Chapter 22

The area around Wang Changping’s house was still eerily quiet, clearly no one was around. This time, Liu Yu didn’t knock on the door; she let Wang Changping open it. She simply pushed the door open and walked right in.

The big black dog in the yard saw someone coming and got up to take a look. When it saw it was Liu Yu, it just laid its head back down on its paws and went back to napping.

Liu Yu was terrified of dogs, so she froze for a moment and waited. She watched the big dog roll its eyes as it slept before she entered the house.

The person was still lying in bed, but his complexion had returned to normal. Liu Yu went up to him and first checked his forehead. It wasn’t too hot or too cold, just a normal temperature. “Your fever has gone down, feeling better now?”

Wang Changping nodded. “Much better. By the way, how did you get in just now? I didn’t hear any noise.”

Liu Yu was momentarily stunned. “I just pushed the door open and came in. What’s wrong?”

Wang Changping hesitated. “The dog I raise is pretty fierce. Normally, if an outsider comes, it bites and doesn’t let go. But when it saw you, it didn’t make a sound.”

Liu Yu wasn’t concerned with these small details. “How would I know? Anyway, Wang comrade, you lie down and wait for your food. I always keep my word, I’m going to make you a sick person’s meal.”

She turned and walked toward the kitchen.

There was still a lot of firewood in the kitchen, piled high against the wall in neat stacks, showing that Wang Changping often brought in firewood.

Since Wang Changping’s fever had just subsided, it was best for him to have some chicken soup. Liu Yu took a chicken out of the basin, washed it with hot water, and then searched around the kitchen. After a while, she found a small pot with a lid. She chopped the chicken into small pieces, filling half the pot with well water.

Liu Yu started a small stove and began simmering the chicken.

Before the water boiled, Liu Yu rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, hoping to find some usable seasonings.

However, all she found was a small earthen jar with half a jar of white salt.

She also found a bottle of oil, an enticing bottle of sesame oil in a glass bottle, quite a bit of it, a full half-bottle.

Oil was a scarce commodity that year. Not only was it in limited supply, but you also had to use oil coupons to get it.

The clearer the chicken soup, the better, so there was no need to use oil. Liu Yu carefully placed the oil bottle back in its place and added only half a spoon of salt to the pot. She then went up the mountain to pick some wild onions and threw them into the pot to simmer.

The water slowly began to boil, and the fragrant aroma of the chicken soup started to drift out. The milky-white broth had a layer of yellow oil floating on top, and the smell was incredibly enticing.

Liu Yu couldn’t help but swallow. She had only eaten a cornmeal bun from morning till night, so she was really hungry. She was also craving the food, but she didn’t dare eat too much—after all, dieting meant controlling her mouth and moving her legs more.

Liu Yu served herself a big bowl of chicken soup, with a chicken leg in it.

Wang Changping’s portion was a large bowl of chicken meat piled high, with a big bowl of chicken soup beside it, sprinkled with finely chopped onions and floating oil.

Liu Yu hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, and now that she was suddenly eating, the flavor was so good she almost couldn’t find her direction. In front of Wang Changping, she quickly finished a chicken leg in three bites, then drank the soup, patting her belly. “I’m full.”

In reality, she didn’t feel full at all, but Liu Yu insisted she was.

Wang Changping didn’t rush to pick up his chopsticks. The big bowl of chicken meat sat in front of him, steam rising gently from it. Wang Changping was somewhat moved. How long had it been since he had eaten a meal so peacefully, without worry?