Chapter 53: So Delicious It’ll Raise Your Eyebrows

As Zhou Sinian walked away, Liu Dazhu let out a deep sigh of relief. He then took Ming Dai’s enamel tea mug, ready to scoop out the soup.

Ming Dai quickly stopped him. “Brigade Leader, please give me more broth! I love drinking soup!”

Liu Dazhu looked at Ming Dai, touched by her words. What an honest child! She must have noticed that I gave Zhou Sinian more solid ingredients and is trying to make up for it without making me feel bad.

The people waiting in line, who had been grumbling about Zhou Sinian’s overly full mug, suddenly felt embarrassed.

Ming Dai: If only they knew—I genuinely just love drinking soup.

In the end, Liu Dazhu filled her mug with half broth and half solid ingredients, even adding two extra meatballs.

Ming Dai also took a bit of spicy lamb oil before following the impatient Zhou Sinian.

As soon as the two of them left, the crowd erupted into an excited discussion, eagerly speculating on just how mouthwatering the lamb soup must be—maybe even delicious enough to make an old lady faint from joy!

Under everyone’s eager anticipation, the lamb soup was finally distributed.

Some couldn’t resist drinking it right away, while others, mindful of their household budgets, took it home to stretch it further—adding a cabbage and boiling it again to feed the whole family.

Liu Laosan was one of those who drank it on the spot.

He carried a small ceramic pot filled to the brim. At the bottom were vegetables, while the top was soup. The red, glistening spicy lamb oil swirled in as he stirred, instantly turning the milky-white broth into a rich red hue.

Scooping up a spoonful with his rice ladle, he took a sip.

The soup was fresh, fragrant, and delightfully spicy, carrying the bold kick of pepper and chili—fiery yet not overpowering. The aroma of scallions and ginger spread through his senses, and as the heat burned down his throat, it warmed his stomach before radiating to every part of his body. He felt his whole being heat up from the inside out!

Unable to stop himself, he took one sip after another, finishing more than half the broth in no time. That was when the fresh, tender cabbage and vermicelli underneath were finally revealed—alongside snowy white chunks of meat and delicate pink meatballs, dotted with a few bright red chilies. Just the sight of it was enough to make anyone’s mouth water!

He picked up a piece of lamb and placed it in his mouth. With a gentle press of his tongue, the meat fell apart effortlessly—tender, juicy, and bursting with rich flavor. The taste exploded on his palate, luring him to take another bite, and then another.

Unfortunately, each person was only allotted a small portion of meat. After just three small pieces, there was nothing left.

Next, he scooped up the two remaining meatballs and took a careful bite.

Unlike the expected soft texture, these meatballs were delightfully bouncy and firm. The slight resistance as his teeth pressed down, combined with the rich, spicy flavor, created an entirely different but equally satisfying experience.

Before he knew it, both meatballs were gone. Hugging his pot, Liu Laosan was filled with regret—Why did I eat so fast?!

Thankfully, there were still cabbage and vermicelli left. He scooped up a spoonful along with the hot broth and brought it to his mouth.

Ohhh!

The cabbage leaves were meltingly tender, the stems carried a hint of sweetness, and the vermicelli was silky smooth. Paired with the rich lamb soup—

One word: Delicious!

Absolutely divine!

Liu Laosan’s eyes welled up with tears. To have lived this long and still be able to enjoy such a bowl of lamb soup—this life has been worth it!

After scraping up every last drop, he licked his lips and turned to Huang Dalian for some pickled radish.

Originally, he just wanted to soothe his unsatisfied stomach, but to his surprise, the radish wasn’t bitter at all. Instead, it was tangy and spicy, making it impossible to stop at just one bite.

Seeing that others weren’t as interested in the radish, he took advantage of the opportunity and pestered Huang Dalian for more. Then, clutching his pot, he ran straight home.

With this pickled radish, he could easily eat two more bowls of rice!

As the last of the satisfied villagers left, Aunt Huang and Huang Dalian exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

The soup had been so good that even the water used to rinse the pot had people fighting over it!

Even the pickled radish Ming Dai had prepared was snatched up entirely. Only the leftover juice remained, and that was only because Huang Dalian had scolded several young wives into leaving it behind.

She carefully poured the remaining liquid into a bowl, planning to cut up another radish at home and mix a fresh batch.

Aunt Huang, holding the portion of lamb soup meant for her family, also planned to take it home and add a cabbage to make a hearty stew.

By the time their families sat down to eat, the entire house was filled with the mouthwatering aroma.

