Chapter 62: This Woman… Is She a Goddess?  

The white flour mantou had been sliced in half, split into two.  

Between the halves was a golden pan-fried egg, a fresh green leafy vegetable, and a few small pieces of pork.  

There wasn’t much pork—just enough to add some fat and flavor.  

Jiang Rou had wanted to include a few slices of tomato, but there were none at home, and she couldn’t conjure them out of thin air.  

Even so, the mantou egg sandwich was already quite hearty.  

Even when cold, its aroma was still enticing.  

Zhou Xiaohua’s tiny nose twitched as she licked the corner of her mouth, swallowing her saliva.  

She was craving it badly, yet she didn’t reach out to grab the sandwich.  

Instead, she stretched out her small hands and placed them in front of Jiang Rou.  

Tilting her head up, her big, dark eyes stared expectantly.  

Her meaning was clear: 【My hands are dirty, I need to wash them.】  

After chasing butterflies and digging for wild vegetables, Zhou Xiaohua’s little hands were covered in dark, muddy soil.  

Jiang Rou patted her head and praised her.  

“So well-behaved. Xiaochuan, let’s wash our hands together.”  

Jiang Rou opened the water bottle and slowly poured water over Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua’s hands, washing them clean.  

Then, she took out a handkerchief, dampened it slightly with water, and gently wiped their flushed cheeks and sweaty foreheads.  

Lastly, she dried their hands thoroughly.  

Once their little hands were clean, she handed them the mantou sandwiches.  

“Hold it carefully, don’t let go. Just take bites directly.”  

Jiang Rou reminded them softly.  

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua carefully held the unfamiliar-looking mantou, opened their mouths wide, and took a bite.  

The moment they bit down—  

Soft mantou, crispy fried egg, tender greens, and the rich aroma of pork filled their mouths.  

Delicious!  

Every bite had everything in it!  

It was convenient and tasty.  

The exhaustion from the whole morning seemed to disappear in an instant.  

Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua first exchanged a look of disbelief. Then, at the same time, they turned their heads.  

Two pairs of bright, shining eyes locked onto Jiang Rou.  

From braised pork belly to millet porridge, they had already been completely astonished by Jiang Rou’s cooking skills.  

Yet, every time, there was an even bigger surprise.  

Who would have thought that even a plain-looking mantou could be made so delicious?  

This woman… is she a goddess?  

In their little minds, which lacked much knowledge, they pondered in the simplest way possible.  

Jiang Rou chuckled softly. Holding her own mantou and egg sandwich, she took a bite and spoke as she ate.  

“What are you staring at me for? Hurry up and eat. If you don’t eat soon, and I finish mine first, I might just steal yours.”  

The moment they heard that their food might be taken—  

Their natural instinct to protect their food was instantly triggered.  

They immediately lowered their heads and took big bites.  

The three of them sat under the shade of the trees, enjoying the midday breeze. They took off the sun hats they had worn all morning, revealing their slightly flushed faces, damp with sweat.

With sweetness lingering in her mouth, a cool breeze brushing against her face, and the vibrant sights of spring surrounding her, everything felt so pleasant.  

At that moment, Jiang Rou deeply fell in love with this world, this era.  

She was determined to live this life to the fullest!  

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While the three of them were eating, Lin Yulan approached from not far away. Initially, she intended to check on them out of concern, but her eyes immediately landed on the bamboo basket beside Jiang Rou, filled to the brim with various wild vegetables.  

She also noticed how the three of them were holding steamed buns, eating heartily.  

Jiang Rou looked completely at ease, leaving no need for Lin Yulan to worry.  

On the contrary, despite having been under the sun for so long, Lin Yulan’s face appeared pale, with a faint sheen of cold sweat on her forehead.  

So, the first to express concern was actually Jiang Rou.  

“Sister Yulan, are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so pale?”  

Fearing that Lin Yulan might not be able to stand steadily, Jiang Rou helped her sit down on a nearby wooden stump.  

Lin Yulan took a deep breath after sitting down, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and rested for a moment before saying,  

“I’m fine. I was squatting down to dig up wild vegetables for a long time and didn’t stand up for a while. When I got up too quickly, I felt a bit dizzy. I just need to sit and rest for a bit.”  

