novelRona Chapter 533 Beginning
Chapter 533 Beginning
Lu You's home has a balcony, which is not very big, about the same size as a university undergraduate dormitory.
Three tables and an apple-shaped charcoal grill are just right.
The others busied themselves moving tables, chairs, and ingredients, while Lu You stood in front of the charcoal grill and began lighting the charcoal.
The task of carbonization may seem simple, but it is actually not difficult at all.
Lu You first put on heat-resistant gloves, unpacked the package, grabbed handfuls of walnut charcoal, and put them into the cylindrical ignition bucket. He estimated it to be about two-thirds full before stopping.
Then, Lu You brought over three blue alcohol blocks, placed them on the carbon rack, picked up the lighter, aimed the gun, and pulled the trigger.
Flames shot out, igniting the alcohol block.
Lu You grasped the handle of the ignition bucket, lifted it, placed it on the alcohol block, put one hand on his hip, and waited quietly.
The scorching heat continued to spread outwards, and the walnut charcoal at the bottom gradually changed color, shedding its dark outer layer to reveal a grayish-white inner layer, and releasing a crimson light.
When the walnut charcoal at the top also showed signs of changing color, Lu You gripped the handle of the ignition bucket again and poured out the walnut charcoal as if pouring water.
wow——
The walnut charcoal tumbled and scattered, sparks flying everywhere.
After emptying the ignition bucket, Lu You casually put it down, then picked up a bright silver charcoal rake, spread the walnut charcoal evenly, added a few more handfuls of new charcoal, placed it on the barbecue grill, closed the lid, and turned to look to the side.
The tables, chairs, ingredients, seasonings, and tableware were all ready, and the five of them sat around a long table with drinks in hand, ready to start eating at any time.
Seeing Lu You looking at him, Li Yu raised his right hand and waved it twice, "Brother, besides barbecue, do you have any other entertainment?"
"What kind of show do you want?" Lu You asked in return.
"You need to do something to pass the time, like role-playing games or board games, right? Or are you just going to wait for the food to be served?"
Tabletop RPG? Board game?
After a moment's thought, Lu You immediately understood Li Yu's purpose.
"You're keeping us in suspense. If you want to get everyone involved in your game, just say so."
Li Yu chuckled, no longer trying to hide it, and reached into her backpack at her feet to take out a small box.
The cartoonish packaging was unfamiliar to most people, but the words on it were recognizable.
"Truth or Dare?" Deng Rui read it out word by word. "I think we played this last New Year's Eve too."
"It's different. We play Ludo (a board game) for New Year's Eve, and the loser is punished," Li Yu corrected seriously.
"Punishment is essentially the same as Truth or Dare, so what's the difference? Why not come up with something new?" Lu You said speechlessly.
"You have to consider the masses, right? When I introduce something new, there will definitely be people who don't know how to play. Then I'll have to explain the rules and teach them step by step. Explaining and teaching will take at least an hour or two, and they'll have to eat in between. What's the point of playing then?"
After thinking about it carefully, Lu You realized that Li Yu's words made sense.
At a party, the most important thing is the atmosphere. Simple and easy-to-play games are more likely to be accepted, get people excited, and create a lively atmosphere.
"Okay, it's up to you."
Li Yu looked around at everyone and, seeing that no one had any objections, opened the box and took out three stacks of different types of playing cards.
"Let me explain the rules first. Before the game starts, the function cards are dealt evenly to each player. After the game begins, players take turns. Each player draws a sincerity card or an adventure card, completes the task on the card, and then passes their turn to the next player. That's the rule. Any questions?"
Deng Rui, who doesn't play many games, asked on the spot, "When do we use the feature chip?"
“Once you see the effect written on the card, you'll naturally know when to use it.” Li Yu then scanned the crowd. “Any more questions?”
Everyone shook their heads.
"Okay, I'll deal the cards. We'll decide who starts by playing rock-paper-scissors."
