Chapter 75: The Late Summer Barbecue

Having temporarily bid farewell to Auntie Wang, Zhong Tian made his way back to the beach.

Those who had been in the sea were already ashore, gathered under the parasol, sipping drinks and chatting idly.

“When does the barbecue start?” Zheng Qiao asked, holding a box of kumquat lemon tea, lounging contentedly in a deck chair.

“Qiaoqiao, are you hungry already?” Chu Lenghu asked as she came ashore, untying her bun to let her long hair flow freely as usual.

“It’s still early, you know.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost two.”

“Has it only been that long?” Zheng Qiao took a sip of her kumquat lemon tea, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

“I’m already a little tired.”

‘After single-handedly ‘water-bombing’ everyone present, was she merely ‘a little tired’?’

Lin Yu touched her hair, which was still damp, feeling an increasing certainty that Zheng Qiao was not entirely human.

“So, when are we planning to start the barbecue?” Zheng Qiao inquired, addressing Li Jianren under the adjacent parasol.

“Jianren, have the ingredients been prepared?”

Li Jianren, cradling a coconut he had procured from who knew where, rose from his deck chair and lifted his sunglasses.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“You’d have to ask Auntie Wang; I’d guess around four-thirty,” he said.

“Consider it dinner.”

“Alright then…”

Zhong Tian returned to his own deck chair, picking up a bottle of iced water—he consciously limited his cola intake—unscrewed the cap, and took a small sip.

As expected, Zhong Jing was holding a half-empty bottle of cola, and even more tellingly, several empty cola bottles were arranged on the table before her.

“Sis… don’t drink too much cola…”

“……”

Zhong Jing, seated on a regular chair, remained silent, downing the remaining half of her cola in a single gulp.

She then propped her long legs onto Lin Chu’s lap, leaned back against the chair, and closed her eyes to rest.

“Oh, so after splashing me for so long, you’re going to make use of my lap, too?”

Lin Chu playfully slapped Zhong Jing’s thigh, then slid her hand upwards.

Zhong Jing’s eyes snapped open, and she raised her fists in a clear declaration of war, launching a direct attack warning at Lin Chu.

“Whoa, stop!” Lin Chu laughed, raising both hands in surrender.

“I was just trying to brush the sand off for you.”

“……”

Zhong Jing still said nothing, lowering her fists and closing her eyes once more.

After their laughter subsided, a peaceful quiet settled over the beach.

Only the gentle rustle of the waves remained, filling one’s heart with a sense of peace and exhilaration.

Playing in the sea was always particularly exhausting, and as the group succumbed to their fatigue, listening to the waves and feeling the sea breeze, drowsiness gradually crept over them.

“Hoo—”

‘Li Jianren, you actually fell asleep.’

Zhong Tian couldn’t help but chuckle at his snores.

‘This is quite nice.’

‘A beach gathering doesn’t always have to be wild and extravagant; a calm and relaxed one like this is wonderful too.’

The people on the beach sat in wordless tranquility, allowing time to drift by.

****

Zhong Tian felt as though he had drifted off, yet also not quite; upon opening his eyes, he found that it was already four in the afternoon.

Apart from Li Jianren, the others also seemed to have just woken up.

“What time is it?” Zheng Qiao asked, yawning.

“Four o’clock.”

“Yay, time to get ready for barbecue!”

Zheng Qiao rose, stretching her body.

“Come on, Xiao Bai, let’s go change and shower.”

“Mmm… okay.”

Bai Ruijin rubbed her eyes, drowsily rising to follow Zheng Qiao.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to change yet.”

Auntie Wang’s voice rang out from behind them.

She held a camera, a smile gracing her face.

“Let’s take a big group photo first.”

“Oh! That’s a good idea.”

Under Auntie Wang’s direction, everyone lined up.

“Xiao Zhong, stand in the middle.”

“Alright.”

“Auntie Wang, remember to make us look good!”

“Everyone stand still—”

Zhong Tian, seeing that Li Jianren was still asleep, went to wake him before returning to his spot in the line.

Li Jianren was briefly stunned before he reacted, quickly grabbing his coconut and rushing to the back of the line, where he leaped high into the air, making a dramatic entrance into the frame.

Against the backdrop of blue skies, white clouds, and a clear sea, they captured their group photo of the late summer beach party.

“Auntie Wang, please send us a copy of the retouched photo!”

“Yes, I’ll send it to Jianren later, and he can forward it to all of you,” Auntie Wang replied.

“Now, go take your showers and change. The barbecue items are all ready!”

“Jianren, remember to help carry some things.”

“Okay—”

****

Since Zhong Tian and Su Linxi hadn’t gone swimming, they didn’t need to shower or change.

Instead, they sat on the sofa, quietly playing PS5.

Zhong Tian had chosen *It Takes Two*, a highly entertaining co-op game.

Initially, Zhong Tian had worried Su Linxi wouldn’t understand the controls, but to his surprise, she picked it up quickly, her movements fluid, and their teamwork was excellent.

“Linxi, do you play games often?” Zhong Tian asked, controlling his character as he flung nails onto a wall.

“Seldom.”

Su Linxi watched the screen with an impassive expression, skillfully pressing the controller buttons.

“Then perhaps you’re a gaming prodigy.”

“Mmm, perhaps.”

The two cleared stages one after another, reaching the second boss in just over half an hour.

