Chapter 43: A Roast Whole Lamb Carnival

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: A Roast Whole Lamb Carnival

An amateur relies on fancy gear. At least, that was what Liang He believed. That was why she often bought a variety of kitchen supplies—pots, pans, and bowls she might or might not ever use—which naturally included a roasting spit for a whole sheep.

Anyway, the new kitchen had a super ventilation system, so there was no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning from the charcoal fire.

Eating mutton in the winter was highly nourishing, but having nothing but roast whole sheep would be a bit too heavy. Therefore, Liang He planned to use the leftover parts to make mutton soup and stir-fried mutton.

"Liang He, how about you make some mutton skewers too? I was craving them so badly when I watched Huo An eat them last time."

Mutton skewers. That was the very first Blue Star delicacy Liang He had treated Huo An to after they first met.

"Sure. Will you guys lend me a hand, then?"

Liang He naturally wouldn’t refuse such a reasonable request.

"Of course!"

"No problem!"

As long as there was good food involved, Xu Yi and Hoder were incredibly enthusiastic and worked exceptionally hard.

Normally, a suckling lamb was required for a proper roast whole sheep, but given their limited conditions, Liang He had to make do.

"Originally, roasting a whole sheep requires boiling the spices first, dry-rubbing it for forty minutes, and then soaking it in a marinade for at least twelve hours."

However, they didn’t have enough time for that now. Liang He could only score the mutton a few more times with her knife so the marinade would seep in as quickly as possible.

She finished the marinating and soaking process at top speed before moving on to prepare the other three dishes.

"Could you guys please help me prepare the seasonings and slice the meat?"

Liang He wrote down the sauces needed for the roast sheep and the ingredients for the other dishes, dividing the tasks between Xu Yi and Hoder.

As for the large leftover mutton bones, Liang He steamed them to give Cedriel and the others an extra meal.

While the three humans bustled about, the Beast Beasts stayed right by their side, occasionally even helping Liang He fetch things. They were so well-behaved it was almost unbelievable.

"Boohoo, roast whole sheep... I want to eat it too! Director, how about you put in a request with the head chef in the kitchen?"

"Xu Yi and Hoder are too cunning! They actually got Liang He to cook them a special meal. That’s going too far!"

"If I had known, I would have studied to become a Veterinarian too. Now I don’t even have an excuse to go freeload food and drinks!"

The staff in the control room were drooling just looking at the screen.

Especially when Liang He fried the spices for the roast sheep in hot oil, mixed in various seasonings to make a sauce, and brushed it over the marinated mutton—even before it started roasting, they could tell it was going to smell absolutely divine!

"Alright, Hoder, tie this sheep onto the roasting spit."

Compared to Xu Yi, who rarely exercised, Hoder was much more reliable for this kind of physical labor.

"You got it! Leave it to me, don’t worry!"

Hoder would never turn down anything related to food.

"What about me? What should I do?"

Xu Yi felt too embarrassed to just stand around waiting, so he quickly tried to prove his worth.

"Later, Hoder will need to watch the charcoal fire, so Doctor Xu can help turn the spit and brush on the oil."

She had bought a manual roasting spit, so the rack holding the sheep had to be turned by hand; otherwise, the bottom would burn before the top was even cooked.

"Okay!"

With the tasks distributed, everyone was in high spirits and threw themselves into the work.

Liang He set the mutton soup to simmer first before she began threading the mutton skewers.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Right in the middle of their busy prep, a knock came from the door. With her hands covered in oil, Liang He had to call on the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle for help.

"Cedriel, Lanton, get the door!"

The Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle, who frequently "ran away from home," coordinated flawlessly on a trivial matter like opening a door.

"AWOO!"

"SCREECH!"

Finally given something to do, the tiger and the falcon hurried to open the door, too lazy to even care who was knocking.

"Good evening, Cedriel, Lanton."

Liang He looked up at the sound of the voice, feeling a bit surprised. It was Huo An.

"Governor Huo, what brings you here?"

Ever since their private chat last time, Huo An hadn’t visited again. His arrival today was a rare occurrence.

As soon as the door opened, Huo An had caught a whiff of the rich, savory aroma. He smiled immediately.

"I followed the scent. Can I crash your dinner?"

