Chapter 87: The Foodie
At Qiao Mian’s signal, Bumblebee, acting as the guest host, announced the start of the bonfire party.
Standing before the towering pile of wood, Jazz drew his flamethrower and set the bonfire ablaze.
A group of little dinosaurs, balancing plates of various delicacies on their heads and backs, trotted over. The Dragon Maiden watched this scene in amazement, then took a plate of small cakes from atop one of the dinosaurs’ heads.
She picked up the tiny fork and brought a small piece of cake to her mouth; the sweet, rich flavor filled her palate.
“Delicious,” she said happily.
Liang Xiaoyu laughed and replied, “I made these especially for you.”
Most of these finished cold dishes had been provided by Liang Xiaoyu, with a few additional contributions from Wang Lang.
Beside the bonfire stood a barbecue rack, loaded with skewered chunks of meat and seafood—fish, turtles, and more—clamped in iron frames. Some of the meat had been purchased from outside, some sourced from within the park.
The Oviraptor, pressed into service as a temporary waiter, caught sight of one of its own kind, skinned and hanging nearby, and shuddered slightly. Its not-so-bright mind was awash with terror: was this what happened to those who didn’t work hard enough?
Hong Qigong, crouched nearby to watch the festivities, nimbly snatched the glass of clear liquor from the Oviraptor’s head and gave its rump an encouraging pat.
The Oviraptor’s tail went rigid and it scurried away.
It was Wang Lang who had done the skinning. He had volunteered for the job.
Confronted with these creatures—priceless outside this place—he felt a pang of discomfort. Every living thing here was more precious than a panda.
If any foreign country had managed to get its hands on one, they would have cared for it, drawn its blood for research, and cherished it as if it were a sacred ancestor.
Yet here, they became the most ordinary ingredients.
“Better eat plenty while I have the chance,” Wang Lang thought, slicing off the dinosaur’s reproductive organ and stowing it away. “These are delicacies others wouldn’t dare even dream of.”
He glanced at the pile of skins he’d prepared and set aside.
“Mr. Qiao probably won’t mind—I’ll take these with me as well.”
Meticulously, he finished skinning the “prehistoric” creatures, then handed the pelts to Guo Jing to clean and cut into pieces. Huang Yaoshi and the others handled the skewering.
Zhou Botong, Huang Rong, and Granny Sun, under Qiao Mian’s guidance, were grilling the meat over the fire, brushing it with oil and sprinkling chili and cumin.
The Transformers, unable to eat, were naturally disinclined to work. Instead, they sang and danced around the bonfire, helping to liven the atmosphere.
As for Sadako…
She was standing beside a few animals, watching as they swallowed whole pigs and sheep. Occasionally, she would chat with them.
She found these creatures to be purer, easier to approach—even after learning she was a spirit of yin and yang, none of them showed a trace of disdain.
They were worth befriending!
Especially King Kong—his powerful, wild demeanor was particularly appealing to her.
Qiao Mian was frequently pulled away by the Transformers for a chat. Occasionally, Hong Qigong and others toasted him, or the Dragon Maiden and Liang Xiaoyu would bring him freshly grilled food to sample.
Heavily salted and spiced, the flavor was excellent.
Watching everyone laughing and chatting, he felt thoroughly satisfied.
Sensing the time was right, he nodded to Bumblebee to begin the talent show.
He had already informed all the staff to prepare something in advance.
Liang Xiaoyu, seeing this, felt a spark of excitement. After getting Qiao Mian’s permission, she eagerly pulled out her streaming equipment from her bag and aimed it at the stage by the bonfire.
“Yu the Pirate is live!”
“What a huge bonfire! What’s going on?”
“Why is there such strange music?”
“Bumblebee! Is he performing with Jazz again?”
Liang Xiaoyu smiled at the barrage of comments in her stream and explained, “Tonight is the Fantasy Park staff bonfire party—all the official employees are here.”
Noticing someone had mentioned her, she shook her head, pride coloring her tone. “Of course, there are also two who aren’t official employees.”
She quickly approached Wang Lang, who was devouring various kinds of dinosaur meat, and turned the camera his way. “Would you mind saying hello to everyone?”
Wang Lang glanced toward Qiao Mian in the distance and nodded slightly.
He straightened his somewhat rumpled clothes and addressed the camera. “Hey everyone, I’m Wang Lang.”
“Director Wang!!”
“My dude Lang made it in, too.”
“Rabbit Nation is awesome.”
“I’m from Korea—Director Wang, can you tell us how to quickly immigrate to Rabbit Nation?”
“Lang, what are you eating? Your mouth is all greasy.”
“Haha, I just saw him holding a skewer—total foodie!”
“Are my eyes playing tricks, or did I just see a little dinosaur carrying food walk by?”
Wang Lang glanced at the messages and answered a few questions.
“If you want to join Rabbit Nation, just consult the immigration office. They’re pretty busy lately, so replies may be slow. We’re already working to resolve the staffing shortage.”
“Me, a foodie? How could I be a foodie—just look at my figure!”
“As for the little dinosaurs—they’re working part-time as waiters. We’re short-handed.”
“The meat? This—” Wang Lang waved the half-eaten skewer before the camera. “This is genuine dinosaur meat. Who knows if I’ll ever get another chance, so I’m making the most of it.”
“Dinosaur meat?”
“Damn, Lang is living the high life!”
“Director Wang, I’m from the Academy of Sciences Paleontology Institute—could you save some of the skins and bones you’re not eating for us?”
“Director Wang, I’m with Huafang Biotech—could you save some of your feces for us?”
“People are begging for poop online?”
Wang Lang bantered a bit more and signaled Liang Xiaoyu to move along.
She smiled at him, hesitated a moment, and then walked toward Qiao Mian, who stood with his hands behind his back by the bonfire, listening intently to Bumblebee’s roar.
“Mr. Qiao, would you like to say a few words to everyone?” She gazed at Qiao Mian hopefully.
When he looked over, his gaze calm as ever, her heart skipped a beat.
“All right,” Qiao Mian said.
Clenching her fist in excitement, Liang Xiaoyu aimed the camera at him and spoke earnestly, “This is Mr. Qiao.”
As Qiao Mian’s disguised face appeared on the stream, the comments erupted like a volcano, nearly freezing Liang Xiaoyu’s phone.
“So that’s what my husband looks like!”
“He’s nothing special, but I’m still swooning—what do I do?”
“I’m a guy, and I’m swooning too.”
“Husband, mwah!”
“You shameless fanboys and fangirls—how embarrassing! Dad, ignore them.”
“Dad, give me a ticket!”
“My screen just lit up—nearly blinded me—thought something happened, but it was just Mr. Qiao. He really does shine.”
“Grandpa, it’s me!”
Seeing this avalanche of flattery and attempts at familiarity, Qiao Mian couldn’t help but laugh.
He greeted everyone, chatted a bit about the future of Fantasy Park, and then signaled Liang Xiaoyu to move on to someone else.