Chapter 44 : Stir-Fried Knife-Cut Noodles with Tomatoes and Eggs

The three-layered pork was glistening with a reddish sheen, trembling slightly. Shen Haifeng had to admit, he was really craving it.

Shen Zheng ate his meal while keeping a subtle eye on Shen Haifeng. Seeing that he hadn’t touched the meat for a while, he casually grabbed the piece and said, “Don’t like it? Fine, I’ll eat it.”

Shen Haifeng watched helplessly as the piece of meat entered his father’s mouth, silently cursing himself for not acting faster.

By the time they finished the meal, Shen Haifeng was still regretting it.

The meat smelled so good, and he had clearly had the chance to eat a piece.

Both Shen Haiping and Shen Jinxia were very satisfied with their meals.

Shen Jinxia was especially proud of the quail eggs she had peeled for today’s meal.

After dinner, Shen Haifeng was about to clean the dishes, but Zheng Lanhua stood up and said, “Go do your homework.”

Shen Haifeng didn’t have homework today since they had their midterm exams.

Back at his old home, he had attended school during the first semester of the first grade, but his stepmother had refused to pay for his tuition for the next semester, so he had stopped attending. As a result, he was now behind in his studies.

Since transferring to this school, he had been there for nearly a month, but he hadn’t kept up with the lessons, and his midterm exam results were disastrous.

When Shen Zheng had first asked him how he was adjusting, he had said everything was fine, but now, with so much catching up to do, he didn’t dare mention it to his father.

Shen Zheng casually asked, “Is the midterm exam soon?”

Shen Haifeng paused for a moment before nodding.

Shen Zheng said, “Study hard and do well on the exam.”

“Okay.”

Shen Haifeng grabbed his school bag and hurried back to his room.

Zheng Lanhua went to wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen, while Fang Xiaoluo collected her clothes and, using the remaining heat from the stove in the yard, prepared to wash them.

Shen Zheng walked over, “I’ll do the washing.”

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t object, “Alright, you can wash them and hang them up. I’ll go check on the designs for the cheongsams.”

Fang Xiaoluo went back to her room to organize the five cheongsams, deciding how to approach the design and color scheme, as she planned to start working on them the next day.

Shen Zheng worked quickly, and before Fang Xiaoluo had finished reviewing the patterns, he had already hung the clothes out to dry.

As she looked up, Fang Xiaoluo noticed the light dimming slightly, and suddenly, Shen Zheng’s tall figure surrounded her, pulling her close and trapping her in the chair.

“This is complicated.”

She couldn’t help but admire the original designer’s talent, thanks to the original owner’s memories, Fang Xiaoluo found the patterns clear and easy to understand.

“It’s okay. It’s just that the ones who know it find it easy, for those who don’t, it’s difficult. For example, if you asked me to lead soldiers in battle, I definitely couldn’t do it,” she said, smiling at Shen Zheng.

Shen Zheng, seeing his wife’s smiling face, felt his heart stir and immediately kissed her soft lips.

Fang Xiaoluo responded eagerly, leaning into him, and he lifted her into his arms, heading toward the bed.

Just as he was about to lay her down, someone called from outside.

“Captain, Captain, are you home?”

Shen Zheng froze for a moment.

Fang Xiaoluo stood up from the bed, now much taller than him. Looking down at him, she lifted his chin playfully. “Come on, give me a smile.”

Shen Zheng smiled and said, “Wait for me to come back.”

His voice was deep and magnetic, and Fang Xiaoluo nodded, “Alright.”

When Shen Zheng returned in the middle of the night, Fang Xiaoluo was already asleep.

Looking at his wife’s peaceful face as she slept, Shen Zheng smiled softly.

He lay down beside her, knowing that in the coming half month, he likely wouldn’t see her again, as the military district was about to begin a series of joint exercises.

The next morning, Shen Zheng went to the military district for a meeting.

