Ten minutes later, Xu Milu turned on the military-grade outdoor gas stove, threw the freshly cut mutton into the pot and stir-fried it. The mutton, still covered in fat, reacted quickly under the high temperature, making a "sizzling" sound.

—In the end, she didn't harm the seals, after all, there was no guarantee that these few might be the only ones left in the entire Antarctic.

When the weather gets cold, people always crave something warm and comforting, preferably with meat and rice. A hot stew like this warms you right up, and in Ningcheng's tradition, there's a dish eaten on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month that perfectly satisfies Xu Milu's cravings:

Lamb and rice.

This dish is called a rice dish, but it contains both meat and vegetables. It is also called a dish, but it contains both rice and noodles, two staple foods. So for many years, Xu Milu has not known which category to classify it.

Cut fresh lamb into large chunks, pour oil into a pot and stir-fry the lamb until the chunks change color and the moisture in the lamb is cooked off. At this point, add a large spoonful of mandolin red chili powder—preferably stone-ground dried chili powder, as this will bring out the lamb's umami flavor to the fullest.

After adding chili powder, the broth in the pot begins to turn red. After frying out the red oil, add diced polar fast-growing tomatoes and fry until they release their juices. Then, add a little Sichuan peppercorn powder, diced potatoes, peanuts, soybeans, red beans, yellow beans, lotus seeds, and kidney beans to the pot and stir-fry together. When the potato chunks have softened slightly, spread the raw rice evenly in the pot, add water to cover the rice, cover the pot, and simmer.

Every year on Laba Festival, many families in Ningcheng make this traditional dish. The method is similar to making Laba porridge, and at first glance, it also seems somewhat similar to the hand-grabbed rice in Jiangcheng. However, there is a crucial difference:

Add noodles.

After the rice is cooked and broken up, noodles are added and cooked together. The starch in the potatoes helps these ingredients, which were originally unrelated, to gradually become "loving each other." The noodles swim freely in the broth, which is infused with the aroma of meat, rice, and beans. The spiciness of the chili powder makes the cooked rice glisten with oil, and the aroma of mutton is completely infused into the broth, making it irresistible.

Finally, add a little salt for simple seasoning. With the wonderful combination of various ingredients, a delicious specialty of Ningcheng is freshly made.

Xu Milu filled a bowl with hot mixed rice into the lunchbox. Due to the extreme low temperature, she had to use magic to heat the lunchbox to prevent the food from freezing while eating the food in the bowl. It was incredibly embarrassing.

But even in such an environment, the deliciousness of the mixed rice was not diminished.

The lamb, cut into large chunks, is quite tender and melts in your mouth with a few chews. The rich fat makes the broth very palatable, and the acidity of the tomatoes nicely balances out any potential greasiness. The various beans are a unique addition to the sticky rice, with a soft and mushy texture beneath the bean skins. Occasionally, you'll find a slightly chewy peanut, which is a delightful little surprise.

The most surprising thing is the cooked rice. It seems to have abandoned its dignity as a "staple food" and selflessly and inclusively embraced all the ingredients. The bursting rice grains gently melt on the tongue, and the noodles with the aroma of wheat are very chewy. Every noodle is covered with sticky soup.

—So delicious that you can't tell which ingredient is good. It seems that everything becomes a whole in this bowl of mutton rice. Although noodles and rice appear in the same bowl, this is a paradox for some people who are not familiar with it.

Xu Milu took another big bite, feeling as if every cell on her taste buds was exploding, and she couldn't help but exclaim again:

"Ah, it's so good to be a human being, it's so good to be a Chinese person."

The little penguins lying at her feet had long since fallen asleep, their tiny feet sticking out of their bellies twitching occasionally, clearly feeling extremely safe and secure in their surroundings.

...

...

Beijing Shelter No. 3

Han Zi'ang looked at the single plant seed in the test tube and couldn't help but sigh.

"What kind of seeds are these? I don't think I've ever seen them before. But Peiqiang, why are you giving me seeds? It's freezing outside, even if you had them, they wouldn't grow. Also, I heard that the newly built ground planting base in the shelter is hiring transport drivers. I'm planning to try my luck there and see if I can get a job. It'll be easier to pull strings then, and at least Duoduo and Liu Qi will be able to eat fresher vegetables in the future."

Liu Peiqiang couldn't hide the excitement on his face. As someone who had personally witnessed the growth of fast-growing tomatoes in polar regions, he wouldn't underestimate this single seed:

"Dad, Duoduo, listen to me. This seed was a personal gift from Miss Xu. It's called 'Polar Fast-Growing Tomato.' The colder the environment, the faster it grows. In the shelter, a seed like this can germinate and bear fruit in ten minutes, growing into a tomato tree. In the future, Dad, you won't have to work so hard to support the family at your age. Just selling tomatoes will be enough to pay for Duoduo's medical treatment!"

Because it was a private room, Liu Peiqiang didn't suppress his joy, but after listening to him speak, Han Duoduo and Han Ziang couldn't help but exchange a glance, and the former reached out and touched his forehead:

"He doesn't have a fever, so why is he talking nonsense?"

Liu Peiqiang was both amused and exasperated, but didn't know how to explain. Just then, footage of Hao Xiaoxi attending the press conference popped up on the news, and he immediately raised his voice:

"Wife, Dad! I'm telling the truth! If you don't believe me, look! It's the official statement from the government!"

On the television screen, Hao Xiaoxi, dressed in a formal suit, smiled and calmly introduced herself to the audience:

This morning, 40,000 jin (20,000 kg) of fast-growing polar tomatoes, donated by Ms. Xu Milu, a peace ambassador of the United Nations government, a friendly Chinese diplomat, chairman of the well-known Honghe Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and a partner of the Chinese Antarctic Fruit and Vegetable Plantation, arrived at the shelters. They are expected to be delivered to various shelters within the next two days. The fast-growing polar tomato plantation at the former Shanghai Shelter No. 3, now Beijing Shelter No. 3, has been completed…

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!