Chapter 69: Qingming Rice Cakes—Want to Try One?  

Jiang Rou first exited the Lingbao Space. Holding an apple in one hand, she reached up to touch the jade ring on her neck with the other.  

In the blink of an eye, she entered Tao Duoduo Mall.  

【Dear Master, welcome to the Space System. Your Tao Duoduo Mall is now open and running stably. You may use it at any time.】  

Jiang Rou opened [Jiang Xiao’er General Store] and began creating a product listing.  

Tao Duoduo Mall had an incredibly advanced big-data recognition system. Any uploaded product did not require the store owner to input any information manually—the system would automatically generate all the necessary details.  

All Jiang Rou needed to do was place the product—an apple—into the designated scanning area.  

After placing the apple, Jiang Rou clicked “Next”.  

【System Notice: Upload failed. The product was not placed in the designated location. Please check.】  

【System Notice: Upload failed. The product was not placed in the designated location. Please check.】  

【System Notice: Upload failed. The product was not placed in the designated location. Please check…】  

Jiang Rou tried several times in one go, but each attempt resulted in the same notification.  

She looked at the product slot where the apple was placed, then glanced at the persistent system alert popping up.  

In the end…  

She had no choice but to give up.  

It seemed that the two systems were not compatible.  

It was just like trying to run an iOS app on an Android system—it simply could not be recognized or used.  

Any product sold in Tao Duoduo Mall had to come from the real world.  

It seemed that, while fate had granted her a golden finger, it had not allowed her to take shortcuts or achieve success without effort.  

Though Jiang Rou felt a bit disappointed, she was not overly disheartened.  

Late at night, after all the tossing and turning, Jiang Rou was utterly exhausted.  

She exited the system, let out a sleepy yawn, and drowsily drifted off to sleep.  

Even as she slept, she still held a big, rosy-red apple in her hands.  

---

The next day.  

Zhou Chongshan had recently been in charge of the soldiers’ morning training, so he had to wake up at four o’clock in the morning.  

Outside, the sky was still pitch black, without a trace of light.  

He did not turn on the lamp and instead got up in the darkness, moving with practiced ease.  

After dressing neatly, he glanced at the three people on the bed—  

His wife, son, and daughter.  

Normally, Zhou Chongshan would simply adjust the blankets, ensure they were sleeping soundly, and leave without a second thought.  

But today—  

This rugged man showed an unexpected moment of tenderness.  

Before leaving, he kissed Jiang Rou’s forehead and then did the same for Zhou Xiaohua.  

The little girl was still sprawled out in all directions, sleeping in a completely unrestrained manner, even exposing her tiny belly.  

Zhou Chongshan gently tucked Zhou Xiaohua back under the covers and carefully pulled the blanket over her.  

Perhaps these movements had disturbed Zhou Xiaochuan, who was sleeping nearby.  

Zhou Xiaochuan groggily opened his eyes and saw the blurry figure of Zhou Zhongshan.  

“Dad…”  

“Shh.”  

Zhou Zhongshan lowered his voice and gestured for silence.  

He touched Zhou Xiaochuan’s forehead, then lowered his own to feel it as well. Speaking softly, he said: “Xiaochuan, Dad has to go out. Go back to sleep.”  

“Mm, Dad.”  

Zhou Zhongshan watched as Zhou Xiaochuan closed his eyes.  

He waited a little longer before turning and leaving.  

However, the warmth he left behind lingered on the boy’s forehead for a long, long time.  

---

 

Over the following week, the absence of Zhou Zhongshan in the household seemed to make no difference to Jiang Rou’s daily life, yet at the same time, everything felt slightly different.  

During the day, she busied herself with handling the piles of wild vegetables and bamboo shoots. Whenever no one was paying attention, she would slip into the Lingbao Space, diligently working on her farming efforts.  

Even without a mobile phone for entertainment, she remained occupied.  

At night, there was no nightlife to speak of in the 1970s, and darkness fell early on the island.  

