As the sun went down, the settlement lit up, and there were bonfires burning in many open spaces.
Victor also lit a bonfire in front of his door, but instead of throwing firewood on the ground, it was placed in the stove. The stove was ingeniously designed to keep the ashes and sparks, and to emit light and heat.
It was not comfortable to live on the island at night. It was cold and humid.
Li Du and the others rubbed their hands and gathered around the stove. Victor's wife hung up a big kettle with hot coffee in it. Soon, the aroma of coffee filled the air.
"This is the best smell I've ever smelled," Hannah said excitedly.
Victor, who was preparing the bird meat, turned around and said, "You'll know what's the best when we stew the meat later!"
Li Du saw that he was having a hard time, so he said to Brother Wolf, "Go help him clean up."
Big Quinn was very hardworking. He got up and said, "I'll help."
The two new people joined in, and the bird meat, venison, rabbit meat, and other meat were soon ready.
The coffee kettle made a "woo woo" sound, and the strong aroma spread along with the steam.
Victor's wife prepared a big cup for everyone, and then they shared the hot coffee.
A stove was brought out, and Victor put the goose leg, lamb leg, venison, chicken leg, and other meat on it, and began to roast the meat.
At the same time, he removed the coffee kettle and hung up an iron pot with a pile of meat and vegetables in it. He made a messy stew.
"This meal is barbaric enough, but interesting," Li Du said.
Victor's wife took over the cooking of the stove. Victor wiped his hands and sat down. He smiled and said, "This is the specialty. You can't get it in the city. Don't worry, it's very hygienic, and you can try it later. It tastes great. "
While waiting for the meal, they chatted casually.
Li Du asked, "Where are you from? Why did you come to live here? To be honest, I think it will be boring to live on this island for a long time. "
Victor said, "Yes, boring, but it's easy to live here. What do we live for? Isn't it just to live happily? I'm happy here. "
Lu Guan wondered, "There's no entertainment, and there's not even electricity. How can you be happy?"
Victor said, "Who said there's no electricity?"
Lu Guan said, "There's electricity? Then why is the whole village so dark? You also rely on firelight to illuminate this place. "
Pointing at the building, Victor said, "There's a generator inside, but it's too expensive. Unless you guys are willing to pay, I won't waste diesel."
Li Du asked, "How much?"
"Let's see how many lights you can turn on. One light costs 50 yuan an hour."
The fee was indeed quite expensive, but Li Du did not mind. He said, "Then turn on the lights. It's too dark. I'm afraid I'll eat into my nose when I eat later."
The children giggled.
Li Du gave him five hundred dollars, and Victor turned on two lights as per his request.
These two lamps were iodine tungsten lamps, not small dim yellow light bulbs. Once the two lamps were turned on, the surroundings of the small building immediately became as bright as day.
"Edison was amazing. He invented the electric light," said Big Quinn's daughter, Susanna.
Victoria immediately added, "Franklin was also very powerful. He invented electricity. If there was no electricity, what was the use of electric lights?"
Electricity and electric lights were very important. As the lights were turned on, the village seemed to suddenly become lively.
One after another, more than a dozen people came to the store with bowls of rice. Some of them even brought food and drinks. Then everyone gathered together to eat and chat.
Hans said, "This is a bit like a meal in your village."
Li Du shrugged and said, "Yes, small places have their advantages."
The meat was still simmering, and some of the barbecued meat was ready.
Brother Wolf peeled off the surface of the large pieces of meat that were spinning. Victoria and Ivana became small waiters, constantly bringing the barbecued meat for everyone to eat.
These barbecued meat did not need any seasoning. When eating, each person had a small piece of salt and a seasoning packet. After rubbing the salt on the barbecued meat and patting it with the seasoning packet, it was ready to eat.
The meat was delicious, and the simple seasoning was able to maintain the original flavor of the meat. Li Du and the others were full of praise as they ate.
Victor smiled as he hugged the hookah and started to smoke again. Li Du asked him, "Are you going to stay here forever?"
"Why not?" He asked. "Unless I get seriously ill and have to go to the city for surgery, I will always live here. I like it here."
Li Du said, "But how do you make money here?"
Victor said, "I have health insurance, we all do, and most of our money is bought with insurance. If there is an accident, we rely on the insurance to pay for it. If there is no accident, we will live here."
"There will be no problems living here, as long as you don't cause trouble," a gray-haired old man added. "I have lived here for forty years. When I was in Sydney, I often had headaches and fevers, but these forty years I have been healthy."
Li Du was surprised. "You have lived here for forty years?"
The old man shrugged and said, "Yes, from the age of thirty-eight to here. I am now seventy-eight years old."
Hearing this, Li Du was even more surprised. The old man did not look seventy-eight years old. It would be more believable to say that he was in his sixties. There was still a lot of black hair on his head.
Victor said, "You heard right, Uncle Bell is seventy-eight years old. He was one of the first people to come to the island. At that time, they were worried about the outbreak of World War III, so they came here to hide."
"I don't want to be sent to the battlefield by the British royal family, like those boys on Anzac Day. How unlucky are they? We are a world away from England, but we have to fight for their nobles, "the old man continued.
Someone next to him laughed while eating a sausage. "You think too much. How can a world war break out so easily? Besides, Australia has long been independent. "
The old man retorted, "Independence 40 years ago? You can't call it independence just because you have diplomatic immunity! Besides, you don't know how serious the Cold War was at that time. If you knew, you would be afraid! "
Victor said, "There is no need to laugh at others, Bill. Everyone who comes to the island must have an interesting story."
"What story do you have?" Li Du asked.
Victor laughed and said, "My wife and I have the same story. We have a serious anxiety disorder and can't stay in crowded places. We are fine here."
"Anxiety disorder?" Sophie asked, then said, "It is really crazy. You have found a place where you can relax. Congratulations, you are very lucky."
Victor said, "Yes, I will never forget my days in Tokyo. At that time, I thought I was going to collapse. I felt like I was going to die every day. I don't know what I was worried about. I don't know what happened to me. Anyway, I felt like I was going to die!"
As they chatted, the lid of the pot moved, and the rich aroma of meat attracted everyone's attention.
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