When Mike got home, he saw Little George setting up tables and chairs in the yard.
As soon as he spotted Mike walking by, Little George dropped what he was doing and ran over to the gate.
"Mike… did you and Regina have a falling-out?"
"What makes you think that?" Mike stopped and asked.
Little George thought for a moment. "Not long after you left the hall, Regina stormed out and announced the party was over. I figured someone must've seriously ticked her off."
Normally, with it still being early, there was no reason for the gathering to end so abruptly.
"Yeah," Mike said, shaking his head. "I guess you could say Regina and I are done."
"I knew it…" Little George wore an I-called-it expression, then leaned in with more gossip. "So what about you and Karen?"
He'd noticed Mike and Karen leaving one after the other earlier.
"Don't pry into things you shouldn't," Mike said flatly, then flipped the question back on him. "How's it going with that cheerleader?"
"Don't even get me started," Little George said with a long sigh.
Turns out, the cheerleader had only been talking to him to get information about Mike.
Little George, unfortunately, had been nothing more than a convenient tool.
Hearing that, Mike didn't really know how to comfort him, so he silently held a three-second moment of sympathy.
"You keep working," Mike said. "I'm going inside to clean up."
He was drenched in sweat and badly needed a shower.
"Go ahead. Don't forget to come back out later for the family get-together," Little George reminded him.
To celebrate the football team's win, Mary was hosting a backyard family barbecue.
Mike gave an OK sign and headed straight back to Grandma Connie's place.
In the living room, Grandma Connie was busy marinating beef. When she saw Mike come in, her eyes lit up and she walked over.
"You smell like a woman," she said after giving him a sniff, smiling knowingly. "Looks like you've grown up."
Her expression was the kind of satisfaction you'd see when someone's pig finally managed to root up a cabbage.
Mike wasn't comfortable talking about this kind of thing with his grandma. He gave in helplessly. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Go on," Grandma Connie said cheerfully. "I'll take you out for barbecue later."
After a quick shower, Mike changed into a loose, comfortable T-shirt and shorts.
With nothing better to do, he sat in the living room watching Grandma Connie continue marinating the beef.
Texas-style secret barbecue had its own unique recipe, and the prep work was notoriously complicated.
Grandma Connie seemed to be in a great mood today, clearly enjoying every step of the process.
"Alright," she said at last, clapping her hands with satisfaction. "Come help me carry the ingredients. We're ready to head out."
[Texas Secret Barbecue Recipe · Cooking Experience +100]
"Coming," Mike said, collecting the glowing reward before grabbing the beef and heading out.
In the Cooper family's backyard, the grill was already set up.
On a nearby table were all kinds of snacks Mary had prepared.
Since the occasion was special, Mary even allowed her husband to have a little beer.
George, sipping beer by the table, immediately stood up when he saw the marinated beef in Mike's hands.
"Let me do it," George said eagerly, taking the meat and happily getting to work on the grill.
True Texans had three great loves: God, football, and barbecue.
When necessary, the order was flexible.
Ever since George had tasted Grandma Connie's secret beef barbecue fifteen years ago, he'd been obsessed with that flavor.
After working alone for nearly an hour, George sliced off a small piece of beef from the grill, took a bite, and closed his eyes in bliss.
"That's it… that's the taste. This is amazing."
"Alright, George, don't overdo it," Mary said, worried about his health, and asked Little George to help him out.
Before long, the secret barbecue was brought to the outdoor table.
The freshly grilled beef gave off a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
"Thank You, Lord, for the food You've given us. Amen."
After the prayer, everyone clinked beer bottles or juice cups and celebrated the football team's victory.
Then they dug into the barbecue.
George finished his portion quickly. Riding the good mood, he turned to Grandma Connie and said,
"Connie, could you give me the barbecue recipe? Next time, I'll make it for everyone myself."
"Hmph," Grandma Connie replied. "I'm not so old that I can't cook yet. I'd rather do it myself."
She genuinely enjoyed preparing barbecue for her family.
"Please, just tell me," George pleaded, playing the emotional card. "I'm your son-in-law…"
He went on about all the hard work he'd done over the years and everything he'd contributed to the family.
Seeing how desperate he looked, Grandma Connie finally seemed to relent.
"Alright then. Get me some paper and a pen. I'll write it down."
"That's awesome!" George jumped up in excitement, thumping his way back into the house. He returned moments later with paper and pen.
Smiling, Grandma Connie scribbled a few lines and handed the paper to the anxious George.
"Keep dreaming, chubby boy!"
George's smile slowly froze as he read what was written.
"Why?" he said, both angry and hurt. "I'm your son-in-law. Sooner or later, you'd have to give it to me anyway…"
What he wanted wasn't just the recipe—he wanted recognition from his mother-in-law.
But Grandma Connie saw things differently. She still hadn't fully forgiven him for getting Mary pregnant before marriage.
Clearly, Grandma Connie had double standards when it came to family.
Just to mess with him, she added, "Who knows? I might end up giving the recipe to Mike instead."
"Wha—" George was genuinely furious now. He slumped onto a chair and started angrily drinking his beer.
Mary felt sorry for him and stepped in.
"Mom, don't tease George anymore. Just give him the recipe, please?"
"Alright, alright," Grandma Connie said with an I can't win with you people look, picking up the pen again.
Under George's hopeful gaze, she wrote out a long list of ingredients.
"This one's real, right?" George asked nervously, holding the densely written page.
"Silly boy," Grandma Connie said with a smile. "Why would I lie to you?"
"Thank you so much," George said seriously, studying the recipe. He noticed that many of the ingredients weren't available locally and would have to be bought out of town.
Still, that didn't dampen his enthusiasm.
"This weekend, I'll go buy everything and make you all an amazing barbecue."
At that moment, George felt truly valued by his mother-in-law, his motivation soaring.
"Keep it up," Grandma Connie encouraged him before standing shows. "I'm full. You all enjoy."
With that, she quickly left the Cooper family's backyard.
In truth, the recipe she'd given George was still fake.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer and saw George's earnest, clueless expression, she'd burst out laughing.
Mike had picked up on something. After Grandma Connie left, he turned to Coach George and asked,
"Can I take a look at the recipe?"
George hesitated, then finally handed over his treasured sheet of paper.
"…tea powder… premium coffee grounds… holy witch spirit root…" Mike read the absurd list and asked,
"Didn't you notice something was off?"
"No way…" George snapped out of his smug excitement and suddenly felt a deep sense of betrayal.