Chapter 31: Chive Pockets

After finalizing Zhou Sinian’s treatment plan, Ming Dai planned to go to sleep.

Before leaving, she helped Zhou Sinian make his bed.

The military quilt, warmed by the heated brick bed, was placed on the mattress. She tucked in the bottom of the quilt neatly and draped the newly issued military coat over it. She reminded him to fill the saline bottles with water later and not to pick at the bottle caps.

Seeing that he seemed to like the emergency lamp, she decided not to take it away. Instead, she taught him how to use it and told him not to waste the battery. Then, yawning, she picked up her belongings and left.

After a long day, she was exhausted.

That night, after washing up, Zhou Sinian placed the saline bottles in the bed—one at his feet and the other near his pillow.

Before getting into bed, he walked over to the kang cabinet, looked at his new storage space, and opened the small compartment where food was kept.

He stared at it for a while but eventually closed it again.

He had already brushed his teeth, and eating after that was not an option.

A little displeased, he took off his clothes and put on the underwear and thermal layers that Ming Dai had stuffed into his bed earlier. He felt no discomfort—on the contrary, he felt much more at ease.

He wiggled his feet under the blanket, enjoying the rare feeling of going to bed without wearing a thick cotton coat. Warmth enveloped him from all sides as he gently switched off the emergency lamp. Soon, the entire room sank into a peaceful, drowsy silence.

Lying on the heated brick bed nearby, Ming Dai stretched out comfortably. This kang bed was truly one of humanity’s greatest inventions.

She glanced at the small window, where moonlight streamed through, and chuckled softly. She hadn’t expected to adapt to life here so quickly. It was as if she had lived this way before, as if this had always been her life.

In just a few days, the poverty and uncertainty of this unique era had already seeped into her heart.

She was thankful that she had a space to call her own, that she wasn’t starting from scratch.

Soon, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

On the other side of the wall, Zhou Sinian, feeling the steady rhythm of breathing from across the room, blinked a few times before finally drifting off to sleep himself.

The next morning, Ming Dai woke up naturally with the help of her biological clock.

She instinctively reached for her phone but didn’t find it. She groggily climbed out of bed.

Looking at the dark ceiling, she faced the reality of her situation.

She touched the warm surface of the heated brick bed, then grabbed her clothes from the bedhead and put them on.

The clothes had dried overnight and were still warm, making them comfortable to wear.

She stepped outside, and as expected, the entire yard was already clean, and smoke was rising from the chimney. Zhou Sinian was squatting in the yard, staring at something, though she couldn’t tell what.

Ming Dai didn’t call out to him and went straight to the kitchen.

Having access to hot water so early in the morning was a rare luxury, especially in the dead of winter.

After freshening up, Ming Dai pulled out the two bags of items that Liu Laifu had brought yesterday.

One bag contained vegetables, mostly cabbage and radishes—there wasn’t much else available at this time.

The more special item was a small bunch of chives. It seemed to be the last batch before winter fully set in.

She knew what they were having for breakfast—chive pockets.

She put away the cabbage and radishes, thinking that she would need to dig a root cellar, or else the vegetables would freeze.

Zhou Sinian, who had followed her in, heard her muttering to herself. After a moment, he ran to the back of the kitchen.

The kitchen was quite spacious. Behind the stove, there were shelves fixed to the walls, probably for storage. Now, Ming Dai had cleaned them up and placed kitchenware on them.

Behind the shelves was a large open space that Ming Dai hadn’t noticed before. Now, as Zhou Sinian went over and opened it, she realized it led to a cellar.

She stopped him from going down directly, lit a piece of wood, and tossed it down.

Seeing the flame didn’t immediately go out, she climbed down the ladder herself.

Once at the bottom, she discovered it was an empty storage cellar. The smell was a bit strong from being unused for so long, but it was very practical—no need to dig a new root cellar.

What’s more, she also found that the cellar contained a small ice cellar. It wasn’t large, but it could hold quite a bit of ice, which was a pleasant surprise.

She opened the cellar door to ventilate it and asked Zhou Sinian to pour out the other bag of items onto the table.

Half a bag of various dried vegetables, a package of red dates, a package of walnuts, a package of pine nuts, a package of peanuts, and a package of sunflower seeds.

The quantities weren’t large, but they had been carefully wrapped in oil paper, showing thoughtful consideration.

After putting everything away, Ming Dai made a mental note of the kind gesture.

She instructed Zhou Sinian to pick the chives, while she began cracking eggs in the small stove.

Two eggs sizzled in the oil, and Ming Dai tossed the shells into the stove. She thought to herself about how they could raise two chickens.

That way, they’d have an excuse to eat eggs. Although they could technically buy them, it wouldn’t be ideal to do so frequently—it wouldn’t fit with her “pitiful” persona.

As for Zhou Sinian discovering it, at this point, his memory was still muddled. He probably wouldn’t remember, and if he did, he would likely just think it was another hallucination.

Zhou Sinian had already cleaned the chives and laid them out.

Seeing the neatly arranged chives, Ming Dai gave him an appreciative glance. This body wasn’t in the best condition, so it was better not to expose it to cold water in winter.

She chopped the chives and put them in an enamel basin, then added the scrambled egg pieces, five-spice powder, salt, and sesame oil, stirring everything together.

She took out the dough she had prepared the day before, placed it on the countertop, dusted it with some flour, and kneaded it a few times to release the air.

Then, she pinched off pieces of dough of equal size and rolled them out with a rolling pin.

She scooped a spoonful of filling and placed it in the center, folded the dough in half, pinched the edges to create decorative folds, and a chive pocket was ready.

Zhou Sinian watched her once, then started making his own.

Ming Dai observed him. The first one he made was a little strange, the second was somewhat decent, and by the third, he was good to go.

She sighed inwardly—once again, talent had triumphed over hard work.

While feeling the unfairness of the Creator, Ming Dai rolled out the rest of the dough into wrappers.

She left the wrapping to Zhou Sinian, while she turned up the heat under the small stove and carefully dropped the filled dumplings into the hot oil left from frying the eggs.

She arranged them in the pan, waiting for them to puff up.

In the meantime, she took out the rice Zhou Sinian had received, scooped a spoonful, rinsed it clean in the bowl, and placed it in a pot to cook.

She flipped the chive pockets in the small stove, the golden-brown color looking incredibly tempting.

Zhou Sinian had finished wrapping all the dumplings and was admiring his handiwork.

Ming Dai leaned over to take a look. His progress was impressive—there were no signs of a beginner’s touch anymore.

The first batch of chive pockets came out of the pan. Ming Dai carefully scooped each one into a small basket, admiring how plump and adorable they looked.

Zhou Sinian had already put the remaining ones into the pan. Seeing his eager expression, Ming Dai handed him the spatula.

She turned around, grabbed a radish, washed off the dirt, and sliced it into thin shreds on the cutting board.

She added a little vinegar, sprinkled some salt and sesame oil, and mixed it all together. A simple dish of pickled radish was ready.

She lifted the lid of the big pot on the stove. As the rice boiled, she could see it had already started to bloom.

She ladled out the rice soup, then arranged the shredded radish on the table. Zhou Sinian was finishing up the last batch of chive pockets.

A few minutes later, the two of them were eating chive pockets, sipping hot porridge, and enjoying the crispy pickled radish as they had their breakfast.

Not a single chive pocket was left, the porridge was completely finished, and the pickled radish was wiped clean by Zhou Sinian—another satisfying meal.

As usual, Zhou Sinian did the dishes while Ming Dai went to the room to redo her hair, tying it into two small braids. Only then did she join the now-finished Zhou Sinian to head off to work.