Chapter 56: Tastes Good Cooked, Tastes Good Raw

Lu Zhanlin’s thoughts drifted back to last night’s memories.

Unnoticed by anyone, the strong lines of his face softened silently, and the corners of his lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

Xu Feng, standing beside him, suddenly got goosebumps all over—how creepy.

Could it be that people who get married all turn into this?

“Lu—”

Just as Xu Feng was about to speak, Lu Zhanlin abruptly returned to his usual stern self. His cold, dark eyes were full of frost, the previous tenderness vanished instantly, replaced by a grim, murderous aura as if facing an enemy.

Before Xu Feng could ask what happened, Lu Zhanlin spoke first.

“Xu Feng, after training today, go to my office. There’s a pack of wedding candies in the left drawer. It’s from me and Chu Yue for you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhanlin strode off with long strides.

Ahead of him was the shooting training ground, marked with danger signs—an area off-limits to ordinary people.

Xu Feng, hearing there was wedding candy specially for him, didn’t mind Lu Zhanlin’s sudden departure.

“That’s more like it.”

He said happily, then turned around and unexpectedly saw someone—He Meijiao.

She was the medic, and new recruit training required medics to take shifts on site.

Thinking that Lu Zhanlin was in the recruit camp, she had volunteered to come.

He Meijiao wore a military uniform with a white lab coat over it and carried a medical kit, walking briskly over.

Seeing Xu Feng, she asked, “Where is Captain Lu? He was just here, why did he leave?”

Xu Feng rolled his eyes in his heart. The reason Lu Zhanlin suddenly left? To avoid you!

Good grief, Lu Zhanlin… you’re supposed to be a brother who came out of the same trench, fought through gunfire together, and now you just abandon your comrades for a woman!

Xu Feng felt bitter but couldn’t say it aloud.

He wanted to run away too.

“Hey hey hey! Soldier! How do you run like that? Your form is all wrong!”

Pointing at a new recruit running a 3,000-meter endurance drill, Xu Feng rushed over quickly, eager to escape He Meijiao’s side as soon as possible.

In an instant, those two big “live targets” disappeared from He Meijiao’s sight—Lu Zhanlin and Xu Feng alike—everyone was laughing at her behind her back!

Furious, her face twisted as she stomped hard on the spot!

It must have been Chu Yue stirring trouble in front of Lu Zhanlin. He wasn’t like this with her before!

…

That afternoon.

Thanks to Lu Zhanlin’s help the night before, there was little farm work left in the courtyard. Chu Yue quickly turned over the soil and took some winter-appropriate seeds from her space, choosing a medium-sized plot to do a trial planting.

Then she drew some Lingquan spring water into a bucket and had Lu Yuanbao use a ladle to sprinkle water over the sown area.

“Be careful, don’t get your pants wet or you’ll freeze,” Chu Yue warned, then turned and went inside.

When she came back out, she was carrying a small charcoal stove made from yellow clay. Inside it were leftover red coals from lunch, and she added some new charcoal, gently fanning it until the coals glowed bright red and burned fiercely.

Finally, she placed an iron mesh grate over the coals, and the little charcoal stove was ready.

Chu Yue placed the small charcoal stove on the ground, grabbed a handful of high-mountain chestnut burrs from the bag, and made a small cut on the plumpest part of each chestnut’s shell with a small knife, then placed them on the wire mesh over the charcoal stove.

The bright red charcoal fire roasted the brown shells of the chestnuts, soon producing a sizzling sound, along with the tempting aroma of roasting chestnuts.

As the chestnuts cooked more and more, their brown shells shrank, while the soft, starchy chestnuts inside expanded, producing a sharp “crack” sound. The initial small cuts widened into large openings.

The chestnuts bounced slightly on the wire mesh, and the pale yellow chestnut meat popped out, ready to be eaten without even peeling the shell by hand.

Besides chestnuts, Chu Yue also placed a few small potatoes and some peanuts on the wire mesh, occasionally hearing the “sizzle” sounds.

Chu Yue sat on a stool, basking in the warm winter sun, smelling the delicious aroma of the food—a rare moment of comfort in this post-apocalyptic world.

She couldn’t help but squint her eyes, savoring the beauty of life at that moment.

Lu Yuanbao poured water and set down the bucket, then walked over just as the chestnuts on the wire mesh were fully cooked. Suddenly one popped up with a “dong” sound, startling him. His big black eyes widened.

Chu Yue looked at Lu Yuanbao and waved at him. “What are you standing there for? Come and eat the chestnuts.”

She picked up a roasted chestnut, it was a bit hot, so she blew on it before handing it to Lu Yuanbao.

This time, without Chu Yue saying “open your mouth,” Lu Yuanbao automatically opened his mouth, waiting to be fed.

The steaming hot chestnut entered his mouth, and his tongue got slightly burned, but the fragrance inside was irresistibly delicious.

Lu Yuanbao pressed the warm chestnut against his tongue, shifted it around a few times, then with a puff of breath, he couldn’t help but bite into it eagerly—

In an instant,

Lu Yuanbao’s little expression froze.

Chu Yue raised her eyebrows and smiled coquettishly, “Good, right?”

Lu Yuanbao was so overwhelmed by the taste he was speechless. The roasted chestnut was soft and glutinous, with a powdery texture and a hint of sweetness, almost like the softest white sugar cake.

It was simply too delicious!

“Too bad there are no osmanthus flowers this season. If there were, making osmanthus sugar roasted chestnuts would taste even better.”

Chu Yue handed Lu Yuanbao the bamboo tongs she used to pick up the chestnuts. “You hold these and eat by yourself. When the chestnut shells pop open, it means they’re fully cooked.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Lu Yuanbao crouched beside the yellow clay charcoal stove, carefully watching the chestnuts on the wire mesh. He used the bamboo tongs to turn the chestnuts occasionally, helping them cook evenly and faster.

Chu Yue took a small knife and cut open half of the chestnuts, placing them beside Lu Yuanbao to roast and eat by himself. She continued to handle the remaining chestnuts, using the knife to pry open a small corner, then peeled out the whole raw chestnut.

Round and plump, like a roly-poly doll.

High-mountain chestnuts weren’t just delicious roasted—they were also good raw.

Crunchy and sweet, with a completely different texture.

Chu Yue wasn’t peeling the chestnuts to eat them raw though; she was preparing to make chestnut braised chicken later—a pot of tender chicken meat with soft chestnuts stewed in rich sauce, just thinking about it made one’s mouth water.

She worked quickly, soon finishing handling all the chestnuts.

Chu Yue looked up and saw a pile of golden, fragrant roasted chestnuts, peeled and ready in front of her, along with Lu Yuanbao’s eager smile.

The kid had grown familiar with her, no longer silent and reserved like before—he clearly had his own ideas now.

Chu Yue picked up a chestnut and casually tossed it into her mouth. “Alright, speak up—what do you want to say to me?”