Fang Xiaoluo finished her breakfast and went to Qingstone Town to buy vegetables.

After entering the compound, not far down the road, Fang Xiaoluo heard someone call her name. “Sister-in-law!”

She turned around and saw Chen Shisong, the captain of the third battalion in Shen Zheng’s regiment, who was also a good brother of Shen Zheng.

“Sister-in-law, did you go to buy vegetables?”

Fang Xiaoluo nodded. “Mm-hmm. What about you? What are you doing?”

Chen Shisong took a large piece of chocolate from the bag he was carrying and handed it to Fang Xiaoluo. “I’m meeting a friend I haven’t seen in many years, and he happened to be in Qingstone Town.”

“Sister-in-law, this is for you. My friend brought a lot, so take some and try it. It’s from abroad and it’s supposed to be very pure.”

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t hesitate and took it. “Thanks.”

“You’re too polite, sister-in-law. I’ll head back to the army now.” With that, Chen Shisong walked off quickly.

Fang Xiaoluo looked at the chocolate in her hands, which seemed to be from Russia.

She had eaten it before in her previous life. It was good, but a bit too sweet for her, though children might enjoy it, just not too much.

When Fang Xiaoluo got home, she placed the chocolate on the tea table in the living room and then got to work on her embroidery.

Shen Jinxia peeked her head in and saw Fang Xiaoluo was busy, so she didn’t interrupt and ran off to play by herself.

Shen Haiping, holding a notebook and a pen, sat beside Fang Xiaoluo.

Fang Xiaoluo embroidered while Shen Haiping drew. It was very peaceful.

As noon approached, Fang Xiaoluo went to make dough, washed the tomatoes, and cracked a few eggs for later use.

Shen Jinxia returned after playing all morning. She washed her hands obediently and ran into the kitchen. “Sister, I’m back!”

Fang Xiaoluo kneaded the dough, boiled some water, and while slicing the dough into the pot, she asked, “Did you have fun playing today, Xiaxia?”

Shen Jinxia’s eyes sparkled. “Mm, I had fun.”

“They all said my hairpin is so pretty. Xiaoying and Lingling were so envious. They said they’d ask their parents to buy one for them.”

It was clear from her voice that Shen Jinxia was proud.

Fang Xiaoluo smiled. “Well, when I finish these things, I’ll take you to the provincial city to buy a pretty dress. How about that?”

Shen Jinxia was very excited but still a little unsure. “Really… really?”

“Of course, it’s true. More real than a pinky promise,” Fang Xiaoluo said.

“Thank you, sister.” The joy of children is simple. Once she got a positive answer, Shen Jinxia bounced out of the room to share her excitement with Zheng Lanhua and Shen Haiping.

Fang Xiaoluo cooked the knife-cut noodles, rinsed them in cold water until fully cooled, ensuring they would be chewy and delicious.

After that, she started cooking the scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

She cut a cross into the tomatoes, poured boiling water over them to peel off the skin, and then chopped them into small pieces. The eggs were scrambled in oil.

In a pan, she heated oil and sautéed the tomatoes until they released their juice, then added the eggs.

Once it was nearly done, she added the noodles, drizzled a little soy sauce, and the dish was ready.

A big bowl of stir-fried knife-cut noodles was placed on the table just as Shen Zheng entered the room.

Seeing how rushed he seemed, Fang Xiaoluo quickly served him a bowl of noodles. “Are you still busy? You should eat first.”

Shen Zheng washed his hands and sat down. “Xiaoluo, we have to lead the team out and we’ll be gone for about half a month. It’ll be hard on you at home.”

Fang Xiaoluo, who never asked too much about military matters, simply replied, “Okay, be safe.”

The knife-cut noodles were fragrant and the tomato sauce clung to every strand of noodle. They were chewy and smooth, and the taste was absolutely delicious.

Just as Shen Zheng took his first bite, someone outside shouted, “Captain! There’s been an incident! Go to the infirmary!”