Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 267 Skills Learned from Bing

"Autumn Outing", but the weather in Shanghai is still hot.

Early in the morning, the bus arranged by Huo Dashan was waiting at the South Gate.

No one was late, and everyone was already there more than ten minutes early.

All purchased items, food and drinks were counted and placed in the luggage compartment, including the food in Xu Chen's office refrigerator.

As soon as Xu Chen got in the car, he hid in the back seat, lowered his seat, and prepared to take a nap.

I stayed up very late last night thinking up ideas for the advertising competition.

Once the "brainstorming" starts, it is easy to get so excited that you can't sleep.

Fortunately, it is not a boring thing in itself, and it is fun to let your imagination run wild.

There were bursts of chatter coming from the front row; a group of girls were chatting excitedly, unable to hide their excitement.

Hong Xiaoqiang, my roommate, got on the bus, saw Xu Chen in the back seat, and walked over to sit next to him with a smile.

Xu Chen jokingly said, "There are two girls sitting alone in the front, why don't you go and grab a seat?"

Hong Xiaoqiang: “I am very introverted.”

Xu Chen: “I didn’t see that.”

……

Squad leader Min Siyi and deputy squad leader Huo Dashan were the last to get on the bus. They counted the heads again and the bus was ready to set off.

Our class teacher Shi Dinghai also participated in today's event, but he drove there by himself so there was no need to wait for him.

The bus was really shaking as it headed north of Shanghai.

Huo Dashan acted as a tour guide, holding the microphone to liven up the atmosphere. After telling some awkward jokes, he gave a brief introduction to the destination.

The activity was arranged on Chongming Island, and we chose a forest park where we could have outdoor camping and barbecue.

Even though half of the students were originally from Shanghai, there were still a large number who had never been there, so they generally felt it was fresh and exciting.

……

At this time in 06, the Yangtze River Tunnel had not yet been completed and opened to traffic. If you wanted to travel to Chongming Island for sightseeing, you could only go to the pier at the mouth of the Yangtze River and take a ferry.

The bus quickly got on the elevated road, but it still took more than an hour to reach the passenger terminal at the entrance of the stone cave.

Xu Chen had already woken up from a nap, but when he was about to get off the bus, he woke up amidst the noise.

I turned my head and looked out the window, and saw that we had reached the suburban countryside, surrounded by a mixture of rice fields and industrial plants.

I heard the sound of a ship's whistle and knew we were approaching the dock.

I lined up and followed the crowd out of the bus, and then I smelled the cool scent of water vapor.

This is the estuary, where river water and sea water are mixed.

Looking up, you can see the dock and the Yangtze River estuary in front of you.

I heard a few classmates from Shanghai chatting and they said that the "Shidongkou" here is relatively remote and there used to be many industrial and transportation ships.

In most cases, you should go to the other "Baoyang Wharf" or "Wusongkou Wharf" and so on.

In his conversation, he was actually complaining about the unreasonable transportation arrangements, disliking the remoteness and desolation of the pier, and the extremely unreasonable route arrangements.

Xu Chen was speechless. There were still some difficult-to-serve "little fairies" who complained about this and that.

Xu Chen had also been to Chongming Island in his previous life.

But that was a few years ago, and the Yangtze River Tunnel had been built, so I didn't take the ferry, but drove directly to the island with my friends.

So at this moment, Xu Chen had no idea about the situation at these docks, and didn't know whether what those local ladies were discussing was true.

However, Huo Dashan, who was responsible for arranging the itinerary, was obviously in a thankless job and was subjected to some disgust and complaints behind his back.

The luggage compartment of the bus was opened, and several boys gathered around it, carrying or hugging various foods, supplies, etc., which were still quite heavy.

Under the leadership of classmate Huo Dashan, after some more trouble, we finally boarded the ferry.

There is still a lot to see at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Standing at the place where the river breeze and the sea breeze meet, Xu Chen also felt refreshed, comfortable and relaxed.

……

After landing on the island, two small buses were crammed with everyone.

After another half an hour of hard work, we finally arrived at the forest park, our destination.

Xu Chen and other boys went to carry things, and Huo Dashan happened to come over to help.

Xu Chen couldn't help but patted Huo Dashan on the shoulder and said:

"Thank you for your hard work. It's such a hassle to come to this island. Just arranging transportation is a hassle."

Huo Dashan was stunned for a moment, but his expression was somewhat moved, and he spoke in a low voice:

"Some people even complained that I didn't arrange it well! Alas...

Xu Chen, you are still a good brother who can understand others. "

Xu Chen showed a helpless smile and reached out to pat Huo Dashan on the shoulder.

He really felt some sympathy for Huo Dashan. As for the transportation schedule, it would not be an easy task for anyone to arrange it.

What's more, Huo Dashan is not a local and is not familiar with the place.

……

The original plan was to hold a social activity in the morning and then camp for a barbecue at noon.

But by the time we entered the forest park, it was almost noon.

The class committee had a brief discussion and decided to make flexible adjustments, arranging a camping and barbecue first so that everyone could fill their stomachs before going out to have fun.

A group of students also agreed with both hands and happily ran to the "barbecue area".

Stoves, charcoal, firewood and the like are all purchased within the forest park and cannot be brought in from outside.

It’s a little expensive, but the forest park made this arrangement for safety reasons.

There are two boys in each group, so the task of lighting the fire and barbecue naturally falls on the boys.

