Chapter 45 Barbecue Party Shopping Spree, Barbecue, Him

That evening, Lei reviewed everything that had happened that day.

First, they went hunting in the deep forest, then they discovered a century-old ginkgo tree rich in wood elements, and then there was that little creature...

For some reason, Ray was very interested in that little guy with wings.

I wonder if Guge knows what that is. Maybe I can ask him when I run into him.

The next morning, Rye hitched up a mule cart and took Neil to the market.

They went to the Dharma Association first.

Familiar buildings, familiar dozing old men, familiar testing procedures.

After paying for the testing, the old man took Neil upstairs, and Rye waited for them to return in the lobby on the first floor.

Many people were sitting in the chairs, including mages, bounty hunters, and employers.

After finishing their farm work, everyone has more free time, which is also the peak time for posting bounties and completing tasks.

Lai went to the bulletin board to see what kinds of tasks were available.

They might help find lost pets, escort their employers to other places, or use magic to help cultivate precious plants.

In short, the tasks are varied. However, among these explicitly stated tasks, there are basically none that are too difficult.

Lai returned to his seat and continued to wait. At the next table, the mage was negotiating with his employer, discussing the final price.

During their heated exchange, he felt they might come to blows. Finally, they agreed on a suitable price, signed the contract, and shook hands in farewell.

Neil came down in no time, head drooping, looking a little disappointed.

"Brother, I couldn't detect any magic."

"It's okay, don't be sad, Neil."

Ray gave Neil a hug.

Which child doesn't dream of having magic?

Neil's keen sense of smell aroused his suspicion, which is why he brought Neil to test the magic.

His decision this time was somewhat hasty, without considering the child's own thoughts. Perhaps Neil simply has a talent for this.

Ray reflected on himself.

"No, brother, I'm just upset about those few silver coins."

Neil looked up and whispered, trying not to let anyone hear.

"..."

"It's okay, Neil, your brother will earn it back soon."

"Um!"

Ray took Neil away from the Mage's Guild and then went to the bookstore.

He spent over a dozen silver coins to buy three books recommended by the shopkeeper, which mainly introduced the situation of the entire continent, some local customs and various popular science articles.

Few people spend so much money on books at once, and the shop owner casually gave Lai a small booklet called "Vagura Talks About Race Anecdotes," which was obviously not a serious book.

The books here only have inner pages and no covers; you need to make your own at home using leather or other materials. The shopkeeper carefully wrapped the book in parchment paper and handed it to Lai.

"Store it in a dry place."

The shop owner gave instructions.

Lei nodded.

The ink used in book printing is of poor quality; it will bleed when the air humidity exceeds a certain level.

He took the oil paper package and led Neil away to the market.

First, I bought some Gulu beast meat from the shepherd's stall, and then I bought half a sheep.

I bought some ready-made sausages from another stall.

After comparing prices of potatoes and sweet potatoes at several stores, I bought fifty pounds of each.

There are still plenty of spices at home, no need to replenish. Stocking up on salt and sugar would be a good idea, so Lai bought a lot more salt and several pounds of sugar.

After buying these, it's time for pots, pans, and other kitchenware.

Making vermicelli requires mashing potatoes and sweet potatoes into a paste. He needed to find a shop that had the necessary tools; otherwise, he would have to make it himself at home. Luckily, Lai actually found one – a tool used to roughen the skin. Lai bought two at once.

In addition, I bought two large and two small metal basins for washing vegetables and dishes. I also bought some new plates, dishes, and bowls.

They bought a lot of things, including water ladles, pot scrubbers, and spice jars. Anyone who didn't know better would think they had just moved here.

After arranging these, they ordered two more quilts and several new sheets and covers, which cost them more than nine silver coins.

On the way back, Lai covered some of the things in the truck bed with a tarpaulin to prevent others from seeing them and gossiping.

Don't flaunt your wealth; even if you're truly rich, you shouldn't let others see anything about it.

After arriving home, Ray and Neil put everything in the storage room, only taking out a basin to use. Then the two of them started cutting meat, chopping vegetables, skewering them, and preparing various dipping sauces.

In the afternoon, fearing that Hagrid and the others might not come, Ray made a special trip to Hagrid's house before everyone else had started preparing dinner, inviting them all to come over for a family meal.

Hagrid learned from Lamb that Ray had been doing well at the market recently, and besides, it was a child's kind gesture, so after a few hesitations, he agreed.

Vivian, Farah, and Lamb took Luna to help out at Lai's house ahead of time.

Actually, the meat and vegetables were already cut up; the troublesome part was skewering them, which took quite a bit of time.

As they left together, Hagrid called out to Linda, who was also about to go with them.

"Linda."

"What's wrong?"

Linda stopped and looked at Hagrid.

"Don't go there yet. Prepare more sausages for Ray and Neil this year."

"Yeah, that's what I was planning to do too."

Linda answered with a smile, and Hagrid relaxed, clearly in a good mood.

"Bring my wine too, I'll have a few drinks with Lai."

"Don't lead Ray astray."

"How is it leading them astray? As children grow up, they have to learn to drink and socialize."

"Fine, fine, you've got so many twisted arguments!"