“What incredible speed!” Li Jianren exclaimed, munching on potato chips from the sidelines after showering and changing.

“Much faster than when I play alone.”

“…You played this game alone?”

“Yeah, I’ve already completed it.”

‘To clear a co-op game solo… was that a testament to his skill, or merely a tale of profound loneliness? Either way, it sounded rather pathetic.’

While the two played, the others gradually returned to the living room after showering and changing.

Fortunately, Li Jianren’s house had many guest rooms, all equipped with private bathrooms, otherwise, accommodating so many people at once would have been a real problem.

“Ugh—that feels so much better.”

Lin Yu, combing her half-dry hair, sat down next to Su Linxi.

“Wealthy families really do have different bathrooms.”

“Envious, are we? How about I pay to install one for you?” Lin Chu said, leaning over the back of the sofa, gently taking the comb from Lin Yu’s hand and beginning to comb her long hair.

“Sure, I’d love that.”

“Alright, once I get paid next month.”

Zhong Jing and Zheng Qiao, having changed, had already darted into the kitchen, likely curious about the evening’s food.

“Everyone, come help carry things down,” Auntie Wang called out from beyond the living room.

“Leave the heavy stuff for Jianren.”

“Whoa, why? Don’t I have human rights?”

Despite his protests, Li Jianren dutifully entered the kitchen first, carefully lifting what appeared to be the heaviest basin of meat and stepping onto the elevator.

Zhong Jing chose the lightest bag of vegetables, departing with a flourish, a stark contrast to Zheng Qiao, who carried a large platter of meat with one hand.

Their only commonality was the confident swagger with which they walked.

Zhong Tian carried the smokeless charcoal, which wasn’t particularly heavy, making it an easy task for him.

He and the first three descended to the beach, arranging the ingredients on the table under the parasol.

Zhong Tian placed the smokeless charcoal into the large barbecue grill, arranged it according to fire-starting guides he’d once read, lit the kindling, and opened the draft door at the bottom of the stove.

He re-secured the grilling rack, wiped his hands, and sat down to wait.

Smokeless charcoal took a while to burn; they should be able to start grilling around five-thirty.

Zhong Tian gradually grew excited, sitting in his chair and gently swaying his legs.

“Damn, it’s getting hot,” Li Jianren muttered, shifting back a little from the grill.

“They said late summer, but it’s still so scorching.”

“I think it’s fine,” Zheng Qiao said, skewering chicken drumsticks with an iron skewer, brushing them with sauce, and placing them on another plate.

By now, the others had also arrived with their food.

“Speaking of which,” Bai Ruijin said, setting down her ingredients and gazing at the distant sea, “won’t this area be submerged when the tide comes in tonight?”

“No, no, it won’t,” Li Jianren waved his hand dismissively, then eagerly grabbed two chicken skewers, about to place them on the grill.

“What’s the rush?” Zhong Tian intercepted his hand.

“The charcoal isn’t even lit yet.”

“Damn, I’m practically on fire, but the coals aren’t even lit yet!”

“I think you’ve just had too much air conditioning and can’t handle the heat.”

“Haha, boys always tend to be a bit more sensitive to heat…” Bai Ruijin said, taking a seat beside Li Jianren.

‘That probably has nothing to do with gender…’

Zhong Tian watched the burning kindling in the grill, remaining silent.

As he gazed intently at the grill, Chu Lenghu sat down beside him.

Seeing Chu Lenghu reminded Zhong Tian that he hadn’t given her a lesson in quite some time.

Last week had been a typhoon, and this week was the late summer beach party… it seemed he, as a so-called teacher, had been rather negligent.

“Lenghu, have you been practicing regularly?”

“Yes, I practice every day.”

“That’s very diligent,” Zhong Tian smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll be an excellent artist in the near future.”

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Mmm… I’ll come give you a lesson tomorrow, are you free?”

“Yes, tomorrow noon then.”

“Alright.”

Having set a time, Zhong Tian’s gaze returned to the grill.

He extended a hand to gauge the temperature.

“It should be ready.”

“Awesome!” Li Jianren’s eyes lit up, and he was the first to place his two pre-seasoned chicken skewers onto the grill.

Oil dripped from the chicken onto the burning kindling, causing a fierce flare-up that instantly engulfed the chicken in flames.

“Whoa, that’s burning, that’s really burning!”

He quickly moved the flaming chicken away, shifting it to a relatively “safe” spot.

Everyone took their favorite foods, placed them on the grill, brushed on seasonings, and waited amidst the crackling of the charcoal.

“Xiao Bai, hand me that bowl of honey.”

“Here.”

“Sis! You’ve got a fire starting over there!”

“This way it cooks faster.”

“That’s going to turn directly into charcoal…”

“It’s fine, Xiao Jing, ah—”

Zhong Jing raised her fist.

“Here, Old Zhong, have one of Old Ren’s secret recipe chicken drumsticks, delicious and filling.”

Zhong Tian took the chicken drumstick Li Jianren offered, which appeared cooked on the surface.

He used a knife to cut into the meat, revealing still-red flesh.

Li Jianren, meanwhile, had already taken a bite…

“Pleh! Pleh!” Li Jianren’s expression twisted.

“How is it still raw inside…?”

“Good thing I had a hunch.”

Zhong Tian chuckled, taking Li Jianren’s skewer and placing it back on the grill to continue cooking.

…… …