Chen Wenyi held a lighter and firewood, looking embarrassed and not knowing how to start.

Su Rong, He Sisi and a group of other girls were even more at a loss.

Seeing Xu Chen coming over with a bag of drinks, Chen Wenyi seemed to have finally found a savior and said:

"Xu Chen... can you do this?"

Xu Chen put down what he was holding and said with a smile:

"Let me do it……"

In fact, Xu Chen didn’t know how to do it at first.

I lived in the countryside when I was a child, but I was too young to make fire.

When I was a little older, I moved to town and built a new house and kitchen, both of which were equipped with gas stoves...

Last month, at the Xie family’s old house in Nanhe Village, Xu Chen finally learned this “skill”.

At that time, Xu Chen wanted to boil a pot of well water to try, but he didn't know how to light the stove in the main room. Xie Bingran was very familiar with it. He used a match to ignite the dry firewood, and when the flames were lit, he added a suitable amount of charcoal...

Wait until the charcoal fire underneath is red hot and ignited before covering it with another layer.

Xu Chen saw it all and kept it in mind.

Mainly, it’s Xie Bingran’s every move.

It looks simple, but there are actually some tricks involved.

In fact, at the end of last month, Xu Chen missed Xie Bingran a little, so he secretly went to the roof of Xie's house and slept for a night.

That day he was craving for the sweet well water, so he boiled a pot of water for himself, which also helped him practice and consolidate his stove-lighting skills.

……

At this moment.

Xu Chen faced the barbecue grill, charcoal fire and dry firewood without any psychological pressure.

He lit the fire with almost no effort.

A few minutes later, Xu Chen's charcoal grill started to burn first.

After setting up the barbecue grill, Xu Chen turned around and said with a smile:
"Let's grill it! This charcoal is enough to burn for about an hour!"

The other groups seemed to have run into trouble, and seeing that this place had already caught fire, they came over to learn from them:

"How do I light this stove? It's so frustrating..."

"Go ask Xu Chen, he's an expert!"

Xu Chen laughed and helped to light the two barbecue grills next to him without any complaints.

……

The ingredients are all good, but it is obvious that everyone’s cooking skills are limited.

It's either too salty or too bland, not cooked or mushy...

But after all, I made it myself, so I still ate it with gusto and had a lot of fun.

Talk and laugh.

When we were almost done eating, our class teacher Shi Dinghai arrived.

Several groups then asked him to join. Shi Dinghai laughed, but was finally pulled over by Huo Dashan.

……

This is a specially designated camping and barbecue area in the forest park.

Unified management is also for the safety of the entire park.

There are staff and various fire-fighting equipment around, so any problems can be dealt with in a timely manner.

In addition to the people in Xu Chen's class, there were also some other tourists who were barbecuing. They were all enjoying the meal amidst the smoke.

A middle-aged man came over and said to Xu Chen with a smile:
"Young man, can I borrow some salt from you? I forgot to bring it here."

Xu Chen smiled and took out a can of new salt from the bag on the ground:

"It just so happens that we bought too much and can't use it all."

"Thank you, young man!"

The middle-aged man had a kind face. He took out his pocket and handed over a cigarette.

Xu Chen waved his hand: "No."

The uncle smiled, put the cigarette in his mouth, said thank you and walked away.

……

……

After more than an hour of barbecue, we finally ended happily.

Then they carried some drinks, snacks, balloons, kites and the like, and walked towards the lawn together with laughter.

Everyone found a large empty area and sat down around it.

Fortunately, there was a big cloud in the sky, which just blocked the scorching sun, and there was a cool breeze around us. It was a blessing from God and it was cozy and comfortable.

The social event was hosted by "Cultural and Art Committee Member" Su Rong.

She stood in the middle of the lawn, announcing the performances of each group.

Chen Wenyi, Pei Qian and other admiring boys below showed an infatuated and obsessed look on their faces.

Xu Chen took a break, quietly stepped out, and went to the bathroom nearby.

Fortunately, there was no roll call, and several roommates could cover for me.

……

I urinated quickly, washed my face with cool water, and felt refreshed.

I walked forward a few steps and came under a big tree, where I stood for a while to enjoy the cool air.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of conversation beside me.

Xu Chen tilted his head to take a look and found that it was the middle-aged man who had just come to borrow salt.

He and another middle-aged man were chatting while each holding a cigarette.

The two men looked to be in their 40s or 50s, and it was unclear whether they were colleagues or friends.

From the side, we could see that both of them had rosy faces. They must have drunk quite a bit of wine during the barbecue at noon.

The conversation between the two after drinking drifted into Xu Chen's ears.

"I just saw those college students. Why are they so happy and carefree..."

"Middle-aged men like us may have forgotten what happiness is..."

“Sometimes I wonder, what is the purpose of living?

Every time I open my eyes, I am faced with problems and distress, and I can’t tell anyone…”

"It's not that there are eighty-one difficulties in this life, it's that there are eighty-one difficulties every fucking day!"

……

Xu Chen remained silent.

Thinking back to my past life, when I was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, I can actually relate to what I felt...

Turning his head, I saw the uncle at noon taking a puff of cigarette and said in a deep voice:

"A lifetime only lasts a few decades, and I've already survived most of it.

Just grit your teeth and it will pass..."

Xu Chen was silent for a while, but whispered to himself:
"interesting."

……

(End of this chapter)