"Hey, Auntie, hello. May I ask if that sweet potato field up ahead belongs to your family?"

"Yes, that's right. You have good eyes, young man. Let me tell you, our sweet potatoes are fragrant, powdery, and sweet. How many do you want?"

"I've already taken some, haha. Look, I just privately dug up ten sweet potatoes with my friends. Here, this is twenty yuan. I hope you don't mind, Auntie."

"Oh, you kid, since you've dug them up, no problem. Just a few sweet potatoes aren't worth much. Is it enough? Auntie can dig some more for you."

"Enough, enough. Thank you, Auntie. I have to go now; please accept the money."

"Hey, young man, young man, you don't need to give that much..."

Even though Auntie called after him, Xiaofan kept walking.

Stealing isn't right, after all, and it's not like he doesn't know better now. But Xiaofan just wanted everyone to experience the excitement and fun from back then.

Following the path up from the sweet potato field, Xiaofan arrived in front of a watermelon patch. Of course, the dessert he mentioned was watermelons.

"Uncle, are these watermelons from your family? Can I pick them?" Xiaofan asked as he reached the melon shed and saw an uncle guarding the field.

"Yes, you can, young man. You came at just the right time. Let me tell you, these melons are perfectly ripe, but the person who's contracted them hasn't come to collect them yet. Look, it hasn't rained these past few days, so the watermelons are sweet as ever. The taste won't be as good if it rains."

"Great, Uncle, please help me pick three small ones, not too big, fully ripe ones."

"Sure, I'll guarantee they're all ripe. Pick one, I'll cut it open on the spot for you to taste. If it's not sweet, I won't charge you."

"No need to be polite. Just pick for me, thank you."

The dessert was in hand now, but Xiaofan didn't take these three watermelons back to the hotel. Instead, he returned to the fish pond owner's house, placing the three watermelons in the well.

After doing all this, Xiaofan hurried back to join everyone else. There was still a lot to be done.

It was already five-thirty in the afternoon. This bunch started to prepare tonight's dinner, all fingers and thumbs. Most of them were grilling with charcoal, while a minority cooked dishes.

Xiaofan's group was the center of attention because they were doing something truly strange. Xiaofan had already used the mud blocks Lin Hai brought back earlier to create two tower-shaped objects, one large, one small, on the open ground.

He then left openings in them and started putting firewood inside the opening to ignite them. This bizarre setup was something they'd never seen before, and there was a sense that something interesting was about to happen.

"Old squad leader, kill the fish. Make your best-grilled fish. I bought the ingredients from the farmers; grill the fish first. Lin Hai, you're responsible for keeping the fire strong in the two mud kilns. Don't let the fire go out, and careful not to topple the kilns, or we'll be hungry tonight."

"Okay, got it."

"Zhang Qing, Liu Siyan, help the old squad leader out. Oh, right old squad leader, just grill three large fish; leave the rest to me."

After assigning the tasks, Xiaofan ran to the hotel kitchen with two fish. He used a knife to kill and slice them into many fillets, then took five sections of bamboo he cut today and made a small hole at the node. Next, he stuffed rice, fish fillets, mushrooms, ginger slices, sausages, cilantro, shrimp, salt, and a bit of soy sauce into it. Then, he added some water and sealed the small opening tightly.

Once that was done, it was time for the main event.

After the mud blocks around the two kilns turned red-hot, Xiaofan asked Lin Hai to pull out all the ash inside the kilns, leaving none behind. Then, using a wooden stick, he pierced a small opening from above, poked out some clumps of mud, and started tossing in the sweet potatoes he dug up today. Once all the sweet potatoes were thrown in, Xiaofan pushed the mud blocks over to cover the surface of the sweet potatoes.

But that wasn't the end. Next, Xiaofan took a large wooden stick, warned the others to stay clear, and started pounding the red-hot mud blocks, breaking them all into powder.

The second kiln operated the same way, but bamboo was placed inside.

After everything was done, it was time for waiting.

The sun slowly set behind the mountains, and the group of students began tasting the things they personally prepared today. However, the flavors were somewhat disappointing, and some people too impatiently ate half-cooked barbeques.

Among them, only Xiaofan's group hadn't started eating yet. Lin Hai's stomach had been rumbling loudly for quite a while, and if it weren't for Zhang Qing still being here, he would've run off to join another group.

"Yo, Siyan, what's the matter on your side? Haven't started eating yet?" He Jun walked over leisurely with an expression of knowing that Liu Siyan's side hadn't started eating.

"Yes, it's almost ready." Liu Siyan had complete confidence in Xiaofan.

"It's late; don't be hungry now. I'll ask the hotel's chef to prepare something for you, and besides, how can these things possibly suit your taste?" Indeed, He Jun had come to invite Liu Siyan to dine separately.

"I've dined on many gourmet meals; I'm waiting for what Xiaofan prepares. Also, it's our collective effort." Liu Siyan declined, as she hadn't planned to eat with anyone but Xiaofan today.

"Siyan, why put yourself through this..."

"Ah, the time has come. Lin Hai, let's get started."

"Alright."

Over here, Xiaofan acted as though He Jun didn't exist. After checking the time, he began to slowly peel back the earth covering the sweet potatoes.

And with Xiaofan's sudden announcement, everyone's attention turned back. They genuinely wanted to know what kind of result would come from this method. After all, sweet potatoes are just sweet potatoes; what kind of delicacy could they possibly become?

However, as Xiaofan and Lin Hai carefully uncovered the dirt bit by bit, a rich sweet potato aroma quickly spread through the air.

"Wow, it smells so good."

"No way? Roasted sweet potatoes smell this good? It couldn't be like those street vendors who add flavoring, right?"

"No, they just tossed them in directly. I saw it; they didn't add anything."

Voices started to chat nearby. And with caution and effort, one sweet potato was finally unearthed and brought to daylight.

"Wow, that's mine, that's mine..." Lin Hai couldn't bear the hunger any longer and reached out to grab it.

"Hey, careful, it's hot." Despite Xiaofan's timely warning, Lin Hai still grasped the sweet potato with his hand.

"Ah, hot, hot, I'm burning up!"

"Don't rush; let's find the rest first." Xiaofan laughed softly and then found the remaining nine sweet potatoes one by one.

Xiaofan casually took a sweet potato that wasn't too hot, split it in half, and the rich aroma burst forth once more. Lin Hai watched and swallowed hard, clearly wanting to know why the sweet potatoes smelled so good.

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