Dinner: Barbecue Buffet
Dinner was a barbecue buffet.
Four individuals per table, eighty each—not too pricey, but since it was an electric grill rather than charcoal, it lacked that smoky flavor.
Lin Nan’s classmates had reserved the entire outdoor barbecue area. Beneath their feet was concrete, but the surroundings were lush with trees and distant rolling mountains, making for a somewhat idyllic grilling experience.
Lin Nan, however, wasn’t too keen on barbecue, especially not a buffet where the risk of upsetting her stomach was high.
She gathered a table with her old friends, but buffet grilling was tricky; Chen Yao may have learned to cook, but barbecue was still uncharted territory for him. The group fumbled around like amateurs, ending up with either charred or undercooked food.
The grilling was slow—each chicken leg or wing took nearly twenty minutes to sizzle to perfection.
Tu Junhui, acting as the “chef,” took the most advantageous position, clutching a skewer of lamb and beef while charmingly inquiring of Lin Nan, “Did Kexin say anything nice about me after setting up the tent? Like how Tu Junhui is handsome, dashing, and takes charge?”
“She said you’re so fat, it’s hard to believe you can move so swiftly.” Lin Nan made up a response on the fly.
In reality, Lin Kexin thought Tu Junhui was merely there to help Lin Nan, with herself being a convenient tagalong.
“Hey, that’s kind of a compliment, right?” Tu Junhui beamed, passing a few likely-to-be-cooked skewers to Lin Nan, his chubby face plastered with eagerness. “Did she say anything else?”
Lin Nan happily accepted the skewers, contemplating for a brief moment before spinning another tale: “She said you’d definitely look handsome if you lost some weight.”
“Isn’t that the truth!” Tu Junhui, all smiles, handed Lin Nan even more skewers.
Lin Nan couldn’t finish the heap of skewers and split them with Chen Yao, but Xiong Da sulked, “What about me?”
Ever since he’d gotten close to that girl, he’d been all expressions, a far cry from his usual stoic demeanor.
These days, you could catch him staring at his phone, suddenly breaking into a goofy smile. The once cold iceberg had morphed into a lovesick puppy.
“Don’t worry; there’s still plenty!”
“By the time you grill it, I’ll starve to d*ath.” Xiong Da jumped up, grabbing another batch of skewers with plans to cook them himself.
Feeling good today, Chen Yao had even pitched in with some buddies to buy a case of beer, merrily indulging.
Lin Nan usually stopped him from drinking or smoking, but today she glanced around and saw half the guys were drinking, and about a third of the girls were too. Especially Lin Kexin, who had downed five or six bottles after just half an hour of barbecue.
You’d never guess the proper girl hid a party animal beneath that exterior.
Now it seemed drinking had become the norm, as college students of both genders appeared unfazed by it.
Lin Nan nibbled on her skewers and sipped cola, turning to Chen Yao with a warning, “Don’t drink too much.”
“I know, just treating it like a drink to go with the barbecue.”
“Who are you sleeping with tonight?”
Zheng Qian had forbidden the opposite s*x from sharing tents, and there were only a couple of couples among their classmates, so Lin Nan found herself set to bunk with the girls.
She had hardly shared sleeping quarters with a girl in her life, and now she felt oddly nervous.
Chen Yao pointed to Xiong Da. “With Xiong Da.”
“What about Tu?”
At this question, Tu Junhui’s chubby face fell, reflecting his gloom. “Still haven’t found anyone…”
Lin Nan sighed dramatically, conjuring up pity for Tu Junhui. “Seems like nobody wants to sleep with you. Why don’t they like you so much?”
“Quit talking like that; you’re making it weird—I feel chilly even in this summer heat.” Tu Junhui grumbled, looking even more downcast.
He was probably the heaviest guy in class; although he got along well with everyone, it was also why everyone knew he snored like a freight train when he slept.
Those snores would be earth-shattering, and with Tu having indulged in a few drinks today, it was anyone’s guess who’d be unfortunate enough to share a tent with him.
“I’ll just sleep in my own tent, thank you very much,” Tu Junhui muttered, clearly miffed, feeling neglected by the rest of the class.
Lin Nan scanned her surroundings and spotted Zheng Qian not far away. A thought struck her. “Tu, why not ask to sleep with the counselor? It would be strange if he got a tent all to himself, right?”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Chen Yao agreed without hesitation.
Tu Junhui pondered and figured Zheng Qian wouldn’t refuse him, so he grabbed a bottle of beer and bounded over to talk to Zheng Qian.
In just ten minutes, they had drained two bottles, arm slung over each other’s shoulder, appearing as if they were long-lost brothers. Zheng Qian seemed to have agreed to Tu’s proposal.
Two hours later, after the barbecue, Chen Yao was slightly tipsy, but Tu Junhui was swaying and nearly tripped over his own feet. In a flurry, a few classmates, with Zheng Qian’s help, shoved him into the tent.
Looking at that scene felt a bit like watching Tu Junhui get drunk and thrown into the lion’s den, didn’t it?
The two hours of barbecue hadn’t filled Lin Nan up, but buffet time had arrived, leading her to begrudgingly stand up with Chen Yao.
It was already seven or eight in the evening.
The mountain top saw fewer visitors, with only those like Lin Nan gearing up to camp or stay in nearby inns wandering around in the dark.
Lin Nan specifically checked into a short-stay room at the inn, took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, feeling refreshed. Then she pondered whether she should just spend the night in the inn instead.
But camping with her classmates had its own charm, too.
Waiting for Chen Yao to shower and check out, the two eventually made their way to the camping area.
By now, over twenty tents had formed a circle. Students were seated within, huddled together—chatting or playing games. The lights were dim, and the nearest streetlight was a good ten meters away, with nearly everyone swatting at mosquitoes buzzing around them.
Feeling suddenly shy about joining the fun, Lin Nan retreated to her tent, unzipped it, and peeked inside to find Lin Kexin sitting on a thin blanket inside.
Even in summer, wearing clothes and hiding out in a tent wouldn’t usually lead to chills, but Lin Kexin had brought a duvet of her own.
“Aren’t you going to hang out with them?” Lin Nan asked, squatting outside the tent, “Where did you get that duvet? I thought all you packed was a backpack.”
“It’s a compression bag! After sucking the air out, it rolls up neatly and doesn’t take up space.” Lin Kexin swayed a bit from the alcohol and added proudly, “I also brought three power banks, two mosquito repellers, and mosquito spray. Tonight, not a single mosquito will get in! If I stay up late playing games, the power banks will last long enough!”
That girl was incredibly well-prepared! She flipped her backpack upside down, shaking out a mountain of quirky little gadgets.
“This is a compressed towel; just add water and you can wash your face! And here’s a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste I snagged from a hotel…” She sorted through the mini mountain, introducing each item to Lin Nan.
Suddenly, Lin Nan realized, sharing a tent with her sounded pretty great.
If she were with Chen Yao, they’d have to fight over a power bank, and he wouldn’t be as thoroughly prepared.
She instantly betrayed her boyfriend and climbed excitedly into the tent. “Lend me a power bank!”
