Find a Troubled Girl after leaving the Guild-Chapter 476 - 253: Occasional Lingering Thoughts

When Li Ang came over, ALulu, who was originally staring blankly at the ingredients, had her light purple pupils slightly shrink and focused on Li Ang.

"Brother, are you done playing with them?"

Why does it sound like she’s complaining?

However, since she was responsible for cooking while the others were playing, she could only pick the ingredients alone without anyone to help her, which was indeed a bit unfair.

Li Ang also thought about this and felt he should at least lend a hand.

Now they were out here having fun together, which was different from when she was in charge of meals on the ship and had the privilege of stealing food.

There were quite a few things placed directly not far from the wooden stove next to the cabin, presumably brought by Diana.

The brightly blooming seaweed flowers were neatly stacked, and this local specialty could be fried, boiled, or grilled with sauces spread on it, truly a gift from the island.

ALulu separated the fruits into two piles and pointed them out to Li Ang: "These are the common fruits with high water content, suitable to be eaten with barbecue, while the other half is low in moisture, even suitable for roasting like tubers."

The roasted fruits she separated, Li Ang had tried some, which had low sugar content and a starchy texture similar to potatoes, or some resembled small gourds that were indeed fit for grilling.

"You really know a lot," Li Ang praised.

ALulu gave a faint smile: "It’s nothing much, just abilities that others overlook."

"Why would that be?"

"If you can’t earn money or communicate with people, you have to rely on these to survive."

Li Ang felt Xiaoniu had some emotions.

But she didn’t show it as obviously as those troubled young girls; instead, everything turned into fights or arguments. She appeared carefree about just eating well but had shown some personal thoughts in recent days.

"If the teacher hadn’t found me, I might have ended up as a savage in the forest, fighting Demons every day, dirty and smelly like a wild boar."

"No need to speculate, you are here now, with us."

Xiaoniu glanced at Li Ang briefly, then lowered her head to continue washing the meat.

Some of this meat was bulk meat purchased from the Holy City, sourced from major meat-producing Demons, while some were prime cuts trimmed by locals during previous Demon surge harvests.

Just like a cow can be divided into many parts with different flavors, so can these Demon meats have different categories.

Uh, talking about eating beef in front of the Horned Race is somewhat like Hell, even though in Nebis, no one can prove any link between the two.

"As for grilling, I’ve found that skewers are the most convenient way to mix different meats," ALulu said.

Li Ang nodded, "Skewers are a versatile combination everywhere."

Some of these meats were lean and chewy, some had distinctly fatty streaks that would sizzle on the grill, offering excellent taste, while the pure white fat taken from Demons had a high-fat content, perhaps due to similar ecologies, resembling fish belly. It couldn’t be grilled directly and needed to be adjusted in combination, suitable for mixing with the first kind to balance the texture.

"Some are parts from the fore and hind legs, suitable for grilling on the bone, they lose their form if cut off. Some large slices of meat actually don’t need to be cut into small pieces for skewering; that’s troublesome. Instead, wrap them tightly on an iron skewer, and after heating, they’ll naturally meld together and can be cut directly."

ALulu’s movements were agile, cutting, slicing, skewering, and rolling the meat swiftly. Li Ang tried to follow but couldn’t achieve her efficiency.

All the spices were bought in the Holy City, and with her here today, everyone would truly enjoy the meal.

"Alright, handling the barbecue is hard work. Brother, as a Caster, go play with them. I’ll handle it, especially since I eat a lot and need to prepare for myself too," ALulu smiled at Li Ang.

Li Ang didn’t respond, silently watching her for a few seconds. Xiaoniu wasn’t as carefree as she claimed, slightly recoiling, but quickly lowered her head to busy herself.

"I’m really glad that you can cook for everyone," Li Ang said.

Xiaoniu didn’t respond much, but her hands slowed down.

"Before forming the Star Flower Travel Corps, I was still worried about our future living necessities—clothing, food, housing, and transport. Once the ship is built and we have our rooms, the basic needs are solved, but the food for each meal is crucial."

He asked again, "Are you unhappy that all this is left to you?"

"Not at all!"

ALulu hurriedly denied, and she stopped what she was doing, "This is what I want and love to do. I said it myself... sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything carelessly."

She obviously hadn’t said everything, so Li Ang reached out to hold her now slightly anxious hand.

"My hands are a bit dirty."

"Didn’t we talk a lot by the lake earlier, what’s there that can’t be said?"

Li Ang brought this up, feeling a bit embarrassed, and the young girl opposite blushed like an apple. Using her "advantage" to impact Li Ang was an impulsive act, something she hadn’t yet normalized.

ALulu’s eyes slowly started to water, not from grievance, but as a slow rising of a certain emotion.

Li Ang realized at this moment that, as a Paladin, she usually went along with things, traveling quietly without joining the young girls in their squabbles. Perhaps, to some extent, it was a form of restraint.

This little one was also somewhat reckless, sometimes desiring more freedom in her actions, but something suppressed her. While others were playing, and she was cooking, it all came to a head.