Li Yu first sent a card to herself, and then, in a counter-clockwise order, it was Deng Rui, Wang Linghua, Tang Wan, and Xu Nian's turn.
As they were about to complete a round, Li Yu paused and looked up at Lu You.
"Hey bro, are you coming or not?"
"You guys have fun," Lu You said, pointing to the charcoal grill. "I'll make you something to eat."
"It's your own fault for not coming, so don't say we're ostracizing you," Li Yu said, pointing at Lu You and issuing a disclaimer.
"It's okay, we're of one mind and body. When I'm playing, it's the same as when he's playing."
Hearing Tang Wan say this, Li Yu no longer had any concerns and finished distributing the remaining function cards.
There are 36 cards in total. Five players each receive five cards, and the extra card is discarded.
The five played rock-paper-scissors, and Deng Rui was the final loser, so he drew a card first.
"Can I draw both the True Feelings Card and the Adventure Card?"
"Yes."
After receiving confirmation from Li Yu, Deng Rui's gaze lingered between the two decks of cards for a moment before he drew a "True Feelings" card and slammed it onto the table.
Tell me about something that has left a deep impression on you.
Deng Rui's mind subconsciously replayed the scene of Wang Linghua biting chopsticks in the kitchen not long ago.
It's hard not to remember your first time.
However, this matter was destined to remain buried in one's heart and could not be spoken aloud.
"The most memorable thing...this year's Spring Festival! Years ago, my mother was in poor health. In order to treat her illness, my father borrowed a lot of money from relatives, but he couldn't pay it back in time. As a result, when he came home for holidays, he didn't dare to lift his head or speak loudly."
Until last year's college entrance exam, I ranked second in the province, received a scholarship, and was able to pay off my debts all at once. This year, when I went home for the Spring Festival, my back was straight, and I spoke with more energy. Relatives and fellow villagers who previously didn't treat our family well were all incredibly welcoming, visiting us whenever they had free time.
Lu You could empathize to some extent, but not much.
Deng Rui truly emerged from his predicament. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and came from a wealthy family. Among his many relatives, only his grandfather disapproved of him, but he only expressed his disappointment and did not treat him differently.
Li Yu patted Deng Rui on the shoulder and said, "After hardship comes happiness, and life will be better from now on."
Deng Rui smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."
Wang Linghua wanted to ask Deng Rui's mother what illness she had, but she was too embarrassed to ask, so she simply held back and waited for the right opportunity.
The game proceeds counter-clockwise, and it's Wang Linghua's turn next.
After a slight hesitation, she made the same choice as Deng Rui: to draw the truth card.
The truth is at most a story that's hard to tell, but if you do something embarrassing in a dare, it might be a lifelong trauma.
Flipping the card over and taking a closer look, Wang Linghua's expression changed drastically.
"I want to use the function card!"
Wang Linghua selected one of the five function cards in her hand and slammed it down on the table along with the sincerity card.
"What kind of 'True Heart' card is so scary, making you use a function card right at the start of the game?" Tang Wan leaned forward and looked closer.
Draw a new card.
If you and your best friend both fall for the same person, would you choose to back out?
Tang Wan's lips twitched.
This is a very sensitive issue; using a functional designation is the right approach.
Wang Linghua drew a card again, and it was still the "true" card.
The sensitivity of this issue is much more normal.
What was the worst time you ever cried?
“When I was in fifth grade, my Brazilian tortoise, which I had raised for two years, died, and I couldn’t stop crying. I cried as I dug up the soil in the pot and buried it. If I remember correctly, I cried from 3 p.m. until I fell asleep at 6 p.m. and slept until the next morning. Since that day, I have never kept a pet again.”
Separation from loved ones and death are inevitable hardships in life.
Lu You thought of her own big orange cat, which she had taken home almost five years ago.
Five years is not a short time for humans; it's enough for Trump to step down and come back to power, let alone for a cat.
Lu You didn't know how much longer it could stay at home, so she decided to live one more day at a time.
