Chapter 57: Preparing Provisions, Departing!

Aunt Huang stood up with a smile and called out to her two grandsons, “Alright, you little rascals, pick up the things your Aunt Xiao Ming gave us. Let’s go home! If we don’t head back soon, your grandfather, that old man, will start saying I’ve fallen into some latrine and can’t climb out again!”

Ming Dai almost burst into laughter at Aunt Huang’s words. She walked the three of them to the door, only returning after watching them leave.

As she closed the door, she noticed Zhou Sinian standing there with a resentful expression. She couldn’t understand what he meant.

Zhou Sinian looked at her as if she had abandoned him and accused, “It’s time to feed the sheep!”

Only then did Ming Dai realize—indeed, they had missed the usual time when Zhou Sinian fed the sheep.

The two hurried into the room and quickly entered the spatial dimension. Sure enough, the lambs in the pen had already started bleating.

Ming Dai felt a headache coming on. Zhou Sinian had subtly implemented a strict routine for the sheep, training them to bleat precisely on time. If they ever got delayed for any reason, the sheep would probably cry out for an entire day.

Right now, Zhou Sinian treated the sheep like treasures, eagerly waiting for the adult ones to give birth, the lambs to grow into adults, and then for those to have more lambs. He was completely invested.

Once all the sheep had been fed, the pen finally quieted down. Zhou Sinian let out a sigh of relief, his eyes burning with intensity as he stared at the lambs. The poor little creatures were so frightened that they hid under their mothers, not even daring to drink their milk.

It was Ming Dai who pulled him away, saving the poor lambs from his intimidating gaze.

When she asked what he wanted to eat, Zhou Sinian thought for half an hour before deciding on shredded potato pancakes. Ming Dai simply made extra so he could wrap them up and eat more if he got hungry. She, on the other hand, craved stir-fried small fish with chili.

She gathered the ingredients and decided to cook outside.

Eating in the spatial dimension for a meal or two wasn’t a problem, but if they never lit a fire outside and the chimney didn’t smoke, it would draw too much attention.

Zhou Sinian washed the potatoes and prepared the ingredients, while Ming Dai kneaded the dough.

As they worked, Ming Dai told Zhou Sinian about the plan to help repair the reservoir.

Zhou Sinian didn’t seem to have much of an opinion on the matter. He simply said, “I’ll go with you,” before silently continuing to practice his knife skills.

No one could surpass Zhou Sinian when it came to knife skills. The way he peeled potatoes with a kitchen knife was not only faster than Ming Dai using a peeler but also much thinner and more precise.

His shredded potatoes were consistently between two and three millimeters thick, with almost no variation. Every piece looked exactly the same.

Indeed, in the face of pure talent, hard work seemed insignificant. What she cut could barely be called strips, let alone proper shreds!

Ming Dai first stir-fried two dishes, leaving enough for their meal and storing the rest in the spatial warehouse while still hot.

By then, the dough had risen, and she started making pancakes.

At first, she cooked one, and Zhou Sinian ate one.

Ming Dai couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation—her cooking speed couldn’t keep up with his eating speed!

Fortunately, Zhou Sinian had some sense of decency and slowed down, allowing the first pancake to finally land in the basket.

The two of them continued cooking and eating. By the time all the pancakes were done, they had already finished their meal.

Zhou Sinian had eaten at least twenty pancakes!

Even though she made leavened pancakes and they were small, twenty was still an alarming number!

The plan to make money had to be put on the agenda!

With only two days left before they had to leave for the reservoir repairs, Ming Dai figured it wouldn’t be easy to cook proper meals on the road. She decided to prepare extra food in advance.

So, for the next two days, they didn’t go anywhere and stayed in the kitchen at home.

Zhou Sinian couldn’t have been happier!

Not only did Ming Dai replenish the sugar-roasted chestnuts he had finished, but she also made him pine nut candy!

A whole glass jar filled with pine nut candy sat in his cabinet, ready to be taken whenever he wanted. He was so delighted that he smiled the entire day.

Pine nut candy had officially become Zhou Sinian’s favorite snack—so much so that he even fed a piece to each little lamb.

