Chapter 34: If One Asks What Life Seeks, It Is Only Skewers and Beer

Chapter 34: If One Asks What Life Seeks, It Is Only Skewers and Beer

Wang Xiaole brought a bag of fruit and a second-hand guitar—a 2017 Martin D-28. With a market price of over ten thousand, it couldn't have been cheap, even for someone in the industry.

This gift truly surprised Gao Yun. It wasn’t because of the high value, but because this was exactly the guitar he had been planning to buy next. It was as if he had just started to get drowsy and someone handed him a pillow.

Ah Hua claimed he had written a song for Gao Yun as a gift. When the others urged him to perform, he played coy, insisting he wouldn't sing until they had enjoyed the barbecue and beer, successfully piquing everyone's interest.

The gifts Gao Yun prepared for his friends were the same as those for others: a Huawei Mate 30 Pro Porsche Design and eight pairs of sneakers. It was efficient and practical; one shouldn't mistake its uniformity for a lack of sincerity. In modern times, people use their phones almost every second and wear shoes whenever they step outside. Every time they used their phones or put on their shoes, they would naturally remember who gave them, and that was the true meaning of a gift.

Soon, everyone began working on the barbecue—slicing meat, skewering, washing vegetables, cleaning seafood, starting the fire, and portioning the seasonings. With everyone assigned a task, the six friends and the housekeeper, Wang Lina, kept busy between the kitchen, living room, and terrace, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere.

Only Gao Yun moved about with a video camera. Seeing the two tripods set up, everyone knew he was filming footage. His friends were very cooperative, proactively pushing their faces into the frame, making funny expressions, or providing live commentary.

"Hello everyone, I’m an independent trainee with two and a half years of experience. I enjoy basketball, drinking, eating meat, and fitness. Now, I’ll perform a 'three-bite pig' for you," Liu Ximing joked, grabbing Zhou Tian’s chubby left hand and opening his mouth wide as if to take a bite.

"Demon! Stop!" Zhou Tian sneered, picking up a large bowl with his right hand and holding it over Liu Ximing’s head with a righteous air. "Great Mighty Dragon, World-Honored Ksitigarbha, Prajna Buddhas, Prajna Paramita! I shall subdue you!"

"Bajie, you’re role-playing as Fahai again!"

"Second Brother, put away your supernatural powers!"

They continued to chat and laugh as they worked. Diao Jun, much like the old Gao Yun, was a small-time content creator. Seeing Gao Yun filming, he couldn't resist taking a camera off its tripod to act as a handheld cameraman, filming the entire process.

Though they were two laborers short, the prep work for the barbecue didn't suffer. Once the beef and lamb skewers, lamb chops, sausages, vegetables, seafood, and beer were arranged on the terrace, Gao Yun and Diao Jun set their cameras in fixed positions to continue filming.

With the charcoal in the grill glowing bright, the barbecue officially began.

Among the six, Gao Yun and Wang Xiaole were widely recognized as the masters of the grill. Their friends held their grilling skills in high regard, and the two of them enjoyed the work, finding a great sense of accomplishment in it. As usual, the others would occasionally step in to have some fun while the two main chefs ate, but today was no exception.

Three large batches of beef and lamb skewers were finished, followed by the lamb chops and seafood. The first round of food was served. Wang Xiaole and Gao Yun stepped back from the grill to join the table, picking up beer and skewers to toast with their friends.

"Let’s go."

"Bottoms up."

None of them used glasses; they drank straight from the bottles, alternating between gulps of beer and bites of meat, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"This taste is incredible." Zhou Tian, holding a lamb chop, his mouth covered in grease, couldn't stop praising them. "Your grilling skills have improved again!"

"It kills every barbecue shop in town." Ah Hua, a true foodie, popped one oyster after another, his chopsticks never stopping. He devoured four or five oysters in mere seconds.

"Damn, slow down," Wang Xiaole said, quickly snatching a few oysters for himself. "You got something going on tonight? Why eat so many of these? Which girl have you hooked up with?"

"Hehe." Ah Hua lowered his head, eating and chuckling. "A girl I met at the bar. She really likes my singing, and one thing led to another."

"Oh! So it's true!" The group began to tease him.

"You must have been charmed by his world-weary aura."

"Eat more oysters, replenish that zinc, and show her your strength tonight."

"Gentlemen, hold!" Diao Jun, once an academic star in the liberal arts, suddenly stood up. Holding a skewer in his left hand and a clove of garlic in his right, he chewed and shouted, his voice muffled, "At this very moment, I feel the urge to recite a poem!"

"Oh!" The group was very cooperative. "Let’s hear it!"

"Bring the wine!" Diao Jun finished the remaining meat in one big bite, tossed the garlic into his mouth, and waved his hand. "I shall use wine to aid my poetry!"

"Coming!" Zhou Tian snapped to attention, grabbed a bottle of beer from the table, leaned forward, and handed it over with both hands.

"Hmm!" Diao Jun looked satisfied. He took it with one hand, downed the remaining half-bottle in one go, foam lingering on his lips. After a few seconds of preparation, he recited in a dramatic, poetic tone:

"Oysters topped with vermicelli, vermicelli topped with a singer!"

Brilliant! That was absolutely spot on! It was a vivid, perfect description.

"Bravo!"

"What a poem!"

"So fitting!"

"Damn, that’s good!"

The scene erupted. Everyone was laughing hysterically. Ah Hua laughed the loudest, his sound like a goose in the countryside—*honk honk honk*.

"Anything else? Is there more?"

"Is there a second line?!" The group asked, though they didn't hold out much hope.

"There is!" Diao Jun said with ironclad certainty.

"Recite it!"

"Holy crap! It looks like a new star of the poetry world is rising!"

Everyone was astonished, waiting for Diao Jun to speak.

"Wine!" This time, not waiting for anyone to hand it to him, Diao Jun reached over and grabbed someone else's half-empty beer bottle. He gulped it down, ignoring the beer spilling onto his collar. He let out a loud burp, and with a slightly slurred tongue, he recited:

"If one asks what life seeks, it is only skewers and beer!"

The group felt goosebumps rise all over. Though it was just a bit of doggerel, it sounded fantastic—a direct expression of their hearts! It captured the moment perfectly, and for friends, having a bit of fun was all that mattered.

"Clear and profound! This poem is profound!" Liu Ximing exclaimed, moved. "Diao, you are the poetry sage of our generation!"

"What a poem, what a poem!" Gao Yun was still savoring it, repeating, "Oysters topped with vermicelli, vermicelli topped with a singer. If one asks what life seeks, it is only skewers and beer! Brilliant!"

Zhou Tian shook his head, sighing, "Alas, I am uncultured; I can only sum it all up with a 'damn'!"

Wang Xiaole grinned. "In ancient times, Cao Zhi composed a poem in seven steps. Today, Diao Jun did it in two bottles of beer. Damn, you guys are all talents."

"Enough talk!" Diao Jun waved his hand. "Keep drinking!"

"Come on, for this poem! Bottoms up!"

Everyone gripped their beer bottles and reached toward the center of the table. The sound of the glass bottles clinking was crisp and melodious, and the beer spilled out, glistening under the sunlight.