Chapter 322: Barbecue

Chapter 322: Chapter 322: Barbecue

Frost Shaw saw him and waved him over. "Hey, come on up and eat with us!"

Old Man Keaton squinted at him. After a long moment, he started walking in his direction but couldn’t find the RV’s door. Seeing this, Frost Shaw came down to lead him up.

His eyes widened in amazement. There was no door before him, yet any spot could become one.

Night had fallen. Having already eaten lunch, Lily Hart wasn’t in the mood for a full dinner and suggested a barbecue instead. She couldn’t help but fantasize, ’It would be amazing if someone could get a barbecue stand as a drop someday.’

’Then I could go freeload off them every day.’

The reason for the barbecue was her surprising discovery earlier that day: the RV’s roof could actually open.

Once opened, the third floor transformed into a spacious terrace. Having a barbecue up here, eating while gazing at the stars and the moon—it would be pure bliss.

There was no need to worry about the cold wind, either. The interior of the RV was completely climate-controlled, and they could now adjust the temperature as well.

So, the group gathered the grill, skewers, meat, vegetables, seasonings, tables, and stools, and took the elevator up to the third floor.

The elevator completely bypassed the second floor, leaving its appearance a mystery. Lily Hart was really appreciating the benefits of having an elevator.

Old Man Keaton, the straggler, followed them up. Lily Hart, who was sitting on a small stool waiting for the food, couldn’t help but let out a "Yo!" when she saw him. "Sims finally decided to come out of his cave?"

"My name is Simon Keane! Not Sims!" he stressed again, his frown deepening the wrinkles on his face.

"Alright, alright. Simon Keane," Lily Hart said with a laugh, deliberately emphasizing his name. She added casually, "That’s a nice name, you know."

The faint smile on Simon Keane’s face faltered for a moment, and his expression stiffened. He quickly masked it, however, letting out a couple of small laughs.

Lily Hart’s sharp eyes caught the change. ’A faint suspicion formed in her mind,’ but she just smiled.

Two grills were set up to the side, where Roman Rowe, Seth, and Owen Warren were working furiously. The area was so thick with smoke it was hard to see what was going on.

Soon, Owen Warren came over holding a half-cooked meat skewer. He offered it to Lily Hart and said curtly, "Eat."

Lily Hart gave it a disdainful look, frowning and shaking her head. Just then, Roman Rowe came over carrying a handful of skewers. He presented them to her cheerfully, announcing with great joy, "Boss Hart! The first batch is for you!"

Owen Warren said nothing, silently nudging his skewer a little closer. Even someone as dense as Roman Rowe could sense something was off and pushed his skewers forward as well.

Their eyes met, and you could almost see sparks fly between them.

Roman Rowe took the offensive. "Boss Hart, eat mine! I grilled it perfectly. Look at this meat, look at that sheen, and just how evenly I sprinkled the cumin!"

He even tattled on Owen Warren. "Look at his! It’s not even cooked. You can’t eat that, it’ll give you diarrhea!"

"What do you know?" Owen Warren retorted stubbornly. "This is how it’s supposed to taste!"

’Nobody understands,’ he thought. ’Zombies usually just gnaw their meat raw. That’s when it’s most delicious. The fact that I even cooked it to medium-rare means I put in a lot of effort...’

Lily Hart took the skewers from Roman Rowe’s hands, then took the one from Owen Warren’s as well.

She smiled at them and brandished the handful of skewers she could barely hold. "Alright, alright. If it’s meat, I’ll eat it."

Roman Rowe was easily placated. He shot a disdainful glance at Owen Warren before skipping happily back to the grill.

Lily Hart carefully avoided Owen Warren’s skewer, feigning nonchalance as she picked one of Roman’s to eat.

But then Owen Warren plopped down on the small stool beside her. He had to draw his long legs up, looking awkwardly cramped.

He propped his chin on one hand and watched her. "Hurry and eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold."

His gaze was locked right on the skewer he had grilled, absolutely determined to make Lily Hart try it.

