thefictionvixens 053 The Human World of Fireworks
053 The Human World of Fireworks
The aroma of cumin and oil sizzling over charcoal fire drifted into the room through the crack in the door.
Lu Mingfei opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. Golden sunlight streamed in through the window, bringing a touch of warmth.
He felt heavy, but his mind was clear. He saw her sitting in a chair by the bed, reading a small book. Sunlight fell on her pale blue hair, creating dappled patterns.
She noticed that Lu Mingfei was awake, so she put down her book and came over.
"The fever has gone down," she said.
Her hand touched Lu Mingfei's forehead; it was cool, like sweet dew after a long, thirsty period. The sensation was so real that he wondered if it was another illusion.
Lu Mingfei murmured her name: "Li..."
The girl leaned down slightly, her platinum blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, her icy blue eyes gazing quietly into his.
My name is Zero.
"The rescue helicopter transferred us to a safe house villa by the river late the night before last, and you slept for a full twenty-six hours." Zero withdrew her hand and handed him a glass of warm water. "Your body has no organic damage, you were just severely overdrawn, but you recovered very quickly."
Lu Mingfei gulped down more than half a glass of warm water, and heard the crisp sound of glass bottles clinking together outside the window, accompanied by bursts of laughter.
What's going on outside?
"They're building a barbecue grill in the yard, and your high-calorie liquid food is ready." Zero withdrew her hand and handed over the clothes from the bedside table. "But if you insist, you can also choose to eat meat."
"I want barbecue," Lu Mingfei suddenly sat up, swayed, and his vision went black for a moment. "I want meat."
"Slow down, your body hasn't fully recovered yet." Zero stood up, took a large coat and draped it over him, while also arranging the slippers by the bed with his toes aligned.
"Wear your slippers, I'll take you out," she said.
Lu Mingfei slipped on his slippers and followed Ling to the first floor of the villa. Pushing open the glass sliding door, the early summer evening breeze blew in, caressing his body, and Lu Mingfei felt his fatigue instantly disappear.
A long string of bright outdoor light bulbs stretched across the courtyard, with two barbecue grills in the middle. One was being used by Mans and Selma, and the other by Grayson and Kumagai Kinao.
"Flip it over! Flip it over now! That piece of meat is going to burn!" First Mate Grayson impatiently poked the Chief Engineer after brushing on the oil.
"Shut up! I've been running boilers for twenty years, who are you to tell me how to control the fire?" Chief Engineer Kumagai Kina impatiently pushed Grayson's hand away and vigorously waved a large palm-leaf fan, causing sparks to fly everywhere.
Lu Mingfei saw Ye Sheng and Ya Ji sitting in the corner, side by side, whispering to each other.
Professor Mans sat in the middle, his ribs wrapped in bandages, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. He was using a small tin can to sprinkle a lethal amount of chili powder onto the skewers on the grill, his expression focused, like an old craftsman engaged in serious artistic creation.
Selma sat beside him, protecting the pot of potato soup, occasionally frowning in the professor's direction.
"Stand up! Heroes are being discharged!" Seeing Lu Mingfei and Zero come out, Grayson grabbed two empty beer cans and banged them together.
Kumagai Kinao raised his palm-leaf fan and waved it: "And there's our little princess who stayed by our side all night, never leaving our side!"
"Oh!" Applause, whistles, and cheers erupted.
"That's right, Princess, you've had a long night too!" Grayson then changed the subject, a sly grin spreading across his face. "You've spent the whole night with the heroes! Come, come, I've saved you a good seat!"
Gunayal looked at the two couples on the battlefield, crossed his arms, shook his head, and sighed seriously, "Alas, the saying 'heroes are always paired with beauties' is indeed true."
"The beauty worked as a babysitter all night," Kumagai Konaka mumbled, a skewer dangling from his mouth. "To be honest, it was a pretty bad deal for her."
Ling walked straight to the barbecue grill, pulled out a beach chair, and gestured for Lu Mingfei to sit down.
Lu Mingfei sat down in the chair, the warmth of the charcoal fire touching his face, turning the backyard into a warm color reminiscent of an old movie.
The chunks of meat on the fire began to sizzle and drip oil onto the red-hot coals, sending up plumes of thick, fragrant smoke. At that moment, all the damned wounds and pain vanished, leaving only the stomach screaming in despair.
Lu Mingfei grabbed a skewer of roasted lamb and started eating. He couldn't stop after just one bite; it was so fragrant and flavorful. Cumin, chili, salt, five-spice powder, and animal fat—this was the first time he had experienced the joy of tasting delicious food since returning to this world.
He ate so quickly, so greedily, like a wild beast. His stomach, long accustomed to liquids, was now expanding voraciously. With each bite of meat, he could feel the life force returning to his limbs like a tide. It was an extreme reality, as if only through this chewing could he be certain that he was still truly alive in this world, not swallowed up by the despair of his memories.
"Great! Young people should eat more!" Mans said, handing Lu Mingfei a skewer of meat as he enjoyed the meal.
Lu Mingfei accepted them all without hesitation.
"Slow down." Zero ladled a bowl of potato soup from Selma and placed it in front of him. "Have some soup to tide you over."
"He's fine, young man, in great health," Professor Mans said, opening a can of dark beer. "Men should eat more red meat, more chili peppers! And drink more alcohol!"
Selma was frantic, jumping up and down in worry: "Professor! The doctor emphasized before he left that your internal organs are damaged, and you absolutely cannot eat spicy food or drink alcohol!"
"Those doctors are all rubbish!" Mans gulped down a large mouthful of beer. "Chili peppers and alcohol are the best anti-inflammatory drugs for soldiers! Back when I was on a mission in Cuba, I even used Cohen's liquor to disinfect my arm after being shot!"
Mans happily handed Lu Mingfei a skewer of grilled meat, and watching Lu Mingfei eat the meat with gusto made him even happier.
Lu Mingfei grabbed the roast meat that Mans handed him and stuffed it into his mouth. The strong cumin and chili powder made him cough repeatedly, and tears almost streamed down his face.
"Wow, this is way too much information."
Grayson grabbed a can of chilled beer from the ice bucket and tossed it to Lu Mingfei: "Catch!"
Lu Mingfei reached out his hand, but a fair hand steadily intercepted the can of ice-cold beer in mid-air.
"You can't drink alcohol right now." Ling casually stuffed a beer into Mans's arms, then turned and poured a cup of warm black tea from the thermos next to him, handing it to Lu Mingfei.
"Oh, oh..." Lu Mingfei took a sip of black tea blankly. His tongue had already been ravaged by Mans' chili powder, and he couldn't taste the black tea.
"It's delicious!" Lu Mingfei praised.
"Good heavens, is this what they call bronchitis?" Grayson muttered as he flipped the bed over. "But seriously, the Wi-Fi in this villa is terrible. I've been unable to complete my daily game quests for two days."
"Still thinking about your lousy second trip? Once the travel expenses for this business trip are reimbursed, I'm going back to my hometown for a blind date," Kumagai Kinao said smugly.
"Keep dreaming. Who would even want you? Don't get scammed again," Third Vice President Pacino teased.
"Hey, don't you believe me!" Kumagai Muji exclaimed anxiously. "My mom found me a girlfriend. I heard she's an elementary school teacher, so she definitely won't be like those crazy guys in the equipment department who hit me on the head with a wrench..."