Chapter 15

Seeing the two people across from her looking like they wanted to say something but hesitated, with curiosity written all over their faces, Yin Xiaoman felt a bit annoyed.

She lowered her head, continuing to sew the jacket in her hands, pretending not to notice anything.

However, the pressure in her fingers tightened as she sewed.

Fortunately, at that moment, the door to the private room was pulled open from the outside, and Gao Chong returned with hot water.

When he saw the two children leaning over the dining table, writing, he cast an appreciative glance at them before placing the thermos bottle beside him.

Then, he turned to Yin Xiaoman and said: “Sister-in-law, I see that they’ve started serving food over by the food cart. How about I go get some food, and the children can finish eating before continuing their writing?”

Yin Xiaoman shook her head. “No need, I brought food.”

Gao Chong thought she was reluctant to spend money, so he quickly explained: “Sister-in-law, I have food stamps with me, and there’s still money left from last time…”

Yin Xiaoman waved her hand at him and then pulled out a greaseproof paper package from her bag, unfolding it and showing him the cornmeal buns inside, shaking them slightly. “I really prepared some, don’t let them go bad.”

Seeing the golden, fragrant buns that gave off a sweet, mysterious smell, Gao Chong instinctively swallowed. The words he had been about to say got stuck in his throat.

He had seen them earlier when Yin Xiaoman handed them to Er Wa, and had smelled that sweet fragrance. At the time, he had been so tempted, but had been too embarrassed to speak up.

Now, seeing that Yin Xiaoman had prepared so many, he immediately lost any desire to go buy food.

Gao Chong chuckled and sat down on a small stool, leaning closer to Yin Xiaoman and staring at the buns with a smile that made his eyes squint.

“Well then, Sister-in-law, let’s buy food later. Let’s eat this first so it doesn’t go to waste.”

Liu Chuang, sitting across from them, sneered, his lips curling disdainfully.

What could cornmeal buns taste better than rice and white flour?

Moreover, the food on the train didn’t require tickets, and if they were lucky, they might even get some meat!

No money meant no money. What was all this talk about not wasting food…

He lowered his head, let out a light sneer, then pulled two aluminum lunchboxes from the bag beside the bed, and said to Ning Haocheng with a polite tone: “Ning, please sit for a moment, I’ll go get the food.”

Ning Haocheng was still watching Da Bao work on his problems when he heard this. He was also concerned but just casually nodded in response.

Yin Xiaoman handed a small basin to Gao Chong, asking him to go outside and fetch some cold water, then instructed the two children to clear the dining table.

She didn’t remain idle herself. First, she placed the greaseproof paper package on the table, then took two open cans from a large bag next to her.

Through the glass, it was easy to see that both cans were filled with stir-fried pickled vegetables.

One jar contained shredded mustard greens, and the other held stir-fried sour cabbage.

These were dishes that every ordinary household would usually prepare, but for some reason, the two jars Yin Xiaoman brought out made them especially appetizing.

Perhaps it was because they had been cooked with plenty of oil?

Or maybe they had been stir-fried to the perfect level?

In any case, before she even twisted open the lids, Ning Haocheng, sitting across from her, couldn’t resist and swallowed. 

The sound of him swallowing was particularly clear in the small space.

Yin Xiaoman, who was about to take something else out, paused for a moment.

The door to the private room opened again, and Gao Chong walked in holding the basin.

Yin Xiaoman took out a white cloth, wet it, and cleaned the children’s hands thoroughly.

Once she had cleaned her own hands, she divided the cornmeal buns, giving one to each of them.

Seeing how meticulous she was, Gao Chong hesitated for a moment, then washed his hands with the water in the basin.

Afterward, Yin Xiaoman took out several thick porcelain bowls and pairs of chopsticks from the bundle, distributing them to everyone.

Then she opened the jars of pickled vegetables and carefully served them.

It wasn’t until she had finished serving everyone that they finally started eating.

Ning Haocheng finally understood what all the large and small bags the group had brought in contained!

