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. Even more than ten minutes early, everyone was already there.
All the purchased items, food and drinks were inventoried and placed in the luggage compartment, including the food in the refrigerator in Xu Chen's office.
Xu Chen got into the car and hid in the back seat, lowered the seat, and prepared to squint for a while.
It was still very late last night when I came up with the idea for the advertising competition.
Once the "brainstorming" starts, it is easy to get excited and unable to sleep.
Fortunately, it is not a boring thing in itself, and there is also a lot of fun in the wild.
There was a burst of "chirping" from the front row, and a group of girls couldn't hide their excitement and chatted.
Hong Xiaoqiang, who was in the same dormitory, got into the car and saw Xu Chen in the back row, so he walked over with a smile and sat next to him.
Xu Chen said jokingly: "There are two girls sitting alone in front, why don't you grab a seat?"
Hong Xiaoqiang: "I am very introverted."
Xu Chen: “I didn’t see it.”
……
Squad leader Min Siyi and deputy squad leader Huo Dashan got on the bus last, nodded their heads again, and then set off.
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 swaying as it headed north of Shanghai.
Huo Dashan acted as a tour guide, holding a microphone to liven up the atmosphere, telling some jokes that were not embarrassing, and then gave a general introduction to the destination.
The activities were arranged on Chongming Island, and we chose a forest park where outdoor camping and barbecues can be held.
Even though half of the students are originally from Shanghai, there are still a large number of people who have never been there and generally feel fresh and excited.
……
At this time in 2006, the Yangtze River Tunnel had not yet been completed and opened to traffic. If you wanted to go to Chongming Island for sightseeing, you could only go to the pier at the Yangtze River Estuary and take a ferry.
The bus quickly got on the elevated highway, but it took more than an hour to reach the passenger terminal at Shidongkou.
Xu Chen had already woken up from his sleep, and when he was about to get off the bus, he woke up amid the noise.
Turning his head and looking out the window, he saw that he had reached the boundary of the suburban countryside, surrounded by rice fields and industrial plants.
The whine of the ship's whistle came in my ears, and I knew I was approaching the dock.
After queuing up and getting off the bus with the large group, we could smell the cool water vapor.
This is the outlet to the sea, which means that the river and sea water are mixed.
Looking up, I saw the dock and the Yangtze River outlet in front of me.
I heard a few local classmates in Shanghai chatting, saying that the "Shidongkou" here was relatively remote, and there used to be many industrial and transportation ships.
In most cases, you should go to another "Baoyang Pier" or "Wusongkou Pier".
In his words, he was actually complaining about the unreasonable transportation arrangements, hating the remoteness and desolation of this pier, and the extremely unreasonable route arrangements.
Xu Chen was a little speechless. There were still "little fairies" who were difficult to take care of. Some of them disliked this and that.
Xu Chen also visited Chongming Island in his previous life.
But it had been a few years ago, and the Yangtze River Tunnel had been built, so instead of taking the ferry, I drove directly to the island with my friends.
So at this moment, Xu Chen didn't know the situation at these docks at all, and he didn't know whether what the local ladies were discussing was true.
However, classmate Huo Dashan, who was responsible for arranging the itinerary, was obviously doing a thankless job and suffered some dislike and complaints from behind.
The luggage compartment of the bus opened, and several boys took the initiative to surround it, carrying or hugging various foods, supplies, etc., which were still a bit heavy.
Under the leadership of classmate Huo Dashan, after some more troubles, we finally boarded the ferry.
There is still a lot to see at the Yangtze River estuary.
Standing at the intersection of the river breeze and the sea breeze, Xu Chen also felt refreshed and comfortable.
……
After landing on the island, two minibuses packed this group of people.
After another tossing and turning, half an hour later, we finally arrived at our destination, the Forest Park.
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 all the hard work. Coming to this island is so troublesome. Just transportation arrangements are troublesome work."
Huo Dashan was stunned for a moment, but his expression was a little moved, and he said in a low voice:
"There are still people who complain that my arrangements are not good! Hey...
Xu Chen, a good brother like you is still considerate. ”
Xu Chen showed a helpless smile and reached out to pat Huo Dashan on the shoulder.
He also really sympathized with 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 he is somewhat unfamiliar with the place.
……
The original plan was to hold a social event in the morning and then have a camping barbecue at noon.
But after entering the Forest Park, it was already approaching noon.
After a brief discussion, the class committee decided to adjust flexibly and arrange a camping and barbecue first so that everyone could fill their stomachs before going to have fun.
A group of students also raised their hands in approval, and happily rushed to the "BBQ area".
Stoves, charcoal, firewood, etc. are all purchased within the forest park and cannot be brought in from outside.
It's a little more expensive, but the forest park is arranged this way for safety reasons.
There are two boys in each group, so the task of lighting the barbecue naturally falls on the boys.
