"Don't worry, besides doing odd jobs, I don't think you can do anything else." Rody took out a charcoal grill, poured some oil, lit a fire, and skillfully chopped up some fresh meat. He then made some bamboo skewers, threading the meat onto them and lightly sprinkling them with spices and wine.
"Smells so good..." The chubby boy didn't expect Rody to work so proficiently, and his culinary skills were astonishing.
"I volunteer to taste-test," Terry said, swallowing hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down incessantly.
Even Jill unknowingly moved closer, attracted by the smell of the barbecued meat mixed with the unique aroma of smoked meat and spices. Even as a girl who typically didn't favor meat, she found it very appealing and wanted to taste its essence.
Passersby and some onlookers gradually drew nearer.
The children running around the streets had already stopped their games, staring at the skewers in Rody's hands, their mouths watering.
"Call me 'big brother' and you'll get one skewer each," Rody was like a vampire to Tommy and the others, but quite generous with the children.
"Big brother!" A chorus of crisp children's voices rang out. The adorable Alice, who had appeared at the stall at some point, happily ate the skewer handed to her by Rody, exclaiming, "Thank you, big brother! Oh, it's hot, but so delicious!"
"I also say 'big brother', thank you, ow!" Another child hurriedly ate and burnt their tongue.
"My turn, my turn..." The children who hadn't gotten any were anxious.
"I found it first, I'll call first!" Someone protested but soon forgot everything after receiving a delicious skewer.
"Is this really made from our ingredients? Rody, did you add anything special?" Jill took a skewer from Rody, tasted it, and was very surprised. She hadn't seen Rody use any complicated grilling techniques or spice blends, but the result far exceeded her expectations.
"Oh my God, I thought the best barbecue I'd ever had was great, but it's garbage compared to this," Tommy, who loved barbecue, said with tears in his eyes.
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"Don't talk to me, I'm busy," Terry said, devouring the skewers, one in each hand.
"Hey, is it really that delicious?" Someone, enticed by the aroma of wine and meat, asked upon seeing the children licking their fingers.
"It's not delicious, not at all!" Tommy, mouth greasy from eating skewer after skewer, shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, disperse, this barbecue isn't good at all..."
Rody ignored him, hanging a sign that read: Various flavored skewers, 10 copper coins; grilled fish, meat chops, and chicken legs, one silver coin; grilled rabbit, deer leg, and suckling pig, five silver coins; whole lamb, one gold coin. Fruit juices, 10 copper coins per cup; chilled beer, one silver coin for five cups; white and red wine, five silver coins per cup; cocktails, one gold coin per cup. Note: Couples can participate in a love intelligence game, winners eat for free.
The crowd, finding the food tempting but not cheap, hesitated as elsewhere these items cost ten times as much.
Many, however, were curious about the love intelligence game, seeing it as a chance to shine and get free food. Young people, especially those with significant others, were eager to showcase their superior intelligence.
"I'll try the taste. If it's not good, I'll flip your stall!" Two thugs pushed through the crowd, reaching for the skewers. The onlookers worried these thugs, regardless of the food's taste, would cause trouble after eating, refusing to pay, and possibly even extorting the new students from the magic academy. Everyone was a bit concerned for Rody.
"..." Rody handed two skewers without a word. Tommy, gripping his broadsword, was ready to act if the thugs caused trouble.
"This is awful! Wow, it's delicious, so good! Damn, how can it be this tasty? I, I can't even curse it! Damn, this thing is too, too delicious!" The thugs, planning to berate the food, suddenly changed their tune, praising it, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.
"I'll pay, please grill another one for me. God, I can't stop, hurry!" The thugs, realizing they had none left, were in a frenzy.
"..." Rody ignored them, not even glancing their way.
"Come on, grill it! Damn, isn't my money good enough?" The thugs, initially planning to pull out daggers, ended up throwing silver coins on the stall, anxiously hopping like monkeys, unable to wait.
"You should say 'please', and saying 'I beg you' might work even better," Tommy reminded them, smiling.
"Please, grill us more, the same flavor as before, we beg you! We must eat our fill, please, start now!" The thugs, desperate for more, threw decorum aside.
"Grill for us too!" Finally, someone couldn't resist the temptation and surged forward.
As a result, Rody, Jill, Tommy, and thief Terry were exhausted, especially Rody, who not only grilled meat but also personally squeezed juice, chilled by Jill's Frost Magic. Terry, serving beer to customers, was so tired he couldn't even sneak a sip to quench his thirst.
Tommy, smiling ear to ear, held a huge money bag. He was in charge of collecting payments, and no one dared approach him within three meters.
People initially came to try the food, but once they did, their appetites were insatiable. They carelessly threw money at Tommy, focusing only on Rody's barbecue and drinking the chilled beer.
Jill, her magical powers severely drained, had a pale face but was happy to have participated in such a successful first work experience.
When Rody announced the closure of the stall for the day at dusk, many were reluctant to leave, inquiring about the next day's business hours. Several, a bit tipsy, even helped Rody and his companions load the goods onto the cart and pushed it far away, babbling drunkenly, including the two thugs who initially planned to cause trouble.
"Big brother, see you tomorrow," Alice called to Rody as the silver-armored female knight arrived. Clearly, she had sneaked out.
"Alice, see you. Tomorrow, I'll make you a big windmill as a reward for helping with the skewers," Rody waved goodbye to Alice and then had the magically exhausted Jill sit in the cart to be pulled back to the magic academy.
"No, no, that's not good. I can walk," Jill shyly shook her head, feeling too tired but embarrassed to sit.
"Get in! We're all big men here, we can pull a bull, let alone you!" Tommy, staggering with a bulging money bag, indicated with a kick for Terry, who had sneaked a drink, to help push the cart.
"Fellow students, how was business today?" Dean Buck, appearing out of nowhere, stood at the entrance, smiling and asking.