The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

Three yuan!

In those days when rice cost just over ten cents a pound, three yuan was an absolute fortune, more than an average worker's daily wage.

But when Qiao Xinxin heard this, her almond-shaped eyes shone like stars in the sky. She'd been here for so long, spending her days either working in a restaurant or at a bathhouse; she'd never had a proper barbecue in the wild before. Not to mention, there weren't any fancy camping sites like those in later generations; this kind of rustic outdoor barbecue was something to behold.

She turned her head, tugged at Lu Baizhou's sleeve, and looked up at him with her small face: "Brother Lu, shall we rent one too? We can grill some things to eat, since it's too late to cook dinner now anyway."

Lu Baizhou was quietly following behind her, but when he saw the little girl's bright eyes full of expectation, like a little kitten begging for candy, his heart melted instantly.

The restraint and coldness in his eyes vanished instantly, and his lips unconsciously softened as he said gently, "Fine, play if you want, whatever you say."

"Very good!"

Qiao Xinxin cheered and immediately turned to the young man in overalls, saying, "Comrade, give us a set too! Three yuan, right? Here you go!"

As she spoke, she took out three brand-new one-yuan bills from her small crossbody bag and handed them over deftly.

The young man took the money, spat on his fingers, counted it, and happily stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he deftly unloaded a tin grill from the vehicle, along with a small bag of charcoal, a bundle of bamboo skewers, and several small tin boxes filled with chili powder, cumin powder, and salt, and neatly arranged them on the grass for them.

Before leaving, the young man thoughtfully added, "You'll have to buy the meat and vegetables yourselves. Just keep walking along this main road, there's a market on the next street, about a ten-minute walk. They're still open, so hurry up and go!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Xinxin immediately put her hands on her hips and turned to Lu Baizhou like a little commander, instructing him:

"Brother Lu, let's split up in a bit. You go buy the meat, and I'll go to the market to see if there are any vegetables for sale. Let's work together to save time!"

Looking at her confident and spirited demeanor, Lu Baizhou couldn't help but smirk slightly. He straightened up, as if receiving a mission in the army, and nodded seriously: "I guarantee to complete the mission." After saying that, he strode off towards the vegetable market.

Qiao Xinxin wasn't idle either; she ran off to a nearby vegetable stall.

Although the market was almost closing time, the vegetables on the stalls still looked quite fresh. Qiao Xinxin picked and chose, buying a few bright green peppers, a handful of tender scallions that looked like they could be squeezed for water, two large round purple eggplants, and then weighing out two blocks of firm tofu from the tofu stall.

After thinking for a moment, she added two more golden corn cobs to the grocery stall next to her.

The vegetable vendor, seeing how sweet she looked, even gave her a fresh, large lotus leaf as a gift. Qiao Xinxin carefully wrapped the vegetables in the lotus leaf, clutching it to her chest like a precious treasure, and happily ran back home.

When she returned to the earthen slope, Lu Baizhou had already come back. He was squatting upright next to the grill, with an oil paper package tied with thick hemp rope at his feet, which looked quite heavy.

"Brother Lu, what delicious food did you buy?" Qiao Xinxin jogged over, put the lotus leaf bag on the ground, and curiously leaned over to take a look.

Lu Baizhou tore open the hemp rope, untied the oil paper package, and revealed what was inside.

"I bought a pound of pork belly and had the shopkeeper cut it up. I also bought a piece of fresh pork liver and a few sausages." Lu Baizhou pointed to another clean little lotus leaf package next to him, his voice steady.

Qiao Xinxin nodded in satisfaction and clapped her hands: "Not bad, not bad, you're efficient! Come on, let's skewer the meat and vegetables first."

The two of them squatted down next to the grill without any regard for their image.

Qiao Xinxin was skilled; after all, she worked in a restaurant every day, and her hands were quick and steady when she held the bamboo skewers. In just a few moments, she neatly skewered the eggplant, green peppers, and tofu.

As for Lu Baizhou, his large, calloused hands, originally used to hold guns, were now gripping thin bamboo skewers, his movements somewhat hurried. But he was extremely focused, his thin lips pressed tightly together, skewering pork belly and green peppers alternately, each piece spaced as precisely as if measured with a ruler.

Qiao Xinxin couldn't help but chuckle at his serious expression, as if he were dealing with some matter of national importance.

"Brother Lu, why are you skewering meat like you're deploying troops? You're so serious!"

Lu Baizhou touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly and said in a low voice, "It's my first time doing this, I'm afraid I won't skewer them evenly and they won't cook through."

"It's okay, I'm here!" Qiao Xinxin proudly raised her little face.

Once all the ingredients were skewered, Qiao Xinxin directed Lu Baizhou to light the charcoal fire underneath. Lu Baizhou frequently participated in field training exercises in the army, so starting a fire was a piece of cake for him. Soon, the glowing red charcoal fire was stable.

Qiao Xinxin neatly arranged rows of meat skewers and vegetable skewers on the iron grill.

"Sizzle—"

As soon as the pork belly touched the scorching wire mesh, the fat was instantly forced out by the high temperature, dripping down the seams onto the glowing charcoal, creating a small wisp of smoke with a smoky aroma.

Qiao Xinxin took a small brush and brushed a thin layer of sesame oil onto the ham sausage and eggplant. Then she picked up the spice box and skillfully sprinkled cumin powder and chili powder on top.

With a "whoosh," the domineering aroma, a blend of meaty, oily, and spicy cumin, instantly exploded across the open field, making one's mouth water.

"Brother Lu, quick, try this, it should be cooked!"

Qiao Xinxin picked up a skewer of pork belly that was slightly browned at the edges and sizzling with oil, and carefully offered it to Lu Baizhou's mouth.

Lu Baizhou paused slightly, looking at the meat skewers so close to his face, then at Qiao Xinxin's almond-shaped eyes filled with anticipation. He lowered his head, blew on her hand to warm it, and then took a bite.

The meat chunks are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the perfect combination of the juicy fat and the chewy lean meat, plus the stimulation of cumin and chili, bursting on the tongue instantly.

Lu Baizhou couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly and nodded seriously: "It's cooked, and it tastes especially good, even better than the braised pork made in state-run restaurants."

"Of course! Don't you even know who baked it?"

Qiao Xinxin was so proud of herself that her tail was practically wagging in the air. She quickly grabbed a skewer for herself and took a big, eager bite.