He never expected that, in such a time, there would still be someone who could be so particular about things like this.

For a moment, his gaze toward Yin Xiaoman became even more inquisitive.

But before he could think further, the aroma wafting from the dining table completely disrupted his thoughts.

Ning Haocheng was one of the few senior naval engineers in the country, nearly a national treasure. 

He had dedicated his life to scientific research and had few other hobbies or pursuits.

The only thing he could say he truly enjoyed was food, and this was well known in his circles.

For senior engineers like him, the country would definitely do its best to provide for them.

Even during the most difficult years, it could be said that Ning Haocheng had not been deprived in terms of food.

But despite all that, he hadn’t had truly delicious food in a long, long time.

So much so that, at his age, he found himself staring at the cornmeal buns in the hands of the three- and five-year-old children across from him, to the point that his eyes seemed as though they couldn’t look away.

Erniu glanced at Grandpa across from her, then at the bun in her own hand, her little face scrunching up in a conflicted expression.

After a long while, she finally pouted and reluctantly extended the bun toward Ning Haocheng. “Grandpa, you eat.”

Ning Haocheng was stunned for a moment.

It took him a while to realize that he had been so immersed in his own memories that he had forgotten his eyes had been fixed on the food in the child’s hand.

Seeing the girl’s expression, Ning Haocheng, for once, felt awkward and turned bright red.

“No need, no need, you eat it yourself.”

He hastily waved his hand at Erniu, embarrassed, wishing he could find a hole to hide in.

Seeing this, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but silently sigh in her heart.

She turned around, took out another bowl, and a pair of chopsticks, then handed them to Ning Haocheng.

“Old Sir, these are clean. If you don’t mind, please have some with us.”

As she spoke, she used a pair of serving chopsticks to pick up a cornmeal bun and placed it in the empty bowl.

Ning Haocheng never expected that Yin Xiaoman would actually give him a bowl!

Even though he spent every day at the research institute, oblivious to the outside world, he still knew that food was precious in these times.

Even families with plenty of rations rarely had the heart to offer food to others.

To give away a bun was already a huge favor, and yet this young woman had given him a bowl and invited him to eat with them!

Ning Haocheng wanted to refuse, but the milky scent wafting from the bun made it impossible for him to say no.

While others might not have noticed, he immediately recognized that there was milk mixed into the cornmeal!

Milk… how long had it been since he had tasted it?

Ning Haocheng clicked his tongue, silently lamenting to himself.

Once Liu Chuang returned with the food and brought those better dishes for the children, he told himself, it would be fine. After all, aside from the train, it wasn’t easy to get any meat these days.

Comforting himself, Ning Haocheng casually picked up the bun.

With one bite, his eyes squinted in happiness, and he sighed deeply, his heart filled with contentment.

The taste reminded him of his younger days studying abroad, and it brought back memories of cream-filled bread.

“Grandpa, eat this!”

Earlier, this Grandpa had given her colored pencils.

Although she hadn’t asked for them, Erniu still had a very good impression of him.

When she saw her Mom hand the Grandpa a bowl, inviting him to eat with her, Erniu immediately included him in her circle.

She then enthusiastically pushed the jar of pickled vegetables closer to him.

Without any hesitation, Ning Haocheng picked up the serving chopsticks and took some from the jar.

He first ate a bite of the stir-fried sour cabbage.

The finely chopped sour cabbage entered his mouth, and the first thing he noticed was the rich, oily fragrance.

The crisp vegetable stems, paired with the strong, savory flavor of the meat oil, created a sensation that made his taste buds tingle. As he chewed, he occasionally encountered a few bits that were crispy and charred.

But what those bits were, he couldn’t quite identify. Before he could fully savor their taste, they melted quickly in his mouth.

The sour, rich, and roasted flavors layered upon each other, spreading throughout his entire mouth.

It made him feel as though his whole body, from his intestines to his heart, was calling out for more, craving to eat more, to have another helping!