Chapter 190: The Picnic Begins
Zhu Yanyi led everyone to the reservoir on Sicheng Mountain. Located halfway up the slope, this was a natural reservoir, not man-made. The water quality was excellent, and the air was fresh. Birds sang and flowers bloomed around the reservoir. The flat ground at the mid-slope was very smooth, decorated beautifully by Qiangen Grass growing directly from the soil. Zhu Yanyi asked each class monitor to take responsibility for their classmates. Then, she divided them into areas and told them to find stones to build simple stone stoves for the picnic.
Building a stone stove was simple. You just needed to stack a few stones on three sides. It wasn’t sealed, so you didn’t have to worry about the fire going out due to lack of air. Locals often used this method for picnics. However, it did require some skill. If the gaps were too large, the wind might blow out the fire, which was not good. Of course, for the children, it didn’t matter much. They were mainly here to play. Even if they couldn’t light the fire, they could just use another group’s stove later.
There were three classes in the entire fifth grade, with over thirty students in each class. The whole grade had only one hundred and two students. This time, excluding the four who were absent, and including the deputy head of the school brigade and the organization committee members responsible for various tasks, there were exactly one hundred people. Each class monitor divided their class into groups of ten. They were told to find spots to build stoves. Fortunately, this place was often used for picnics, so several ready-made stoves could be found. For the groups that lacked stoves, the strong male students built them. The groups with stoves went to Zhu Yanyi to collect vegetables. Each group received four tomatoes, four eggplants, and one Chinese cabbage. The rest of the food was brought by each group themselves. After distribution, some washed the vegetables, while others started cooking.
Zhu Yanyi was no exception. Her group also had to work. Her group happened to be led by their class monitor. Since the ready-made stoves were given to other groups, Zhang Xiaofeng, a classmate, led the boys in her group to find stones and build a stove. "Captain, how is our stove? Isn't it built well?" she asked.
"Not bad, not bad." Zhu Yanyi looked at it and nodded. "You have good skills. Good job." She gave a thumbs-up.
"Captain, what do we do next?" Zhang Xiaofeng asked. Whenever Zhu Yanyi was around, everyone couldn't help but want her to take charge.
"Isn't the monitor the group leader?" Zhu Yanyi said, feeling speechless.
"I can handle the heavy lifting, but I don't know what to do next. You should take charge, Captain." Zhang Xiaofeng really wasn't good at cooking or managing a picnic. Besides, with such a good leader as Zhu Yanyi, she wanted to slack off a bit.
Zhu Yanyi smiled lightly. "You take the boys to gather firewood. Gather plenty. I brought sweet potatoes, and we can roast them later."
"Got it." Zhang Xiaofeng called over the other three boys in the group, and the four of them went to gather firewood. The remaining members were all girls.
Zhu Yanyi didn't hesitate. "Zhu Xiaofang, Zhang Qinqin, Chen Ya, go wash the vegetables. Luo Yingzi, Chen Xiaoxia, go wash the dishes. I’ll prepare the seasonings. Does anyone here know how to cook?"
Although everyone helped with chores at home, none of them had cooked alone before. Luo Yingzi said, "I’ve watched my mom cook."
Zhu Yanyi sighed. To avoid hurting her own stomach, she said, "You guys get ready. I’ll cook later."