Ji Yanchuan had exceptionally sharp eyesight.
The exceptionally sharp kind.
So when he saw Shen Yueliang lower her head once again, he knew his instincts had been right.
She was avoiding him.
He knew his personality wasn’t particularly pleasant, but he had been reasonably courteous to her. Even after she had deceived him, he had still driven her all the way back from such a distant place.
…Fine.
If she wanted to pretend they didn’t know each other, then they didn’t know each other.
Looking straight ahead, he left the kitchen without another glance.
As if he had completely forgotten that while he was indeed the one who had brought her back, he was also the one who had stepped on the gas and sprayed her with exhaust fumes.
With one less person, the kitchen immediately felt more spacious and comfortable.
Thinking only about food, Shen Yueliang washed her hands and got busy.
She split the fish head in half, sliced the fish meat into thin fillets, seasoned them, and left them to marinate.
The red and green chilies were washed and finely chopped.
For a while, the kitchen echoed with the rapid tap-tap-tap of her knife.
Soon afterward, Su Qiuyun and Ding Shuhui came to help.
With more hands, the work progressed quickly, and before long several dishes were ready.
Fish head tofu soup.
Braised fish chunks.
Scrambled eggs.
Cold cucumber salad.
Stir-fried water spinach.
And mixed-grain steamed buns as the staple food.
Food supplies were limited in those days.
Many ingredients couldn’t be bought on the market, and conditions in the military compound were difficult. Most vegetables were grown locally, so people simply ate whatever was available.
The spread wasn’t particularly lavish.
Once the dishes were prepared, Ding Shuhui began kneading dough for steamed buns.
Su Qiuyun was from the south and wasn’t very skilled with wheat-based foods, so she stayed beside Ding Shuhui to learn.
The stove was finally free.
Shen Yueliang rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
The oil heated.
She tossed in Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, onions, and ginger.
The moment they hit the pan—
Sizzle!
An irresistible aroma instantly drifted dozens of meters away.
Not only were Ding Shuhui and Su Qiuyun in the kitchen practically drooling, but the men chatting outside all sniffed the air.
“This smell is incredible!” Qin Zhihang felt as if the greedy little worms in his stomach had started dancing.
Yang Chunjiang immediately rubbed his stomach.
“I’m hungry.”
Suddenly remembering something, Qin Zhihang elbowed the friend beside him.
“Just from the smell, you can tell these dishes are amazing. Unfortunately for you, you can’t eat spicy food. No chance for you to enjoy it!”
Ji Yanchuan lowered his eyelids and glanced at his friend.
It was only one or two spicy dishes.
Did he care?
However…
Those dishes really were…
Perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.
Especially the chopped chili fish head.
The bright red and green chilies covering the top made it look extraordinary before anyone even tasted it.
After bringing the dishes to the table, Shen Yueliang felt quite confident in her cooking.
The only thing she wasn’t sure about was whether everyone would like the flavors.
“Go ahead and try them.”
If they didn’t suit everyone’s tastes, then she could eat more herself.
It had been so long since she’d eaten these dishes that she was craving them badly.
Shen Yueliang secretly thought this to herself.
As for what happened next…
“Don’t grab that! That’s mine!”
“Wife, hurry and try this—it’s really good!”
“Qin Zhihang, you brat! Leave some for the rest of us!”
Shen Yueliang had no idea everyone would be this enthusiastic.
She had originally planned to be more reserved and had only picked up a few bites of vegetables first.
Then chaos erupted.
Chopsticks flew everywhere.
She was genuinely stunned.
Quickly joining the battle, she managed to snatch a few slices of fish.
There wasn’t much meat on the fish head to begin with.
As for the fish fillets, although they looked plentiful after being sliced thinly, a few chopsticks from each person quickly wiped them out.
“Miss Shen, you’ve seen quite the spectacle today.”
As the oldest person present, Ding Shuhui hadn’t expected things to become so chaotic.
Now that she had come to her senses, she felt a little embarrassed.
It looked as if they hadn’t eaten in decades.
Only Ji Yanchuan remained calm and composed, preserving at least a little dignity.
