Chapter 914: 910. Having a Good Time (Please Subscribe and Vote with Monthly Tickets)

The five little ones had rolled up their pant legs and waded into the river, which gave Zhang Sicheng and the others quite a start.

"Mommy, I'm catching fish; I want to catch fish for you to eat." Susu raised her smiling face, flashing a sweet grin at her mother.

Taotao didn't worry about much else, burying his head to catch fish.

There were indeed fish in this small river, and quite a few at that; combined with the clear water, gentle current, and shallow edges, it was truly well-suited for catching fish.

He Yong had been slightly distracted just a moment ago and hadn't noticed them heading straight into the river.

Zhang Siyan and Zhang Sicheng hurried over, wanting to haul all the children out.

But for some reason, seeing the fish occasionally appearing in the river, plus the fact that the children were having such a good time, they suddenly felt a bit eager to try it themselves.

When it came down to it, the siblings had always lived in the city and had no real experience with rural life.

So when Zhang Ran finished tidying things up and looked over, he saw five children plus two adults all in the river, and the veins on his forehead began to throb.

However, seeing the excited expressions on Zhang Sicheng and Zhang Siyan's faces, which were just like those of children, the words he had been about to say stopped instantly.

"Do you want to go play? You can leave things here to us for now," Zhang Ran said, turning his head toward the others.

Feng Qingguo's father had a personality truly like a child's; in fact, he had been ready to go for a while but hadn't felt comfortable speaking up.

Hearing Zhang Ran say this, he said somewhat bashfully, "Is that appropriate? Leaving you to work alone?"

Though he said that, his expectant gaze had already betrayed him.

He had also lived in Shanghai since he was a child and had never had the chance to engage in such activities.

"It's fine, there are others here. Go have fun; since we're out to play, we should definitely be happy. If we're as constrained as we are in the office, we might as well not have come out at all.

Even though we aren't very familiar with each other, there's no need for that. Having a good time is the most important thing, and you can also help keep an eye on the children," Zhang Ran said with a smile.

Once Zhang Ran said this, Feng Qingguo's father could no longer hold back and ran straight over.

The others were also tempted, and having been persuaded by Zhang Ran, they all offered an apology and ran over as well.

Zhang Ran was right; since they were out to play, they should have a good time.

"Xiao Lu, you go play too; leave things here for me to handle," Zhang Ran said to Liu Lu.

"Forget it, I have no interest in this; I played plenty when I was little," Liu Lu said.

Feng Qingguo's mother was the same, while the other two mothers followed the others over.

Liu Lu and Feng Qingguo's mother were both from the countryside; although they were girls, they had actually done their fair share of wading into rivers to catch fish.

With so many people having gone over there, Zhang Ran called He Yong over and began preparing the barbecue.

The barbecue ingredients they had prepared were all of excellent quality, not just bought randomly from a wholesale store.

Things like beef skewers, lamb skewers, and lamb chops were the cream of the crop, perfect for grilling.

Liu Lu had started marinating them long ago, so now they were ready to be grilled.

"Mommy, look what I caught!" Susu suddenly shouted in surprise.

Zhang Siyan looked over instinctively, and immediately saw Susu holding up a soft-shelled turtle, shouting and yelling with an excited little look on her face.

Zhang Siyan was instantly delighted as well, hurrying over and joining Susu in her silly joy.

The others had also gained a little something during this time, each of them having a grand old time.

Just as they wanted to keep playing, their noses suddenly twitched, and they all looked toward the shore.

Zhang Ran was standing on the bank holding a few grilled meat skewers, eating them with great satisfaction; the sight of it was incredibly fragrant.

Coupled with the already overpowering aroma of the barbecue, it instantly hooked the cravings in their bellies.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I want to eat, I want to eat," Susu said urgently.

"Then come up here," Zhang Ran said with a smile.

Susu looked at the skewers in her grandfather's hand with some hesitation, then back at the river water at her feet, but she made her decision quickly—the smell was just too good.

"Zhang Shu, are you doing this on purpose to tease us?" Feng Qingguo's father asked.

Zhang Ran said, "You could say that."

"Alright, you win. Let's go, little ones, we're going up to eat." With a wave of his hand, he looked as if he were leading an army of thousands, full of spirit.

Feng Qingguo followed behind, overjoyed, shouting and yelling.

The other children were the same, a sight that made Zhang Sicheng and the other two fathers envious.

Especially seeing their own children following behind Feng Qingguo's father, they felt even more unsettled.

However, this side of themselves wasn't something everyone could express, so they could only endure it in silence.

Fortunately, delicious food soon arrived to comfort their wounded hearts.

"Zhang Shu, where did you buy these barbecue ingredients? Why are they so delicious? They taste better than anything I've had at those barbecue stalls," Feng Qingguo's father said, not forgetting to praise the food while he ate.

The others nodded along; the taste was indeed excellent.

As for barbecue, if you only smell it, it's basically all the same, since it all relies on seasonings.

But once you put it in your mouth, the difference is huge.

Setting aside the difference in skill, the rest comes down to the quality of the ingredients themselves; the quality Zhang Ran chose was top-tier, so the taste naturally wouldn't be bad.

Whether it was the texture or the flavor, everything in their mouths was superb.

"Haha, if it's good, eat more. We bought and prepared everything ourselves," Zhang Ran didn't say much else, just gave a simple explanation.

Feng Qingguo's father didn't ask further, eating with great delight.

As for the five children, they were shouting while they ate, which made He Yong, who was serving as the barbecue chef, very satisfied.

"By the way, honey, where is the food we prepared? Bring it out," Feng Qingguo's father said, suddenly remembering their own food.

"I forgot, I'll go get it now—no, you go get it, you're always ordering me around."

"Uh... I was just saying, I'll go right now."

"Hahaha."

Each family went to get the food they had prepared; although it wasn't anything precious, it was all prepared with care.

"Mm, this salt and pepper pork rib tastes quite good," Zhang Ran praised.

"Thank you, if you, Zhang Shu, like eating it, I can teach Liu Jie how to make it."

Liu Lu also said with a smile, "Then you really must tell me about it properly; look at all the people in our family, they all like eating the salt and pepper pork ribs you make."