Chapter 54.2

While Chuchu was happily chatting with Du Hongyi and the others in the hall, Qin Qingman was also talking to Wei Ling in the kitchen.

“Ah Ling, didn’t you say that someone from Du Hongyi’s group might stay behind at the headquarters?” Qin Qingman asked. Although she had never been a soldier, she knew that military work was special. Many soldiers couldn’t even spend the holidays with their families, as they were often on duty.

Many military wives from later generations had shared similar experiences.

Wei Ling, of course, understood the situation.

He had originally wanted to cover for Wang Chengping a bit, but this Colonel was just too careless. He had given Yuan Xiangyang a false excuse, but also made Du Hongyi and the others go hungry all day.

Even if he didn’t mention it, Du Hongyi and the others would certainly complain about it later.

Since that was the case, he decided to tell Qin Qingman everything that had happened when they returned to the camp yesterday.

Qin Qingman was so shocked by the story that she nearly forgot to chop the pickled cabbage.

A Colonel, a Political Commissar, and the Head of the Logistics Department—three older men—actually fought over fried dumplings! It was just too funny…

It was absolutely adorable!

Qin Qingman couldn’t help but laugh, bending over from the sheer amusement.

Wei Ling’s lips also curved into a smile as he explained, “Du Hongyi and the others have a great relationship with the Colonel and the others. We often joke around privately, and they treat us like their own younger generations.”

“I can tell.” Qin Qingman responded, still chuckling.

Qin Qingman nodded with a smile.

Hearing Wei Ling mention how he had punched each of the three Chiefs and returned unscathed, she could already tell how the Chiefs treated their subordinates.

“Wife, actually, it’s mostly because your food smells so good. The Colonel and the others couldn’t come to our house for the holiday because of work, so they were jealous of Du Hongyi and the others. They deliberately let them go hungry for two meals.” Wei Ling whispered in Qin Qingman’s ear.

The warm breath brushed past Qin Qingman’s ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

But she quickly understood one thing—that the food at the headquarters cafeteria was probably not very good.

Wei Ling noticed Qin Qingman’s expression and nodded helplessly.

“Our cafeteria’s head chef isn’t a professional cook, but he’s been with the Colonel ever since the Colonel was a company commander. He followed him through battle, and after getting injured in the war, he retired from the front lines. Originally, he could have been assigned a decent job due to his injury, but the head chef didn’t want to leave the Military Unit.”

“Why?” Qin Qingman asked, curious.

“The head chef is from the northeast. His family was lost in the turmoil of war. When he returned, he didn’t have any relatives left, so he preferred staying in the Military Unit. For him, the Military Unit became like a second home.” Wei Ling continued to explain.

Qin Qingman understood. “So they assigned him to the logistics department?”

The Military Unit cafeteria was part of the logistics department.

Wei Ling sighed again. “Originally, they gave him a light job in logistics, but the head chef liked the hustle and bustle, so he insisted on working in the cafeteria. And once he started, he stayed on until our division was stationed here.”

Qin Qingman thought for a moment and asked, “What part of him got injured?”

If it was his hands or legs, he definitely wouldn’t be able to work in the kitchen. It had to be something that didn’t affect his mobility.

“Taste.” Wei Ling answered, his expression flat as he looked at Qin Qingman.

Qin Qingman blinked, and immediately understood why Wei Ling had that expression.

Making someone who had lost their sense of taste the head chef of a military cafeteria was not life-threatening, but it was definitely enough to drive someone crazy.

For a person who had lost their sense of taste, everything they ate would taste the same. Not only could they not discern saltiness, but they couldn’t even tell if something was delicious or disgusting. No wonder every time Du Hongyi and the others talked about the food at the cafeteria, their expressions seemed a little odd.

“Has no one ever caused a fuss about this?” Qin Qingman asked, surprised.

The canteen at the division headquarters didn’t just serve a few hundred people, but thousands or even tens of thousands. With so many people, it was impossible for everyone to acknowledge the head chef’s contribution.

“Has anyone ever caused trouble? Of course, there have been complaints, but we have Colonel Wang and Political Commissar Zhang. Don’t be fooled by how approachable they are in front of us. In every division, military region, or even the army command, they are well-known figures. Wherever they are, no one dares to question the division’s orders.”

