Chapter 54.1

In this era, the things sold were still very honest. The steel stove not only came with a large kettle but also included a small iron pan.

The iron pan wasn’t useful in the bedroom, but the stove in the hall could be put to use.

As the stove in the west room was lit, the temperature inside gradually rose. In less than half an hour, it was even warmer than the hall.

“Sis, sis, look, look, it’s so red!” If anyone was the happiest, it was definitely Chuchu. He witnessed firsthand how the steel stove went from being installed to fully unleashing its power.

Burning coal was indeed different from burning firewood.

Coal was more durable, it burned longer, and the temperature rose quickly. Once the stove’s belly turned bright red, the temperature in the whole room could easily reach seventeen or eighteen degrees. Chuchu, wearing a thick sweater, found it too hot and planned to take it off and change into a thinner outer garment.

“Don’t take it off yet, we’re just testing the stove’s power. If everything’s fine, you won’t need to change it back. Later, we’ll press in some wet coal powder, and the heat will be much smaller, so you won’t feel so hot.” Qin Qingman smiled and stopped him.

Before, the family only had a stove in the hall. The warmest place was the hall, and during cold weather, they would sit around the stove almost 24/7.

Now, it was better. The bedroom had a stove as well, which made things much more convenient, whether they were taking a bath or doing anything else.

Chuchu obediently stopped, as Qin Qingman had suggested.

But he still had a curious question to ask, “Sis, what’s wet coal powder?” It was a new term he had never heard of before.

This was because their family was using coal for the first time.

“Wet coal powder is the powder that comes from crushing coal. The pieces of coal we picked out, whether they are stacked or moved, will leave some powder behind due to rubbing. This powder is very useful. In the city, coal powder mixed with yellow soil can be made into briquettes. Here, we can mix the coal powder with some water to put out the fire.”

Seeing that Chuchu was so curious about this new thing, Du Hongyi took the initiative to explain.

“Yes, exactly like your Du Ge said.” Qin Qingman echoed Du Hongyi’s words, while going to pour hot water for the people who had been busy for a while to wash their hands.

Setting up the stove was easy, but installing the chimney was more troublesome.

The west room in the Qin family house didn’t have a spot reserved for a chimney. It was Du Hongyi, along with Yuan Xiangyang and the others, who made a small hole above the window glass. After a busy session, everyone’s hands were dirty, so they needed to wash up quickly.

“Sis, I’ll pour the water.”

Chuchu was quick on his feet. Seeing that Qin Qingman was about to pour the water, he followed her and helped.

Not only did he help pour the hot water, but he also eagerly handed over soap pods and towels, looking very much like a little master.

Seeing that Chuchu was clearly managing things well and that Du Hongyi and the others had a good relationship with Wei Ling, Qin Qingman let Chuchu entertain the guests. She, along with Wei Ling, started working on the dishes for the festive meal.

The days were short, and lunch was heavier than dinner.

By the time Du Hongyi and the others arrived, she had already begun preparing.

Two pig’s trotters had been cleaned and stewed in a large iron pot. The meat was bubbling with a savory aroma. Wild boar meat was tougher than domestic pig meat. Normally, domestic pork would be done after stewing for just over an hour, but wild boar required at least three hours to soften.

At this point, it had been stewing for just under two hours.

There were two pots simmering in the kitchen. One pot was for the pig’s trotters, which were being simmered with just broth. Later, some radishes would be added for a light flavor, perfect for dipping in spicy chili sauce.

The other pot was simmering red-braised mutton with the skin on.

The mutton had been brought by Du Hongyi and the others. They had specifically gone to the army’s canteen to exchange meat tickets for five pounds of meat. For them, eating beef and mutton during the Winter Solstice was a traditional way to provide warmth and nourishment.

These two main dishes were already more than enough for the festive meal and quite extravagant, but after thinking for a moment, Qin Qingman decided to also stew some red-braised pork in the hall. The pork belly, with its perfect balance of fat and lean meat, was colored bright red from the fermented rice, glistening with oil, making it both fragrant and mouth-watering.

Chuchu, acting as the little master, invited Du Hongyi and the others to sit by the stove to warm themselves. Then, he poured each of them a bowl of honey water.

His family didn’t have many cups, so when hosting guests, they simply used bowls.

After all, bowls were easy to wash.

“Chuchu, your sister’s cooking smells so good. I can’t stop my stomach from growling.” Du Hongyi said after gulping down a mouthful of water from the bowl, then turned to Chuchu.

Zuo Gaopeng joined in, “I didn’t eat anything last night just to save room for this meal at your place. Today, I’m definitely going to eat a lot!” He wasn’t exaggerating. After reading the note left by Wei Ling, they only realized that the dumplings Qin Qingman had sent had been intercepted.

The three of them quickly made a plan and went to find Wang Chengping and Political Commissar Zhang.

Originally, Yuan Xiangyang was supposed to be on duty today, but because they had caught Wang Chengping and the others stealing the fried dumplings, they argued with reason. In the end, Hong Wei agreed to take over Yuan Xiangyang’s duty for the Winter Solstice, allowing the four of them to come to the Qin family together without any problems.

Chuchu was shocked by Zuo Gaopeng’s exaggerated words.

His large, beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

Seeing such a cute Chuchu, Yuan Xiangyang ruffled the child’s head and smiled, “It’s true, we really didn’t eat last night, and we didn’t have breakfast this morning either. We saved all our appetite just for your sister’s cooking.”

Of course, they hadn’t skipped meals on purpose; it was because they had been punished.

Anyone who dared to stir up trouble with Wang Chengping would always find that Colonel Wang had a way of making them suffer in unexpected ways.

But luckily, they were finally able to come to Qin’s house for the meal today.

At this moment, the Qin family hadn’t yet started eating, but Du Hongyi and the others were already so hungry that their stomachs were growling loudly.

They were starving—extremely hungry.

They had just helped Wei Ling unload so much coal, which was hard physical labor. The last bit of energy they had was already gone, and now the aroma of the meat from the kitchen and the hall was making their mouths water uncontrollably.

They wanted to eat—desperately wanted to eat!

“My sister can cook so many dishes, and every one of them is absolutely delicious.”

Seeing that everyone was genuinely praising Qin Qingman’s cooking, Chuchu’s eyes instantly brightened. He sat down, carefully watching the red-braised pork in the pot, making sure it didn’t burn, while continuing to talk to Du Hongyi and the others.

Of course, Chuchu’s words were still showing off his sister.

After hearing what Chuchu said, Du Hongyi and the others felt even more envious of Wei Ling.

Just listen—his wife could cook more than just one or two dishes. She could make so many!

“My sister makes the best fried dumplings, and there’s also iron pot stewed fish, braised pig intestines, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, and iron pot flatbreads…” Chuchu counted off on his fingers, listing the delicious foods he had already tasted for Du Hongyi and the others.

Du Hongyi and the others had originally just wanted to chat with the kid to pass the time, but they hadn’t expected Chuchu to be so honest. He actually listed off all the tasty things he had eaten, and now the expressions on their faces were hard to hold in.

They were starving—desperate for food!