All Members as Shipping Enthusiasts

In the kitchen, fresh shrimp skewers were being prepared.

Outside, frozen shrimp skewers were laid out.

These were actually shrimp bought in the morning, stored in the freezer for preservation.

After all, it was Mid-Autumn Festival—if they didn’t prepare early, they wouldn’t be able to buy anything by evening.

Lin Mo finished skewering all the tiger prawns, then carefully cleaned the container before packing it with ice, shrimp, and oysters.

This makeshift cooler would keep everything fresh.

Just then, Xie Yufei walked over, grumbling under his breath.

"Why won’t it light? What kind of fire starter did we even buy? I’m gonna grab some gasoline."

Lin Mo quickly grabbed his arm.

"Don’t use gasoline—it’ll make the food taste weird. Let me try."

He headed to the large terrace, where the view stretched wide, the setting sun painting the sky in warm hues.

The grill had already been built with bricks, and charcoal was piled high inside.

Yet, the fire refused to catch.

Lin Mo surveyed the scene, then pushed through the small crowd.

With his hands, he scooped most of the charcoal back into the box, leaving only a thin layer at the bottom.

"You don’t need too much charcoal—just enough to cover the base. We can add more later if needed."

The others exchanged glances but stayed silent, though their expressions suggested they thought Lin Mo was showing off.

Left with no proper fire starter, Lin Mo grabbed a piece of charcoal and headed back to the kitchen.

He turned on the stove and held the charcoal directly over the flame.

The outer fire quickly turned a corner of the charcoal red.

Xie Yuling, who had been following him closely, couldn’t help but speak up.

"Be careful."

Lin Mo waved her off. "It’s fine."

Back at the grill, the guy who had built it frowned.

"Talk about pretentious—‘you don’t need too much charcoal,’ like he’s some expert."

His sarcastic tone drew laughter from the group.

Neither Xie Yufei nor Xie Yuling was present, or else they wouldn’t have dared to laugh like this.

To them, Lin Mo was an outsider, while they were the tight-knit group.

Just then, Lu Xiaohua walked over with a basket of prepared skewers.

"You’re still laughing? The grill isn’t even lit yet, and you’ve got time to joke around?"

Lu Xiaohua was a local from the village, with delicate features and a no-nonsense attitude.

"We did build the grill, you know. That’s gotta count for something," a few of the guys grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Meanwhile, Lin Mo’s the one who bought the ingredients, prepped the food, made the garlic sauce, and even skewered everything. And all you do is gossip behind his back? Seriously."

Having known them for years, Lu Xiaohua didn’t hold back in scolding them.

Her words hit home, and they fell silent, looking chastised.

Soon after, Lin Mo returned from the kitchen.

In his hand was a piece of half-reddened charcoal.

He placed it among the other coals, arranging them close together to spread the fire.

"Could you guys fan the flames a bit? I’ll go wash my hands."

No one responded immediately—until Lu Xiaohua let out a questioning "Hmm?"

That snapped them into action.

"Sure, sure! No problem, we’ve got this."

They scrambled to grab large palm-leaf fans and started fanning the fire.

Xie Yufei returned with several plates in hand. It was clear his family had gone all out on the ingredients.

"Tonight it's just us at home, so let's eat to our hearts' content. Everyone's gone to the ancestral hall for dinner, which means we can party as much as we want."

Another girl looked at the huge spread on the table and couldn't help asking, "There's so much food here—can we even finish it all?"

"Eh, we'll take our time. Let's eat till midnight!" Xie Yufei declared boldly.

But after giving the ingredients a closer look, he couldn't help glancing at Xie Yuling.

"Maybe you should invite some friends over too?"

The moment he said it, Xie Yufei clamped his mouth shut. Everyone knew his sister didn't have friends.

The others all turned their eyes to Xie Yuling.

Lin Mo scanned the group—their gazes were oddly intense—before looking down at Xie Yuling beside him.

Xie Yuling bit her lower lip, but an even colder aura radiated from her.

Something must have happened in the past.

This was probably the reason Xie Yuling avoided forming connections with others.

So Lin Mo reached out and patted her head.

"Hey, what about asking Fang Jun? He stuck with us yesterday too, didn't he?"

At the mention of Fang Jun, Xie Yuling recalled how he had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Lin Mo the day before without running away. She gave a slight nod.

Lin Mo smiled, pulling out his phone to call Fang Jun directly.

"Every time I can't kill you, can't kill you, I'll heal you; remember to fight for your pride, fight for your pride, don't you die..."

The ringtone played for a few lines before Fang Jun picked up.

"Yo, Lao Mo, happy Mid-Autumn! Had dinner yet?"

Fang Jun was as cheerful as ever.

"Not yet. You?"

"Me neither. Out at the ancestral hall with my parents—such a drag."

"Wanna come over for barbecue? I'm at Xie Yuling's cousin's place. You know where that is?"

Fang Jun thought for a moment. "Xie Yuling's cousin... Oh, you mean Xie Yufei?"

"Yeah."

Being from the same village, it was easy to know everyone.

"I know where he lives. Wait for me—I'll be right there."

With that, Fang Jun hung up.

Lin Mo turned to Xie Yufei. "You know Fang Jun?"

"Who doesn't know that guy? He's Lu Xiaohua's cousin."

Lu Xiaohua had wanted to say something earlier, but since Lin Mo was on the phone, she held back.

"We're alright, not super close since we're not in the same class."

That's what Lu Xiaohua said, but another boy immediately called her out.

"Cut the act. Don't his parents come to your place every New Year?"

In a small village, even with different surnames, everyone was practically connected.

Just look up, and someone was bound to be someone else's relative.

Lu Xiaohua and Fang Jun might be cousins, but the blood ties were probably thin—it was just how the family hierarchy worked.

As they chatted, the flames gradually rose.

The charcoal was burning hotter than a summer competition.

Once the grill rack was set, it made for a perfect barbecue setup.

"Come on, let's get some food going first," Xie Yufei said with a grin.

Lin Mo handed his phone to Xie Yuling to play with and claimed a spot by the grill.

He picked up a few skewers of shrimp—some tiger prawns, some regular ones.

Xie Yufei took one look and knew Lin Mo had bought the shrimp for Xie Yuling.

He sidled up to her and nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, sis, these shrimp are for you, right?"

Xie Yuling turned her face away. "He just likes shrimp."

"Oh really? These tiger prawns look expensive. He sure spares no expense treating himself."

With that, Xie Yufei left with a smile.

Xie Yuling stole a glance at Lin Mo, who was carefully grilling shrimp.

The corners of her lips curled faintly.

Meanwhile, the shipping enthusiasts lurking in the corner whispered excitedly.

"She smiled! I bet a hundred—she’s totally into that Lin Mo."

"I’ll raise you a thousand, but who’s gonna take the bet?"