As Aunt Huang sipped the reheated soup, she could hardly imagine just how flavorful the original broth must have been—without the added cabbage and water!

Meanwhile, over at the educated youth quarters, everyone was quietly sipping their bowls of soup, savoring every drop.

Even though their portion contained more broth than solid ingredients, it was still the most delicious meal they had eaten since coming to the countryside.

That included Fang Mingyang, who was about to mark ten years of living in the village.

For the first time, he regretted rejecting Ming Dai’s offer to cook for their group. With skills like hers, even a simple stir-fried cabbage would probably taste amazing! No wonder the backyard always smelled so good every day.

But then, he thought of Zhou Sinian. That lunatic had probably latched onto Ming Dai because of her cooking, too.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided against inviting her to join their group. After all, he wasn’t good at taking a beating.

Good food is important, but staying alive is even more important!

What a shame! What a waste!

Still, Ming Dai was young and didn’t seem to understand proper respect for his authority as the team leader. One of these days, he’d have to talk to her. Moving forward, she should report such matters to him first—it was the proper protocol. A junior bypassing leadership was a serious issue.

But fine, he’d let it slide this time. After all, the ignorant were not at fault, and he wasn’t one to be petty. As long as it didn’t happen again, it was no big deal.

Siiip— Ah, this soup is incredible!

Meanwhile, Fang Rou sat alone in her room, quietly drinking her bowl of lamb soup.

As a true native of Beijing, Fang Rou had grown up drinking all kinds of lamb soup. She had even dined at private kitchens run by descendants of imperial chefs. Yet, compared to the rustic soup brewed over a countryside stove by Ming Dai, those refined dishes still seemed to lack something.

Her curiosity about Ming Dai deepened. Could her family also have some kind of imperial chef heritage?

Meanwhile, Qi Zhijun sat outside with the others, squatting as he sipped his soup. He ate in a hurry, but at least he maintained a bit of composure.

Liu Yan, on the other hand, devoured hers like a starving wolf. She had initially planned to share half of her portion with Qi Zhijun, but that thought had long since vanished.

Even though her family lived in the eastern part of the city, they were just an average household—getting by but never extravagant. She had tasted lamb soup before, but only from small eateries with nothing particularly memorable about them. How could any of those compare to this bowl of heaven?

When she finished, she stared at her empty bowl, licked her lips, and hesitated. Instead of washing it outright, she poured some hot water in, swirled it around, and drank the rinse water slowly, savoring the last bits of flavor.

She wasn’t the only one. Aside from Qi Zhijun and Fang Rou, everyone else did the same—drinking the water they used to rinse their bowls.

From that day on, Ming Dai became a sensation in Liujiawan. Her reputation skyrocketed, and the villagers’ admiration for her reached an almost mythical level. No matter where she went, people greeted her with wide smiles.

Many even asked her for the recipe. Ming Dai generously shared every detail.

However, when she mentioned some of the spices and medicinal ingredients—things the locals had never even heard of—they could only sigh in regret. At the same time, their gratitude toward Ming Dai grew even stronger, touched by her willingness to share her knowledge so freely.

No wonder everyone felt so warm after drinking the lamb soup—it turned out that Xiao Ming had put in so many good ingredients!

Xiao Ming is such a kind person!

Since they couldn’t always have the soup, they settled for the next best thing and asked for the pickled radish recipe. Ming Dai patiently explained the process to each of them. Aside from white sugar being a bit pricey, the other ingredients were affordable. That winter, nearly every household in the village started making pickled radish, and it quickly became a staple on their tables.

As for the lamb spine meatballs, once the villagers learned that lamb spine could be used to make such springy and delicious meatballs, they took immediate action. Soon, Liujiawan had practically monopolized the lamb spine supply from the commune slaughterhouse. Whenever someone went into the commune, they would make sure to bring back one or two sets—cheap, flavorful, and utterly satisfying!

The situation got so extreme that the slaughterhouse manager started to worry. Has Liujiawan gone completely broke? Why are they eating bones instead of meat?!

As for Zhou Sinian, he was also a huge fan of the soup. His appreciation was most evident in how he willingly took on the responsibility of feeding the sheep and cleaning up their droppings inside the space.

Ming Dai, on the other hand, collected all of the sheep manure and fermented it to use as fertilizer.

Later, when Zhou Sinian found out that the cucumbers and tomatoes he had been enjoying every summer had been grown with manure-enriched soil, he went silent for several days.

But that was a story for another time.