Steam curled above the large bowl, rising in wispy white clouds.
A layer of glistening oil floated atop the rich, savory bone broth.
Snow-white, chewy handmade noodles were neatly arranged in the bowl, topped with several slices of tender pork belly, their layers of lean meat and fat perfectly balanced.
Fresh green scallions were scattered around the meat, adding a touch of springtime color.
Mixed into the irresistible aroma of the pork was a faint, refreshing fragrance of plants and trees.
The moment the bowl of noodles entered the room, its warm, home-cooked aroma filled the previously desolate side room.
Li Zhengting sat on the edge of the earthen kang, staring at the bowl of noodles that looked and smelled absolutely delicious.
His dark pupils contracted sharply.
His Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbed up and down.
After years of military training, he had developed a tremendous appetite.
By the time he got up that morning, his stomach had already been growling with hunger.
However…
His exceptionally sharp instincts as a soldier immediately took over.
He raised his head, his keen gaze moving back and forth between the bowl of noodles and Yu Qinghuan’s little face.
“Where did these noodles come from?”
Li Zhengting’s voice was low, filled with suspicion.
“Last night, the thieves took everything from the kitchen, including the stove and cooking pots.”
“They didn’t even leave a single grain of salt.”
“Qinghuan, where did you get the white flour, pork, and such a clean porcelain bowl?”
Could this girl actually conjure living things out of thin air?
Yu Qinghuan carried the bowl straight to the small table beside the kang and set it down with a firm thump.
Facing Li Zhengting’s piercing gaze, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, she showed not the slightest trace of panic.
Instead, she rolled her eyes with complete confidence, without even blushing.
“Commander Li, has being a soldier made you stupid?”
“Just because you’ve run into trouble doesn’t mean you have to sit around and starve to death!”
“The cooking pot is gone. So what? Does that mean I can’t borrow one?”
“I borrowed everything I needed from the auntie next door in the middle of the night!”
“When I saw you come back last night, I felt sorry for you having to go hungry. So I went over to her house in the dark and traded an old piece of clothing for some flour and pork. I also borrowed her stove and cooking pots.”
Yu Qinghuan spun her lie so smoothly that she didn’t even blink.
“I was already in her kitchen before dawn, working my fingers to the bone to make this bowl of noodles for you.”
“And this is how you repay me? The moment you open your mouth, you interrogate me like a criminal!”
“If you don’t want to eat it, forget it! I’ll take it out and feed it to the dog!”
With that, Yu Qinghuan turned her head haughtily and pretended to reach for the bowl.
Watching her puffed-up little expression, Li Zhengting couldn’t help feeling doubtful.
She had borrowed everything from the auntie next door?
At two or three in the morning, she had knocked on a neighbor’s door to borrow flour and cooking pots?
Her story was full of holes.
Yet when he saw her reddened eyes and the faint dark circles beneath them—apparently from staying up late and exhausting herself moving things around—his heart inexplicably softened.
Regardless of where the noodles had come from, she had gotten up before dawn to prepare a hot meal for him.
That thoughtfulness was surely genuine.
“I’ll eat it.”
Li Zhengting reacted quickly, reaching out to catch Yu Qinghuan’s slender wrist.
Her wrist was delicate, her skin warm and smooth.
As though he had been electrocuted, Li Zhengting hurriedly released her hand and took the bamboo chopsticks she offered him.
“Don’t be angry. I was just asking.”
He offered a quiet explanation before lowering his head and picking up a large mouthful of noodles.
The moment the noodles entered his mouth, their firm, springy texture immediately won over his taste buds.
The broth was rich, with just the right balance of saltiness and savory flavor.
The pork belly was even better—rich without being greasy, practically melting in his mouth.
Unable to resist, Li Zhengting lifted the large bowl and drank deeply from the broth.
Slurp, slurp…
The piping-hot, delicious bone broth slid down his throat and into his stomach.
