Back To The 80s-Chapter 131 - 130: Atmosphere_1

"This is nice when it’s grilled too," Cheng Qijia said to Qin Li with a smile.

Yuan Tan pouted, looking at Qin Li with slight distaste. How could a girl like this?

Gu Xiaobei ran over to call them, "Are you done washing after so long? We can start barbecuing now."

"We need to scrape off the waste from inside the sheep’s stomach bit by bit, which is why it’s taking so long," said Qin Li, placing the cleaned mutton offal into a basin. Cheng Qijia quickly stepped forward to hold it up.

Although the sun was overbearing at noon in late September, the breeze in the valley made it quite pleasant, not hot at all.

They sat in a circle on a big green canvas. Shen Heng was in charge of grilling the meat, Lu Zhanguo grilled fish, and Cheng Qijia chopped up the mutton offal, stringing it on red willow branches for grilling later.

Gu Xiaobei watched as Lu Zhanguo magically pulled out a bag of Flower Bull apples and a few large plates from the trunk. Surprised, he took the apples, washed them by the river, and then served them to everyone.

The mutton chops that Shen Heng grilled were genuinely masterful. An entire rib was skewered on a red willow branch, the meat surface grilled golden and crispy, while the inside remained tender and juicy.

Gu Xiaobei took a bite and exclaimed, "This sheep must have grown up drinking spring water and eating organic grass. It’s so tender and juicy, and the gamey taste isn’t heavy at all. So delicious!"

Each of the kids, holding a rib in hand, crunched away hungrily.

Lu Zhanguo’s fish were also ready. He placed them on a large plate and brought over the marching pot that had been stewing on top of cow dung. He scooped the mutton soup into enamel pots, poured it into everyone’s bowl, and sprinkled some of the wild green onions that Li Fengmei had dug up on top. It instantly smelled delicious.

Qin Li, eager to eat the sheep’s stomach, could hardly wait to take her bowl of mutton soup and run over to Cheng Qijia, "When will it be ready?"

"It will taste even better if we grill it a little longer," Cheng Qijia replied, flipping his kebab.

"Oh, then put more chili powder," Qin Li handed the mutton soup to Cheng Qijia, reminding him.

"Sure, wait over there. It’s hot here from the fire," Cheng Qijia told Qin Li with a warm look.

"It’s okay, let me grill a few kebabs." Qin Li squatted down and started placing raw skewers onto the stone trough one by one.

Lu Zhanguo made a pair of chopsticks from two red willow branches and handed them to Gu Xiaobei to eat the fish. He also removed the burnt parts.

The wild carp from the river was tender, and Lu Zhanguo grilled it just right. Gu Xiaobei tasted it and couldn’t help but say, "Maybe after you’re no longer a soldier, we can open a grilled fish restaurant. I’m sure it would be well-received."

Lu Zhanguo wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Those two professions seemed quite far apart.

With a strained look, Yuan Tan got up holding her mutton soup and headed towards Shen Heng.

From the side, Li Fengmei watched the kids, reminding them one moment to eat slowly and the next not to secretly drink river water, lest they get stomachaches.

Gu Xiaobei smiled at the sight of the kids, looked at the man next to her who was helping her pick out the fish bones, and felt that the atmosphere was lovely, very blissful.

Shen Heng came over with another large plate of grilled skewers and sat down.

Cheng Qijia had also finished grilling the sheep’s stomach, intestines, and liver and brought them over.

Qin Li handed a skewer of sheep liver to Gu Xiaobei, "Here, try it. I grilled it."

"Is it cooked?" Gu Xiaobei took it suspiciously. When grilling sheep liver, timing is crucial. A moment’s inattention could result in overcooked liver, or it might burn on the outside while still remaining raw inside.

Gu Xiaobei bit into it with suspicion and found the outside crispy and the inside tender. "Not bad! You have a knack for this."

Qin Li chuckled and pointed at Cheng Qijia, "Cheng Qijia guided me mainly. Otherwise, I’m sure I would have burnt it."