Shen Yueliang smacked her lips while counting how many pieces of fish she’d managed to eat.
Hearing that, she shook her head.
“Not really. But seeing how much everyone likes it… does that mean these two dishes turned out pretty well?”
Good cooking was a skill.
Once restrictions eased in the future, she could always open a restaurant and make money that way.
The more skills one had, the better.
Who would ever complain about having too much money?
“Very delicious!”
Qin Zhihang immediately gave her a thumbs-up.
With the fish already gone, Yang Chunjiang scooped up some pickled vegetables instead and offered a remarkably fair evaluation.
“Numbing, spicy, sour, and refreshing all at once.”
Seeing everyone enjoy her cooking so much made Shen Yueliang genuinely happy.
Her confidence in someday opening a restaurant and making money skyrocketed.
In fact, she felt someone needed to pull her back down before she floated straight into the clouds.
The table was set up in the courtyard.
Sunlight bathed her strikingly beautiful face.
Her skin was fair and flawless.
After eating spicy food, her lips had taken on a vivid color that was almost enticing.
The slight upward curve of her lips showed she was in an exceptionally good mood.
Ji Yanchuan happened to glance up and see it.
Then quietly lowered his gaze again.
“Alright, everyone is done eating. You men can wash the dishes. It’s our turn to rest.”
This was the military.
There was no such thing as men refusing to do chores.
Even the soldiers in the mess hall cooked.
Ding Shuhui took good care of the men under her husband’s command, but when it came to certain matters, she ordered them around without the slightest hesitation.
The three men obediently got up and went to work.
Ding Shuhui said,
“You can’t spoil men too much. Especially after they’re married. There are so many things to do in a household. If the men don’t help, what are we women supposed to do? Grow four hands?”
Su Qiuyun laughed softly.
Although she hadn’t known Ding Shuhui for long, Shen Yueliang had developed a very favorable impression of her.
Warm-hearted.
And sensible.
“To be honest, I don’t like washing dishes either.”
Cooking could be enjoyable.
Washing dishes, however, was a pleasure she had never managed to discover.
As she spoke, she noticed from the corner of her eye that someone reached over to collect the plate in front of her.
Without thinking, she pushed the plate forward.
The person’s movement seemed to pause.
Curious, she looked up.
Only to meet Ji Yanchuan’s expressionless face.
Shen Yueliang: …
She really shouldn’t have looked up.
By the afternoon, Shen Yueliang found herself on the mountain behind the compound.
Originally, she had planned to leave right after lunch.
She had already secured three clothing orders.
Ding Shuhui wanted two blouses made.
Another military wife wanted one made for her daughter.
Three blouses meant nine mao in tailoring fees.
The reason things had developed this far…
Was entirely because she was too soft-hearted.
Qin Zhihang had praised her cooking and asked when she would come back to cook fish again.
Ding Shuhui had praised both her tailoring skills and her cooking.
And Shen Yueliang had one particular weakness.
She couldn’t handle compliments.
Besides, after just receiving three orders, it would’ve felt rude to leave immediately.
So she casually mentioned that she might try making some spicy chicken chili sauce when she got home.
The truth was, she wanted to eat it herself.
Chicken chili sauce was delicious mixed with noodles, eaten with rice, or stuffed inside steamed buns.
Fragrant.
Spicy.
Incredibly satisfying.
Qin Zhihang immediately became interested.
“What are we waiting for? It’s our day off. We’ll head up the mountain and catch some wild chickens.”
Ding Shuhui and Su Qiuyun wanted to gather mushrooms in the mountains anyway.
Yang Chunjiang planned to collect firewood for his wife.
Originally, Shen Yueliang hadn’t intended to come.
After all, they all lived here in the military compound, while she was an outsider.
Their circles were different.
But Qin Zhihang insisted they could catch two wild chickens for her to take home and make chili sauce with.
So she ended up joining them.
Now, standing before the vast forest stretching across the mountainside, Shen Yueliang suddenly became interested.
What if she got lucky?
What if she found a wild ginseng root?
Or perhaps a lingzhi mushroom?
If that happened—
Her bicycle would practically be paid for.