Chapter 57 Prepare Provisions and Set Out!

Auntie Huang stood up with a smile and called to her two grandsons, “Alright, you little rascals, pick up the things Aunt Ming gave you, let’s go home. If we don’t hurry, your grandfather will start claiming I’ve fallen into a latrine and can’t crawl out again!”

Mingdai was nearly doubled over with laughter at Auntie Huang’s words. She escorted the three of them out the gate, only returning once she saw them leave.

As she closed the door, she finally noticed Zhou Sinian standing there with a look of aggrieved resentment, not understanding what he meant.

With the air of someone betrayed, Zhou Sinian accused, “It’s time to feed the sheep!”

Only then did Mingdai realize—indeed, they had missed Zhou Sinian’s usual time for feeding the sheep.

The two of them hurried into the room, slipped into their secret space, and as expected, the lambs in the pen were already bleating loudly.

Mingdai felt a headache coming on. Zhou Sinian’s covert military-style training had conditioned the sheep to cry out at mealtime, and if anything ever delayed them, the sheep would probably bleat all day.

Right now, Zhou Sinian treated these sheep like precious treasures, just waiting for the adult sheep to have more lambs, for the lambs to grow up and breed in turn, completely invested.

Once all the sheep were fed and the bleating stopped, Zhou Sinian finally breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze so intense on the lambs that they cowered under their mothers, not even daring to drink milk.

Only when Mingdai dragged him away did the poor little lambs get a reprieve.

She asked Zhou Sinian what he wanted to eat. He deliberated for half an hour before deciding on shredded potato pancakes. Mingdai decided to fry extra so he could wrap them up to eat if he got hungry later. She herself was craving stir-fried little fish with chili.

She gathered ingredients and planned to cook outside.

Eating inside the secret space once or twice was fine, but if they never cooked outside, the lack of smoke from the chimney would raise suspicion.

Zhou Sinian washed potatoes and prepared the vegetables, while she kneaded the dough.

As they worked, Mingdai told him about the upcoming reservoir construction. Zhou Sinian was indifferent, simply saying he’d go with her, then focused on showing off his knife skills.

No one could surpass Zhou Sinian when it came to wielding a knife. He peeled potatoes with a cleaver faster and thinner than she could with a peeler.

His shredded potatoes were consistently between two and three millimeters, almost without error, each one looking identical.

Clearly, in the face of true talent, hard work counted for little. Her shreds were at best “strips,” not worthy of the name.

Mingdai first stir-fried two dishes, making enough for today and putting the rest into the storage in their space while still hot.

Her dough was ready, and she began frying pancakes.

At first, she fried one, and Zhou Sinian ate one.

Mingdai could only laugh helplessly—her frying speed simply couldn’t keep up with his eating.

Fortunately, Zhou Sinian retained some humanity and slowed down, so finally there was a pancake left in the basket.

They fried and ate together, and by the time all the pancakes were done, they had both finished eating.

Zhou Sinian had eaten at least twenty pancakes! Even though they were leavened and small, twenty was still astonishing!

The plan to earn money had to be put on the agenda!

With only two days left before the reservoir work, knowing that it would be hard to cook separately while away, Mingdai decided to prepare extra food to bring along.

So, for the next two days, they went nowhere, just stayed in the kitchen at home.

Zhou Sinian was over the moon!

Not only did Mingdai replenish his supply of candied chestnuts, but she also made him pine nut brittle!

A whole large glass jar of pine nut brittle sat in his cupboard—he could help himself whenever he pleased, and he was so happy that he wore a smile all day.

The pine nut brittle had become his favorite treat. He liked it so much that he even fed a piece to each little lamb.

Mingdai considered that their food couldn’t be too different from others, or it would arouse resentment and suspicion. She thought of ways to make refined ingredients look rustic at home.

In the end, she steamed a batch of jujube flower buns, which looked like they were made from coarse dark flour but were actually made with jujubes and black bean flour.

She also steamed a large quantity of brown sugar steamed cakes, intentionally making them lumpy and rustic—unattractive, but delicious.

At first, Zhou Sinian resisted, but once Mingdai forced a mouthful of steamed cake on him, he was completely won over. He abandoned the pancakes, using the steamed cake to wrap shredded potatoes—sweet and savory, eating with great delight.

Then came the upgraded version of cornmeal vegetable dumplings, stuffed with the dried string beans Auntie Huang had brought.

She made the dried string bean and pork filling small enough to eat in one bite, so the filling wouldn’t be obvious. They were fragrant and delicious, perfect for eating in secret.

Meanwhile, their homemade kimchi was ready. She packed a jar to take with them, fried a jar of “Grandmother’s Pickles,” and another of pickled radish.

Finally, knowing she couldn’t take malted milk or powdered milk, she stir-fried a large batch of flour with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds—Zhou Sinian drank five bowls in one go.

Last but not least were Zhou Sinian’s medicines. She packed all his medicine pouches, tucked them into his large backpack with the rest of the food.

Zhou Sinian tried to sneak them out again in the middle of the night, but when caught, he watched unhappily as she buried the medicine and the medicine container at the very bottom of the pack, warning him that if he took them out again, his pine nut brittle would be confiscated. Frightened, he didn’t dare try again.

Mingdai thought, “Hah, you little rascal! There’s nothing I can’t handle about you!”

At last, departure day arrived.

In the middle of the night, with the sky still black, Liu Dazhu beat the little gong to wake everyone for work.

The two of them took their homemade torches, locked the door, and, carrying their packs and bedding, headed to the village entrance.

As they passed the front yard, they saw the educated youth from the commune coming out as well.

Everyone was loaded with bags, bedding, and food, making their way to the meeting point.

At the village entrance, when most people had arrived, Captain Liu began to take attendance. During the lull, Sister-in-law Huang approached them.

Seeing how much they were carrying, she asked if they wanted to put anything on the cart. Instantly, ears pricked up all around, waiting for Mingdai’s reply so they could put their things on too.

Mingdai glanced at the fully loaded cart and shook her head. Sister-in-law Huang didn’t insist—she was carrying her own things as well.

Soon, everyone had gathered. Captain Liu gave a brief speech, and the group set out into the darkness, stepping through morning mist.

It would take the entire morning to walk from Liujiawan to the reservoir, which was why they set out in the middle of the night.

In the past, at this snail’s pace, Zhou Sinian would have been impatient and irritable, but today he was silent, head down, following Mingdai at the back of the group.

Sister-in-law Huang curiously stole a few glances, noticing his lips moving as if he was eating something.

Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of her and pressed something into her palm.

She squeezed it—it was hard. In the darkness, she popped it into her mouth, and a long-missed sweetness spread across her tongue. Her brain registered it: candy!

Delighted, she bit off a small piece—a barely audible crack—and a bit of sugar fell onto her tongue.

She carefully savored it, happiness blooming as the taste of caramel and nuts melted together in her mouth, so delicious she closed her eyes in pleasure.

How long had it been since she’d eaten candy? It seemed the last time was before she got married.

She turned to look at the blurred silhouette beside her. No wonder her mother-in-law liked her so much—she herself thought Little Ming from the commune was a wonderful girl.

The three of them walked at the back of the group, silently chewing, until the sky had fully brightened.