’It’s not good to begin with,’ Lily thought.

But she didn’t want to crush his confidence, so she just said, "I’ll eat it in a bit."

Owen Warren nodded, seemingly understanding. "Alright then," he said, as if making a great concession.

He didn’t leave after saying that. He just sat there uncomfortably on the little stool, propping his chin on both hands and staring blankly at the grill.

Frost Shaw came over too, holding a skewer with a chicken wing. "Here, try this. I grilled it."

Lily Hart’s hands were already full. She looked up at Frost Shaw helplessly, her meaning obvious.

"Pfft..." Frost Shaw chuckled, placing the chicken wing on a plate on the table in front of her. "Make sure you eat it."

Lily Hart looked at the skewers in her hands, then at the plate in front of her, where all sorts of grilled food were piling up into a small mountain.

She sighed helplessly. ’What am I going to do? I can’t possibly eat all of this...’

Cynthia Whittaker sat beside her, her face shiny with grease from all the food. Her big eyes glistened with what looked like tears of joy, her expression one of pure bliss.

"Lily, this is so good! I’ve never had barbecue this delicious in my entire life!" Cynthia Whittaker exclaimed.

"You must have been starving," Lily Hart commented, glancing at her.

She’d even devoured the one Owen Warren had grilled.

"Huh? I’m not hungry, it’s just really, really good!" Cynthia Whittaker said, her words muffled as she eagerly stuffed more food into her mouth.

Lily Hart laughed. "Then have some more." As she spoke, she casually pushed the plate a little closer to her.

Frost Shaw sat on the other side of the grill, watching her through the hazy smoke.

He saw her push the plate toward Cynthia Whittaker. The only thing on that plate had been the chicken wing he’d just given her...

A shadow crossed Frost Shaw’s eyes. He quietly lowered his head and started eating a skewer, which now tasted like ash in his mouth.

Cynthia Whittaker finished the skewer in her hand and reached for the chicken wing on the plate, a smile spreading across her face again.

"Lily, this chicken wing is delicious too!"

"If you like it, have more." Lily Hart gave her half of the skewer she was holding.

One after another, grilled green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, baby napa cabbage, and corn were brought over.

The two of them sat on their little stools, eating and eating. At some point, Leo Colby suggested they have some alcohol.

Lily Hart was just about to agree when Frost Shaw, Roman Rowe, and Owen Warren all immediately shook their heads in refusal.

With Boss Hart’s alcohol tolerance, she’d be out cold after just two beers. And when she got drunk, she became a completely different person.

She’d become quiet and withdrawn, her mind would go blank, and she’d just seem dazed and silly, like a little kid.

The majority ruled, so everyone had to content themselves with soft drinks and skewers.

By the end of the barbecue, the person who had clearly enjoyed the food the most was Old Man Keaton, who had been sitting in a small corner the whole time.

He treated it like a buffet, going over to the grill to grab more food as soon as he finished what he had.

He was considerate enough not to be greedy, taking only a modest portion at a time, bringing it back to his little corner to eat before going back for more.

When they started cleaning up, Lily Hart discovered a huge pile of empty skewers in the trash can next to Old Man Keaton—even more than she and Cynthia Whittaker had eaten combined.

Lily Hart smiled to herself. ’No wonder I barely saw him all night. He was hiding over here, pigging out.’

She looked up at Old Man Keaton, who was walking ahead of everyone, his back straight and his gait still unhurried. ’Oh well,’ she thought, ’if the old man likes to eat, let him eat.’

The elevator wasn’t very big, only fitting about five people. Lily Hart went down first with a few others, leaving Frost Shaw and the rest to clean up upstairs. After the barbecue, she felt like she reeked of smoke.

She frowned and sniffed her sleeve. Cynthia Whittaker noticed and asked, "Lily, what are you smelling?"

Lily Hart told her why. Cynthia Whittaker leaned in and took a sniff herself, a blissful, satisfied smile spreading across her face. "What are you talking about? It smells amazing! It’s the delicious smell of grilled meat!"