“Colonel and the Commissar are good Heads.”

After hearing Wei Ling’s words, Qin Qingman gained a new understanding of Colonel Wang and Political Commissar Zhang.

“Wife, leave more dumplings and dishes, and let Du Hongyi and the others take them back to Colonel and the others tonight. They’ve had a tough time too. Everyone can complain about the head chef’s cooking, but they never do. They’ve been eating it for years, and since their families aren’t around, there’s nowhere to improve their meals.”

Wei Ling still had deep feelings for Colonel Wang and the others.

Whether it was the old Wei Ling or the current one, he had received much help from them.

“Alright, I’ll chop up more meat for the filling. Let’s make more dumplings today with different fillings. When it’s done, we’ll freeze them and let Du Hongyi and the others take them back. They can cook them whenever they want.” Qin Qingman said, knowing that there was a stove in Colonel Wang and their office.

“Mm, I’ll go cut the meat.”

Wei Ling quickly went out to the snow to cut the meat.

Qin Qingman glanced at the sauerkraut in her hands, then went to soak some mushrooms. She took more than one kind of mushroom, including some hazel mushrooms and a bit of wood ear mushrooms.

Hazel mushrooms, wood ears, and sauerkraut could make three types of dumplings.

Wanting to send more dumplings to Colonel Wang and the others, Qin Qingman looked at the dough and thought it might need a little more flour.

There wasn’t much white flour at home, so she added some cornmeal and sweet potato flour.

The dumplings might not look as beautiful, but she was sure they would taste absolutely delicious.

When Wei Ling returned with the meat, he saw the dough had been increased. The various colored flours kneaded together certainly wouldn’t look smooth, but everyone had eaten all kinds of whole grains and wouldn’t mind the dough’s appearance.

In the years of material shortages, it was already a blessing to have enough food to fill one’s stomach.

Once the dumpling filling was ready, it was time to start making the dumplings. With three large bowls of filling, Qin Qingman and Wei Ling couldn’t possibly finish making the dumplings in just half an hour. This was when Du Hongyi and the others stepped in to help.

With a call, everyone carried large boards into the living room.

The dumpling fillings were also brought over.

After stuffing a few pieces of firewood into the stove to ensure the pot would boil, Wei Ling returned to the living room.

As soon as he entered, he saw the lively scene before him.

Du Hongyi and the others, without needing to be told, had washed their hands, rolled out the dough, and began making dumplings. The four big men had pushed Qin Qingman and Chuchu to one side.

Although Du Hongyi and the others were all bachelors, during holidays and festivals, they often led the soldiers in making dumplings and steamed buns. As a result, they were quick at both rolling out the dough and wrapping the dumplings. One by one, large, round “yuanbao” shaped dumplings filled the large baskets.

When one basket was full, Wei Ling told Qin Qingman to take a break. He carried the basket outside to the yard.

The dumplings fell into the snow, and soon they would freeze solid.

After repeating the process several times, the Qin family’s yard was covered with many dumplings that would surely bring joy to those who saw them.

Once the dumplings were finished, Du Hongyi and the others didn’t let Qin Qingman do any more work. They cleaned up the work table and washbasins, and finally carried the board back to the kitchen.

At this point, the pig’s feet and braised lamb in the pot were nearly ready.

Qin Qingman placed the fresh radishes into the pot with the pig’s feet to simmer. She then took the braised lamb from the other pot, placed it in a basin, and carried it to the living room. The living room was warm, and the meal would be served there.

“Do you want some wine?” Qin Qingman asked Wei Ling quietly.

She remembered that during holidays, every household seemed to drink a little wine, but she wasn’t sure if the soldiers like Wei Ling and his friends could drink.

“Yuan Xiangyang is taking over for Uncle Hong, and after he returns, he’ll need to go back on duty, so he can’t drink. Xiao Shi is driving, so he can’t drink either. It’s just Du Hongyi and Zuo Gaopeng. I’ll ask them if they want a drink.” Wei Ling thought for a moment before answering.

The weather in the northeast was especially cold, and on such extremely cold days, even soldiers could have a little drink during their rest time.

