Chapter 23: Fragrant, Steamed Egg with Chinese Toon  

Zhou Chongshan stood in the newly refreshed house, never having imagined that his home could look like this.

He stood there, stunned, a little lost in thought.

At that moment, a sudden cough echoed from the kitchen.

Soon after,

Jiang Rou hurriedly walked out.

Her eyes were slightly red, and there was a hint of moisture in them, while a streak of black ash marked the tip of her small nose.

It was clear she had been smoked by the fire.

Her already delicate appearance now had an added touch of pitifulness.

“Chongshan, you’re here.”

When Jiang Rou saw Zhou Chongshan standing there, she was a bit surprised, and her soft voice instinctively slipped out.

Yet, it was calm and affectionate,

As if it were something she had done countless times before, greeting her husband after a long day.

Zhou Chongshan, upon seeing Jiang Rou’s face, which resembled a little kitten, didn’t have time to take a longer look. His body was already set ablaze by the sound of “Chongshan.”

“Are you cooking?”

He seemed somewhat surprised.

Because Jiang Rou’s appearance didn’t quite match the image of someone who would cook.

Jiang Rou, seeing Zhou Chongshan, felt like she had found a lifeline.

She didn’t have time to answer; instead, she rushed to him, grabbing his wrist.

“Chongshan, quickly! Come help me light the fire. The stove and bellows are so difficult, I don’t know how to use them.”

Jiang Rou was indeed cooking.

However, the reason she appeared so disheveled wasn’t because she didn’t know how to cook; it was because this “ancient” fire-starting tool was so difficult to use.

She had tried several times, but the fire still hadn’t caught.

Zhou Chongshan placed the lunchbox he was carrying down.

His dark eyes quickly swept over the kitchen, noticing that it was just as spotless as before.

Moreover, the kitchen was even cleaner than the other areas.

After retracting his gaze, he sat down behind the stove.

The small stove opening was stuffed with firewood and pine branches by Jiang Rou, leaving no ventilation.

In the depths of the stove, a few faint sparks could be seen flickering, along with black smoke emerging.

This situation explained why Jiang Rou’s eyes were irritated and red from the smoke.

Zhou Chongshan removed all the firewood from the stove and then started a new fire.

He first burned some pine needles.

As the fire gradually grew, he added the firewood back in.

During this, he kept using a long stick to occasionally stir the fire, ensuring proper air circulation.

Before long, the flames leaped up.

“It’s lit! It’s lit! Chongshan, you’re amazing. You got it lit so quickly.” Jiang Rou said, her voice full of joy.

Starting a fire was one of the essential survival skills for soldiers in the wild and something rural people learned from a young age.

It was common and simple.

Zhou Chongshan never thought such a small thing was impressive.

But Jiang Rou looked at him with such sparkling eyes, praising him for being skilled.

His chest swelled up, like an inflated balloon, full and taut.

He felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Zhou Chongshan raised an eyebrow and asked: “What do you want to cook? A big fire or a small fire?”

“Medium fire is fine. I’m not cooking or making any dishes, I just want to steam an egg custard. This afternoon, my sisters-in-law sent over a lot of things, especially Sister Yulan. She sent me three eggs and a lot of Chinese toon…”

Jiang Rou spoke while washing her hands again and began preparing the ingredients.

What she was going to make was—Chinese toon steamed eggs.

The Chinese toon had already been washed, and the fresh, tender leaves were dotted with water droplets.

Standing in front of the stove, Jiang Rou added a third of a pot of water to the large iron wok.

When the water was about seventy percent hot, she could add the Chinese toon.

At the same time, she added a little bit of cooking oil.

This step was called blanching.

Although Chinese toon was a vegetable rich in nutrients, it also contained a harmful substance—nitrite.

If eaten in excess, it could lead to poisoning.

Thus, before eating Chinese toon, it was essential to blanch it with high heat to ensure safety.

As for adding cooking oil, it was because the oil helped preserve the vegetable’s color.

Even after blanching, the Chinese toon wouldn’t turn into an unappetizing wilted color.

It would remain as fresh as it was before.

A few minutes later.

The Chinese toon had been blanched.

Jiang Rou used chopsticks to scoop out the Chinese toon, drained the excess water, and placed it on the cutting board.

She pressed down on the slightly hot Chinese toon with one hand while holding a kitchen knife with the other, her wrist moving swiftly and skillfully.

With each rise and fall of the knife, the Chinese toon was quickly chopped into small cubes.

As a food blogger, Jiang Rou’s knife skills were naturally beyond question.

The Chinese toon cubes were evenly sized.

They could now be set aside for later use.

Jiang Rou then started cracking the eggs.

Lin Yulan had sent over exactly three eggs. Jiang Rou didn’t hold anything back or feel reluctant; she used them all.

She cracked the eggs on the edge of a bowl, splitting the shells and dropping them into the bowl.

