Chapter 149

Lunch was spicy fried "beef" with hot peppers. As it was the first time Zhi Xia had eaten this kind of meat, she had to try it first to see what it tasted like before deciding how to cook it specifically.

Fortunately, cooked meat was just a little more tender and tasty than raw, without too much difference, so she took a bite and that's how she felt about it.

However, Pei Jing mentioned at the table, "It's very delicious. The flavor of the beef is great, the meat is very tender, it just doesn't seem like old cow meat."

"I marinated it with starch, a special marinating method - it's my secret recipe. Marinated meat becomes very tender and tasty, that's to be expected." Zhi Xia cutely explained.

Zhi Xia was busy alone in the kitchen all afternoon, only asking Pei Jing to wash two vats, then letting him stay in the room to watch the two children.

But she didn't know that sometimes, the more you try to conceal something, the more prone you are to chaos, especially when dealing with someone like a soldier with extremely strong investigative skills.

She was very careful, but with the intimate relationship between the two, it was still easy to discover many subtle clues.

Unless she could really keep and not use the treasure mountain, but what would be the difference between that and not having it at all?

Zhi Xia first rendered the lard into oil dregs, then poured all the oil into jars, sprinkled salt on the oil dregs, tasted it and found the flavor quite good, so she specifically scooped out some to take into the room for Pei Jing to eat.

She made the meat sauce in five spice and spicy flavors, adding a lot of seasoning and chili peppers, and of course, to prevent the grease from solidifying when cooled, she used vegetable oil from her space.

The worst thing was that the neighbors all lived too close by, so there was no privacy when cooking. The enticing aroma from the house continued all afternoon, but luckily everyone was quite restrained, and generally wouldn't come knocking while others were cooking.

Pei Meng did come over insisting on helping, but Zhi Xia sent her back to steam some buns, saying that the man would go to Yang Jun's for dinner tonight, and the two of them could just eat at home with the meat sauce and buns. She was cooking meat sauce here, so she really couldn't let Pei Meng help right now.

While adults could endure it, children's noses were naturally sensitive, and they couldn't stand being teased by the tempting smell.

The boldest ones ran over and carefully crouched at the kitchen door to ask her, "Auntie, can I exchange some shelled river snails with you for a piece of meat to eat? I just caught them and raised them for two days, they should be ready to eat now, so you won't have to raise them yourself."

These things weren't coveted in summer, you could easily catch a basin full just by groping around in the river, and no one was spraying pesticides in the fields yet, so everything in the fields and rivers was wild game. When children lacked meat to eat, they would go catch field chickens and fish for yellow eels, then directly roast and eat them outdoors over a fire.

"You want to exchange the raised river snails with me for meat to eat, does your mom agree?" To avoid entanglements, Zhi Xia still had to ask clearly.

Of course she could just give it to him directly, but she was afraid that would set a precedent, and soon all the nearby children would come running over. Then whether she gave them meat or not would become awkward, creating trouble for no reason.

"My mom doesn't care, she just refused to cook for me, saying it uses up too much oil, and our family doesn't have enough to last the month." "Alright then, go get them and bring a bowl too. Don't forget to tell your mom." Zhi Xia said.

So the ten something year old child ran home and directly brought over a wash basin full of river snails, shocking Zhi Xia.

Not wanting to appear stingy, she gave him half a bowl of meat sauce.

As she had anticipated, it was good she didn't give in and hand it out for free at the start.

Because afterwards, another came carrying several large yellow eels, plus over a dozen field chickens.

She actually didn't like to eat field chickens, finding them too creepy looking, but couldn't bear to refuse the longing eyes of the children, and since she had exchanged with the others, it would be a bit hurtful not to give him any. So she symbolically kept two, and had him take the rest back home.

Pei Jing came out from the room, looking at the tied up field chickens, and asked her, "Aren't you afraid to eat these now?"

Earlier, he had also caught some, but she refused to let him or her eat them, instead giving them away to others.

She had even said there were parasites and such, but didn't say the same about eating wild chickens and rabbits, so Pei Jing automatically attributed it to these things looking too ugly, which girls naturally disliked, as a normal reason.

"Of course I'm afraid, our family absolutely won't eat these. You take them to set free, then come back and wash that basin of river snails. We'll cook them later, just keep raising the eels for now." Zhi Xia said, helplessly adding: "This child is too honest, I was afraid they would all come ask for some later, so wanted him to bring something to exchange first. Didn't expect he would bring so much. We'll cook them later, keep some for me and Mengmeng to improve the flavor, then distribute the rest to them too. It's just the cost of some oil and effort."

"Do it tomorrow, it wouldn't look good for our family to cause a scene like this when the neighbors treat us to dinner tonight." Pei Jing reminded her.

"You're right, I'll listen to you." Zhi Xia realized she hadn't thought of that point earlier.

Pei Jing didn't go set the field chickens free, and seeing that neighbor Yang Jun was handling them now, directly brought them over.

It wasn't a secret that Zhi Xia was afraid to eat field chickens. After all, whenever Pei Jing went out to catch them, she refused, so the neighbors all knew.

As soon as it darkened, the food at Yang Jun's home was ready.

With the families living close by, the calls from next door carried over. Pei Jing quickly responded.