Chen Wenyi held a lighter and firewood, looking embarrassed and not knowing what to do.
Su Rong, He Sisi and other girls were even more at a loss.
Seeing Xu Chen walking over with a load 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:
"I'll do it..."
In fact, Xu Chen didn't know much about it originally.
When I was a child, I lived in the countryside, but I was too young at the time and had never had anything to do with setting fires.
When I grew up, I moved to the town and built a new house and kitchen, all equipped with gas stoves...
Last month, Xu Chen finally learned this "skill" at the Xie family's old house in Nanhe Village.
At that time, Xu Chen wanted to boil a pot of well water to try, but he couldn't light the stove in the main room. Xie Bingran is very familiar with it, holding a match to ignite dry firewood. When the flame is ignited, he spreads an appropriate amount of charcoal...
When the charcoal fire underneath is red and ignited, another layer is covered.
Xu Chen saw it all and remembered it in his heart.
Mainly, this is Xie Bingran's every move.
It seems simple, but there are actually tricks.
In fact, at the end of last month, Xu Chen missed Xie Bingran a little, so he secretly went to sleep on the roof of Xie's house one night.
That day, he was also greedy for the sweet well water, so he boiled a pot of water to drink, which was considered as a practical improvement of his stove-burning skills.
……
At this moment.
Xu Chen faced the barbecue stove, charcoal fire, and dry firewood without any psychological pressure.
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
He lit the fire almost effortlessly.
A few minutes later, Xu Chen's charcoal oven was the first to start burning.
After setting up the barbecue rack, Xu Chen turned around and said with a smile:
"Let's grill! This charcoal is enough for about an hour!"
The other groups seemed to be in trouble. Seeing that the place was already burning, they came over to learn from it:
"How do you light this stove? I'm so worried..."
"Ask Xu Chen, he is an expert!"
Xu Chen laughed and worked tirelessly to help light up the two barbecue grills next to him.
……
The ingredients are all very good, but everyone's skills are obviously limited.
It's either salty or bland, either undercooked or mushy...
But after all, I made it with my own hands, so I still ate it with relish and it was full of fun.
Talking and laughing.
When we were about to finish eating, the head teacher Shi Dinghai arrived here.
Several groups pulled 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 that if any problems arise, they can be dealt with promptly.
In addition to the people in Xu Chen's class, there were also other tourists having a barbecue. It was filled with smoke but they all had a good time.
On the way, a middle-aged uncle 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 new unopened jar of salt from the bag on the ground:
"It's just right. We bought too much and can't use it all."
"Thank you very much, young man!"
The middle-aged man had a kind face, took something out of 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 again and walked away.
……
……
After more than an hour of grilling, we finally ended happily.
Then they carried some drinks, snacks, balloons, kites and the like, and walked to the big lawn together with laughter and laughter.
Everyone found a large empty area and sat around.
Fortunately, there were big clouds in the sky, which just covered the scorching sun, and there were cool breezes all around. It was a blessing from the gods, and it was comfortable and comfortable.
The social activities were hosted by "Literary and Art Committee" Su Rong.
She stood in the middle of the lawn, previewing the programs of each group.
Below, Chen Wenyi, Pei Qian and other boys who admired her looked infatuated and obsessed.
Xu Chen took a break, secretly retreated, and went to the bathroom nearby.
Fortunately, there was no roll call, and several roommates could still provide cover for themselves.
……
He urinates quickly and washes his face with cold water, feeling refreshed.
I walked a few steps forward and came to the foot of a big tree, where I stood for a while to enjoy the cool air.
Suddenly the sound of conversation came from beside me.
Xu Chen turned his head and glanced, and it turned out to be the middle-aged uncle who had just come to borrow salt.
He and another middle-aged man were chatting with a cigarette in their mouths.
Both of them looked to be in their forties or fifties, whether they were colleagues or friends.
From the side, I saw that both of them had red faces. They probably drank a lot of wine during the barbecue at noon.
The words of the two people's drunken chat drifted into Xu Chen's ears.
"I just saw that group of college students, how could they be so happy and carefree..."
"We middle-aged and old men may have forgotten what happiness is..."
"Sometimes I think, what is the purpose of living?
Every day when I open my eyes, it’s full of problems and depression, and I can’t tell anyone..."
"It's not that there are eighty-one difficulties in a lifetime, it's that there are eighty-one difficulties every damn day!"
……
Xu Chen was speechless.
When I think of my past life, I can actually relate to what happened when I was thirty-seven or eighteen...
I turned around and saw that the uncle took a puff of cigarette at noon and said in a deep voice:
"A lifetime is only a few decades, and I have already spent more than half of it.
If you grit your teeth, it will be over..."
Xu Chen was silent for a while, then whispered to himself:
"It's interesting."
……
(End of chapter)