Chapter 111: Boss, Does Our Agreement Still Stand?
After striking a few more cool poses, Bald Qiang walked over to the grill and started barbecuing.
Xiong Er took the microphone from Bald Qiang and also began to sing.
He sang "I’m Still a Little Clueless."
"My hibernation vacation just ended, and I’m still a little clueless.
The birds overhead are waking the forest, the spring air makes me feel so good.
..."
This was the theme song from *Boonie Bears*.
In *Boonie Bears*, the animals had sung this song many times.
Xiong Er’s performance also drew bursts of cheers from the animals, and Li You cheered several times as well.
Bald Qiang, however, commented, "It’s nowhere near as good as Brother Qiang, but it’s passable."
After Xiong Er, Jiji and Maomao performed a dance, which was a joy to watch.
After them, Xiong Da, Beng Beng, Luobutou, and Tutu each took a turn performing.
Goaded on by Bald Qiang and the animals, Li You also went up and sang a song called "Let’s See How Big the World Is."
"The beautiful forest is my home, carefree and filled with laughter.
But I still have a dream in my heart, to travel to the ends of the earth.
..."
This was also a song from *Boonie Bears* and the theme song for *Boonie Cubs*.
Its cheerful and lively rhythm earned waves of cheers from Bald Qiang and the animals.
While everyone was singing, dancing, and putting on all sorts of performances, they were, of course, also eating barbecue.
Brother Qiang’s barbecue once again had Li You and the animals exclaiming how delicious it was.
The bonfire blazed, the aroma of barbecue filled the air, and everyone sang and danced, all incredibly happy.
Both Bald Qiang and the animals said it had been a long time since they had been this happy.
Li You, of course, was also very happy.
Late into the night, when everyone started getting sleepy, they simply fell asleep right by the bonfire.
Li You fell asleep too.
It was an unforgettable night.
The stars in the sky were so very bright.
...
「The next day.」
After sunrise.
Li You, Bald Qiang, and the animals woke up one after another.
The bonfire had gone out, but it still gave off a lingering warmth.
The ginger in the field was also almost ready for harvest.
Bald Qiang and the animals once again said how happy they had been last night.
Li You went to Bald Qiang’s kitchen and cooked a few pots of Yangchun Noodles for everyone’s breakfast.
Just as they finished eating, a system notification announced that the ginger was ripe and ready for harvest.
He told Bald Qiang and the animals that the ginger was ready.
Everyone excitedly went to the field and began the harvest.
Without needing a hoe, Luobutou burrowed into the soil and quickly dug up all the ginger.
It had grown exceptionally well and looked beautiful!
"Ingredient: Tender Ginger.
Quality: Superior."
And it was even superior quality. Li You was thrilled.
"This ginger grew so well!" Bald Qiang and the animals were also very happy.
They removed the stems from all the ginger, gathered it together, and piled it into a small mound.
It likely weighed over 880 pounds.
Li You put about 770 pounds of it into his Storage Pavilion, leaving behind around 110 pounds. He said, "Brother Qiang, I’d like to ask you for a favor. Could you turn this ginger into pickled ginger for everyone to eat?"
Bald Qiang patted his chest and said, "No problem! Leave it to Brother Qiang."
"Pickled ginger? Is it good?" Xiong Er asked.
Li You smiled. "It’s delicious. I think you’ll all like it."
"That’s great! Thank you, Li You," Xiong Er and the other animals all cheered.
After a moment, Xiong Da said, "Li You, are you leaving?"
Li You nodded. "The ginger’s been harvested. It’s time for me to go back."
"Li You, can’t you stay a few more days? I don’t want you to go. We’re so, so happy when you’re here."
"Li You, you still have to make This King Cabbage in Clear Broth! This King forbids you from leaving!"
"..."
All the animals were very reluctant to see him go. Bald Qiang was, too.
Li You smiled. "Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll be back again. Next time I visit, I’ll treat you all to spicy crayfish."
"Spicy crayfish? That sounds delicious." Xiong Er started to drool a little.
"Li You, you have to come back then!"
Li You nodded. "I will."
Then, Li You walked out of the courtyard, waving goodbye to Bald Qiang and the animals.
He then walked away, step by step.
"Goodbye! You have to come back!"
"Li You, we’ll be waiting for your spicy crayfish!"
Even after he had walked a fair distance, he could still hear the voices of Bald Qiang and the animals.
Li You also felt very reluctant to leave. Only after a long while did he say to the system, "System, exit the current game instance."
"Exiting game instance. Countdown: 3, 2, 1..."
After a disorienting blur, Li You returned to the real world.
He was still lying in his rocking chair. In the shop, bosses like Zhao Yu and Deng Luping, teachers like Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe, and students like Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye were all still eating.
Of course they were—only a single second had passed in the real world.
But in that one second, Li You had already spent a full day and night in the world of *Boonie Bears*.
So happy, so real, and now a cherished memory.
A little while later, the female teachers like Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin, as well as the female students like Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye, finished their meals.
After paying with their phones, they all walked out of the shop.
Chu Yiwei said, "Oh, right, boss. Is your pickled ginger ready? Are you going to launch the Crucian Carp with Agastache?"
Li You nodded. "It’s ready. The Crucian Carp with Agastache will be officially launched the day after tomorrow."
"Really? That’s wonderful!" Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and the other female teachers were pleasantly surprised.
’The first fish dish we’ve been longing for is finally here!’
’The boss’s Crucian Carp with Agastache is sure to be incredibly delicious.’
’I can’t wait!’
Meanwhile, the students like Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and Yu Wei were even more surprised.
’The boss is releasing another new dish? And it’s a fish dish, that’s great!’
’But wait, did Teacher Chu and the others already know about this?’
Xia Xiaoyue asked Chu Yiwei, "Teacher Chu, did you already know the boss was going to launch Crucian Carp with Agastache?"
Chu Yiwei nodded with a smile. "The boss mentioned it a couple of days ago. But at the time, the pickled ginger and pickled chili peppers weren’t ready, so he wasn’t sure about the exact launch date. Now, he must have them prepared."
So that was it.
Xia Xiaoyue and the other girls nodded.
"It’s not just the Crucian Carp with Agastache," Li You said with a slight smile. "The day after tomorrow, I might also launch another new dish: spicy crayfish."
This statement brought an unprecedented level of surprise to everyone, from the students like Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye to the teachers like Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin.
Because they all absolutely loved crayfish!
They already loved the crayfish they made themselves or bought from other restaurants, finding it delicious.
’So, just how delicious would Li You’s spicy crayfish be?’
’The anticipation was simply unprecedented! They were even more excited for this than for the Crucian Carp with Agastache!’
And for Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye, there was one more thing that made them especially excited.
Xia Xiaoyue said, "Boss, does our promise still stand?"
"Promise?"
Aside from Mu Qingye, the other girls and the teachers, including Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin, all looked quizzically at Xia Xiaoyue and Li You.
’What kind of promise could they have made?’
Li You smiled faintly. "Of course, it does."
The last time Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye had come to the shop, they happened to see Li You preparing the crayfish that Li Zhong had delivered.
At the time, Xia Xiaoyue had desperately hoped Li You would sell them some crayfish.
But Li You had explained that he was still perfecting his crayfish recipe and hadn’t quite succeeded yet, so he wasn’t selling it for the time being.
Both Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye had been very disappointed.
So, Li You made a promise with the two of them: once he had fully perfected his crayfish recipe, he would treat Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye to a free taste-test.
That was the promise.
And now, of course, he had to keep it.
...
A huge thank you to Mitu Tu for another 100-coin donation!
Thank you, boss!
...