Moreover, the electrical system was unreliable, with sudden blackouts occurring from time to time.  

As a result, every household turned in early.  

During these nights, as Jiang Rou lay alone in bed, her thoughts churned restlessly.

No matter how she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about Zhou Zhongshan.  

Had she really missed him this much?  

This kind of emotion was something Jiang Rou had never expected.

In a relationship, feelings should be mutual. The most touching emotions arise from a connection that flows both ways.  

She really was… starting to miss that rough man.  

In the blink of an eye, Qingming Festival arrived.  

Jiang Rou had been planning all along to make qingtuan and Qingming rice cakes on this day.  

So, early in the morning, she began bustling about, both inside and outside.  

She tied her sleek, jet-black hair into two braids that hung over her shoulders. A white triangular headscarf rested atop her head, and she wore a pair of white sleeve protectors on her arms.  

With this attire, she looked like a chef working in a restaurant.  

The sense of ceremony was more than enough.  

The first step in making qingtuan and Qingming rice cakes was preparing the filling—pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots.  

The pickled greens she used were xuelihong, also known as xuecai in some places, a common Southern-style preserved vegetable found in nearly every household.  

Jiang Rou’s pickled greens had been a gift from a sister-in-law in the courtyard.  

After fermenting all winter, the pickled greens carried a tangy, fresh aroma, making them especially refreshing and appetizing.  

The bamboo shoots were wild ones that Jiang Rou had gathered herself.  

She peeled off their outer shells, revealing the tender, pale-green flesh inside. Before using them, she blanched them briefly in hot water with a pinch of salt.  

This process helped remove any residual bitterness from the wild shoots.  

Once cooked, the bamboo shoots became even more tender and delicious.  

Next, she finely diced the pickled greens and bamboo shoots.  

At the same time, she prepared a few additional ingredients:  

① Finely chopped scallions—only the white part near the root, as it had the freshest flavor.  

② Diced dried tofu—purchased from Tao Duoduo Mall, costing just one yuan per piece. It was convenient and simple. The small white cubes blended seamlessly into the filling, so unless someone had an exceptionally sharp palate, they wouldn’t even notice it.  

③ And most importantly, pork.

The three catty of pork belly originally bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative had already been used up—one catty was exchanged for millet, and the remaining two catty had been eaten day by day.  

This time, the meat was purchased from Tao Duoduo Mall.  

Lately, pork had been cheap—just fifteen yuan for top-quality meihua (pork shoulder).  

Jiang Rou took the entire piece of meihua and meticulously diced it into evenly sized minced meat.  

With all the ingredients prepared, she lit the stove, heated the pan, and poured in some oil.  

Once the oil was hot, she added the minced pork.  

Over high heat, the meat sizzled, and the fat slowly rendered out bit by bit.  

The minced pork rolled in the pan, turning glossy and fragrant.  

A rich aroma instantly filled the entire house.  

Zhou Xiaohua had been happily playing with little chicks in the courtyard. The moment she caught a whiff of the enticing smell, she immediately wobbled on her short legs, scurrying toward the kitchen.  

She was so small that she couldn’t even see over the stove. Standing on tiptoe, she strained to peek at what delicious food Jiang Rou was making.  

Jiang Rou glanced over and called out to Zhou Xiaochuan.  

“Xiaochuan, bring a stool over for Xiaohua to stand on. Keep it a little farther back—be careful not to let her get splattered by the oil.”  

“I got it.”  

Zhou Xiaochuan immediately fetched a small stool and lifted Zhou Xiaohua onto it.  

At last, Zhou Xiaohua no longer had to crane her neck—she could see everything clearly.  

It seemed as though Zhou Xiaochuan was staying close to protect Zhou Xiaohua, afraid she might fall.  

In reality, the little wolf cub’s gaze had been locked onto the wok the entire time.

Their eyes sparkled with the same eager curiosity.  

---

Qingtuan

Qingming Rice Cake