Chapter 277: Grilled Lamb Skewers

Gu Fei called Tie Niu over and gave him a silver ingot. "Go to the blacksmith shop and have them make five more of the same. They have the blueprints."

She planned to give one barbecue grill to each family as a way of helping everyone out.

Tie Niu took the silver and left again.

As dinnertime approached, the shop grew busier. Just then, Gu Sanlang arrived. Gu Fei quickly handed Little Cao to him and told him to take her home. It was crowded, and she worried that if she looked away for even a moment, Little Cao might run off.

A few days later, the custom-made barbecue grills were ready.

Gu Erlang loaded up a cart and took them to the manor.

They also found chefs—two of them, one specializing in meat dishes and the other in pastries. Now, Gu Fei barely had to set foot in the kitchen anymore.

One day, after telling Lan Zhi to mind the counter, Gu Fei returned to the manor, determined to teach everyone how to barbecue.

The iron racks had been delivered to the manor the day before and were piled up in the covered walkway outside the great aunt’s house. Tie Niu had already told everyone they were for making barbecue.

Everyone was buzzing with anticipation, just waiting for Gu Fei to return and teach them.

Gu Fei first went home for a meal. Afterward, her whole family headed over to the manor together.

When they arrived at the manor, every household had just finished eating. The moment she saw the Gu Family enter, Aunt Liu was the first to yell out, "Little Fei is here!"

Instantly, the old and young from every household ran out of their homes, each one shouting enthusiastically, "Oh, Little Fei’s here!"

Gu Fei suddenly felt like the center of attention, just like a celebrity from her past life.

She beamed and waved at the crowd. "Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s get started!"

Tie Niu carried a barbecue grill and a small table into the courtyard, and all the lanterns under the covered walkway were lit.

The courtyard was as bright as day.

Gu Fei began placing charcoal in the grill as everyone gathered around to watch.

The old matriarch had heard the commotion from her room long ago. She’d heard about the plan, and though she was dying of curiosity, she was too proud to go out on her own, so she stayed put in her room.

’In a moment,’ she thought, ’my son will ask me to come out. I’ll go out then.’

Gu Zhang had completely forgotten about his mother. He, too, was curious to see how his daughter was going to make this barbecue.

Before long, the charcoal was glowing. Gu Fei set a wire rack on top and laid out the marinated lamb skewers, pork skewers, potato slices, chives, and squid.

She started with the lamb skewers. In truth, Gu Fei had only made them a few times at home and wasn’t very practiced.

Once the lamb changed color, she brushed it with oil and sprinkled on her special chili powder. A fragrant aroma immediately began to drift through the air.

Bao’er was the first to cry out, "It smells so good! I want some!"

Ms. Qian swatted him. "Eat, eat, eat! Is that all you think about? Your Sister Xiao Fei needs this for something important."

Bao’er sniffled pitifully. He didn’t dare throw a tantrum on the ground anymore; his father would just come over and kick him. After a few kicks, he had learned his lesson.

Gu Fei grilled a dozen or so lamb skewers. When the meat was sizzling, dripping with fat, and slightly charred, she took them off the fire. "Come on, everyone, have a taste. It’s been a while since I’ve made this, so I’m not sure how it turned out."

The dozen or so lamb skewers were quickly passed around.

There weren’t enough for one per person, but everyone shared.

Ms. Qian snatched one and stuffed it into Bao’er’s hand. Nearby, Gu Zhong watched anxiously. As soon as Bao’er took a bite, Gu Zhong took the skewer from him. It wasn’t that he wanted to steal the food from his son. Rather, if they were going to sell these, he needed to know for himself if they tasted good and if they would actually sell.