I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

Shen Yi felt a little embarrassed by Li Xiulan's enthusiasm. He had just gotten up to help when she pressed him back down, saying, "Sit down, sit down. You're a guest. It's not right for a guest to do the work."

Shen Yi had no choice but to sit down again, clutching the skewer of grilled meat in his hand. He took a bite and chewed slowly, his tense shoulders gradually relaxing.

Zhao Lei adapted to the atmosphere much faster than him.

He was naturally outgoing and sociable. After finishing three skewers of grilled meat and a drink, he completely relaxed.

He leaned back against the rocks behind him, crossed his legs, and started chatting with the boy next to him.

After exchanging a few words, his gaze fell on the fishing rod in Luo Weidong's hand. His eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to ask, "Uncle, are you fishing? Did you catch anything?"

Luo Weidong's cheeks flushed slightly.

He hasn't caught a single fish since yesterday, and it's been weighing on his mind. He gets angry with anyone who brings it up.

But Zhao Lei asked with a sincere expression, his eyes full of pure curiosity, without the slightest hint of mockery. He was too embarrassed to react, and simply replied in a low voice, "No, the fish aren't biting today."

Zhao Lei said "Oh," sat back down, and took another bite of the meat skewer.

After chewing a couple of times, he suddenly spoke up: "Uncle, is your sinker too heavy? I see your float is sinking a bit too deep. Maybe the sinker is dragging the bait to the bottom, and the fish can't see it at all."

Luo Weidong was slightly taken aback. He looked down at the fishing rod in his hand, then turned to look at Zhao Lei, his eyes gradually revealing a look of sudden realization.

He reeled in the fishing line, changed to a smaller sinker, and cast the hook back into the water.

Sure enough, the float was now much higher than before, floating steadily on the water's surface, gently rising and falling with the ripples, looking much more pleasing to the eye.

Watching from the side, Li Xiulan laughed and teased, "Look at that young man, he really knows what he's doing. He's been fishing all day, and he's not even as good as someone who just glances at it."

Luo Weidong snorted and ignored her, his eyes fixed on the float.

Old Li grilled another batch of meat skewers, this time bone-in lamb chops. He scored the thicker parts of the meat, allowing the seasonings to fully penetrate, resulting in sizzling exteriors and tender interiors.

The fascia next to the bone was roasted until crispy and crunchy, and became more and more fragrant the more you chewed it.

When Shen Yi ate his second piece, he stood up, went back to his barbecue grill, and took out a bottle of Moutai that had already been opened.

He walked over with the wine bottle and poured a glass for Luo Weidong first. Luo Weidong looked at the wine in the glass, paused for a moment, glanced at Luo Fei, and Luo Fei nodded slightly. Only then did he pick up the glass, take a small sip, smack his lips, and say, "This wine is good, it doesn't hurt my throat."

Shen Yi poured wine for Li Xiulan again, but Li Xiulan waved her hand and said, "I don't drink, you guys drink."

But Shen Yi had already poured it, so she couldn't refuse and took a small sip.

Shen Yi poured himself a glass, raised it, and said, "Auntie, Uncle, thank you for your hospitality today. To be honest, we were so tempted by the aroma that we shamelessly came over, but we didn't expect you to be so hospitable. This glass is for you."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it all, leaving the cup empty.

Zhao Lei and several others stood up, raised their glasses, and drank.

Li Xiulan looked at them, saying, "Why are you drinking so fast, child?" but patted Shen Yi's shoulder.

Once the alcohol was down, they started talking non-stop.

Shen Yi sat back down on the rock, his expression much more relaxed than before, his eyes somewhat unfocused, but not from drunkenness, but from being lost in memories.

He twirled the empty cup in his hand, then suddenly said, "We come here around this time every year."

Zhao Lei nodded in agreement, "Yes, they come almost every year. Sometimes there are a lot of people, sometimes there are few, but they've never missed a year. This is the fifth year."

Shen Yi raised his head and looked towards the highest point of the island—the brand-new flag was still fluttering in the wind.

His gaze lingered on the flag for a few seconds before he looked away, his voice lowering slightly: "The first time we came was during our junior year of college. Back then, the flagpole on the island was just a piece of wood, crooked and leaning, and the flag was old and had several holes in it. We felt bad seeing it like that, so we discussed getting a new one. Since then, we've made time to come every year around this time."

Li Xiulan listened intently, forgetting to eat the meat skewers in her hand, just holding them up, her eyes fixed on Shen Yi, her expression very serious.

Zhao Lei downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and continued, "One year, we had just changed our flag and hadn't even gone down the mountain when we saw a 'basin chicken' patrol boat coming towards us. That boat was more than twice the size of ours, it was all black, and they were flying their Rising Sun flag on the bow. They were sounding their horn from afar, meaning they wanted us to leave."

He spoke calmly, but the girl next to him chimed in, her voice brimming with barely concealed excitement: "We're not leaving! This is our Dragon Kingdom's island! Why should we leave just because they sound their horn? Shen Yi was standing under the flagpole at the time, and he shouted something at the ship—guess what he shouted?"

Li Xiulan shook her head, her eyes sparkling, waiting to hear what followed.

The girl imitated Shen Yi's posture, puffed out her chest, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "This is Dragon Kingdom territory! You are the outsiders!"

After she finished shouting, she laughed first, laughing so hard she almost fell over. But as she laughed, her eyes reddened.

