Bai Suihe and the others had no idea about the Gu Family’s schemes. They had brought back quite a lot of seafood from this sea voyage. Since they weren’t lacking in ice, they specifically set up an ice cellar to store the seafood. The night was beautiful today, and the autumn air was crisp and refreshing. Bai Suihe felt inspired and prepared to make some seafood barbecue.

It was Bai Jianbei’s first time hearing about such a fun activity. Refusing to let the servants help, he followed Bai Suihe in and out, busying himself. He claimed he wanted to properly learn a few tricks tonight so he could show off to his friends later.

Bai Suihe ignored his adolescent dramatics. If it were the modern era, someone his age would at most be a high schooler. Sometimes, when she saw these two youthful faces trying so hard to act mature, her heart still ached for them—especially for Bai Jiannan, who had to shoulder such a heavy burden. But he had no choice but to carry it. Otherwise, as time passed and the illegitimate sons grew older, they would likely become a thorn in his side.

“Suihe, we haven’t even started eating, and these seasonings already smell so tempting.” Bai Jianbei knew that Bai Suihe had given their oldest brother many excellent recipes. He had tried them once before and still couldn’t forget the taste. Now that his oldest sister was personally doing the cooking, and the aroma was this good before they had even begun, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?” Bai Suihe prepared the sauces and mixed some chili powder, cumin, and other essential barbecue seasonings, sorting them into separate bowls and dishes. “You’re going to fall in love with this later.”

She muttered in her heart, “It’s a pity there’s no beer. I haven’t seen any crawfish in this world yet, either. I wonder when they’ll be introduced here. It seems I’ll have to keep an eye out during future sea voyages, or else I’ll miss out on so much of life’s joy.”

With this in mind, Bai Suihe sped up her movements. With Zisu and the others helping to clean and prepare the seafood, the courtyard was soon filled with ingredients. Extravagantly, it was all seafood—though here, these were the cheapest ingredients available.

The charcoal fires were all lit. Bai Suihe placed the custom-made wire grill racks on top and gave a brief explanation. Everyone quickly understood how it worked.

Gu Xingyang was genuinely drooling this time. As waves of savory aromas wafted over, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Mother, I want to eat too.” Gu Xingyang was on the verge of crying, drool continuously leaking from the corners of her mouth.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. I’ll get you some crab meat in a bit.” The little one had already started eating solid foods, so Bai Suihe didn’t restrict her too much. As long as she only ate a little, letting her have a taste was fine.

“I want chili powder…” Gu Xingyang demanded.

“Don’t push your luck, or you won’t even get the crab meat,” Bai Suihe replied.

“But that will be so bland and tasteless…”

“If you want more flavor, you’ll have to wait until you grow up a bit more.”

Gu Kaiyuan sat to the side, grilling fish. Listening to the mother and daughter’s back-and-forth, he quietly shifted his bottom, afraid that his little girl would take her anger out on him later. But his movement was too obvious, and Gu Xingyang already locked her eyes on him.

“Father…”

The call was dripping with sweet persuasion. Gu Kaiyuan immediately straightened his back. “I listen to your mother.”

He thought it was out of the question. This child’s demands were too high. Such a tiny toddler actually wanted to eat chili! Who would take the blame when she ended up crying from the spice? In the end, he would be the one forced to shoulder the blame and coax this little princess. No matter what, he had to hold his bottom line on this matter and refuse.

Bai Suihe cast a glance at him. “Eating chili at such a young age is bad for the stomach.”

With just that one sentence, the matter was settled. Gu Kaiyuan sighed in his heart, thinking that his wife was the best for not making him play the bad guy.

“Your mother is right. This is all for your own good. When you grow up, I will personally grill for you,” Gu Kaiyuan comforted her. “When the time comes, I’ll cook whatever you want to eat.”

Gu Xingyang snorted. “I just want to eat it now…”

“Then let her eat it,” Bai Suihe said coldly. Although she doted on Gu Xingyang, the little girl’s temper had been growing lately. If she wasn’t properly kept in check, she would turn the house upside down in the future. “Put a lot of chili on it for her. When she cries from the spice, don’t give her water or any other food.”

Bai Suihe laid down the law ruthlessly. Gu Xingyang’s eyes darted around, and she instantly stopped kicking up a fuss. She knew when to quit while she was ahead. If she really provoked her mother, she would definitely be the one to suffer the consequences. As for her father, Gu Kaiyuan, he would never go against her mother’s wishes. So, today she could at most get a little taste; anything else was out of the question.

As everyone got to work, the aroma of food drifted through the air. Knowing they couldn’t endure it any longer, Bai Suihe spoke up, “Everyone, go ahead and eat. There’s more than enough to go around today.”

Although everyone tried to maintain their composure, they soon let loose under the temptation of the delicious food. The atmosphere instantly became lively.

Bai Jianbei felt that coming to his sister’s place had absolutely been the right choice. He had broadened his horizons immensely over the past few days, and there was so much delicious food and so many novel ways to have fun. The Bai Family? He had no desire to return there whatsoever. Right now, he felt a bit of sympathy for his oldest brother, who was probably slaving away in some corner at this very moment.

His oldest brother was working hard to earn silver so that he and his sister could enjoy life in the future. The thought was quite beautiful. Watching his sister’s family get along so harmoniously, he stealthily snatched a wine flagon from a guard, shot the man a warning glare, and took a gentle sip.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t drunk before. It was just that his oldest sister was too fussy, claiming that since his body and brain were still developing, it was best he didn’t drink too much. The familiar alcoholic burn slid down his throat, miraculously soothing the spicy heat from the food. The combination was simply perfect.

Seeing Bai Jianbei gripping the flagon tightly, the guard knew he wouldn’t be getting any of that wine. Since he couldn’t wait and didn’t dare to snatch it back, he turned to target his nearby companions instead. After all, shared joy was better than solitary joy.

Afraid the boatmen might feel uncomfortable, they had also set up a barbecue station for them in another courtyard. Unsurprisingly, in the days following this meal, Gu Kaiyuan clearly noticed that everyone’s enthusiasm for work had increased significantly. There was more communication among them, and their work efficiency had gone up.

Upon returning from work the next day, Gu Kaiyuan looked thoughtful. “Suihe, our usual meals are pretty good, and sometimes we even eat better than we did yesterday. Why does the atmosphere feel so different this time?”

“A gathering like the one we had yesterday can be called ‘team building’.” Bai Suihe had decided to introduce some positive modern concepts. “Holding this kind of communal dining activity can increase everyone’s cohesion and trust. It can also relieve their stress and improve their mental health…”

Bai Suihe gave a few more detailed examples, and Gu Kaiyuan nodded repeatedly. “In that case, we can organize more activities like this in the future to close the distance between us and them.”

Although they held the indentured servitude contracts of these people, the workers only felt awe and fear toward them. If a sense of trust and emotional connection could be built between them, it would be far stronger than a mere piece of paper.

“That’s certainly a good idea,” Bai Suihe said. “They create wealth for us, so we can’t treat them poorly.”

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