Ming Dai knew that their food couldn’t be too different from what others ate; otherwise, it would easily arouse suspicion and resentment. So, she figured out ways to make fine ingredients look coarse.

In the end, she steamed a large pot of red date flower-shaped mantou. They looked like they were made from rough, dark flour, but in reality, they contained red dates and black bean flour.

She also made plenty of brown sugar sponge cakes, intentionally making them look rough and uneven—unappealing in appearance but delicious in taste.

At first, Zhou Sinian was reluctant to eat them until Ming Dai stuffed a mouthful of sponge cake into him. From that moment, he was completely hooked. He even stopped eating pancakes, preferring to wrap shredded potatoes in sponge cake instead. The combination of sweet and savory flavors made him incredibly happy.

Next, she made an upgraded version of vegetable dumplings using cornmeal dough. The filling consisted of dried string beans that Aunt Huang had brought them.

She prepared the filling with braised pork and shaped the dumplings small enough to be eaten in one bite, preventing anyone from seeing what was inside. They were incredibly fragrant, perfect for eating in secret.

Meanwhile, their batch of spicy kimchi was finally ready. Ming Dai packed a full jar to take with them. She also stir-fried a jar of pickled cabbage and another jar of sour radish.

Since they couldn’t bring malted milk powder or milk powder with them, she stir-fried a large batch of roasted flour mixed with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. Zhou Sinian loved it so much that he drank five bowls in one sitting.

Finally, there was Zhou Sinian’s medicine. Ming Dai carefully packed all his medicinal herbs into separate bundles and stuffed them into his large backpack along with the food.

Later that night, Zhou Sinian tried to sneak the medicine out again. When Ming Dai caught him, she coldly stuffed the medicine into the very bottom of his backpack, sealed it up, and gave him a stern warning: if he dared take it out again, she would confiscate his pine nut candy.

Terrified, Zhou Sinian didn’t dare touch it again.

Ming Dai smirked. Hah! You think you can outsmart me?

Finally, the day of departure arrived.

In the dead of night, while the sky was still pitch black, Liu Dazhu struck the small gong, signaling the start of work.

The two of them grabbed their handmade torches, locked the door, and carried their large and small backpacks along with their bedding rolls toward the village entrance.

As they passed the front courtyard, the people from the educated youth quarters were also just coming out.

Everyone carried large and small bags, hauling bedding and food as they gathered at the village entrance.

Once most of the people had arrived, Captain Liu began counting heads. During this brief moment, Huang Dalian walked over.

Seeing that Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian were carrying quite a lot, she asked if they wanted to put some of their belongings on the cart. Immediately, several pairs of ears perked up around them, waiting for Ming Dai’s response so they could do the same.

Ming Dai glanced at the fully loaded cart and shook her head. Huang Dalian didn’t insist—she herself was also carrying all her belongings on her back.

Soon, everyone was accounted for. Captain Liu gave a brief speech, and the group set off under the dark sky, stepping into the morning mist.

The journey from Liujiwan to the reservoir would take an entire morning on foot, which was why they had to depart in the middle of the night.

Normally, at such a slow pace, Zhou Sinian would have long lost his patience and grown irritable. But today, he remained silent, following Ming Dai at the very back of the group with his head down.

Curious, Huang Dalian sneaked a few glances at him and noticed his lips moving slightly, as if he were chewing on something.

Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of her, pressing something into her palm.

She squeezed it—hard and solid. Without thinking, she put it into her mouth in the dark.

A long-lost sweetness spread across her tongue, sending a message to her brain—this was candy!

Overjoyed, she carefully bit off a small piece. A barely audible crack sounded as a tiny fragment of candy landed on her tongue.

She savored it slowly, the caramelized sweetness blending with the nutty aroma, so delicious that she couldn’t help but squint her eyes in delight.

How long had it been since she last tasted candy?

Probably since before she got married.

She glanced at the hazy figure beside her. No wonder her mother-in-law liked this girl so much. She, too, felt that Xiao Ming was truly a good girl.

The three of them walked at the back of the group, silently savoring their candy, until the sky was fully bright.