The couple bickered a little, but their conversation was full of tacit understanding and warmth.

When the group arrived at Ray's house, they saw Neil skewering meat in the living room.

"What kind of way is this to eat it?"

Vivian held up a sausage skewered on a stick, the sausage already decorated with decorative cuts.

My brother said it was 'grilled sausage'.

Neil answered.

"Sis, you don't need to worry about what it is. Brother Lai's cooking skills are absolutely reliable. Just wait and enjoy the meal!"

Lamb and Farah had already washed their hands and were helping Neil skewer the meat.

"Skewer a piece of fatty meat at the bottom, and then skewer these lean pieces."

Neil instructs Lamb and Farah, while Luna sits on a chair playing with skewers.

The meat skewers included a bowl of sweet and sour pork, a bowl of mutton, and twenty sausages; the vegetable dishes included potato slices, mushrooms, cauliflower, eggplant, etc.

Lai borrowed four chairs from Old Gugge's house and then lit a charcoal fire in the yard when he returned.

When the charcoal is first lit, the temperature is not high enough and there is a lot of smoke. It needs to burn for a while before it can be used to grill meat skewers.

After the charcoal was heated until it was red-hot, Lai used a shovel to scoop them out and spread them flat on the grill, then placed the iron rack on top and started grilling the meat skewers.

The sausages were already cooked and cooked through, so Lai grilled fifteen sausages first, then twenty skewers of Gulu beast meat.

Hagrid and the others arrived when the meat was cooked.

Ray had Lamb move the dining table from the living room and the table from his room outside and put them together so that a group of people could eat kebabs outside.

The aroma of grilled meat skewers wafted through the air. The skewers, slightly charred on the surface, glistened with oil and looked incredibly delicious.

Lai sprinkled cumin on top, and it tasted even better.

"This seasoning smells so good."

Linda, as the head chef of the family, is very knowledgeable about food and immediately noticed the difference in Lai's seasoning.

"Would you like something spicy?"

"Ray asked."

"eat!"

The answer came from foodie Lamb.

Considering the ladies and children present, Rae only put some chili powder on half of the sausages and skewers.

As soon as one batch of meat skewers was brought to the table, Lai immediately replaced it with a new batch.

With so many people, there was definitely not enough meat skewers to go around, but luckily he had come prepared.

"Lam, the longtooth meat in the fireplace should be roasted by now. Could you take it out for me?"

"Okay!"

Lamb stuffed the last piece of sausage into his mouth, and Farah handed Luna to Linda, helping Lamb take the long-toothed beast out of the fireplace.

Kelly sat at the table without saying a word, busy getting food for her own children. Linda was taking care of Luna and Neil at the same time.

The meat of the long-toothed beast is firm and tender. Lai had marinated it with seasonings overnight beforehand, and the aroma was immediately noticeable when it was taken out.

When the meat was served, Linda first tore off a leg for Ray before distributing the meat to the others.

"Lei, you should eat something too, don't go hungry."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

After eating half the meat and finishing two more batches of grilled skewers, Brian and Reese finally arrived late with watermelon. The two washed their hands and sat down, each next to their wife.

"Brother, teach me how to bake it, I'll try it later."

Lamb is a restless person, and in just a short while he was back by the barbecue grill.

This time, Lai grilled half a lamb kebab, half a vegetable dish, and two garlic eggplants.

The eggplant was seasoned with minced garlic, cilantro, and pre-fried chili oil. The aroma of garlic immediately filled the air as the heat increased.

If this dish were served with rice and garlic eggplant, I could easily eat at least two bowls!

Garlic enoki mushrooms and garlic clams are almost always Lai Yi's must-orders when he eats barbecue. It's a pity that there's no rice, and enoki mushrooms are rare. Clams might be available, but you can't buy them in town.

After teaching Lamb, Lay was shooed to the table, and Hagrid gave up the seat next to him so that Lay could sit beside him.

"How was the meal?"

Rye asked Hagrid.

"It's delicious, especially the garlic eggplant. It tastes especially good when eaten with the pancake."

Hagrid has a strong palate, so it's normal for him to like garlic eggplant. Ray suddenly remembered another side dish—garlic eggplant—but unfortunately, he hadn't made it today; perhaps Hagrid would like it too.

Brian, Reese, Vivian, and Luna love spicy food, so just add more spice. The rest of the people could only eat a little, but they still enjoyed their meal.

In addition to the wine Hagrid brought, Ray also brought out a bottle of fruit wine and two bottles of wine.

The fruit wine has a low alcohol content, so Linda and Farah can also enjoy a small glass.

After finishing the barbecue, Lai cut up a watermelon and served it to cut through the grease.

Everyone enjoyed the barbecue, and Lai finally felt relieved of a worry.

After packing his things, Lai went to Old Gug's house to return the chair and asked about the little guys. Unexpectedly, he had asked the right person.

"He can be considered a fantasy creature, but he also has another identity."

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-07-19 23:59:24 and 2023-07-23 22:18:46!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: wow 1;

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Dada 46 bottles; Alan Dada 10 bottles; Songsong Lilith and Reflection 5 bottles; Yingxiang and Luoning 2 bottles; Xiamo Yanyu 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!