Grandma Su placed the chicken in a basin. Then she used a ladle to scoop up some water from the pot and poured the boiling water directly over the chicken in the basin. The scalding water streamed down like a waterfall. Once the first ladleful was poured out, she scooped up another and poured it into the basin again, continuing until the entire chicken was submerged.
Grandma Su waited for a while, until the water was no longer as scorching hot as before. She rolled up her sleeves and prepared to pluck the chicken. Gripping the chicken firmly with both hands, she gently tugged with her fingers, and the feathers came loose one after another.
After a while, every last feather had been plucked clean. Grandma Su then brought over another basin of clean, hot water and placed the plucked hen inside. She picked up the kitchen knife and chopped the chicken into small pieces.
Once she had finished chopping, Grandma Su put the pieces back into the basin and poured hot water over them again. She let the chicken pieces soak for a while, waiting for the blood to seep out. Only after the blood had been drawn out did Grandma Su begin making the chicken soup.
This was a free-range farm chicken! Combined with a traditional wood-fired stove and firewood, it was simply the perfect combination. Although she added only a little salt to season the soup, the rich, mouthwatering aroma was impossible to contain.
The soup simmered slowly over low heat. Before long, a delicious fragrance began to fill the air. It drifted out through the cracks beneath the door and around the windows, eventually waking Su Mingyue from her deep sleep.
Su Mingyue sniffed the air and rubbed her growling stomach. She slowly sat up and felt that she was much better than before; her body was no longer as weak and powerless. So she slowly got out of bed, opened the door, and made her way toward the kitchen, following the enticing aroma.
When she reached the kitchen, she saw Su Qingfeng squatting outside the doorway, swallowing repeatedly as he stared at the steam rising from the pot.
Looking at Su Qingfeng like this, Grandma Su couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness. If only her second son and his wife were still alive. How wonderful that would be!
Grandma Su was lost in her thoughts when, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a figure quietly standing at the kitchen doorway. She took a closer look and realized that Su Mingyue had somehow come over without her noticing.
Su Mingyue’s beautiful eyes were fixed intently on the chicken soup in the pot. Although the longing in her eyes was impossible to conceal, her fair face remained completely expressionless, almost wooden.
Yet, if one looked carefully, deep within those clear, limpid eyes like autumn waters, there was still an unmistakable anticipation for the fragrant chicken soup.
The moment Grandma Su saw Su Mingyue, her heart gave a sudden jolt. She quickly came back to her senses, and her face immediately filled with a mixture of concern and affectionate reproach. She scolded loudly, “Oh, my little darling, you nearly scared me to death! Why did you get out of bed all of a sudden? Why aren’t you lying down and resting properly? How are you feeling now? Are you still uncomfortable? Is your head still dizzy?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Grandma Su seemed to remember something and couldn’t help laughing. She continued, “These past few days, you’ve been putting on such a mature little-adult act, and you’ve done a pretty convincing job of it.
“I was even wondering whether you were going to keep up that act forever. Who would have thought that the moment I started simmering a pot of fragrant chicken soup, your true nature would come right out! Hahaha! Just look at that little greedy face of yours. You and Qingfeng are practically two little gluttonous kittens carved from the same mold!”
As she spoke, Grandma Su supported Su Mingyue and helped her from outside into the kitchen, then had her sit down on a small stool. Being teased like this by Grandma Su, Su Mingyue pretended to behave as the original owner would have and gave her an embarrassed smile.
She said, “Grandma’s soup smells so good. I couldn’t help myself, so I came over. I don’t feel uncomfortable anymore, and my head isn’t dizzy either.” After saying that, she rubbed her stomach and added, “It’s just that I’m a little hungry.”
Grandma Su smiled and said, “Don’t rush. Just wait a little longer. We’ll be ready to eat soon! Drinking only soup won’t fill your stomach. Grandma will mix up some dough and make a few flatbreads for you two. We’ll eat them with the chicken soup. They’ll be so delicious you’ll be licking your lips, hahaha!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the old woman shuffled over to the large jar where the flour was kept. She scooped out some golden-yellow cornmeal and some white corn flour. Then she mixed the two together, added an appropriate amount of water, and began kneading. Before long, she had made a ball of dough.
Next, the old woman pinched off small portions of the dough and repeatedly pressed them with both hands until they became flat cakes. She then stuck each of the flat cakes around the edge of the heated iron pot. As time passed, enticing aromas gradually wafted out from the pot.
After a while, the meal was finally ready, and the sky had already begun to darken. Grandma Su served the cooked food from the pot.
The three members of the family, grandmother and grandchildren, each picked up a large bowl. The bowls were filled with steaming, savory chicken soup, along with the freshly cooked, golden-brown flatbreads.
Su Mingyue and Su Qingfeng eagerly began eating large mouthfuls, thoroughly enjoying their meal. There were clearly far more pieces of meat in their bowls than in Grandma Su’s. The old woman herself was reluctant to eat the meat and left only a single piece in her own bowl.
Even so, seeing her grandson and granddaughter eating happily and to their hearts’ content, Grandma Su wore a warm, loving smile on her face the entire time.
Su Mingyue noticed that Grandma Su had only one piece of meat in her bowl. So she picked several pieces out of her own bowl and placed them in Grandma Su’s. This delighted the old woman, who couldn’t stop praising her: “Oh, my Mingyue is such a thoughtful girl!”
Su Qingfeng, sitting beside them, saw what his sister had done. Following her example, he also picked several pieces of meat from his own bowl and gently placed them into Grandma Su’s.
Now Grandma Su was absolutely overjoyed. She said to Su Mingyue and Su Qingfeng, “You two really are Grandma’s precious little darlings! Grandma hasn’t spoiled you for nothing!”
After saying this, Grandma Su gazed affectionately at her grandchildren. With her chopsticks, she picked out two of the pieces of meat they had just added to her bowl and put one into Su Mingyue’s bowl, then another into Su Qingfeng’s.
She couldn’t help reminding them, “Good children, Grandma is getting old and can’t eat that much meat. Don’t waste it. Mingyue, that wound on your head is so large—you need to eat more and build yourself back up. And Qingfeng, you’re still a growing child, so you need to eat more too!”
Su Mingyue silently gazed at Grandma Su. Suddenly, an indescribable and unfamiliar emotion welled up inside her.
For someone who had always lived alone in the distant interstellar world, that kind of feeling was simply too unfamiliar.