The barbeque grill was obtained as planned.
Ye Lingchen’s gaze fell upon the stall for ball throwing.
The stall owner felt his life drain from him. He avoided eye contact, and his voice started trembling, “S-s-s-ir, do you want to play? H-h-h-onestly speaking, this game is not entertaining, nor are the prizes any good…”
In the end, Ye Lingchen relented.
Looking at Ye Lingchen’s figure departing, the owner finally wiped his forehead full of sweat and let out a sigh of relief.
That was a tough guy, someone impossible for him to deal with!
A legend about a tough guy was born in that particular amusement park and went far into the future.
According to legends, he stood over eight feet tall, was exceedingly handsome, quick in action, and was well respected by all the stall owners.
Some even say that he wore a red jacket and hat, delivering gifts to kids, fulfilling their wishes. Kids addressed him as…Brother Song Dan[1].
The gang entertained themselves at the square, then took a spin at the park. It was only filled with merriment ever since the hoop toss incident.
Ye Lingchen said little, but instead silently followed behind them. Little Green and Little Grey hung on each side of his shoulders. Their little claws hung tightly onto Ye Lingchen’s clothes, occasionally barking lively.
By the time they returned, they had their hands full, especially with the barbeque rack. The gang then started to have a noisy discussion in the car.
Pooling together all the foodstuff they brought over, they planned to have an outdoor barbeque in the evening.
Apart from that, part of the discussion naturally included Ye Lingchen, resulting in many of the girls stealing glances at Ye Lingchen.
Mount Hui’s scenic area prohibited camping, hence the bus drove on slowly further out. It finally came to a stop at an empty field somewhere not too far away.
That area was by a lake, not too far from the scenic area. Greening was done well here, with the forest just a little distance away from them. There were also trails nearby, lending it a serene feel.
“I’ve read up some discussions online. This is the best spot for camping!” Gao Wen announced with a smile. It was obvious that she did her homework.
The gang cheered, then started to pitch their tents on the field.
Some of them went to the lakeside to find a spot further away from the tents and set up the barbeque rack, preparing for the barbeque session later.
They chatted as they tended to their work. Within an hour, all the necessities were ready.
“It’s time for me to show my stuff!”
Gao Wen and a few girls started rubbing their hands together as they walked towards the barbeque grill, looking as though they were about to put on a show.
“Are you sure you guys can cook?” Hao Jian asked worryingly.
“Relax, even Michelin chefs can’t compare to me,” Gao Wen guaranteed confidently.
“We’ll leave it to you then. I’ve brought two chicken thighs. Make it a little spicy please.”
“Haha, I’ve brought steak. Medium well please.”
“Uhm, I brought a pork knuckle. Can you roast it well, then add some cumin…”
…
While the girls got busy, the guys started doing their own thing by the side.
They took out Gomoku, Chinese chess, gaming consoles, and some even brought their computers along.
“Ye’zi, let’s play cards!” Little Gen was also well prepared and took out two decks of poker cards. “Fighting the Landlord[2]!”
“Uhm…I’m not good at card games,” Potato admitted, slightly embarrassed.
“Don’t worry. You can learn it quickly.” Little Gen waved it off. “Don’t be shy. This is very easy, and I’ll guide you along the way.”
Shuffle, draw.
In the first round, Ye Lingchen was the landlord, having the right to play first.
“A single three.”
“Six.”
“Q.”
“King, suppressed!” Little Gen smiled at Ye Lingchen confidently. “Ye’zi, how’s this, you throwing the bomb?”
Ye Lingchen remained calm. “I can’t afford to!”
“Pass!” Xiang passed too.
It was then Potato’s turn. He smiled, then showed an arrogant look. “Four of the same is considered a bomb right? Since you guys don’t throw your bombs, I’ll do it! Four sixes!”
“F*ck! Ye’zi’s the landlord. Why did you bomb me?!” Little Gen was caught by surprise, giving Potato a confused look.
“I want to suppress you!”
“Why do you want to suppress me?!”
“Then I can look cool!” Potato stated matter of factly. He then announced, “Four sixes. Anyone?!”
“F*ck! I’ll go for it!” Little Gen’s temper showed itself, throwing away his plan to win. “Four eights!”
“I have four Ks!” Potato pressed his attacks, then looked condescendingly at Little Gen, “I’ll ask again. Anyone?!”
Seeing everyone shaking their heads, he was all the more delighted. Following that, “A single three…”
In most cases, those that say they were not good were just being humble.
At least that was what Little Gen always thought. However, this time, he was mistaken. Potato knew nothing about the game!
What a troll!
The boys were having fun and occasionally raised their heads to look at the girls with their magnificent display. They felt energized. Going fo an outing felt different.
It was much better than staying on campus all the time. Next up would be time for some good food.
Nonetheless, over time, the smell of burnt food drifted to their noses. That made them drop what they were doing.
They exchanged glances, feeling a sense of dread creeping into their hearts.
Following the smell, their eyes popped wide open with horror.
“WTF! Our food is on fire!” Someone shouted.
At that moment, everyone’s heart sank. Their beautiful dreams shattered, especially when they saw the unrecognizable food being burnt on the barbeque rack. Tears flowed.
“F*ck! My chicken thighs! Why have you turned black?”
“Steak, look at yourself, you’re so burnt that I can hardly recognize you.”
“Oh pork knuckle, where is your flesh?!”
…
In an instant, a miserable lament was heard. Who would have thought the food that was perfectly good an hour ago would suffer such torture.
Vicious!
Bone-chilling!
The girls stood meekly at the side, with some charcoal stains on their faces, looking guilty beyond words.
“Is this the level of a Michelin chef?” Hao Jian stared dumbly at Gao Wen.
Gao Wen mustered her strength, trying to defend herself in her death throes, “Although the appearances might be bad, it might not be inedible…”
“Yeah, it’s just caramelized. It’s not burnt!” said another girl.
“Oh women, some of you are undependable,” Hao Jian shook his head in grief, then headed back towards the tents. He took out a bag from within, then said delightfully, “Luckily I’ve come prepared. The instant noodle I brought along is finally showing its worth!”
“I brought some biscuits too. Let’s make do with it.”
The girls resigned themselves with a bitter smile. They had brought some fruits along and could eat them for dinner instead.
“Ye’zi, I have bread. Do you want some?” Xiang asked as he approached Ye Lingchen.
Most of them were already eating. They obviously did not have much hope over cooking and brought along all sorts of snacks.
Ye Lingchen laughed. “You guys eat first. There’re still some vegetables left. I’ll go give it a try…”
—
[1] 送诞哥哥 (Song Dan Ge Ge / Brother Song Dan) – Dissecting the words one by one, we will get Brother of Deliverer of Birth. Based on context, we believe that this was the author’s attempt to have a wordplay on 圣诞哥哥 (Sheng Dan Ge Ge/Brother Santa) which sounds similar to 送诞哥哥 (Brother Song Dan).
[2] 斗地主 (Dou Di Zhu / Fight the Landlord) – a popular Chinese card game that uses two sets of poker cards. For details of this game, information can be found on Wikipedia at the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dou_dizhu