It wouldn't be right to show up at someone's home empty-handed, unless you were a thicker-skinned miserly sort. After all, everyone's rations were limited, if guests ate more, the hosts would have to tighten their belts.

Pei Jing brought over a bowl of meat sauce Zhi Xia had simmered, plus several freshly steamed buns, representing his and Zhao Xin's share.

There were also over ten people who came to Yang Jun's home, filling up a big table, all nearby neighbors and better soldier comrades, with each family sending just one representative.

Everyone brought steamed buns, so Yang Jun had to provide the side dishes, all seasonal vegetables and wild fare from the river and fields, which was why summer was the best time to treat guests to dinner without creating too much burden for the hosts.

Fu Yunqi was also there as Shen Hongmei's partner. Shen Hongxing had wanted to call Zhi Xia over, but was placated by Pei Jing with a few words.

Seeing the crowded table, the Shen sisters didn't join either. If Zhi Xia went, it really wouldn't be as comfortable as eating at home.

No one brought up congratulations for Shen Hongxing and Yang Jun's remarriage banquet, after all, divorce and remarriage, with poor Yang Dawei caught in between, didn't look good, so everyone just kept it in mind.

At the table, Fu Yunqi joked that Pei Jing was under wife's strict control, his wife wouldn't eat field chickens, so he didn't dare eat them either. Pei Jing calmly asked him, "I really didn't know my family affairs had already spread to the cultural troupe. Comrade Fu, aren't you concerning yourself a bit too much?"

Fu Yunqi was directly put in place, earning a round of thoughtful looks.

Shen Hongmei happened to overhear this while bringing dishes over, and quickly explained: "Sorry Deputy Troupe Leader Pei, it's just that day before yesterday when we came over about catching field chickens, I heard my sister mention that Zhi Xia doesn't eat field chickens, so I remembered it."

"Everyone has their own tastes, not eating field chicken isn't something to be ashamed of or worth discussing." Pei Jing said.

Shen Hongmei and Fu Yunqi were left with no face.

As soon as they came out, Shen Hongxing pulled Shen Hongmei aside to interrogate her, "Hongmei, I just happened to mention yesterday when we were preparing food that Zhi Xia doesn't eat field chickens. Was it worth you telling Fu Yunqi too? I know he's your partner, but you can't tell him everything, right? Be honest with sister, you aren't still pining for Pei Jing, are you?"

"Sister, what are you saying? He already has two children, do you think your sister is so lacking in principles?" Shen Hongmei had clearly lost her earlier composure, instead seeming somewhat irritable.

"That's best. I'm warning you, people can pursue their own happiness, but they can't lack a moral bottom line..."

Feeling bad for her sister, Shen Hongxing also worried she might go down the wrong path like herself a couple years ago, and impulsively lectured her a great deal, though unfortunately, judging by Shen Hongmei's expression, it was questionable how much she could actually take in.

Zhi Xia wasn't very hungry after being busy all afternoon, just eating one meat dreg and eggplant stuffed steamed bun, and a bowl of malt milk. Pei Meng, dipping steamed buns in the meat sauce, went through four just in steamed buns, then blamed Zhi Xia for making it too delicious.

Seeing her discomfort from stuffing herself like a child, Zhi Xia told her to take advantage of the remaining daylight and quickly go out for a walk, lest she feel unwell from indigestion at night.

The sounds of children running around and playing outside were occasionally interrupted by an adult scolding a child. Faint noises of men drinking could be heard from next door.

The two children had just eaten their fill and were sleeping soundly before dinner time. Shen Hongmei was stretching lazily in the yard when she saw Fu Yunqi coming over from the vegetable garden with her.

Fu Yunqi was not familiar with the army men to begin with. After what had just happened, he did not have the nerve to sit back down either. So he made up an excuse about not being able to drink and left.

In fact, apart from Yang Jun, no one really paid him any attention. Yang Jun only considered Shen Hongmei's feelings as a brother-in-law and did not actually look approvingly on the match made by his wife's younger sister, but as a brother-in-law he could not say much.

"Zhi Xia, have you eaten? Just now my sister insisted on coming over to call you, but Deputy Commander Pei stopped her by saying you were at home looking after the children." Shen Hongmei still had a smiling expression, but compared to her former graceful beauty, she now looked distinctly faded.

This showed that out of her former beauty, how much had been her true self? In contrast, after she lost the System, her sister Shen Hongxing looked better and better, in both looks and figure.

"I've eaten. They're drinking and who knows when they'll stop. I was just about to wash up and close the door to rest." She meant, I'm about to rest, so don't disturb me.

Clearly, Shen Hongmei did not have this awareness.

Fu Yunqi spoke up, "Comrade An's child must have just turned one month old recently. At this age, a child just lies in bed without moving about, so it wouldn't stop Comrade An from going out."

Indeed, especially for women who had to work and labor in the fields, leaving the child shut in at home or tied to the bed would not hinder them from doing other things at all.

But Zhi Xia said, "I'm particular and wouldn't feel assured leaving the children alone at home, and since I don't have much to do anyway, I might as well watch them."

"That's better. Otherwise, leaving two children alone with no one to see if they cry would be too pitiful. I still remember when I was young..."

With both their homes close by, they could speak loudly without lowering their voices for privacy. Zhi Xia could not directly tell them to leave and gain a reputation for being unkind, so she could only stand there and listen to Shen Hongxing reminiscing bitterly.