America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

noon.

When it was time to eat, they didn't go to any Michelin-starred restaurants.

At Chen An's insistence, they found a small open-air restaurant next to the market.

Plastic tables and chairs, and a somewhat greasy tablecloth.

But the food that was served was incredibly appetizing.

Fried rice balls, sardine pasta, and a plate of fresh blood oranges just bought from the stall next door.

"Here, try this."

Chen An picked up a slice of blood orange, and without using any cutlery, directly offered it to Madeleine's lips with his hand.

"It tastes best when you eat it with your hands."

Madeline hesitated for a moment.

This was somewhat contrary to her aristocratic etiquette.

But looking at Chen An's finger stained with red juice, and his encouraging gaze...

She opened her mouth and gently bit into the orange.

Her lips inevitably touched his fingertips.

The sweet and sour juice bursts in your mouth.

That rough, raw, unrefined deliciousness instantly broke through the shell of etiquette she had built up.

"Is it good?" Chen An asked.

"...Mmm." Madeline nodded, and even subconsciously licked the juice residue on Chen An's fingers.

Jessica, who was standing nearby, witnessed this scene.

"Me too!"

Jessica immediately leaned closer, opened her mouth wide, and exclaimed, "Ah—!"

"Didn't you say it was dirty?"

"I don't care! I want to be finger-fed too!"

Chen An smiled and shook his head, picked up another piece, and stuffed it into the glutton's mouth.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled shadows of the trees and fell onto the dining table.

Four well-dressed women and a man wearing a floral shirt.

And so, on this noisy street, I ate a lunch that cost several tens of euros without any regard for appearances.

Their fingers were covered in red juice, and they were laughing like a bunch of children.

Nobody cares about stock price fluctuations, and nobody cares about those tedious business emails.

At this moment, there is only one very simple question:

Whose orange tastes sweeter?

……

evening.

We returned to the Leviathan.

Although everyone was tired after a long day, they were all in high spirits.

Katie locked herself in the kitchen, determined to use the blood oranges to develop a new dessert that could beat yesterday's "truffle."

Chen An then led the remaining women to the rest area on the aft deck.

A row of deck chairs has been set up here, facing the setting sun.

"Actually, I bought those oranges not just to eat."

Chen An washed his hands, took out a sharp knife, and picked out the most perfectly shaped blood orange from the box.

"I did it for the seeds."

He carefully cut open the fruit, used tweezers to remove the plump seeds inside, and placed them on a damp paper towel.

"The greenhouse in Montana has been expanded. I want to try and see if, if we spare no expense, we can grow blood oranges that are sweeter than those in Sicily, using mineral water rich in lithium."

"You want... a transplant?" Sarah asked.

"Yes. That's the joy of farming."

Chen An looked at the tiny seeds, his eyes filled with anticipation, "Let's bring the best things in the world back to our home."

"And then there, create a miracle that belongs solely to Titan Manor."

"That sounds romantic."

Madeline leaned closer, holding the complimentary bottle of lemon liqueur. "If it really grows, I can try using it to make a new sparkling wine."

"I've already thought of a name... I'll call it 'Sicilian Kiss'."

"A good name."

Chen An took the wine glass from her hand and took a sip.

It's very sweet, very strong, and carries the passion of Sicily.

"But now..."

He put down his wine glass, looked at the magnificent sunset on the horizon, and then glanced at the beautiful women beside him, who were slightly tipsy from the sea breeze.

"I think we need to conduct a more important experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" Jessica asked curiously as she leaned closer.

"Let's test it out..."

Chen An pulled Jessica into his arms, made her sit on his lap, and whispered in her ear with a wicked grin:

"Would this lemon liqueur, so full of sunshine, taste even better if you applied it to...your skin and then licked it off?"

Jessica's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe blood orange.

"You...you're a pervert!"

She cursed, but her body went limp. Instead of running away, she took the initiative to unbutton her sun-protective shirt.

"So...where do you want to start licking?"

"Hmm, over there where there's seawater!"

Sarah and Madeline exchanged a glance, smiled helplessly, and silently put down their books.

The sea breeze was slightly cool.

On this deck, bathed in the red glow of the setting sun.

A "tasting event" about taste, touch, and desire quietly begins, accompanied by the sound of waves.

Isn't a good life made up of these sweet, absurd, and blush-inducing moments?

……

This voyage through the Mediterranean continues southward.

This time, the Leviathan's destination was no longer a bustling port.

It is a solitary volcanic island standing in the sea between Sicily and Tunisia in Africa.

Pantelleria.

This place is known as the "Black Pearl of the Mediterranean".

There are no golden beaches, only black volcanic rocks, deep blue waters that are almost inky, and strong winds that never cease.

"Boss, are you sure we want to come here for a vacation?"

Jessica stood on the deck, looking at the barren, dark island in the distance with some disdain.

"This place looks like Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings; there isn't a single decent tree here."

"You don't understand, do you?"

Chen An, wearing sunglasses, held a small olive-like object in his hand and popped it into his mouth, chewing it with relish.

"Although this place is desolate, what grows here is a treasure that top chefs from all over the world dream of."

He handed the little thing to Katie.

"Try it."

Katie took it and carefully took a bite.

"Sour! Salty! And a bit...floral?"

Katie's little face scrunched up, but then her eyes lit up. "This is... a caper?!"

Bingo.

Chen An snapped his fingers.

"Panteleria capers are known as 'green diamonds'."

"Because of the volcanic soil and the huge temperature difference between day and night, this unassuming plant contains extremely high levels of flavor compounds."

Chen An looked at the black island, his eyes flashing with that unique "old farmer" greed.

"Our snowflake steak is already perfect, but when paired with the caper sauce here... that's the finishing touch."

"So, today's task is very simple."

Chen An waved.

"Going to the island. Shopping spree. I'm going to bring the best seedlings back to Montana."

"I want to try and see if we can grow our own 'Titan's Capers' in that geothermal area near the Devil's Throat."

……

Life on the island moves at a pace so slow it's as if it's been put on pause.

Everyone changed into hiking gear that was easy to walk in.

Of course, Jessica's hiking outfit was still the short style that showed off her waist.

We drove several rented old Land Rover Defenders through the winding stone walls.

There are short, drooping grapevines everywhere here.

To avoid strong winds, they can only grow close to the ground.