Chapter 262 - 229: Roasted Whole Lamb

Chapter 262: Chapter 229: Roasted Whole Lamb

How did the logistics department store supplies?

That was simple!

"Cellars!" Zhou Qian had specifically gone to Zone 69 to ask around, only to get this answer. A familiar comrade scratched his head with a bitter smile. "What else could we do? We rarely had electricity before, and now we can’t afford the electric bills. After the catastrophe, let alone smartphones, humanity has practically regressed to the century before last."

After finishing his bitter smile, the man looked at him curiously. "Why are you interested in this all of a sudden? Weren’t you only concerned with frontline matters before? Also, you didn’t actually think the ice we use every summer to cool down the training halls is made daily by Superpower Users, did you?"

That really would be asking too much of the Superpower Users.

First of all, given their popularity, it was impossible for them to make a special trip to the Defense Army every single day.

Secondly, they wouldn’t be able to handle such a massive supply demand anyway. Freezing a large block of ice and continuously reinforcing it to preserve a goat or a pheasant for three to five days was doable. But to maintain such a massive training hall? How many people would that take?

"So, our battalion has ice cellars. Don’t tell me you never noticed?"

This really was...

Zhou Qian sighed. "We’re practically back in the Dark Ages." He genuinely hadn’t paid much attention to it; after all, just a few years ago, everyone was still blasting the air conditioning during the summer. Thinking of Huai Yu, who was still full of anticipation, he fell silent.

Unwilling to give up, he asked, "Who in the team knows how to dig a cellar? I’ll find some time to learn from them. I’m planning to dig one for my own home."

Huai Yu had planted so many vegetables, and they would need a place to be stored once harvested. Having a cellar would obviously be much more convenient.

The logistics comrade knew just who to find. "Give it some time... Aren’t you hosting a dinner? Just make them work together every time you treat them to a meal!"

Zhou Qian just smiled without saying a word.

No matter the era, the words "whole roasted lamb" held immense appeal. Now, it had a bunch of his brothers howling with hunger. Even when Zhou Qian reminded them to bring a bag of salt as a contribution for the meal, it didn’t dampen their joy in the slightest.

A mere bag of salt was nothing compared to roasted meat!

After some discussion, everyone exchanged their points for a bag of charcoal from the logistics department to bring along. Huai Yu had just arrived at Zhou Qian’s house when she heard people approaching joyfully from afar.

The next moment, the familiar faces who had come over for dinner last time greeted her. Then, they neatly tossed the black bags of charcoal onto the ground, quickly piling them into a small mountain.

Huai Yu was dumbfounded.

The men, however, were exceptionally carefree. "Sister, we don’t know the first thing about weaving baskets or whatever you mentioned, but we’ve got plenty of strength. Just boss us around however you need."

Someone else chimed in with a sigh, "A whole roasted lamb definitely needs to be cooked over a charcoal fire! This guy Zhou Qian used to act like a robot that only drank nutrient fluids back in the team. Now that he’s retired, he’s feasting on big fish and meat every other day... He hid it too well!"

"Exactly!" These words immediately sparked public outrage. "In all these years, he’s never treated us to a decent feast like this! Only after retiring does he finally think of us..."

Though everyone was riled up, their hands didn’t stop moving. While tidying up the courtyard, they wandered around, checking for any odd jobs that needed doing.

Huai Yu burst into laughter and didn’t stand on ceremony. "Then could you please wash that large bucket in the corner? Once I’ve prepared the seasoning later, the lamb will need to be marinated in it.

"Is there anyone else with strong arms? Help me sort out that bundle of metal strips and iron wire over there."

Roasting a whole lamb required something to prop the carcass open. These unused metal items had all been scavenged from the pile of rusty iron scraps Fen Da had scrounged up. Some even still had rust on them.

But in this day and age, who cared about that? As long as they were scrubbed clean and could be made do with, as long as it wouldn’t kill anyone to eat from them, it was fine.

She added, "I’m currently mixing the marinade for the lamb, and Brother Zhou Qian is prepping the meat. Later, could you guys take something and poke holes all over the meat?

"Otherwise, this lamb is simply too big. If we don’t pierce it thoroughly, the flavor won’t seep in, and it won’t taste good when roasted."

Every single task was related to tonight’s delicious feast. Everyone worked with brimming enthusiasm, filled with anticipation once again.

Meanwhile, Huai Yu was prepping the other vegetables.

This lamb was actually very large. A typical whole roasted lamb weighed around ten to twenty pounds, but the one she had obtained was a solid forty to fifty. Even after removing the internal organs and the hide, it was still much larger and meatier than a regular lamb.

But no matter how big it was, the group of men before her were a bunch of bottomless pits!

Last time, she had made so much food, and it had all been devoured without a crumb left. Relying solely on this one lamb to fill their stomachs now was clearly unrealistic.

However, it was too hot, and Huai Yu had no patience left to whip up any more elaborate dishes. She decided to just toss some potatoes, eggplants, and cowpeas into a single stew pot. Pairing the meat with the vegetables would be enough to casually fill their stomachs.

There were still a few brothers slacking off, looking around the courtyard and pacing back and forth outside. One couldn’t help but say regretfully, "If we had known, we wouldn’t have paved the indoor flooring so thoroughly. We could have helped you dig a cellar."

"Yeah. When the folks from the Construction Department came, they should have just built a cellar straight away. But if you need one now, us brothers have plenty of strength. We can help you dig it."

Whether the dug cellar would be sturdy or not, however, remained unknown.

Zhou Qian thought to himself, "I’ve never even cooked at home, so what would I hide in a cellar? That sparse patch of scallions and garlic outside?"

For now, he could only politely decline. "I don’t eat much, and I can’t store that many vegetables, so there’s no need to dig a cellar.

"Besides, digging a cellar requires specific techniques. Until I’ve learned how to do it properly, I won’t trouble you guys. Otherwise, you might dig a hole and end up collapsing my front door."

That was actually a real possibility, and everyone burst into boisterous laughter.

Chatting and working, once the atmosphere had reached the perfect peak, Zhou Qian suddenly asked, "When is your next deployment to the Wilderness?"

This wasn’t exactly a classified secret, so one of his comrades answered candidly, "The plants are highly irritable and hard to deal with in the summer, so we’ll probably avoid this period. We haven’t received any official notices yet, but I’m guessing the earliest will be September. If we don’t head out in September, it’ll be scheduled for November—pretty much the same as previous years.

"By the way, why do you ask?"

Zhou Qian shook his head and didn’t say anything.

He had originally intended to ask on Huai Yu’s behalf.

Since she was completely dead set on going to the Wilderness, the timing of her departure was obviously very important.

The fact that the Defense Army’s plans for this year hadn’t changed for now proved that the Meteorological Bureau’s forecasts were relatively accurate. If Huai Yu absolutely had to go, she could use this timeframe as a reference. A drop in temperature would be her only opportunity.

It was just...

Zhou Qian recalled the danger-ridden Wilderness and couldn’t help but feel another headache coming on.

This little girl was just like Ningning. She was obedient, sure, but when she got stubborn, not even a team of horses could pull her back!

If he didn’t make a plan beforehand, she might act impulsively out of anxiety!

Huai Yu had clearly heard this answer as well. She began to silently calculate in her head. She probably wouldn’t make it in time for September. So, if they set off in November, would she be able to see Lin Xuefeng before the New Year?