Chapter 364 - 361: Barbecue

"Oh, my Jiaojiao had some bad luck today. She took those foreigners out to sea for fun, and who would’ve thought they’d run into that damned thing? Good thing she had the killer whales with her. They worked together and took care of it."

"An octopus that big... An old man like me has never seen anything like it. And its size! If it hadn’t lost a few tentacles, it must’ve weighed at least three or four hundred pounds."

"A single tentacle was over four meters long."

"Can’t sell it, no way. We have a big family, and those foreigners are eating with us too. Jiaojiao’s master and teacher are also coming. If we sell off a piece here and a piece there, we won’t have much left for ourselves."

Mr. Yun chatted with the villagers in his booming voice, answering their questions with gusto.

Granny Yun thought, ’This old man is really getting to be more and more of a show-off.’

She then turned to chat with a group of other old women.

"Hah, it wasn’t that easy. That thing squeezed my Jiaojiao until she was black and blue. It broke my heart just looking at her."

"They’re planning a barbecue. You should all come. I’ll make sure you each get a skewer or two."

A full meal wasn’t possible, but they could definitely manage some barbecue skewers.

The people of Bailong Village had gone from being jealous of Yun Jiao’s good relationship with the killer whales to feeling nothing but admiration.

Jiaojiao was truly capable. She wasn’t the only one who had rescued the beached killer whales, but they just happened to take a liking to her. Others had tried to get close, but the whales paid them no mind. That’s just how fate works.

Besides, Yun Jiao was generous. Even after she started making money, she still thought of the villagers.

Just the expansion and renovation of the village temple had brought a lot of benefits. Whenever there was a festival to worship Mazu, the Dragon King, or other immortals, they could make a good bit of money just by setting up stalls—much easier than fishing at sea.

Most people were grateful; they remembered the kindness Yun Jiao’s family had shown the village.

That was why when Mr. Yun and Granny Yun came out to show off a little, the villagers were envious but held no ill will.

Those who did have bad intentions would have coveted the Yun family’s fortune regardless of whether they showed off or not.

Mr. Yun and Granny Yun made a loop around the village. Having shown off to their hearts’ content, they also invited a few of the families they were close with.

In the afternoon, Yun Jiao, Meng Hui, Daniel, and the others had a simple bite to eat, most of which was takeout Daniel had picked up from a restaurant in town.

He had driven, and his car was loaded with all sorts of seasonings needed for the barbecue.

"Here, here! I brought the chefs! I brought two of them!"

It was the first time the two chefs had ever seen such a massive octopus, and for a moment, they just stared with wide, shocked eyes.

"Holy cow. I’ve been a chef for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this."

"Let’s draft a menu first."

Everyone got busy. When it was time to wash the octopus, the family’s largest basin wasn’t even big enough.

The village chief and the other families who had been invited for the meal didn’t stand around either; they all eagerly pitched in to help.

"Jiaojiao."

Yun Jiao turned her head toward the doorway. It was Yun Sui.

She immediately raised her little arms and waved, giving Yun Sui a happy smile.

"Yun Sui, come over here! Have a pancake, it’s a meat-filled one."

Although Daoist Qingfeng cultivated the Dao, different sects had different rules. Buddhism prohibits alcohol, meat, and worldly desires, but Daoism didn’t have as many restrictions.

Of course, some Daoist sects did have similar rules, but the one Daoist Qingfeng belonged to did not.

He himself often ate meat and drank alcohol.

Yun Sui, dressed in a small Daoist robe, had been studying under Daoist Qingfeng for some time. He actually looked more like a young Daoist than Qingfeng himself, who was often a bit sloppy.

He was one clean and handsome young Daoist.

However, the moment he saw Yun Jiao, the stern expression on his little face immediately melted into a goofy smile.

Following behind Yun Sui, Daoist Qingfeng clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It’s hopeless, hopeless. Silly apprentice, what did I tell you? If you don’t want to be bullied, you have to keep a straight face. With that one smile, all my recent teachings have gone to waste."

Hearing this, Yun Sui quickly put on a stern face.

But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to smile, and for a moment, the expression on his handsome face became slightly contorted.

Yun Jiao burst out laughing, "Hahaha!"

Yun Sui looked utterly wronged.

Yun Jiao cleared her throat. "Here, Yun Sui, have a pancake."

Daoist Qingfeng said, "Silly apprentice, go ahead and smile if you want to now. Just don’t be smiling so goofily when we get back."

"Mhm, I know, Master."

He quickly ran to Yun Jiao’s side, sat down with her, and began munching on the pancake.

His eyes were as clear and pure as a young child’s.

"Look! The giant octopus my sister caught. Big enough for you?"

Yun Xiaowu stood with his hands on his hips. "You’ve never seen an octopus this big, have you? It’s a good thing it was my sister. If anyone else had run into an octopus this size, it would’ve been dangerous."

He looked so proud, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he’d caught the giant octopus himself.

Yun Sui, however, nodded earnestly. "Jiaojiao is amazing."

In his heart, Yun Jiao had always been the most amazing person, just as amazing as his own grandpa.

Of course, there was now one more amazing person in his heart: his master.

"Jiaojiao, hurry and tell us, how did you catch this giant octopus?"

Yun Jiao glanced over at Daniel, who was gesticulating wildly a short distance away as if telling an epic story.

He was, in fact, recounting the scene of Yun Jiao, the killer whales, and the Humpback Whale working together to fight the octopus monster.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know Chinese, and out of the torrent of gibberish he was spouting, very few people could understand a word.

Daniel was so frustrated. ’Here I am, pouring out all my excitement, and no one understands me!’

’Eva and Barry were there, so there’s no sense of accomplishment in telling them,’ he lamented.

Yun Jiao gave a simple explanation, but she didn’t have a talent for storytelling, so Yun Xiaowu and the others found it rather unsatisfying.

As the sky darkened, Yun Linhai and the others ran an electrical wire and a light bulb outside.

When the switch was flipped, the round bulb cast a warm, yellow glow.

The light bulbs they had weren’t very high-wattage, but with the moon in the sky and a lively crowd, everyone was incredibly excited.

When the irresistible aroma of the barbecue wafted out, the children were the first to give in, running over to circle the grill.

A crowd had also gathered outside their house, made up of both adults and children.

The barbecue was all on bamboo skewers. Besides the octopus meat, they were grilling other things as well.

Things like shrimp, squid, oysters, and fish like small yellow croakers and pacific saury.

The smaller fish were contributed by Ah Wang.

The other guests didn’t come empty-handed either; they all brought a little something, be it vegetables, meat, or other things.

"Xiao Wu, take these barbecue skewers and hand them out to everyone."

The skewers had all been prepared in advance, and several people were grilling them together.

With one skewer dangling from his mouth and a handful in his hand, Yun Xiaowu went with his younger brothers to distribute the food.

Every villager who came got a skewer or two.

Yun Jiao handed the skewer in her hand to Yun Zhaodi.

"Here. Take a few more for Sister Pan Di, too. And don’t you dare eat them all yourself."

Yun Zhaodi replied, "I won’t."

She looked at Yun Jiao, the person she had once envied and been jealous of, with a complicated expression.

"Thank you. And... I’m sorry about before."

After saying that, she ran off.

Yun Jiao was in a good mood. ’Ever since Sister Pan Di took charge of their household, she’s put a lot of effort into correcting Yun Zhaodi’s behavior. She’s even going to school now, and her temperament is much better than before.’