WeChat instead of Facebook, and most public places also offer free Wi-Fi.”

Charlotte didn’t argue this time and followed Zhou Hai out to the car.

They bought a SIM card and a phone, then drove to the coastal front area of Qianhai.

At this time of year, the seaside city of Dongnan was very cold, and there were few tourists. It looked somewhat desolate. But Charlotte’s mood seemed much better than before—the city wasn’t as bad as she had imagined.

Zhou Hai noticed the change in her expression and understood immediately. For a child like her, nothing worked better than the temptation of food.

He found a seat by the window and sat down.

The waiter brought two menus. There are two things humans don’t need language to understand—music and food.

Charlotte looked at the pictures of delicious dishes on the menu and felt a bit overwhelmed. She glanced at Zhou Hai, wanting to ask something, but still hesitated because of her earlier attitude.

Without looking up, Zhou Hai could already sense her gaze.

“Do you have any dietary restrictions?” he asked.

“For example, seafood? Offal? Chili, scallions, ginger, garlic?”

Charlotte shook her head.

Zhou Hai placed the menu in front of the waiter and, in front of Charlotte, began pointing at the pictures as he ordered.

“Everything in small portions. Steamed two crabs, spicy shrimp, stir-fried razor clams, scallion-mixed octopus, braised sea intestine with minced meat and chives wrapped in a pouch, and finally fried spring rolls. Also, please prepare two sets of knives and forks, in addition to chopsticks.”

The waiter, hearing Zhou Hai speak English to Charlotte and Mandarin to him, assumed they were tourists and nodded.

“Certainly, sir!”

“These are very distinctive dishes. All are specialty seafood dishes from Dongnan. Please wait a moment.”

He left and soon returned with a pot of chrysanthemum tea, pouring it for both of them.

Charlotte frowned slightly. Though confused, she didn’t ask what it was. She awkwardly took a sip.

A mild sweetness with a light floral fragrance—pleasant, not overpowering.

After finishing a cup, her body warmed up, and the earlier coldness in her hands and feet faded. Even the view outside the window felt different.

Soon, several dishes arrived almost at the same time. The mixed aromas hit Charlotte’s senses. This was not something American Chinese restaurants could offer.

She suddenly felt hungry. Fortunately, she could still use chopsticks.

She picked them up and looked at Zhou Hai.

Zhou Hai glanced at her and nodded.

It seemed food truly had the strongest power of all.

Zhou Hai used a fork to hold a shrimp, then used chopsticks along both sides, gently lifting—cleanly peeling off the shell in one motion.

Charlotte stared at him wide-eyed, her expression clearly saying: “So impressive!”

Zhou Hai placed the peeled shrimp into her dish.

She put down her chopsticks, picked up a fork, and ate it.

A burst of spicy, fresh, layered flavors collided in her mouth. She immediately took a sip of tea.

Zhou Hai turned slightly. “Too spicy?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“It’s spicy—but delicious!”

“How are you so skilled at peeling shrimp? Do you eat this every day?”

Zhou Hai paused, then understood her intention.

“I have the same profession as John—I’m a forensic doctor. In my view, if you want to truly enjoy seafood, you first need to understand its anatomy. Just like peeling shrimp: you separate the meat from the shell precisely.”

Charlotte nodded.

“John said you were his most outstanding student. I’m not afraid of forensic medicine! John even took me to an autopsy—it was really cool!”

She had been speaking happily, but at the mention of John, her expression slowly dimmed.

“You don’t want to come to China. You don’t want to be separated from John, right?”

Charlotte nodded again.

“At the airport, I signed a guardianship agreement with William,” she said.

William.

“You probably saw it. We only need to live together for six months. John needs time to recover his leg. If you are with him, he will worry. If you are unhappy here, he will still worry. So let’s make a peaceful agreement. We spend these six months without trying to anger each other or force me to send you back to the US. After that, you return to John, and I return to my normal life.”

Charlotte licked her lips, still tasting the spicy shrimp, her eyes rolling slightly as she thought.

She tilted her head.

“Okay—but I have a few conditions.”

“Say them. If they’re reasonable, I’ll consider them.”

Charlotte wiped her mouth and began counting on her fingers.

“First, I need private space. You cannot interfere.
Second, I have pocket money. You need to help me exchange it, but you cannot restrict my spending.
Third, not every meal has to be this extravagant Chinese food—but at least once a week, you must treat me to seafood like this.”

Zhou Hai’s mouth twitched slightly. He suddenly felt like a “wicked stepmother.” A seafood meal had already won the child over?

He spread his hands.

“No problem. I also have a few conditions.

First, I’ve arranged a Chinese tutor for you. Starting tomorrow, she will teach you throughout winter break. I hope that by March you can attend school in Dongnan. Since you’ll be living in China for half a year, you need to adapt. Learning Chinese is part of that.

Second, my job is similar to John’s—and even busier. I will often be at crime scenes or on business trips. When I’m not around, I will arrange your daily life. You don’t need to worry about that.

For now, that’s all I can think of. If you have ideas later, we can discuss them anytime. But don’t use extreme methods like before to force things, okay?”

“Okay!”

Then they began attacking the food.

Sea intestine was something many outsiders couldn’t accept, especially if they had seen it alive before. But when chopped and stir-fried with chives, it became extremely delicious.

Zhou Hai picked up a fried bread pouch, crisp and hollow, and used a small spoon to stuff it with sea intestine and chives. One bite produced a satisfying crunch.

Charlotte watched carefully and tried it herself.

Just as she was about to eat it, Zhou Hai stopped her.

“This is sea intestine. In the US, it’s only seen as a marine creature, not food. Are you sure you want to eat it?”

Charlotte lifted her chin.

“Of course!”

The next Sunday, the Chinese tutor arrived.

Lu Xi was a petite teaching assistant from Dongnan University. She was gentle, soft-spoken, and very pleasant-looking. She had studied in the United States before. The arrangement was made with help from Dr. Nan Wudao.

Zhou Hai spoke briefly with Lu Xi, and then she and Charlotte went into the study.

Unexpectedly, Charlotte’s learning ability was extremely strong—or perhaps she truly had Chinese blood in her. Within just three days, she had learned basic communication for food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

According to Lu Xi’s suggestion, on Wednesday morning the three of them drove around some of Dongnan’s most characteristic scenic spots.

Charlotte was extremely excited, especially by the traditional Chinese architecture and temples. She kept asking questions nonstop.

After coming down from Zhan Mountain Temple, before they even got into the car, Zhou Hai’s phone rang.

He took it out and saw it was a call from Liu Da.

Zhou Hai immediately became alert.

“Liu Da! Is there a case?”