“Alright, you ask them. I’ll go see if we have any wine at home.”

At home, it was just Qin Qingman and Chuchu, so she wasn’t sure if they had any wine. She would have to ask Chuchu.

When the original owner was studying in the town, Chuchu had stayed with their parents, so he knew the family’s belongings better than anyone.

The couple agreed to split up the tasks.

Chuchu was currently “entertaining guests.” Hearing Qin Qingman’s question, he thought for a moment and then went down to the cellar. From a corner of the cellar, he pulled out a large clay jar, taller than a person, its mouth and surface covered in dust.

“Sis, this is the wine Dad made before. He said he added ginseng.”

When Qin Qingman heard that the wine contained ginseng, she was immediately intrigued.

In those years, ginseng was definitely wild and aged, not the short-term cultivated ginseng of later years.

“Dad also added ginseng, deer antler, and goji berries.” Chuchu said, his memory quite sharp.

“Go call your Brother-in-law to carry it.” Qin Qingman looked at the large wine jar and instructed Chuchu. She couldn’t carry a jar that was taller than a person.

“Sis, we can’t take this jar outside.” Chuchu shook his head and stopped her.

“Why?” Qin Qingman didn’t know the reason.

“Dad said that the wine needs to be left in the cellar for ten years to ferment properly. If we want to drink it, we can just open it and take a small sample to taste.” Chuchu’s memory was impressive. He remembered clearly what their parents had said to him.

At this moment, Chuchu was able to recall and recount everything clearly to Qin Qingman.

“Then I’ll go get something to put the wine in.” When Qin Qingman heard that they couldn’t move the wine jar, she decided not to call Wei Ling anymore.

Instead, she and Chuchu gathered a cloth and a wine pot.

First, they used a small brush to sweep away the mud on the jar, then wiped it down with the cloth. Once the dust was all cleaned off, Qin Qingman carefully untied the sealing oil paper and mud from the jar.

As the seal was removed, the fragrant aroma of the wine instantly filled the entire cellar.

It wasn’t overpowering, but it was strongly present.

Qin Qingman shone a flashlight into the jar. Inside, the ginseng, deer antler, and goji berries were clearly visible. The wine, which had been brewing for seven or eight years, had turned a pale yellow, a soft and gentle color.

Qin Qingman didn’t taste it; she just filled a wine pot and then resealed the jar. As for the broken yellow clay, she planned to add some water and mix it with the original clay to reseal the jar properly.

In this season, with snow piled up all around, she really couldn’t find any yellow clay.

Even if she did find it, she wouldn’t be able to dig it out.

“Sis, let me seal it. I know how.” Chuchu said, having helped their father with this before.

“Alright.” Since Chuchu knew how to do it, Qin Qingman was happy to assist.

The siblings worked together, and in a short time, they had resealed the wine jar and returned to the living room.

By this time, Wei Ling had already washed the pot used to braise the lamb in the kitchen and added half a pot of water. Once the water boiled, they would be ready to cook the dumplings.

There were many people, so a large pot of dumplings had to be cooked to ensure there was enough for everyone.

The hearty holiday meal stretched on until nightfall.

It could have been finished earlier, but with the addition of wine, the conversation flowed freely, and as they ate and drank, the delightful feast lasted from noon into the late afternoon.

Though they had eaten and drunk for such a long time, none of them got drunk.

First, Qin Qingman didn’t allow anyone to drink to excess, and secondly, Wei Ling and the others were soldiers, and they carried a sense of duty, always needing to stay clear-headed.

Before Du Hongyi and the others left, Qin Qingman not only packed a full basket of frozen dumplings in a willow basket, but also packed a few dishes she had set aside before the meal in a lunchbox for them to take back to Colonel Wang.

With that, Colonel Wang, Political Commissar Zhang, and Hong Wei would also be able to enjoy the delicious food.

Before they left, Du Hongyi and the others enviously patted Wei Ling on the shoulder before getting in the car, and then Xiao Shi drove them back to the division headquarters.

Wei Ling, his posture straight, sent them off, then slumped, resting his head against Qin Qingman’s neck. “Wife.”

The warm breath and hoarse voice made Qin Qingman feel a tingling sensation all over her body and her legs go weak.