Chapter 26: The Human World of Lights

"Mutton is here!"

Following a loud voice, a man in his 50s with gray hair but a spirited look walked out of the kitchen.

He placed a large iron pot on the table with a "thud." The mutton soup in the pot was still bubbling, and the air was instantly filled with the aroma of meat.

"Oh my, Old Uncle is bleeding heavily today! You boiled mutton?"

"That's right, isn't today to welcome the newcomer? We must have some face!"

Lin Xiaoman laughed, grabbed Old Uncle's arm and said:

"Xiao Yi, let me introduce you. This is our logistics team leader, Old Uncle! Our Old Uncle, he is both civil and military, and his cooking skills are also top-notch..."

Saying this, she smiled wickedly, whispered in Shi Yi's ear, and lowered her voice: "It's just that when you talk to him, you have to speak a little louder. His ears aren't good; it's said he was bombed by a mortar shell before..."

"Who are you saying has bad ears? I'm wearing my earplugs today!"

Old Uncle picked up the large iron spoon in his hand and knocked it heavily on Lin Xiaoman's head, "You two little girls hurry up and eat, or the meat will be snatched away in a while!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoman immediately picked up her plate.

"Old Uncle, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

Saying this, she reached out with her chopsticks toward the large iron pot, wanting to pick up two pieces of mutton and share one with Shi Yi, but she found that the mutton in the huge iron pot was already running out.

"... No, you bunch of hungry wolves, how many days haven't you eaten? The newcomer is here, and you don't know how to take care of her!" Lin Xiaoman said with her hands on her hips.

As a result, a whole table of people were lowering their heads to eat meat, and no one paid attention to her...

"It's okay... there are still so many vegetables..." Shi Yi pulled Lin Xiaoman's sleeve awkwardly.

Just then, Shi Yi and Lin Xiaoman's plates were each filled with a piece of steaming fresh mutton. It was the softest and tenderest mutton rib, looking mouth-watering.

"Eat up."

A gentle and deep voice sounded in Shi Yi's ear, "But remember, from now on, when you eat here, you have to snatch, especially the meat! Otherwise, you'll really only be able to watch others eat meat while you drink the soup."

Lin Xiaoman stuffed the mutton into her mouth while saying with a smile, "Brother Chen still thinks of me!"

Then, she turned to Shi Yi and introduced her with pride: "Xiao Yi, you've already seen this person this morning, he is our medical team's director, and also our team leader, Chen Mo. Brother Chen, back in China, is a big shot in the medical field!"

Shi Yi turned around and nodded to Chen Mo nervously.

"Doctor Chen, th... thank you."

Chen Mo smiled generously, "You're welcome, you're a newcomer, if you have anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me at any time. If you have any needs in life, just mention them. Although the conditions here are harsh, our team members' lives and health are basically guaranteed, you can rest assured about that."

Chen Mo looked to be in his 40s, with a dignified and handsome appearance, and a temperament that was calm and intimate. He gave the feeling of a reliable leader, and also like a considerate and gentle big brother.

Shi Yi felt a warmth in her heart. She hadn't experienced such care for a long time, "Mm, I know."

After speaking, she lowered her head and used a spoon to scoop a spoonful of the green salad on her plate. The taste was very strange, with the sweetness of fruit, mixed with the spiciness of chili and a faint salty taste, but the texture was as dense as grease. Shi Yi had never tasted such cuisine before and couldn't help but frown.

Lin Xiaoman looked at Shi Yi with a wicked smile from the side:

"How is it? This is our famous African dark cuisine, avocado with Lao Gan Ma."

Just then, a loud laugh came from the opposite side, "I actually think the taste is not bad!"

Saying this, the curly-haired young man used chopsticks to pick up a few pieces of avocado salad and swallowed them in one gulp.

Immediately after, he lowered his head and saw a piece of salad that had fallen on his plate. His eyes suddenly lit up: "Hey, Teacher Chen, look at the texture of this piece of avocado, doesn't it look like a duodenal ulcer?"

Shi Yi, who was chewing the salad, immediately stopped...

"Don't pay attention to him!"

Lin Xiaoman curled her lips and whispered to Shi Yi, "This person knows only how to disgust people all day long... His name is Wang Yang, he is also a doctor here, uh... he was also a top student at the Capital Xiehe Medical College back in China, but because of some reasons, he was exiled to our medical team, and now he is Doctor Chen's assistant..."

Wang Yang casually sent that "duodenal ulcer"-shaped avocado into his mouth and said leisurely, "What's there that can't be said, it was just a medical accident that killed someone, it's not a big deal."

Shi Yi:...

Killed someone... just?

However, Shi Yi knew in her heart that everyone had their own secrets. Without knowing the full picture, one shouldn't judge a person arbitrarily. If one had to impose a conclusion on a person, then she herself was nothing more than a "murderer."

"I also think this salad is quite delicious."

Shi Yi smiled slightly and took the initiative to scoop a large spoonful of salad and put it into her mouth, "Sweet and spicy, I like it very much."

Wang Yang looked at Shi Yi, who was chewing the avocado salad with her cheeks bulging like a little hamster, and laughed loudly.

"Our tastes are quite consistent, Xiao Yi, I've decided to make you my friend!"

Just then, a delicate voice sounded from opposite Shi Yi, filled with dissatisfaction, "What about me, Xiaoman-jie, why are you so biased, you just won't introduce me?"

"Oh, I was just about to introduce you!" Lin Xiaoman slapped her forehead, "This is our translator Zhou Yutong, she is a walking living dictionary, proficient in Swahili, Hakanuri, Sanghaifu something, Bantula something, and so on, we all call her 'Spell' Tong!"

A group of people at the dinner table laughed and started to make a fuss.

"Spell Tong, sounds pretty good!"

"That's right, little Spell!"

"Spell Xiao Tong!"

Zhou Yutong pretended to be angry and pouted, pushing up the thick glasses on the bridge of her nose, "Hmph, you only know how to bully me, be careful, I'll really cast a spell to curse you!"

Saying this, she turned her head and smiled slightly at Shi Yi:

"Don't learn from them! By the way, I'm two years older than you, you can just call me Xiao Tong-jie."

Shi Yi looked at Zhou Yutong and called out obediently:

"Xiao Tong-jie..."

"Hey!"

Zhou Yutong's lips curled high, and the smile in her eyes couldn't be hidden, "Our Xiao Yi is so well-behaved! Oh my, I suddenly discovered, you look so much like my younger sister..."

"Oh, don't be so cheesy. I've been here for 2 years, and I didn't know you had a younger sister, don't tell me you made it up on the spot!"

"So what, can't it be a cousin? Are you jealous!"

"Hahaha, you guys argue, I have the last piece of mutton!"

"Hey, it's mine!"

"Give it back!"

"Not giving it back, not giving it back! *Pfft, pfft, pfft*!"

Unknowingly, the night gradually deepened.

The night sky was like an overturned bottle of blue ink, tilting low, and the Milky Way drifted across the horizon.

Under the night sky, in a small courtyard, lights flickered, and bursts of laughter continued to emerge. ===== CHAPTER 27 =====