The heavy atmosphere lasted for two or three seconds before being broken by Tang Wan.
"My turn, my turn! None of you dare to draw the adventure card, so I'll go!"
Tang Wan rolled up her sleeves, reached into the deck of Dare cards with her right hand, drew a card, and read out the contents of the card.
"Say something cheesy to any player? So easy!"
Tang Wan turned her gaze to Lu You, first giving him a flirtatious wink, then blowing him two kisses.
"Mua, mua~ Honey, I love you~"
Lu You smiled but didn't say anything.
What could he say?
With four friends in front of you, you can't even flirt with them.
"Ahem." Xu Nian coughed twice to break the cloying and awkward atmosphere. "It's my turn."
Xu Nian didn't hesitate much and drew the Dare card.
She had thought it through beforehand: with her boyfriend present, dares would be better than truths.
Truth or dare is easy to get exposed, while you can barely withstand it by being shameless.
As he stared at the words on the cards, Xu Nian's face gradually darkened.
"What's wrong? Did you draw bad cards?"
Li Yu noticed the change in Xu Nian's expression and craned his neck to get a closer look.
Choose any player and accept their punishment.
Li Yu smiled, a bright and cheerful smile.
He put his arm around Xu Nian's shoulder and said, "Baby, you should understand who to choose, right?"
"Anyway, I won't pick on you." Xu Nian pushed Li Yu away, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
"You're just always saying one thing and meaning another."
Li Yu grabbed the top of the adventure card, trying to steal it.
Xu Nian gripped the bottom of the adventure card to stop it.
After a brief stalemate, Li Yu, being stronger, finally managed to snatch the Adventure card and slam it down on the table.
"Elbow, come inside with me and accept your punishment!"
"I'm not going!"
"I can't help you!"
The two pushed and shoved each other back to the living room, then turned the corner of the hallway and disappeared.
Soon, half a minute passed.
The two reappeared, one looking refreshed and the other blushing.
Deng Rui and Wang Linghua wisely kept quiet.
"Where did you two go?" Tang Wan nudged Xu Nian with her elbow and asked meaningfully.
Xu Nian brushed his hair aside, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "Children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
"My child? I and..."
Tang Wan originally wanted to say that when she and Lu You were having sex, Xu Nian and Li Yu had probably just started holding hands.
But then I thought, matters of the bedroom are a private matter between husband and wife, how can they be made public?
"Fine, I can guess even if you don't tell me."
Half a minute later, his pants were pulled down and pulled up, and that was it. At most, he'd give her a kiss and get his hands dirty.
Let bygones be bygones, the game continues.
"My turn, Doro!"
Li Yu brought her index and middle fingers together, pinched a card with a delicate, flower-picking gesture, and then suddenly pulled it out.
She was still angry after punishing Xu Nian, so she couldn't draw the risk card and give Xu Nian a chance to punish her back.
Li Yu flipped the truth card over and read out the words on it.
"Which do you like more, Dad or Mom?"
Li Yu smiled dismissively and threw the "True Feelings" card into the discard pile.
"Do you even need to ask? It's definitely my mom!"
Xu Nian gritted her teeth; she was unwilling to accept this!
Why did she get a bad hand while Li Yu got a good one?
"Again! I'm going to get you tonight!"
The first round of the game has ended, and the second round has begun.
Lu You withdrew her gaze and stopped watching.
He's the head chef tonight, and everyone's stomachs are waiting for him to fill them.
Lifting the lid of the charcoal grill, a wave of heat hits you, and the bottom of the grill is already glowing red.
The temperature is suitable; you can start baking.
Lu You nodded to himself, set up the barbecue grill, grabbed a handful of chicken skewers, spread them out, and flipped them over from time to time.
Soon, the meat changed color.
Lu You quickly brushed oil onto the meat and sprinkled on the seasonings.
The oil and water mixture dripped continuously, sizzling as it came into contact with the red-hot walnut charcoal, releasing a fragrant aroma. (End of Chapter)