Li Xiulan reached out and took the girl's hand, patted it gently, and said nothing.

Shen Yi felt a little embarrassed by their comments, lowered his head and smiled, waving his hand and saying, "Don't listen to her nonsense. I was just young and impetuous back then, and I wasn't afraid of anything. If it were now, I probably wouldn't dare to do it."

Zhao Lei chimed in, "Come on, who was the first to jump into the sea to save people last year?"

Shen Yi glared at him, but Zhao Lei ignored him and turned to Luo Weidong, saying, "Uncle, when we came here last year, we saw a fishing boat that had run aground. There was a hole in the bottom of the boat, and seawater kept pouring in."

Several fishermen on the boat stood on the rocks, shouting for help. Shen Yi, carrying a rope, was the first to jump in. By the time everyone was on board, his lips were purple, and he was trembling all over.

Shen Yi picked up his wine glass and took a sip. He didn't say anything, but his ears turned red. It was hard to tell if it was from the alcohol or from embarrassment.

Luo Weidong's gaze towards him changed, from casual to respectful.

He picked up his glass, clinked it against Shen Yi's, and said only two words: "Well done."

The two words, though few, made Shen Yi's ears turn even redder.

Luo Fei leaned against the reef, not saying much, holding a skewer of grilled lamb kidneys in his hand, slowly chewing as he listened to the stories of the young people.

His expression didn't change much, but there was something new in his eyes—approval. These young men, though dressed in flashy clothes, driving yachts, and drinking Moutai, looking like spoiled brats, had a certain spirit, courage, and responsibility in their bones, and that was enough.

On the barbecue grill, the last batch of meat skewers were sizzling with oil.

Old Li grilled all the remaining lamb and chops, then piled the seafood on top—shrimp, scallops, squid, oysters—it was so full the grill was almost overflowing. The charcoal glowed red-hot, the oil dripping onto it sizzling and hissing, white smoke rising in wisps, and the aroma even more intense than before.

Shen Yi and his group also brought over the ingredients they had unloaded from their own boat—several boxes of imported beef, a case of beer, and some vegetables and fruits.

Old Li accepted all comers. He cut beef into chunks and skewered it, washed vegetables and arranged them on the side of the grill, and opened all the beers, placing several bottles in front of each person.

The three sheep, along with the other ingredients that were brought over later, were eaten clean by a dozen or so people.

By the time the last batch of meat skewers was taken off the grill, everyone was already stuffed, but they still couldn't resist reaching for them.

Li Xiulan's stomach was bulging from eating, and she still wanted to get the last skewer of grilled squid, but Luo Weidong stopped her: "You can't eat anymore, your stomach can't take it."

Li Xiulan glared at him, but withdrew her hand, her eyes fixed on the string of squid.

Shen Yi leaned against the rock, looked up at the blue sky above, took a long breath, and said, "I've never eaten such delicious barbecue in my life."

Zhao Lei nodded repeatedly beside him, still chewing the last bite of meat, and mumbled, "Me too. Really, I've never had this before. What's this seasoning? It smells so good!"

The others nodded in agreement and began to chatter amongst themselves.

"I've never eaten anything this delicious before."

"After going back, nothing tastes good anymore."

"If this seasoning were sold, it would definitely be a hit."

Luo Fei listened to their conversation without saying anything. He stood up, dusted himself off, and turned to walk towards the yacht.

He boarded the ship, went into the storage room, took out a cardboard box from his ring, and packed more than a dozen cans of "Jue Wei Barbecue Seasoning" inside.

He carried the box off the boat, returned to the barbecue area, and placed the box in front of Shen Yi.

Shen Yi was stunned for a moment, looked up at him, and didn't understand what he meant.

Luo Fei said casually, "This is what we're using for the barbecue today. Take it home and grill it yourselves."

Shen Yi's mouth was slightly open. He looked down at the box, then looked up at Luo Fei, as if he wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

He had been in the business world for several years and had seen all kinds of social interactions. He had received gifts of alcohol, cigarettes, and gift cards, but those gifts were usually given with ulterior motives, calculations, and expectations of a return.

He stood up, wiped his hands on his pants, and reached out to shake hands with Luo Fei.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

Luo Fei gripped his hand briefly, then released it without saying a word, only nodding.

Zhao Lei leaned over to look at the contents of the box, picked up a can and flipped through it; there were no labels or trademarks.

He unscrewed the lid and took a sniff, his eyes widening instantly—it was the smell, exactly the same as the barbecue from before! He screwed the lid back on, carefully cradling the box in his arms as if it were a treasure.

Li Xiulan couldn't stop smiling as she watched him carry the boxes, saying, "As long as the children like it," while her hands kept stuffing fruit and drinks into their hands.

Shen Yi took an apple, took a bite, and said with a smile, "Auntie, please don't bother. We've already eaten too much. If we eat any more, we won't be able to walk."

Li Xiulan then stopped, stood there looking at them, a gentle smile on her face.

The group sat for a while longer, chatted for a bit, and then the sun began to move westward.

Shen Yi stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Auntie, Uncle, we should go now. Thank you so much for today."

Zhao Lei and the others also stood up and thanked him all at once: "Thank you, Auntie!" "Thank you, Uncle!" "Thank you, Brother!" Their voices overlapped.

The group of people carried the box of seasonings and walked back.

The sea breeze carried the lingering aroma of barbecue, the salty smell of the sea, and the laughter of the young men, drifting far, far away.