The three eggs fit perfectly into the large bowl.

Indeed, they were homegrown eggs from free-range chickens—the yolks were a bright, clear yellow, making them incredibly appetizing.

Soon after.

The kitchen echoed with the sound of chopsticks beating the eggs.

As Jiang Rou beat the eggs, she stole a glance at Zhou Chongshan.

While Zhou Chongshan wasn’t paying attention, Jiang Rou quickly scooped a spoonful of milky white lard and added it to the egg mixture.

She mixed the lard in along with the eggs.

Once the egg mixture was ready, she added the chopped Chinese toon and poured in some warm water.

To make steamed eggs look smooth and without air bubbles on the surface, it was crucial to use warm water.

Jiang Rou knew this little trick perfectly.

At this moment.

The water in the large iron wok on the stove had begun to boil again, emitting wisps of steam.

Jiang Rou placed the steamer rack on top, set the large bowl on it, and covered it with a lid.

She steamed it over high heat for ten minutes.

The Chinese toon steamed eggs would then be ready.

…

A few minutes later.

A tempting aroma wafted from the kitchen, drifting all the way to the courtyard.

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua, who were picking up stones together, unconsciously sniffed the air.

It smelled so good!

It seemed like the scent of eggs!

And maybe even a hint of pork!

In any case, it smelled amazing!

There was something delicious in the house!

She wanted to eat something tasty!

Zhou Xiaohua swallowed hard, tossed the stone she was holding, and, with small steps, waddled like a little penguin toward the house.

She hadn’t taken many steps when her small figure was blocked by Jiang Rou.

Zhou Xiaohua raised her cute little face, licking her lips, and stared at Jiang Rou with bright eyes.

Jiang Rou bent slightly, reached out, and tapped Zhou Xiaohua’s nose.

“Did you smell something delicious?”

Zhou Xiaohua nodded enthusiastically: “Mhm, mhm!”

“Do you really want to eat it?”

Zhou Xiaohua nodded even more vigorously: “Mhm, mhm, mhm!”

“You can eat, but before you have anything, you must wash your hands first. Remember, small hands that are dirty can’t grab food.”

Zhou Xiaohua looked down at her little hands.

They were covered in dirt and grime—so dirty.

She looked up again and nodded vigorously, even the little tufts of hair on top of her head shaking with her.

Wash Hands, Eat Well!

“Very good. Xiaohua is really obedient.”

Jiang Rou smiled with satisfaction, leading the little girl to the courtyard to wash her hands.

During this time, Jiang Rou also noticed the smudge of soot on her nose. She recalled how Zhou Chongshan had looked at her face several times, his eyes filled with a smile.

Now that she thought about it, it was quite embarrassing.

That old man hadn’t even reminded her!

Jiang Rou scooped up some water and rubbed her nose vigorously.

While Jiang Rou was washing hands with Zhou Xiaohua, Zhou Xiaochuan stood by the side, watching.

The little wolf cub didn’t rush over to pull Zhou Xiaohua away, but he also didn’t come over to wash his hands.

Jiang Rou looked up and called out to Zhou Xiaochuan.

“Xiaochuan, come wash your hands too. After we wash up, we can all eat together.”

After she finished speaking, the little wolf cub naturally stood still, completely ignoring her.

Jiang Rou wasn’t in a hurry.

She lowered her voice and gently spoke to Zhou Xiaohua.

“Xiaohua, go call your brother over to wash his hands too.”

After that, Jiang Rou stood up and left.

She knew that Zhou Xiaochuan would never refuse Zhou Xiaohua.

Every brother in the world who adored his sister was like that.

When she returned to the kitchen, the steamed egg with toon had just finished.

As the pot lid was opened, a mist of steam wafted out, revealing a large bowl of egg custard in the center.

It was golden and fragrant.

Jiang Rou grabbed a towel and reached out to take the steamed egg with toon from the steamer.

But someone was faster.

“I’ll do it.”

Zhou Chongshan said.

The rough man, with his tough skin and muscles, wasn’t afraid of the heat at all.

He didn’t need any heat protection and confidently carried it out.

That Day

That day, Zhou Chongshan brought back four lunchboxes, including his own.

The square table was also occupied by four people for the first time.

The steamed egg with toon, made by Jiang Rou herself, was placed in the center.

“Let’s eat.”

After Zhou Chongshan spoke, the two children immediately opened their lunchboxes, one holding a steamed bun, the other holding steamed cornmeal buns, while their eyes were fixed on the fragrant steamed egg with toon.

Their expressions were both cute and funny.

Jiang Rou smiled as she picked up a spoon and scooped a large spoonful of the egg custard from the big bowl.

She first served Zhou Xiaohua, then Zhou Xiaochuan.

Finally, she served the old man, Zhou Chongshan.

She said: “This bowl of steamed egg with toon is made by me, you should all try it.”