This must be low blood sugar.  

Listening to Lin Yulan’s explanation, Jiang Rou quickly came to a conclusion.  

She picked up a nearby water bottle and handed it to Lin Yulan.  

“Sister Yulan, have some water to moisten your lips. I added a little sugar to it—it’s sweet.”  

Lin Yulan took the bottle Jiang Rou handed her and didn’t refuse. Tilting her head back, she took a sip.  

It really was… sweet.  

But not the cloying sweetness of sugar—rather, it was more like the refreshing sweetness of spring water.

It was crisp, light, and soothing.  

As soon as she drank it, a sense of relief spread through her entire body, and even her vision became clearer.  

Surprised, Lin Yulan blinked.

Seeing Lin Yulan’s reaction, Jiang Rou knew that the spiritual spring water had taken effect.  

The water in her bottle, as well as the one Zhou Xiaochuan carried, was not ordinary boiled water. It was spiritual spring water she had taken from her treasure space.  

This spiritual spring water was sweet and refreshing, carrying a faint hint of sweetness—completely different from the naturally hard water found on the island.  

Worried that Lin Yulan might notice something unusual, Jiang Rou simply claimed she had added sugar to the water.  

After recovering, Lin Yulan returned the water bottle to Jiang Rou and smiled somewhat sheepishly.  

“Sister Rou, I should be the one taking care of you, but now it’s you taking care of me instead.”  

“Sister Yulan, it’s nothing at all. You just took a sip of my water—I didn’t do anything special.”  

Seeing that Lin Yulan had recovered, Jiang Rou resumed eating her mantou sandwich.  

Lin Yulan glanced at the steamed bun in Jiang Rou’s hand and immediately found it intriguing.  

She asked: “I’ve seen mantou stuffed with pickled vegetables before, but this… this is a first for me. Is this some new way of eating it?”  

“Sister Yulan, this isn’t new at all! You know Shaanxi, right? It’s one of our revolutionary strongholds. They have a famous local specialty called roujiamo—it’s made by cutting a flatbread about two-thirds of the way through, so it looks like an open pocket, then filling it with minced meat, meat juices, and vegetables before eating it all together.  

People there have been eating it this way for thousands of years—it’s a longstanding Chinese tradition. I just didn’t have any mo flatbread on hand, so I used a mantou instead.”  

Jiang Rou explained carefully, even holding up her mantou sandwich for Lin Yulan to see.  

As for words like sandwich and hamburger—those Western terms—she wouldn’t say them at all.  

Besides, how could those foreign fast foods compare to the long history of traditional Chinese cuisine?  

Lin Yulan clicked her tongue in amazement.  

Other nearby women had also perked up their ears to listen. The moment they heard the words roujiamo, someone immediately chimed in loudly.  

“That’s right, that’s right! Sister Rou is absolutely right! Roujiamo is a specialty from my hometown—mo stuffed with meat, it’s absolutely delicious!”

Hearing that roujiamo was delicious, everyone gathered around, each asking questions one after another about how it was made.  

Lin Yulan, now feeling better, slowly walked back to eat her lunch.  

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The midday sun was scorching, so the women didn’t start working immediately. After lunch, they continued resting under the shade of the trees.  

Zhou Xiaohua had eaten until her little belly was round and full.  

Licking the corner of her mouth, she let out a yawn—clearly growing drowsy.  

Jiang Rou beckoned to her, then picked up the little girl, letting her lie down on the grass with her head resting on Jiang Rou’s lap.  

One hand gently patted Zhou Xiaohua’s back.  

The other held a large leaf, fanning her lightly.  

Zhou Xiaohua curled her small body slightly, rubbing her cheek against Jiang Rou’s thigh, looking utterly comfortable and at ease.  

So cozy~~ 

It felt just like being with her mother…  

Jiang Rou lowered her head, and her gaze fell upon Zhou Xiaohua’s ear.

Among her strands of hair, she wore a light purple flower.  

She focused on it carefully…  

The flower had three petals—one fully open, while the other two were slightly smaller and still closed, resembling a budding bloom.  

This flower… was a pea blossom!  

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Mantou Egg Sandwich

T/N: I refuse to be the only person who would crave for this in the middle of the night~

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