Watching the harmonious interaction between the two, an idea suddenly flashed through Gu Xiaobei’s mind. Qin Li and Cheng Qijia, they seemed quite well-matched.

Yuan Tan came over and sat between Shen Heng and Cheng Qijia, laughing as she said to Cheng Qijia: "Your barbecuing is so lovely. Did you learn it in Eh Country?"

"No. In Eh Country, people prefer to season their barbecues with thyme, coriander, and black pepper, losing the original flavor of the meat. I’ve learned this from veterans during my wilderness survival training," Cheng Qijia replied politely, yet with some distance.

Lu Zhanguo and Shen Heng glanced at each other but said nothing; the children had all eaten their fill and Li Fengmei took them to the river to wash their hands.

Seeing Yuan Tan approaching, Gu Xiaobei sipped the mutton soup from the crockery bowl, thoughtfully considering how Yuan Tan had been unusually keen to stay close to Cheng Qijia that day.

Yuan Tan also noticed Cheng Qijia’s indifference towards her, which irritated her slightly.

By mid-afternoon, there was still a pile of cooked meat and stew left over. When hunger strikes, one feels as if they could devour an entire cow. But when an actual mound of meat is in front of them, it quickly becomes impossible to eat after just a few bites.

Cheng Qijia and Shen Heng buried the leftover embers and piled the remaining wood by the river. After cleaning up, everyone was encouraged by Shen Heng to walk around a bit and digest before returning home.

"I can’t be bothered moving. I’ll wait here for you," Yuan Tan said, with obvious lack of interest.

"Alright then, you can sit here. We’ll just take a short walk by the river and be back," Shen Heng replied.

Few of the kids were trying to catch fish in the shallow water. Gu Xiaobei found it amusing too and raced over, Qin Li in tow.

Lu Zhanguo, Shen Heng, and Cheng Qijia watched from the bank, observing the others squealing and chasing after fish.

Shen Heng broke the silence: "It’s obvious that she came today with Qi family in mind."

"They are anxious now because we postponed our military exercise scheduled for September," Lu Zhanguo replied.

A rare seriousness washed over Cheng Qijia’s normally gentle face: "Yuan Tan did initiate several conversations about Eh Country today."

Lu Zhanguo gazed at the people catching fish in the water and said gravely: "I’m afraid they’re keen on ’fishing in muddy water’ too."

Shen Heng lit a cigarette: "The only one capable of stirring up this water further is Gao Dailin. All these people are mere pawns, the potential puppet master behind the scenes is getting restless and might show his hand."

Lu Zhanguo nodded: "Tell Jin Cheng to be extra careful."

Gu Xiaobei and the others rolled up their trousers and chased fish in the shallow water, growing increasingly frustrated when they failed to catch them, despite seeing them swim past. They chattered loudly, only making their way back to the banks when Shen Heng called out to them.

Looking at the remaining meat, including the sheep’s head and hooves, Gu Xiaobei said, "We’ve so much left, we can’t finish it."

"You and Fengmei can take some back home, and send the rest to the canteen in the camp," Lu Zhanguo suggested as he put the meat in the trunk of the car.

By the time they reached the base, it was just getting dark. Shen Heng had escorted everyone to the entrance of the camp and was set to drive back to T City overnight.

On hearing this, Qin Li said to Gu Xiaobei: "It’s perfect that I also need to go back to T City. I won’t be staying at your place."

Shen Heng knew that Qin Li was the girl Jin Cheng often spoke about. But after observing events today, it seemed like Cheng Qijia had a bit of an interest in Qin Li. When he got back, he would have to provoke Jin Cheng, force him to take action.

Gu Xiaobei nodded and watched as Qin Li climbed into the back seat of Shen Heng’s car. Turning back, he found that Cheng Qijia was staring, entranced, at Qin Li’s departing figure.

Sighing inwardly, Gu Xiaobei thought: The saddest thing in the world must be falling for someone who already has someone else in their heart!