Since he was here to freeload a meal, it meant no talk of work.

Liang He had just been worrying that she was making too much dinner for three people to finish. With Huo An joining them, their overall eating capacity had finally increased a bit.

"Of course you can. Come on in, Brother Hao."

Calling him Governor Huo one second and Brother Hao the next—truly worthy of Station Chief Liang, who always drew a clear line between public and private affairs.

Seeing Xu Yi and Hoder busy at work, Huo An felt it inappropriate to just sit and wait for the meal, so he quickly stepped in to help Liang He.

As a result, Liang He, the supposed head chef, found her spot usurped by three kitchen novices. She had to stand by and offer guidance, though the feeling of leisurely directing others was actually quite enjoyable.

"The roast whole sheep will take another hour or so. Let’s pad our stomachs first."

Using the charcoal fire from the roasting spit, Liang He cooked the mutton skewers first. While she was at it, she fetched a jar of homemade fruit wine from the storage room and poured each of them a glass.

"This fruit wine is delicious! It tastes miles better than nutrient solution!"

"Is that how you compliment someone? How can nutrient solution even compare to Liang He’s fruit wine? It’s not even close!"

Xu Yi and Hoder had barely taken a sip before they began showering Liang He with free-flowing praise, making her feel a little embarrassed.

"I’m just messing around. The wine from my hometown tastes better than this—much, much better."

Perhaps the atmosphere naturally made her homesick. Once the topic shifted to Blue Star, Liang He couldn’t quite stop talking.

Huo An and the others sat there eating mutton skewers and drinking mutton soup while listening to Liang He’s stories about Blue Star. With a few fluffy animals resting beside them, it was a picture of peaceful, idyllic tranquility.

"Alright, the roast sheep should be about done. I’ll go take a look!"

Her mouth dry from all the talking, Liang He estimated the time and got up to check on the roast.

The excitement of a long-awaited delicacy finally being served made Xu Yi and Hoder jump to their feet as well, following her to witness the birth of a masterpiece.

"Wow! It smells incredible!"

The moment she lifted the lid of the roasting spit, the unique, mouth-watering aroma of the roast whole sheep instantly burst forth, enveloping the entire kitchen.

The golden-brown skin of the roast sheep was so perfectly crisp that every slice of Liang He’s knife produced a satisfying SIZZLE, tempting Xu Yi and the others into swallowing hard.

"Hurry, hurry! Let me do it! I can’t wait any longer!"

After watching Liang He make a few cuts, Xu Yi decided he had already mastered the technique. He immediately took over, utilizing his excellent knife skills to swiftly carve up nearly half of the roast sheep.

"Don’t rush, we still need to sprinkle some cumin on it."

Seeing that they were impatiently preparing to eat straight with their hands, Liang He quickly stopped them to prevent them from burning themselves.

The three grown men obediently hovered around the dining table, waiting eagerly for Liang He to feed them. Even the three Beast Beasts were lured over by the aroma.

"AWOO!"

"MEOW!"

"SCREECH!"

They wanted to eat too!

"Stop whining, you guys can’t eat this."

There were too many spices on the roast sheep, which would be bad for the fluffies’ health. Liang He wasn’t the type of parent to blindly spoil her children.

"Then can we eat now?"

Seeing Liang He still lecturing the three Beast Beasts, Hoder felt like his hair was going to turn white from waiting.

"Ah? Of course you can."

Liang He was momentarily stunned by Hoder’s question before belatedly nodding.

The moment the words left her mouth, three pairs of hands darted out with a SWISH SWISH SWISH. In the blink of an eye, nothing but a few scraps remained on the platter.

"How does it taste?"

It was Liang He’s first time making a roast whole sheep, so she wasn’t entirely confident.

However, a second later, their reaction put her completely at ease.

"Delicious! I want more!"

After Hoder bounced out of his chair and dashed toward the roasting spit, Xu Yi closely followed suit. Even Huo An was waiting on the sidelines with his bowl and chopsticks in hand.

It wasn’t until the entire roast sheep was devoured down to the bones, and the fruit wine and side dishes were wiped clean, that they finally patted their stomachs and collapsed onto the floor in a messy pile, dead to the world.

At this time, those who were restless and lurking with malicious intent also began to make their move.

"ROAR!"