Chapter 309: As Stupid As You
Chapter 309: Chapter 309: As Stupid As You
Fu Cheng didn’t have much experience with children, and hearing Xiao Lang’s praise left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
’Had he really sunk to the level of being praised by Little Douding?’
"You can be this strong in the future, too."
"Really?" Xiao Lang’s eyes lit up. "As strong as Dog Hero?"
"..." Fu Cheng didn’t know how to answer. Dog Hero was a fictional character, and in reality, he had never heard of anyone breaking through to Level 10.
"I’m hungry. Let’s eat first." Shen Lu interrupted their conversation at the perfect time, easily diverting Xiao Lang’s attention.
At Shen Lu’s reminder, Xiao Lang’s stomach immediately started to RUMBLE.
He hadn’t eaten much for dinner last night, so he was starving the moment he woke up this morning.
After breakfast, Zhao Qian’s military armored vehicle arrived, delivering a truckload of ingredients.
Wang Daguo didn’t come today, so Huo Qian and Wu Jun were in charge of moving the supplies.
Xin Yu rolled up his sleeves, about to help, but Shen Lu stopped him.
"Just take the supplies from them at the door. Don’t go outside."
"Alright."
As Shen Lu signed for the delivery, the driver told her they wouldn’t be coming tomorrow.
"Oh, okay."
Tomorrow, the wind speed would reach Level 9, and the rain would be incessant. The weather would be quite severe.
That was why the red alert for the sandstorm on the weather forecast had been flashing all morning, reminding residents to take precautions.
The supplies Zhao Qian delivered today were more or less the same as yesterday’s. The chickens were still whole, the fish were still crucian carp, but the pork was no longer hind leg meat; it was the pork belly Shen Lu had requested.
Following yesterday’s division of labor, everyone set to their respective tasks.
The pork belly was easy to prepare. It was cut into chunks and pan-fried until golden brown on all sides. Shen Lu, tired of gutting fish, switched with Little Mantis. She took over searing the meat while Little Mantis cleaned the crucian carp.
They were faster than yesterday and had all the ingredients prepped before noon.
Shen Lu sorted and stored the ingredients. She was too lazy to cook a proper lunch, so she decided they would just have a barbecue.
A DIY barbecue, no less. You had to grill your own food if you wanted to eat.
All Shen Lu had to do was marinate and season the ingredients beforehand. She could even get someone else to do the mixing.
But the grill grates and racks had to be bought from the System Mall, as the weather was too awful for anyone to go out.
There were seven people in the shop, so two sets were enough. They washed the equipment, lit the charcoal, and laid out platters of ingredients until the table was full. Then, everyone looked to Shen Lu, waiting for her to give the order.
"Why are you all looking at me? Grill whatever you want to eat. Just be careful not to burn it."
With a cheer, everyone used tongs to place the food they wanted onto the grill grates.
One might have expected Huo Qian and Wu Jun, who couldn’t cook, to struggle. But surprisingly, the two of them grilled quite well. It was Xin Yu, on the other hand, who was a clumsy mess and even nearly burned himself.
"Xin Yu, you’re doing it wrong again!" Xiao Lang wrinkled his little nose. "The meat isn’t cooked yet. Why’d you stop grilling?"
"Don’t talk nonsense, you little squirt. It’s obviously cooked." Xin Yu picked up the piece of meat he’d been grilling. The outside was already charred. Any more time on the grill and it would be nothing but charcoal.
"If you don’t believe me, you can cut it open and see. It’s really not cooked. You’ll get sick if you eat it."
Of course Xin Yu wasn’t going to cut it open. If it turned out Xiao Lang was right, how could he ever show his face again?
Shen Lu craned her neck to take a look. "Xin Yu, why did you put so much charcoal under your grill grate?"
Xin Yu laughed awkwardly. He’d had a thought—he’d wanted his side of the grill to have more firepower so he could cook for everyone.
