Chapter 114: Married a Snail Girl  

Jiang Rou immediately saw what Zhou Xiaohua was looking for.  

She walked over and gently patted the little girl’s head.  

Unable to hold back a chuckle, she said: “Xiaohua, the duck is gone.”  

As soon as Zhou Xiaohua heard this, she immediately lifted her head high.  

Her big, watery eyes were filled with disappointment.  

That delicious duck—she had only eaten it once, and now it was gone? But there had been such a big duck yesterday, even bigger than her head.  

Jiang Rou looked at Zhou Xiaohua’s chubby cheeks, and unable to resist the urge, she pinched the little girl’s soft face.  

“The duck may be gone, but we still have other delicious food. If you really like it, we can make it again next time, okay?”  

“Okay!”  

Seeing Zhou Xiaohua nodding her head like a little drum, it was easy to imagine how loudly she must have responded in her heart.  

That day.  

Because she had been delayed by an argument, Jiang Rou returned home slightly later than usual.  

She immediately got busy preparing lunch.  

At the same time, she took a moment to glance at the clock.  

At this hour… Zhou Zhongshan should be eating as well.  

—  

Military Camp.  

Inside an office.  

Zhao Guosheng’s guard had just brought back lunch for him from the canteen.  

Two steamed buns, two steamed cornmeal buns, a serving of vinegar-soaked shredded potatoes, and a portion of minced meat with shredded radish.  

The food from the canteen was always watery.  

Even the vinegar-soaked shredded potatoes were floating in broth.  

Just looking at it was enough to make one lose their appetite.  

Although these rough men in the army had once endured field marches where they ate grass roots, tree bark, and even rats if necessary…  

Now, in peacetime, when every household could live a good life, who wouldn’t want to eat something decent and satisfying?  

Zhao Guosheng glanced at the opened lunchbox and immediately let out a long sigh.  

“Sigh… The cooking in this mess hall is getting worse and worse. Not even as good as the random stew my wife makes at home. Old Zhou, why don’t you just let your wife go to the mess hall again and properly teach those people how to cook?”  

Even as Zhao Guosheng grumbled, he didn’t stop eating.

Zhao Guosheng grabbed a large steamed bun in one hand and stuffed it directly into his mouth.  

The rugged man took a big bite, nearly devouring half of the bun in one go, chewing in large, hearty mouthfuls.  

From the way he ate, anyone who didn’t know better might have thought he was feasting on meat.  

As he chewed on the plain steamed bun, his mind was filled with the thought of braised pork belly.  

Chewing, chewing…  

Somehow, Zhao Guosheng actually tasted the rich, savory flavor of meat.  

It was fragrant, full-bodied, and incredibly appetizing.  

Could it be that there was really braised pork belly hidden inside the bun?  

Zhao Guosheng was completely taken aback.  

He quickly tore open the steamed bun to take a look.  

The large white flour bun had a slightly yellowish exterior and a pure white interior, dotted with tiny, dense fermentation holes.  

Not to mention braised pork belly—there wasn’t even a single shred of minced meat or a sprinkle of scallions.  

Since the bun was just a plain bun, then where was that mouthwatering aroma of meat coming from?  

Zhao Guosheng took a deep sniff of the air, and sure enough, he caught a familiar meaty scent.  

Then, he suddenly looked up.  

Sitting across from him, Zhou Zhongshan had just taken out a lunchbox from his drawer and opened it.  

Jiang Rou, worried that Zhou Zhongshan might not have enough to eat, had prepared two lunchboxes for him, both packed with white rice and an assortment of dishes.  

One lunchbox contained a golden, glistening poached egg and a portion of fresh, green vegetables.  

The other lunchbox held a large duck leg.  

The duck leg had been braised to a deep, rich brown color. Its surface gleamed with oil, making it incredibly tempting.  

Even more enticing than its color was its aroma.  

Zhao Guosheng took another deep whiff, then excitedly shouted,  

“That’s sesame oil! This is Sesame Oil Duck, isn’t it?!”  

The big, rough Northeastern man—standing well over 1.8 meters tall—was so thrilled that he nearly jumped out of his chair.  

In his excitement, he even slapped the desk.  

The potatoes and steamed buns in front of him trembled from the impact.  

In stark contrast, Zhou Zhongshan’s lunchbox sat there, filled with steaming white rice and a perfectly balanced mix of meat and vegetables.  

“Probably.” Zhou Zhongshan replied.

Zhou Zhongshan responded.  

In truth, he had no idea what dishes were packed in his lunchbox—it had been Jiang Rou who handed it to him before he left in the morning.  

She had even made sure to do it behind the children’s backs.  

Thinking of how Jiang Rou had been both nervous and secretive at that moment, Zhou Zhongshan’s usually stern expression softened slightly.  

Meanwhile, Zhao Guosheng was still clicking his tongue in amazement.  

“It’s definitely Sesame Oil Duck, no doubt about it. I’d recognize this aroma anywhere. Tsk tsk… Old Zhou, you got yourself a wife, but it’s like you married a Snail Girl. You don’t even know—when I got home last night, my Er Huzi was making a fuss, saying your family always has good food. He can smell it but never gets to eat it. He even pestered my wife about it.”  

Zhou Zhongshan was in a good mood and, for once, replied: “Did Sister-in-law make it for him?”  

“Make what? How? My wife only knows how to cook braised pork with vermicelli… Oh, and Three Delicacies Stir-Fry. Anything else? Forget it. Last night, Er Huzi threw such a tantrum that she ‘served him a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork.’”  

Stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork = A good beating.  

Hearing this, Zhou Zhongshan chuckled.  

He and Zhao Guosheng had been comrades for years and knew each other very well.  

Unlike his own situation, Zhao Guosheng had four or five siblings, and Zhao Guifen’s family also had three or four. Those siblings were still living in the village, struggling through tough days.  

Because of this, Zhao Guosheng’s salary and allowance had to support not just his family of four but also his relatives back home.  

Life in his household was tight, and they had to be frugal with food and clothing.  

Zhou Zhongshan said: “If Da Huzi and Er Huzi are craving something good, just let them come over to my courtyard. Jiang Rou loves kids and would be happy to share with them. It’s not a big deal—don’t be so formal with me.”  

“Hahaha, Old Zhou, you’re a real brother.”  

Zhao Guosheng burst into hearty laughter, shoveling another mouthful of potatoes into his mouth while taking another deep whiff of the air.  

He could smell it.  

That was enough.  

—  

At this same time, in the military compound, people were also having lunch.  

“Elder Sister, why is it shredded potatoes again? At the military unit’s canteen, I eat shredded potatoes every single day—I’m sick of it! Isn’t there any meat? I know Brother-in-law gets five pounds of meat coupons every month. Don’t tell me you already used them all? It’s not even mid-month yet!”  

Lin Yuyao held her chopsticks, picking through the shredded potatoes on the table with an expression of pure disdain.  

Lin Yulan sighed helplessly. She had no way to deal with her cousin’s attitude, so she could only explain.  

“Yuyao, living on an island is different from being in the city. The Supply and Marketing Cooperative doesn’t open every day. All supplies on the island have to be brought over by transport ships. Even if we have meat coupons, if the transport ship doesn’t come, we still can’t buy any meat.”  

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuyao instantly scrunched up her entire face in frustration.  

Annoyed, she groaned: “Ugh… so if there’s a storm or heavy rain, and the transport ship doesn’t come for ten days or half a month, are we just supposed to eat shredded potatoes the whole time?”