The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 261 - 259: A Man’s Competitive Spirit

"I..."

He Chen was momentarily stunned, his face turning beet red.

Ye Manman’s words had tickled everyone eating meat beside them, making them laugh.

In an instant, the atmosphere became even more lively.

Except for He Chen’s face, which turned even redder.

Seeing he had finished the meat in his mouth, Ye Manman handed him more.

He Chen turned his head and stared at her gloomily, taking another big bite of meat.

"But the meat you grilled is really delicious. I absolutely love it!"

Ye Manman knew he was feeling shy, likely because of her earlier words that had made everyone laugh at him.

Realizing she might have overdone it a bit, she praised him sincerely.

"Hubby’s grilled meat is the best, come on, have a little more."

He Chen obediently swallowed the remaining meat on the skewer, but the flush on his face hadn’t faded.

There was no other reason; her words had just been so something, with everyone teasing nearby.

Ye Manman wiped her mouth and stuck her tongue out playfully at him.

"Hurry up and grill more, this delicious BBQ is making me want to eat several more skewers～"

He Chen could do nothing about her, gave a soft "Mm," and went back to grilling.

Meanwhile, Ye Manman was feeling a bit regretful.

It’d be great if they could have some lettuce right now.

With garlic, a bite of lettuce wrapped around meat with garlic would be incredibly delicious.

Unfortunately, lettuce wasn’t common in the market at all. When she asked the housekeeper to buy some, the auntie didn’t even know what that vegetable was.

Nothing could be done, so the meat would have to be eaten just like that.

Luckily, He Chen’s skills were truly great. The marinade was excellent, and the seasonings were well-matched.

After having two more batches of BBQ, Liu Jitong took over He Chen’s spot.

He had been watching from the side several times, thought it wasn’t difficult, and insisted on giving He Chen a break to let him try.

He Chen didn’t doubt his ability and handed over the position to him, going off to drink some water and rest, all the while chatting with Liu Gaoyuan and the old fishing man.

Soon, another batch of BBQ was ready.

Liu Jitong enthusiastically called everyone to come and eat.

Everyone obliged and grabbed a skewer each.

However, after a bite of this freshly grilled meat, everyone’s expressions changed distinctly.

Jiang Yuan looked at the skewer in her hand suspiciously and took another bite.

"Huh...why does Ji’s grilling taste so different with the same stuff..."

Cheng Yuan also sniffed the skewer in her hand, whispering softly.

"Seems a bit burnt."

Xia Yu’an was the most straightforward, "Not ’seems’, it is burnt."

"..."

He Chen finally managed to sit down to rest but stood up again.

He silently took the new skewer from Liu Jitong.

"Let me do it."

"..."

Liu Jitong was puzzled.

Unconvinced, he picked up a skewer and took a bite.

"...It really is burnt."

Looking at the two pregnant women, he felt especially embarrassed.

"You should avoid eating this, pregnant women shouldn’t eat burnt meat, it’s bad for health."

Jiang Yuan silently returned the skewer she bit twice to him, "Then you eat it."

Ye Manman silently handed the uneaten skewer to He Chen.

As He Chen was eating, she mischievously whispered to him.

"Lucky I didn’t eat it. I could smell something was off earlier, so I didn’t just eat it. His skills are lacking; your cooking is still the best."

No one else heard this whisper other than He Chen, who seemed overjoyed.

His wife only liked the food he made, how delightful.

Look, look, that’s the difference between men!

He subconsciously raised his chin slightly, as if silently flaunting his skills to Liu Jitong.

Liu Jitong was extremely frustrated and came over to watch him.

"What’s going on? I grilled it the same way you did, lifting it high when the fire was strong, bringing it low when it was weak, yet so much of it got burnt. I thought I did well."

He Chen smirked, "Some things require a bit of talent. Watch and learn slowly."

Liu Jitong: "..."

This show-off, he’s being almost inhumanly smug!

"When you’re done grilling this batch, let me try again. I don’t believe I really can’t do it!"

He Chen was indifferent, "Sure."

Men’s competitive spirit arises oddly.

Watching these two young guys compete over BBQ, the two old men quietly took a sip of their own tea.

"Ah, youth is wonderful."

"Indeed, back when we were young, we could argue over who picked the straighter stick. Time really waits for no one."

The two old men chatted away with no one interrupting, but their stories from the past were quite interesting. Everyone quietly listened and occasionally laughed.

Ye Manman gleaned a bit from their conversation.

She realized that in times of poverty and hardship, people seemed to experience contentment and happiness more easily.

Just like how the current time was compared to the developed modern days.

Perhaps in the modern era, one possesses everything, with food delivery at the doorstep anytime, and access to entertainment via computers, phones, and tablets. Traveling anywhere is just a ticket away.

Yet in modern times, people’s happiness levels are rather low.

Most people fail to find spiritual fulfillment, with solitude being prevalent, making happiness indices pathetically low.

In the current era, although doing anything is inconvenient, with travel mostly on foot or by bike, and at best a bus ride, people easily gather together.

Everyone may not be wealthy, with little money on hand and no high-tech devices, but calling friends together brings sudden and intense happiness and fulfillment.

Having spent nineteen dull and lonely years in the modern era, just one year into this time, her heartfelt smiles already outnumbered the previous nineteen years.

And in even earlier times that Liu Gaoyuan and others mentioned, during wars and upheavals where people were displaced and fought fiercely for a single meal.

Yet back then, just having a bowl of thin porridge with few grains could bring joy that modern happiness cannot compare to.

"Go on, go eat, I’ll grill the next batch."

Another batch of skewers was ready.

As soon as He Chen set the skewers on the plate, Liu Jitong shooed him away.

"This time I’ve got the hang of it; it won’t get burnt again."

Jiang Yuan grabbed two skewers, nodding while eating.

"Yes, I believe in you, Ji, keep it up!"

Cheng Yuan also grabbed a skewer, "Go for it!"

Xia Yu’an did the same, "Go for it!"

He Chen quietly took four skewers, giving one to Ye Manman, and kept three for himself.

No choice, he had a big appetite but ate the least, now feeling hungry.

Meanwhile, the girls had eaten four to five skewers each, nearly full, with only Jiang Yuan still managing another skewer, but he figured she’d be done after these two.

The two old gentlemen, Liu Gaoyuan and the other, were long tired of eating. After two skewers to satisfy a craving, they were just sitting there drinking tea and chatting.

So, whether Liu Jitong’s subsequent skewers were burnt or not didn’t make much difference.

The girls’ encouragement probably wasn’t heartfelt either.

The only genuine one might be him, who didn’t even voice encouragement.

Because the last ones to eat Liu Jitong’s BBQ could only be the two of them.

Of course, he hoped Liu Jitong could grill something tasty, to avoid ending up with a stomach ache once he got home.

However, Liu Jitong had no awareness of these considerations, thinking everyone honestly anticipated his skills and put in extra effort.

"Hmph, this time I’ll definitely do well."