Chapter 9: Treating Him to a Meal with His Own Money

It was getting late, and as soon as Su Yi entered the house, she picked up the grocery basket and headed to the kitchen.

“Captain Zhou, since you bought the groceries, let me cook. You can rest for a while; it won’t take long.”

Zhou Jinchuan nodded without objecting. He wasn’t skilled in the kitchen and rarely cooked.

Having just returned from a long trip, he thought of buying some meat to cook a meal for the two children and spend some time with them.

Otherwise, as a man with little experience in raising children, he didn’t know how to engage with them.

Since his comrade’s sacrifice, the children’s mother had taken the compensation and left them behind.

The children’s personalities had become increasingly withdrawn, so Zhou Jinchuan had applied for this house to take them in and care for them.

However, his demanding job often took him away on missions, leaving him little time or energy to handle their daily needs.

He had hired a lady from the compound to look after them, paying her thirty yuan a month for food and her efforts.

Seeing Su Yi carrying the grocery basket to the kitchen, Ye Xiaowu quickly followed, “I’ll help you.”

Ye Nuannuan followed closely behind. “Uncle Zhou, I want to help too.”

Zhou Jinchuan was taken aback for a moment, as it was rare to see these two children so willingly and proactively approach someone, especially a ‘stranger’ they had just met.

Su Yi carried the grocery basket into the kitchen, noticing that although it was simply furnished, it had all the essentials.

She began to take out the meat and vegetables to wash them.

Ye Xiaowu and Ye Nuannuan entered the kitchen, eager to help.

Su Yi smiled. “Nuannuan, you can help me pick and wash the vegetables. Xiaowu, do you know how to cook rice?”

Ye Xiaowu nodded enthusiastically. “I do.”

With that, he started to measure the rice, rinse it, and put it into the cooker.

As Su Yi cut the meat, she glanced over and saw that he had added the right amount of water. She smiled and asked, “You’re quite capable. How old are you, Xiaowu?”

“I’m eight, and my sister is five.”

Su Yi nodded. “Why didn’t you tell Captain Zhou about what happened earlier? If he steps in, those kids won’t dare to bully you anymore.”

Xiaowu paused for a moment before responding, “Uncle Zhou has already done so much for us. We don’t want to cause him more trouble. Besides, we have to learn to handle things on our own.”

“But they are bullying you”

Ye Xiaowu lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“No need. Uncle Zhou is always so busy. We don’t want to trouble him with such small matters.”

Seeing his reluctance, Su Yi didn’t push further. She focused on preparing the meal.

Zhou Jinchuan had bought a large piece of pork belly, along with some eggs, eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Though these were common ingredients in modern times, getting fresh meat and vegetables in the early summer of the 1980s in the remote northwest was quite a feat.

Su Yi cut most of the pork belly into even small pieces, blanched them, and then slowly sautéed them over low heat to render out the fat. Once they were slightly golden, she added the seasonings and stir-fried them.

Though the seasonings were incomplete, the essentials—green onions, ginger, and soy sauce—were enough to make do.

After the meat was stir-fried, Su Yi let it simmer on low heat while she prepared the other vegetables.

The two children had washed the vegetables and took a deep breath. “Sister, the meat smells so good.”

Seeing them, especially the five-year-old Ye Nuannuan, looking like little hungry kittens, Su Yi’s tone softened. “It’s just started simmering. It’ll smell even better once it’s fully cooked. Nuannuan, do you like steamed eggs? I can make some minced meat steamed eggs for you.”

Ye Nuannuan licked her lips and nodded eagerly. “Yes, please.”

Su Yi quickly chopped a small piece of the remaining meat into minced meat and planned to make minced meat with eggplant and steamed minced meat eggs.

She also peeled and sliced a large potato into thin strips, soaking them in water. This would prevent the potato strips from sticking when she stir-fried them later.

After finishing the main dishes, Su Yi quickly chopped a tomato and whisked two eggs to make tomato egg soup.

Her stomach growled with hunger, and the delicious aroma from the pot was making her situation even more unbearable.

Having always enjoyed cooking and eating in her past life, this was the first time she truly felt the pangs of hunger.

Finally, when the meat was ready, she asked Ye Xiaowu to set the table and get the bowls and chopsticks.

As soon as the last dish, the potato strips, was done, she quickly plated the other dishes and carried them out.

Noticing that Zhou Jinchuan wasn’t in the living room, she looked around and found him in the hallway, working on fixing a stool.

Su Yi called out, “Captain Zhou, dinner is ready!”

Zhou Jinchuan turned to see her flushed from the heat, with sweat beading on her nose, illuminated by the dim light.

“Go ahead and eat first. I’ll join you once I finish up here.”

Su Yi clutched her stomach, “We’ll wait for you then.”

[So frustrating, I’m starving. No, I can hold on a bit longer. Ugh, this is so hard.]

Zhou Jinchuan’s back stiffened for a moment, but he quickly stood up. “Go ahead and eat first. I’ll wash my hands and join you.”

Su Yi, overjoyed, hurried to the table.

When Zhou Jinchuan finished washing his hands, he saw the three of them sitting at the table, blinking up at him in anticipation.

He suddenly felt that the house had changed somehow. The same light now seemed warmer, and the entire place was filled with the aroma of the meal and a homely atmosphere.

Zhou Jinchuan sat down at the table. “Let’s eat!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the other three reached for the braised pork with their chopsticks and, in unison, placed it into his bowl.

Realizing they had all moved at the same time, the two children smiled bashfully.

“Uncle Zhou, you eat the meat.”

Su Yi, aiming to flatter Zhou Jinchuan, smiled, “Captain Zhou, the meat might not be cooked long enough. I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know how it tastes.”

For a moment, Zhou Jinchuan wondered if the meat might be a test of some kind, but with the three pairs of eyes on him, he picked up a piece and tasted it. His eyes showed a hint of surprise. “It tastes good. You all dig in.”

Seeing that he enjoyed the food, the three of them began eating with gusto.

Su Yi tried a bit of each dish and found it to be on par with her usual cooking, so she relaxed and enjoyed the meal.

Ye Xiaowu, after tasting a piece of the braised pork, couldn’t help but praise it. “Sister Su, this meat is so tender and flavorful.”

Su Yi was pleased with the compliment and nodded happily. “If you like it, feel free to have more.”

She then scooped a spoonful of steamed egg for Ye Nuannuan. “You’re too thin, Nuannuan. You should eat more eggs to get some nutrients. This is easy to digest.”

Ye Nuannuan obediently took a bite. “Thank you, Sister Su. You and Uncle Zhou should eat too.”

Zhou Jinchuan paused while reaching for food, pondering why the children naturally called Su Yi “sister” and him “uncle.” He was only twenty-six—was he really that old?

He cleared his throat and glanced at Ye Nuannuan, who indeed looked even thinner than a few days ago.

“Xiaowu, has Nuannuan not been eating well lately? She seems to have lost more weight. I notice you look a bit thin too.”

Ye Xiaowu, who had been busy eating, paused before lifting his head to respond, “The weather is getting warmer, so we’ve been eating less. I’ll make sure Nuannuan eats more from now on.”

He quickly added a scoop of minced meat eggplant to his rice, hoping to cover up his embarrassment, and continued eating.

The minced meat eggplant was quite hot and greasy, causing Ye Xiaowu to slurp as he took a bite.

Su Yi quickly handed him a bowl of cool soup. “Eat slowly; the eggplant is still hot.”

Ye Xiaowu gratefully accepted the soup, murmuring his thanks.