Chapter 614: 614: Are You Scared?
The firewood was running out, so she locked the courtyard door and went up the mountain to collect more.
By the time she descended from the mountain, the sky was bright. After she returned, she cooked a pot of rice porridge and steamed an egg custard.
After a simple breakfast, she began cleaning house. The guests from the Tong Family the day before had only taken their belongings and left without tidying up the rooms.
She was busy until noon when Tong Sanlang finally woke up languidly.
Qiao Xiaomai sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him worriedly, “Are you awake? How do you feel?”
As a martial artist, Tong Sanlang’s consciousness was clear the moment he woke up.
He tried to lift his arm, and a tinge of embarrassment appeared on his handsome face, “I feel a bit tired.”
His body felt completely drained.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xiaomai blinked, “Why does it look like you’re the one who’s undergone a splitting headache, not me?”
Good question. Tong Sanlang was silent for a moment before he finally said, “Qiao the fox.”
Upon hearing these three words, Qiao Xiaomai burst into laughter, “Are you scared?”
“No, I’d willingly die for you,” Tong Sanlang replied solemnly.
“Stop with the dying talk.” Qiao Xiaomai gave him a look of annoyance, then stood up. “I’ll bring some water for you to wash.”
The food she made in the morning ended up being eaten for lunch.
Tong Sanlang took a bowl of steamed egg and ate leisurely, while Qiao Xiaomai spread out a piece of rice paper, ready to draw the pattern imprinted on the bowl and dish.
Seeing what she was doing, Tong Sanlang suggested, “Why not draw wheat ears, like the ones on the umbrella I gave you.”
“Nope, when guests come over for meals, they’ll all be eating from bowls with my imprint, how would that look?” Qiao Xiaomai rebutted him, pen in hand, she quickly drew a cute chubby child.
“What’s this?” Tong Sanlang asked, puzzled.
“This is a good luck charm, a character that has everything in his pocket.” Qiao Xiaomai explained the story of the character, took out a cushion of it from her space and gave it to Tong Sanlang.
“When I saw it for the first time as a child, I really liked it. I always hoped that this guy’s pocket could bring out a mom, a Santa Claus, or anything I wanted.”
Tong Sanlang listened and nodded, “Then let it be.”
What a nice expectation.
So innocent!
“What do you want to draw?” Qiao Xiaomai asked him.
“Wheat ears, just for me, I’ll use it exclusively, holding you in my palm every day.”
Qiao Xiaomai “…”
She couldn’t help but laugh again, “Okay.”
Tong Sanlang felt weak, so they didn’t do anything all day, just leaned on the desk to draw and write.
It was soon evening, and Tong Sanlang could get out of bed. He started a fire to cook dinner for Qiao Xiaomai.
They ran out of oil at home. They bought some pork fat yesterday, and Qiao Xiaomai planned to render it into lard.
She cut the pork fat into small pieces and put them into the pot. Placed it on medium heat and slowly cooked it. Soon the white pork fat began to render its own fats.
The leftover fried bits from oil rendering are also a delicacy. Qiao Xiaomai fried rice in one pot and rendered oil in another.
Fried bits mixed with rice, simple and delicious.
It was the first time Tong Sanlang had seen this method of eating. People here mainly eat wheat and millet as staples, and the leftover bits from oil rendering are usually stir-fried with vegetables and eaten with steamed buns.
“Actually, it’s all the same. It’s delicious with steamed buns and absolutely not bad with rice,” Qiao Xiaomai filled a bowl with rice and scooped a spoonful of leftover bits on top, “Try it, it’s so fragrant.”
Tong Sanlang took the bowl from her and was about to pick up the chopsticks when the knocking came from outside, “Sanlang, Xiaomai, open the door!”