Lin Wanwan originally loved eating seafood, so seeing this, she also walked over.
Listed on the menu were raw-marinated flower crabs, mantis shrimp, blood clams…
She hesitated for a moment and ordered a box of raw-marinated flower crabs and a box of raw-marinated mantis shrimp.
Returning home, Lin Wanwan first put the fresh food into the refrigerator, then unpacked the raw-marinated box.
As soon as she opened the lid, a rich aroma of garlic and the fresh scent of seafood drifted out. She picked up disposable gloves and squeezed a mantis shrimp first.
The shrimp meat was coated in sauce; it was springy and firm upon entering the mouth, with a delicious flavor spreading across the tip of her tongue.
There was no fishy smell at all, and she couldn’t help narrowing her eyes, slowly eating while binge-watching the show she had been following recently.
When she ate the flower crab, however, Lin Wanwan frowned.
The crab meat was much softer than expected, feeling a bit mushy as she chewed.
Even dipped in the richly flavored cold dressing sauce, a distinct fishy smell could still be felt; both in texture and taste, it fell far short of the mantis shrimp.
She picked out two bites to eat, but really had no appetite. Thinking that there was still M8 Wagyu in the refrigerator, she simply put the remaining flower crab back into the fridge.
However, not long after.
Lin Wanwan felt a faint, dull pain in her abdomen.
Over the next hour, Lin Wanwan went to the restroom a full five times.
After finishing the last trip, she felt her entire body was completely drained of strength.
Even if her reactions were slow, she understood that there was definitely something wrong with the raw-marinated food she had just eaten.
It wasn’t Lin Wanwan’s first time eating raw-marinated seafood, and she had never experienced diarrhea from eating raw-marinated food before.
The earlier raw-marinated mantis shrimp should be fine; what had an issue was highly likely the box of raw-marinated flower crabs that came after.
Lin Wanwan felt somewhat lucky; had it been before when she had no money, even if she felt the texture of the raw-marinated flower crab wasn’t quite right, she would definitely have thought about not being wasteful and forced herself to eat it.
Recalling the feeling of total evacuation in the restroom just now, Lin Wanwan felt a sensation of numbness on her scalp.
Perhaps because she hadn’t eaten much, and had already taken antidiarrheal medication, Lin Wanwan, who was drained to the point of exhaustion, finally stopped having diarrhea.
She slumped limply on the sofa, her complexion appearing a few shades paler due to having lost so much fluid.
At this moment, an internal struggle was waging in her mind.
The first thought in her mind was to quickly take that box of raw-marinated flower crab in the fridge and go cause trouble for that Chaoshan raw-marinated shop.
However, thinking of the subsequent trouble it might cause, Lin Wanwan let out a heavy sigh again.
When it came to arguing, she naturally possessed no talent for it.
In her memory of so many quarrels, there wasn’t a single one she had ever won.
Taking the initiative to pick a fight was no different from actively seeking suffering.
Lin Wanwan supported herself against the sofa armrest and slowly stood up, every step feeling as if her legs were as soft as stepping on cotton.
Staring at that box of raw-marinated flower crab in the fridge of which she had only eaten two bites, a new thought popped up: How about calling the police instead?
But as soon as this thought popped up, she extinguished it herself.
Mishaps with raw-marinated food were inherently very special.
In case the shop owner insisted that her own stomach was sensitive, or that the ingredients were fine and it was her improper storage, it would actually be very difficult for her to prove.
She couldn’t possibly send the remaining raw-marinated food for testing, could she?
Leaving aside the issue of testing fees, just the back-and-forth hassle alone would probably take almost half a month.
After all that hassle, she might not even get an explanation, but instead end up full of anger.
Thinking that it was only 80 bucks anyway, rather than keeping on sulking about it, it was better to forget it early.
She threw the raw-marinated flower crab in the fridge into the trash can, as if this could clear away the unpleasant experience altogether.
The diarrhea came quickly and left quickly. By evening, she was already able to walk around normally, and her stomach no longer had a dull pain.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Wanwan took out that piece of M8 Wagyu from the fridge. Seeing the fine fat patterns on the M8 Wagyu, her mood instantly improved quite a bit.
She took the steak out of the fridge, and while letting it sit at room temperature, she dug out the newly bought butter and black pepper grains.
After heating up the frying pan, she put in a small piece of butter. As a sizzling sound rang out, the melted butter instantly emitted a rich milky aroma.
Once the butter was completely melted, she carefully placed the steak into the pan. As the bright red meat surface made contact with the hot oil, a crisp “sizzle” sound immediately resounded.
Fine splatters of oil jumped gently, and the fat in the snowflake marbling slowly melted, hot air carrying the meat fragrance drifting upward, making her unable to resist swallowing her saliva.
When flipping it over, a beautiful seared brown color had already formed along the edges of the steak. Tapping it lightly with chopsticks, the meat was soft and tender yet resilient.
Following the method she learned online, she used a spoon to repeatedly pour the butter from the bottom of the pan over the surface of the steak, ensuring every inch was seared evenly.
Finally, sprinkling fresh ground black pepper and a little salt, a fragrant fried steak was ready.
Lin Wanwan served the steak on a white porcelain plate and cut half a cherry tomato for decoration.
Looking at the beautiful plating, Lin Wanwan only felt her mouth watering.
She picked up her phone and snapped two photos with click-click sounds. After taking the photos, she picked up her knife and fork to lightly cut off a small piece.
The moment it entered her mouth, abundant juices burst open on the tip of her tongue, the milky fragrance of the fat and the savory flavor of the beef blending together perfectly.
The meat was so soft and tender that it required almost no effort to chew; the bad mood caused by the raw-marinated diarrhea earlier was completely cured at this moment.
While slowly eating the steak, she opened her tablet to binge-watch her show, her mood exceptionally cozy.
Unknowingly, the wall clock pointed to 12 o’clock.
Lin Wanwan opened her email inbox.
[Time Mailbox: You have a letter from September 19, 2025]
“That was close!”
“That Chaoshan raw-marinated shop really had an issue!”
“Salmonella plus Vibrio parahaemolyticus poisoning!”
“Selling it at such an expensive price, yet they still couldn’t bear to use fresh seafood!”
“How tragic!”
“There was even a pregnant woman who was four months along who suffered a miscarriage because of it.”
“You must never eat raw-marinated food ever again in the future!”
…
Lin Wanwan stared at the email content on the tablet screen, her fingers trembling slightly out of control, a layer of cold sweat instantly seeping through her back.
The coziest feeling from eating steak just now vanished without a trace, replaced by a chill surging up from the bottom of her heart, making her unable to resist shivering.
What pained her heart even more was that sentence: a pregnant woman four months along suffered a miscarriage because of it.
Lin Wanwan clutched her chest, the tip of her nose turning sour.
A little life about to arrive into the world lost the opportunity to ever come to this world forever just because of the shop owner’s black heart.
She didn’t dare to imagine how hopeless that pregnant woman and her family felt upon learning that their child had died before even being born.
Lin Wanwan took a deep breath, suppressing her somewhat chaotic thoughts.
She read the email once more, but didn’t find the key time node inside.
The sending time was September 19, 2025, at 0:00.
Lin Wanwan stood up abruptly from the sofa, pacing back and forth in the living room.
Her first reaction was to quickly call the police, but just as her footsteps reached the doorway, she stopped again.
Calling the police required evidence; she couldn’t call the police using something that hadn’t happened yet.