But the instant the broth reached his stomach, the hand holding his chopsticks suddenly froze in midair.
His dark eyes widened in an instant.
A look of utter shock and disbelief flashed across his face.
After entering his stomach, the broth didn’t simply provide the nourishment and fullness of an ordinary meal.
Instead, it transformed into an incredibly pure, scorching stream of warmth.
It surged through his digestive tract before bursting outward, spreading instantly through every limb, every bone, and every meridian in his body!
Wherever the warm current passed, his muscles—which had become somewhat depleted and sore from years of intense training—felt as though a parched desert had finally received life-giving rain.
They greedily absorbed the energy.
The old shrapnel wound in his left shoulder, which he had sustained during a mission several years ago, had always ached with a deep, cold pain every winter.
But at that moment…
The warm energy wrapped tightly around the old injury.
Deep within the spaces between his bones, where he had endured a persistent ache for years, a wonderfully soothing tingling sensation emerged.
Within just two seconds, the pain from the old wound miraculously vanished completely!
And that wasn’t all.
Even his rheumatic knees, damaged by years of carrying heavy loads and camping in muddy terrain, suddenly felt warm and comfortable.
His joints emitted faint, crisp cracking sounds.
His body, usually burdened by years of fatigue and heaviness, suddenly felt incredibly light, brimming with explosive strength that seemed inexhaustible.
Li Zhengting stood frozen beside the kang, his chopsticks trembling in his hand.
He lowered his head and stared at the seemingly ordinary bowl of handmade noodles.
A tremendous storm erupted in his mind.
As a regiment commander who had seen and experienced so much, he absolutely refused to believe that an ordinary bowl of noodles could have such heaven-defying healing effects.
There was definitely something extraordinary in this broth.
Something incredibly precious—perhaps even a miraculous medicinal ingredient far beyond anything he could imagine!
Li Zhengting raised his head and stared intently at Yu Qinghuan with his deep, abyss-like eyes.
His gaze was filled with shock and curiosity, along with a faint, indescribable intensity.
“What… did you put in these noodles?”
Seeing his stunned expression, Yu Qinghuan was secretly delighted.
Of course it worked!
It came from the system, after all. It was designed to cleanse the marrow and strengthen the body.
How could it possibly be ineffective?
Nevertheless, she maintained an utterly clueless expression.
“What did I put in it? Just salt and scallions.”
“Oh, right! The auntie said the meat was wild boar. Maybe it’s especially nourishing.”
“What? Don’t you like it?”
Looking at Yu Qinghuan’s utterly innocent expression and her big, blinking eyes, Li Zhengting gave her a long, searching look.
He knew it.
His new bride was hiding an enormous secret.
But when he saw the mischievous yet gentle smile in her eyes, Li Zhengting tightened his grip on the bamboo chopsticks.
He didn’t ask another question.
Instead, he ate voraciously, devouring the entire bowl of noodles and broth until it was completely clean.
He didn’t even leave behind a single piece of scallion.
After finishing the broth, he felt as though he had been reborn.
Li Zhengting put down the bowl and looked at Yu Qinghuan, his expression complicated.
The words came out in a low voice.
“The noodles were delicious. Thank you.”
Yu Qinghuan smiled brightly as she collected the empty bowl, feeling thoroughly pleased with herself.
With his body now strengthened by the spring water, Li Zhengting would surely survive the catastrophic flood in the future.
Just as the atmosphere in the side room had become perfectly warm and intimate…
Suddenly—
BANG!
Someone violently kicked open the Li family’s half-closed courtyard gate.
Immediately afterward, an enraged, thunderous roar rang out across the courtyard.
“Li Jianguo! Miao Cuihua! You two cowardly bastards! Get your asses out here!”
It was the voice of the Hongqi Production Brigade’s team leader.
Along with that furious roar, the noisy chatter of numerous villagers could be heard outside.
The main event…
Was about to begin.