Chapter 79: These humans also want to burn down Sir Rabbit’s house?!

Si Jiayang quickly set up the barbecue grill in the villa’s courtyard.

“It looks like the villa owner used this for outdoor picnics,” he said. “I checked everything briefly. All the necessary tools and seasonings are here and everything’s in pretty good condition.”

Before Si Jiayang could fully set up, Jing Qizhen picked up the barbecue grill, shone his flashlight on it, and deliberately showed it to the trapped March Hare. He couldn’t help but muse, “The rabbit’s so big, it wouldn’t fit in one pot. We’d need at least two grills!”

The March Hare with its ruby-like eyes already wide with fear: “!!!”

The foreigners, unfamiliar with the phrase ‘Kun is too big, it cannot fit in one pot to cook’ and thought Jing Qizhen was entirely serious and began to panic too: “…” |1.2|

The maid, who was accustomed to working in the kitchen and cooking, stammered, “This rabbit is too big. Even two grills won’t be enough to hold it!”

Busy with preparations, Si Jiayang casually responded, “As long as there’s enough to eat, it doesn’t need to be grilled all at once. If you lay out too much at once, you won’t have time to brush the barbecue sauce properly, and by the time you’re done, the rest will have gone cold!”

Wearing gloves, Si Jiayang placed the charcoal into the grill, lit it with a lighter, and then unpacked the fresh meat slices. Using tongs, he carefully laid them on the grill, producing a satisfying ‘sizzle’ as the meat met the heat.

“Little Jing, pass me the grill!” he called.

Jing Qizhen handed it over without hesitation.

Once the grill was fully loaded with meat slices, Si Jiayang arranged the various seasonings he’d brought and began preparing the sauce. He even made a separate batch without chili powder for those who couldn’t handle spice.

“I can eat spicy food and so can Manman,” Si Jiayang announced. “For the rest of you, if you don’t want spice, use the other sauce. We’ve got black pepper sauce, cumin powder, and chili flakes. You can just add what you like!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After seeing Si Jiayang cook hot pot in a supermarket during their previous adventure in the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store erosion area, they were well aware of his culinary skills.

Even the foreigners were amazed as they watched Si Jiayang’s smooth, efficient grilling as if witnessing a professional chef at work.

Charcoal grilling inevitably produces some smoke and with many of the barbecue seasonings being powders, a bit of it gets blown around by the night breeze as it was sprinkled onto the meat. For those with sensitive noses, it was hard not to turn away, lowered their heads toward a less smoky direction, and sneezed several times in succession. After rubbing their noses, they were greeted once again by the increasingly rich aroma of grilled meat.

The March Hare, trapped in the ruins, sneezed repeatedly due to the dust, even without the smoke and seasonings affecting it: “QAQ!!!”

In its heart, the March Hare almost screamed, ‘Oh, honorable Red Queen! These terrifying humans are actually grilling meat now!’

Your most loyal Rabbit Knight is about to turn into a ‘best-served-cold rabbit’!

But what even is that? Other than needing to be chilled, I don’t know anything about it! QAQ

The Earth: “Gulp… I really like Si Jiayang! He can make delicious food no matter where he is. Gulp!”

Jing Qizhen’s gaze also fell on the grill, its reddish glow reflecting off the charcoal fire, and he muttered casually, “I just said I’d leave two pieces on the ground for you but you didn’t want them and kept whining.”

The Earth whimpered dramatically, “Baby can’t eat them! QAQ!”

Jing Qizhen: “…”

The sudden act of whining completely threw Jing Qizhen off, especially when the Earth used the term ‘baby’ in such a childlike tone. Unsure of how to respond, he hesitated for a while before saying, “So, what do you want me to do?”

The Earth: “Baby don’t know! QAQ!”

Jing Qizhen: “…” Forget it, then. Better not to bother with this ball and focus on the main issue.

He was about to turn back to the ruins, flashlight in hand, to crouch down and patiently chat with the March Hare when Si Jiayang called out to him.

Si Jiayang gave him a knowing wink and cheerfully said, “Little Jing, take these pieces of meat. They’re ready to eat!”

Of course, Si Jiayang had already handed the first batch of grilled meat to Manman. Only then did he signal to the others that the rest of the meat was also done and ready to enjoy.

It must be said that after Jing Qizhen clarified their situation earlier, the previously distressed housemaid began to calm down. Even when looking at Caroline and the others, who had no idea when they would die, she no longer appeared as terrified.

Watching Si Jiayang busy himself with the grilling, the housemaid quickly entered work mode as well. “I’ll go to the kitchen and grab some utensils for you!”

While the housemaid hurried to the neighboring villa’s kitchen to search for utensils, Jing Qizhen silently accepted the grilled meat from Si Jiayang with a knowing nod.

He glanced at the meat in his hand, then at the lively crowd around Si Jiayang, who were enthusiastically competing for food. His gaze landed on Yun Shuanghua, who had stayed quiet and didn’t join the bustling group.

Yun Shuanghua’s cold, dark eyes met his.

Jing Qizhen blinked and, without hesitation, handed half of his portion to Yun Shuanghua. “Want to try? There are other seasonings over there. Do you want to check them out?”

