Chapter 21, Big Brother, come hang out when you're free!_2

Field mouse meat was already rubbed with a layer of salt during marination, and after it was thoroughly cooked, another layer of pepper and secret spices was sprinkled on. A large chunk of field mouse leg was torn off and handed to Phoenix, who said, "Try this... Field mice run very fast, so the muscles in their legs are the most developed. This piece of meat is the most fragrant and tender, absolutely delicious..."

Phoenix didn't hold back and took a bite of the field mouse leg.

Spicy, fresh, crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside.

"It's delicious!" Phoenix couldn't help but blurt out the praise.

"You lost!" Tang Fei said with a laugh, looking at Phoenix.

It was then that Phoenix remembered the bet. Despite the plan to avoid giving any compliment, even if it tasted good, she had carelessly let it slip...

Of course, Phoenix wasn't about to show any hint of her little scheming thoughts. She gave Tang Fei a proud look and said, "I've lost, I've lost. It's just a small gift, right? I keep my word; I will certainly fulfill the promise."

"Then I'm relieved," said Tang Fei.

Little Fatty smelled the delicious aroma of the field mouse, his appetite stirred, and he dropped his hammer and came running over, pleading, "Brother, give me a leg too."

"One leg won't be enough for you," Tang Fei said as he placed the field mouse on a tray and then used a meat cleaver to cut it in half.

He handed half of the field mouse to Little Fatty and said, "Here, eat this."

"Thank you, brother." Little Fatty's eyes gleamed as he clutched the half mouse and squatted on the ground to gnaw at it.

"Two little scamps don't even think to leave some for me; no respect for elders," grumbled the old man.

Tang Fei chopped the remaining half of the field mouse into three parts, gave one to the old man, kept one for himself, and gave one more to Phoenix, who had just finished gobbling down the leg and was eagerly looking over.

"This little bit won't even fill the gaps between my teeth," the old man complained, accepting his portion with a look of disdain.

Phoenix still maintained the good habit of "respecting the elderly and loving the young" from New Star. She handed over her piece of field mouse to the old man, saying, "Uncle, you eat my share."

When she had just arrived, she had politely called him "sir," but now after eating and living with them, their relationship had grown much closer, and she called the old man "uncle," taking on the identity of a friend to Tang Fei and Little Fatty.

"Don't give it to him," Tang Fei intercepted, saying, "There's still a pot of porridge cooking in the kitchen. If he's still hungry, he can have some porridge. Old folks shouldn't eat so much meat; they might have indigestion at night."

"Oh," Phoenix nodded and took back her share of field mouse.

That was the advice for elderly people on New Star, too. Many older people lived that way, including her father, who was careful not to eat too much meat at night, worrying about digestion and sleep.

"You ungrateful kid, getting a wife has made you forget your dad!" the old man scolded angrily.

"Let's go eat over there and ignore him," Tang Fei said to Phoenix, not even bothering to argue with the old man's words.

Nor did he want to refute them.

"Getting a wife has made you forget your dad"...

What did that mean? It meant you had a wife now, didn't it?

For some reason, when Tang Fei heard the old man scolding him like that, he actually felt quite pleased inside.

It was like those teenagers in the throes of first love, hating rumors about themselves but feeling a bittersweet happiness when they were actually true.

Just then, there was a knocking sound at the gate.

"Who is it?" Tang Fei called out.

"Flame Shrine. Open the door," someone shouted from outside.

Tang Fei's gaze sharpened, the old man's eyes were filled with killing intent, and Little Fatty had already swiftly grabbed the hammer from the ground...

Of course, he didn't have the heart to drop the field mouse he was holding.

Out of sheer nervousness, he even took a big bite and chewed on it.

Phoenix, with a face filled with panic, looked to Tang Fei. She hadn't expected the Flame Shrine's men to find them so quickly.

She could fight her way out and escape, but she was worried about getting Tang Fei, Little Fatty, and the others involved.

But even if she did manage to escape, where would she go?

Would she still need the escape pod? Without the trace of the escape pod's slide rails, how could her family ever find her?

In an instant, her mind was in turmoil.

Tang Fei patted her shoulder, signaling her not to panic.

He then pointed to the inner room, telling her to hide there for a while.

After Phoenix left, Tang Fei gestured for the old man and Little Fatty to lower their guard. You two are making such a violent scene, isn't it like saying 'here lies the silver, three hundred taels'?

Stay calm!

Stay calm!

Always remain elegant and composed!

And then, with a big chunk of field mouse meat in his mouth, Tang Fei walked over leisurely and opened the gate, asking, "What's the matter?"

A group of Grey Robes stood at the door, and seeing a young man answer, they asked, "How many people are in your family? Has any stranger visited your home?"

"Just the three of us. My dad, my brother..." Tang Fei pointed at the old man and Little Fatty, saying, "We haven't had strangers; just family here. Who dares to let strangers into their house these days?"

"Answer what's asked, why all the unnecessary talk?" a Grey Robe rebuked dissatisfiedly.

"Yes, yes, Lord Divine Envoy is right," Tang Fei immediately switched to a more ingratiating smile.

"Have you seen any strangers?"

"Strangers?" Tang Fei thought for a moment, then said, "This is a gathering area, every day there are strangers coming and going..."