Bonfire Party

Watching Colin's retreating figure, a faint smile curled at the corner of Nord's lips. Colin's expression was exactly like the parents in his past life who hoped their children would succeed—the joy they showed when their children achieved something, even happier than the children themselves. Nord had no children in either life and had never experienced that mindset, but he understood the feeling all the same. In both lives, parents' love for their children was truly universal.

As Colin gradually walked away, Nord slowly came back to his senses. Seeing everyone looking at him, waiting for the lord's orders, Nord stopped dawdling and directed the group to first transport the grain to Colin's small courtyard.

The grain was temporarily stored in the small warehouse at Colin's home. The hunters moved the grain back and forth in the small yard, stirring the three inside the wooden cabin—Molly and her two children. When Molly came out and saw Ryman return safely, she was overjoyed. But when she noticed Ryman's injured hands, a layer of mist instantly gathered in her eyes. She quickly walked to Ryman's side and examined the wounds on his hands.

Ryman indicated he was fine, a blissful, silly smile spreading across his face.

Force-fed another mouthful of dog food—it seemed no matter where he went, he was doomed to be shown up. Nord couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Dad, what happened to your hands? Does it hurt?"

"Dad is a warrior. Warriors aren't afraid of pain. Just like when I lost a tooth a couple days ago—it didn't hurt at all, not one bit."

"Liar! I saw you crying under the covers yesterday."

"I did not!"

Art and Lysa, the two siblings, also gathered around Ryman, but their focus quickly drifted elsewhere.

Watching Ryman's family enjoying such harmony, Nord couldn't resist a mischievous impulse. He stepped forward and interrupted their family exchange.

"Molly, prepare the cooking utensils later. I'm planning a bonfire party to welcome the villagers who will come. I'll have Steward Abel go with you. He'll arrange whatever you need. Ask him if you're unsure."

Molly followed the steward toward the kitchen. Art and Lysa quieted down when they saw Nord, looking at him with a bit of shyness.

Just then, Reed arrived, hands behind his back, a smile on his face. Mysterious, he spoke to the Art siblings.

"Little Art, little Lysa, guess what gift Uncle brought you?"

Art put on a thoughtful expression, tilting his little head, his eyes full of question marks. Lysa, however, reacted quickly, running over to hug Reed's thigh and jumping excitedly.

"Malt sugar! It's malt sugar, right? Little Uncle said a couple days ago he'd buy me malt sugar. Little Lysa even dreamed about it last night."

"That's right, it's malt sugar. Little Lysa is so smart!"

Reed pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper from behind him. Opening it revealed pale yellow pieces of malt sugar inside. Lysa let out an excited shout, took the malt sugar, and started eating it with her brother. Reed stood by, beaming as he watched the two siblings make a fuss.

After the grain was moved, Nord ordered some hunters to take the horse meat to the kitchen for processing, while another group followed him to the open space outside the small yard—barely worthy of being called a square—to haul firewood and set up the bonfire.

To be honest, Nord had never attended a bonfire party in his past life either. But even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen a pig run, right? Though, truth be told, he couldn't afford pork now anyway, since prices had gone up... But in this world, Nord hadn't even seen a pig run, let alone eaten pork.

Nord arranged for everyone to set up a large bonfire in the center of the square, where they would roast the horse meat later. Four smaller bonfires were set up around the square's perimeter for lighting after dark. He instructed them to be careful with fire safety and to prepare enough firewood, then returned to the kitchen to check on things.

In the kitchen, everyone was busy under Abel's arrangements. Due to limited ingredients, the horse meat could only be simply rinsed of blood and scored with cuts, with few seasonings for marinating. Worried there wouldn't be enough food, Abel also brought out the remaining bread.

The bonfire party's food was simple—only roasted horse meat and the leftover bread. It was indeed a bit shabby, unworthy of a transmigrator's lofty status. But given Nord's current conditions, this was the best he could do. Though he still had quite a few Gold Thalers in hand, even a clever housewife can't cook without rice—he had money but nowhere to spend it. Nord silently resolved to establish a market in Tami Village as soon as possible.

The horse meat in the kitchen was already placed on the grills over the bonfire. The one manning the grill was none other than Steward Abel. That's right—Nord couldn't cook either. When it came to eating, he was fine, but actually doing the cooking? He didn't have that skill yet. He could only force the issue and let Steward Abel take the lead. After all, the system had produced him—as a professional steward, he must know how to cook too, right? Mm, that was Nord's line of thinking.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. The sun hid behind the mountains, and the moon hung high in the night sky. The square grew lively, everyone chatting animatedly with each other, finding the scene refreshing.

In an era of low productivity, especially without electricity, people generally didn't go out after dark. Lighting bonfires like this, with villagers gathering at night under the bright moonlight, the pitch-black sky, and the blazing flames—it was as if a door had opened in these villagers' hearts, a seed planted. So this was how life could be.

When each household arrived, they didn't come empty-handed. Village Chief Colin had told them it was a bonfire party where the lord would share food. The villagers had no idea what a bonfire party was, but they felt embarrassed to enjoy the noble lord's food for free, so they brought out dried meat they had treasured for a long time.

Seeing this, Nord sighed again. These villagers were so simple and endearing—he couldn't let them down. But though the villagers were curious and happy, they didn't draw close to Nord, as if an invisible line separated them. Their gazes toward him were mostly filled with awe and unfamiliarity. Nord knew he still had much work ahead. It would start now.

Nord walked to the center of the square and stood beside the bonfire. The horse meat on the grill sizzled, roasted to a golden brown. Without many seasonings, it was just pure roasted meat, yet Abel had turned it into a delicacy. It seemed Abel had a talent for cooking. Nord chuckled inwardly, smelling the aroma of roasted meat, then turned to face the surrounding villagers.

Though the villagers dared not approach Nord, they were still very curious about him. Pretending to chat with others, they were actually sneaking glances at him. When Nord walked to the center of the square, the villagers fell silent.

"I am Nord Isaac, Viscount of the Isaac Territory, your village's lord. I arrived here yesterday and found this place very poor. So I discussed with Village Chief Colin about having you help me build a manor. I will pay you wages and grain. Perhaps some of you have already heard something about this."

"Now let me tell you what you don't know. On our way back, we encountered a group of bandits. It was only because your village's hunters fought to the death that we can stand here today. This bonfire party is to celebrate these brave warriors. Our food today—this horse meat—is their spoils of war. Let me invite them up to receive your cheers!"

Nord raised both hands, signaling the villagers to cheer. Perhaps the bonfire had ignited their emotions, or the night had freed their nature. Gradually, the villagers stopped holding back and cheered together for the hunters who stepped forward.

Let me report on the work's performance. In the past week, we've received a total of 107 recommendation votes and 137 collections. I also want to thank Bing Jun Mo, Mr. Cheng Who Makes Money, Prince Baiyu, Shi Jinbei, Blood Demon Blade Saint, reader 20180330110851403, and others for their continuous daily support. Thank you all—your encouragement is my motivation to keep writing.