"If the charcoal is too hot, the outside will burn while the inside is still raw. Eating meat like that will give you an upset stomach. Take out a few pieces of charcoal and start over."
Now that Shen Lu had spoken, Xin Yu didn’t dare to argue anymore. He obediently removed some charcoal and picked up a new piece of meat to grill.
Cooking skills vary from person to person, so naturally, the quality of the grilled food differed as well.
But barbecue was more about the atmosphere anyway.
Outside, the wind howled and the rain poured, but inside it was as warm as spring. They ate delicious barbecue and drank refreshing beverages.
With Xin Yu around, there was never a dull moment.
He especially loved to play with Xiao Lang, and the two of them—one big, one small—had a blast together.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Shen Lu left one grill running. She placed a few persimmons and oranges on it, along with some peanuts, red dates, and pre-split chestnuts. In the middle, she set a pot of jar tea to heat up. As it started to GURGLE, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air.
Shen Lu moved the TV from the waiting area to the fast-food area and had everyone grab a chair they liked. The plan was to spend the afternoon there, watching movies and drinking tea.
After all, there were no customers, and all the ingredients were prepped. It was rare to have this kind of free time, so it was nice to relax together for a bit.
Shen Lu sank comfortably into a lounge chair, took a quick poll, and then put on a comedy film.
Xiao Lang sat next to Shen Lu, resting his little head on the armrest. He would watch the movie for a bit, then turn to look at Shen Lu.
’He loved watching movies with everyone, eating sweet roasted persimmons, and drinking fragrant tea whenever he got thirsty. This was the kind of heavenly life he’d never even dared to imagine.’
Perhaps because she was too full, Shen Lu drowsily fell asleep halfway through the movie.
Fu Cheng took a blanket from the storage pouch on the side of his wheelchair and gently draped it over her. He carefully brushed away the hair that had fallen over her eyes.
His actions were entirely gentlemanly, never once crossing a line. And yet, Huo Qian felt a sweet, romantic bubble forming between the two of them.
Huo Qian tsked and couldn’t help but facepalm.
A cheerful Wu Jun turned his head. "You think this Zhao Si guy is an idiot too, huh?"
Huo Qian shot him a look. "Yeah. As idiotic as you."
"Huh?" Wu Jun cracked open a peanut shell. "Talk about him if you want, why’d you have to bring me into it?"
There was no point talking to a block of wood. Huo Qian stealthily sent a message to Xue Can.
Huo Qian: Boss, is everything okay at the stronghold recently?
Xue Can replied two or three minutes later.
Xue Can: What is it?
Huo Qian wasn’t the type for idle chatter, so Xue Can didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
Huo Qian: Uh... Everything’s fine at the shop. The building is very sturdy; we should be able to get through the sandstorm season safely.
Xue Can: And?
Huo Qian: Boss Shen is very welcoming. She’s really considerate to her staff. After our barbecue lunch today, she even had us all watch a movie together.
Xue Can stared at the screen for a few seconds. His intuition told him that everything Huo Qian had said so far was irrelevant; she was trying to tell him something else.
Xue Can: You and Wu Jun, remember to do your patrols on time.
Huo Qian stealthily took a photo of Fu Cheng pulling the blanket up higher on Shen Lu and sent it to Xue Can.
Huo Qian: [Photo.jpg]
Huo Qian: Boss, have you seen this movie? I think it’s pretty good. You should show it to the guys next time.
Xue Can stared at the photo for a long while, not even feeling like replying to Huo Qian’s message anymore.
’Damn it. It’s true what they say: the one who’s close by gets the girl. Fu Cheng is with Shen Lu every day, making it easier for him to do anything.’
’He shouldn’t have listened to Mo Bei’s advice and stayed at the stronghold yesterday. Now look. He could only watch as Fu Cheng scored points left and right, while he was stuck here, unable to do a thing.’
’Maybe... I should move the stronghold?’