Yun Shuanghua’s eyes remained fixed on the grilled meat Jing Qizhen offered, a look of surprise and hesitation on his face.

Encouraged by Jing Qizhen’s expression, Yun Shuanghua took a bite. The rich barbecue sauce, already thickened into a glaze, burst silently on his taste buds.

Yun Shuanghua’s eyes lit up instantly.

Jing Qizhen couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Ever since Yun Shuanghua had clung to the stale baguette earlier, Jing Qizhen had faintly sensed that beneath his brooding exterior, Yun Shuanghua seemed to have a special fondness for food.

Who knows how long this unlucky kid had been without normal food after falling into the erosion area?

In Jing Qizhen’s eyes, Yun Shuanghua’s bright eyes and cautious approach to handling the grilled meat were almost as endearing as the behavior of the Babyball, who seemed like it hadn’t eaten meat in over four billion years and couldn’t stop making slurping noises.

Actually, Jing Qizhen was a bit curious. The Babyball had never eaten anything, so where did it even learn an onomatopoeia like ‘gulp’? And it sounded pretty convincing, too.

After splitting the grilled meat evenly with Yun Shuanghua, Jing Qizhen took the other half, flashlight in one hand and the meat in the other, climbed onto the ruins, and squatted at the top. He chewed the meat deliberately while chatting with the March Hare below.

Jing Qizhen: “Why did you build your rabbit hole under this villa? What were you trying to do?”

The March Hare’s blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Jing Qizhen’s chewing action and it grew even redder as if terrified.

Jing Qizhen waved the fork with the grilled meat in front of the rabbit. “Hello?”

Feeling like it could be roasted and eaten at any moment, the March Hare choked back its humiliation and stubbornly argued, “My rabbit hole was already here! You vile humans built your house over my home!”

Jing Qizhen: “Don’t talk nonsense. If the construction workers saw your hole while building the villa, they would’ve filled it up a long time ago.”

The March Hare choked again, then raised its voice in a pathetic protest, “You vile humans! You dare threaten to destroy the home of the esteemed Sir Rabbit!”

At that, Jing Qizhen paused. He recalled that according to ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, Alice had entered the fantasy world through a rabbit hole but the March Hare itself didn’t live in a hole. It lived in a small house. The rabbit hole was just a passage.

Since the March Hare kept calling humans vile, Jing Qizhen played along and pointed at the villa ruins with a sympathetic look. “If you don’t start talking, your little house might really end up like this; flattened, if not worse.”

After a pause, Jing Qizhen added, “I know the rabbit hole is just a passage. Follow it and it leads to your home.”

The March Hare stared at Jing Qizhen in shock: “!!!”

These vile, terrifying humans not only wanted to roast and eat Sir Rabbit but also burn down its home!

Jing Qizhen, with an innocent expression, met its gaze and took another bite of the grilled meat.

Though he wasn’t biting into the rabbit, it felt its own flesh aching.

Meanwhile, the plump housemaid arrived with enough utensils for everyone.

Suddenly, the crowd became even more frenzied in their fight over the grilled meat.

From afar, Si Jiayang shouted at Jing Qizhen, “Little Jing, is your meat done? Another batch is ready. Come grab some!”

Jing Qizhen casually replied, “Coming!”

But before leaving, he turned his flashlight back onto the March Hare, whose terrified expression was genuine, yet its refusal to cooperate was equally apparent. After swallowing his last bite of meat, Jing Qizhen stood up and headed toward Si Jiayang.

Si Jiayang’s grilling skills were unmatched. The charcoal imparted its unique aroma to the sizzling meat, blending with the spices, oil, and juices in a constant symphony of crackles. Soon, the ruins-turned-courtyard was filled with a rich, enticing scent.

Though the March Hare didn’t know what was going on, it sighed in relief when Jing Qizhen left.

But as the meat aroma intensified, and knowing Jing Qizhen would soon return, the rabbit, still singed from the earlier car explosion, shivered.

Sure enough, Jing Qizhen returned moments later.

This time, though, he wasn’t holding grilled meat but a bottle of cumin powder.

Jing Qizhen leisurely crouched back in front of the villa’s crevice, shaking the cumin powder under the March Hare’s nose and shining his flashlight on it for clarity.

The March Hare: “You… you vile human! What are you trying to do?”

Jing Qizhen didn’t answer. He simply acted.

Under the wide-eyed, panicked stare of the March Hare, Jing Qizhen unscrewed the cumin powder and slowly sprinkled it over the March Hare’s head.

The scent of cumin filled the air and the March Hare’s panic soared. Its mind went blank, overwhelmed by a single, horrifying thought, ‘He’s seasoning me to roast on the grill!’

Rendered speechless, the March Hare could only tremble in silence.

But Jing Qizhen wasn’t done. Si Jiayang hollered from afar, “Little Jing, you’re doing it wrong! Start with salt to marinate it first!”

Si Jiayang’s shout hit the March Hare like a hammer, snapping it out of its daze.

No longer defiant, the March Hare shrieked in terror, “We’re here to find the missing Prince!”

Bonus chapter!😋