Bi Qiaoan was also somewhat pleased, but she still poured cold water on the idea, saying, "What if the people who come after us are slow and indecisive?"

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't say that!" Yu Shui said urgently, "We'll definitely be able to complete the mission smoothly and as soon as possible!"

"I misspoke just now. We're sure to be blessed by the heavens and turn from unlucky to lucky!" Bi Qiaoan quickly corrected herself.

Yu Shui raised an eyebrow and glanced at Bi Qiaoan, her eyes clearly saying, "You're smart to know what's good for you."

Bi Qiaoan didn't argue with him. She went back to the tent, put the casserole dish from the storage box on the stove, and left a small gap in the vent.

After Shen Yanming and the others returned, one person was left outside to sit and keep watch, while the rest went back into their tents to warm themselves by the fire.

Although the sun is shining brightly today, the temperature is still freezing.

Yu Shui sat by the stove, too embarrassed to touch it, and asked curiously, "What kind of soup is this? It feels like you two are really playing house here!"

Shen Yanming lifted the lid, and Yu Shui exclaimed in surprise, "Meat!"

"Hmm, so now you're saying we're playing house?"

Yu Shui shook her head with a fawning smile, "No, no, no, you and Qiao An are extremely serious about your work, and you also care a lot about your colleagues!"

Shen Yanming nodded in satisfaction, and Yu Shui asked cautiously, "May I have a piece to try first?"

"It's cold, it's bad for your stomach if you eat it. We should wait until it heats up so we can have lunch."

Yu Shui swallowed hard. "Alright then, I'll wait a bit longer! Old Shen, will this be the standard for all our soups from now on?"

"Dream on!" Shen Yanming was almost laughing in anger. "Where am I supposed to get you meat every day?"

"Where did this meat come from? I think you're very capable!"

“No matter how capable I am, I have no use for it under the current conditions!” Shen Yanming said, “This was obtained by my friend from Chun Province.”

"Spring Province, that's so far?"

“Hmm.” Shen Yanming explained about the “reward meat”, but he didn’t specify which farm his friend got the pork from.

Whether your friends can get their hands on it depends on their skills.

Yu Shui still has a psychological aversion to pork tapeworms, so she asked tremblingly, "Is this meat okay? Could it be from a diseased pig?"

"No, it passed the testing and quarantine," Shen Yanming said with certainty.

In reality, he had no idea whether the meat had passed inspection; it was just a product of the space, so he assumed there was no problem with it.

As for the pork Zeng Yiming gave me, it's still frozen in the refrigerator. That guy is very careful about what he eats; he must have checked whether the pork was safe.

Thinking about all this, Shen Yanming couldn't help but secretly complain that he had actually forgotten about the refrigerator.

With this power outage and restoration followed by another power outage, can your refrigerator withstand it?

When he was collecting supplies, he automatically overlooked these household appliances. Now he only has one set in his space and one set at home. If they break, he'll have nowhere to turn.

Yu Shui was unaware of Shen Yanming's inner turmoil. Upon hearing that there was no problem with the meat, Shen Yanming smiled happily. He hadn't eaten meat in a very, very long time.

On one hand, due to the quota imposed by the Qinghe Alliance, he could only buy a very small amount of meat each month. On the other hand, he had once contracted a parasitic disease, so he was very careful about what he ate; he wouldn't touch meat that wasn't obtained through legitimate channels.

The others were also delighted, because their situation was similar to Yu Shui's; they all craved meat.

Cui Xian even heard a sound outside the tent and then made a special trip to come in and see.

Shen Yanming knew everyone was eager to eat meat, but he still insisted that it had to be cooked hot before eating.

But the clay pot heats up slowly, so it might take a long time.

The waiting time was agonizing, and there were frequent interruptions.

Yes, that's right. Several cars arrived one after another, and after registering, we had to show them the house.

By the time they finished, it was already noon. Seeing that no one seemed to be coming, Cui Xian carried a stool back to the tent.

The soup in the casserole finally boiled.

The aroma of meat seeped into everyone's nostrils through the gaps.

Shen Yanming took out bowls and chopsticks from the storage box and invited everyone to eat and drink well.

Yu Shui and the others didn't stand on ceremony and scooped a full spoonful of soup and meat into their lunchboxes.

When they tasted it, they found it incredibly delicious.

Everyone chatted and laughed as they finished the whole pot of pork rib soup, and even ate the steamed buns in the storage box.

Bi Qiaoan never expected them to have such a large appetite.

Yu Shui put down her chopsticks, patted her round belly, and said contentedly, "Old Shen, I haven't eaten this well in ages. Today is all thanks to you, thank you so much! By the way, what are we eating tomorrow?"

"Get lost! You haven't even wiped your mouth clean yet, and you're already thinking about the next meal. You've got quite the nerve!" Shen Yanming laughed and scolded. "Tomorrow it'll be millet porridge. I can't afford to supply any meat."

“Millet porridge is good too. These days, millet has become a precious commodity! By the way, when you cook it, remember to add some red dates, lotus seeds, yams, or whatever you have on hand. We don’t mind adding more!” Yu Shui said with a grin.

Shen Yanming remained noncommittal, "It depends on my mood!"

Over the next few hours, no more buses appeared, but many private cars arrived one after another.

Everyone carefully checked the information before sending the guests to the designated rooms.

They were busy until after 7 p.m., when all the lights in the occupied rooms in the community were on, before Shen Yanming and his team decided to pack up and go home.

Shen Yanming naturally wanted to take the pots and pans back to wash, but there was really no need to carry things like the tent back and forth.

So they found an empty room on the first floor, put two coal stoves, a table, chairs, and a tent inside, and moved them out the next day.

For this, Cui Xian also complained a bit about Yu Shui. Because when they were surveying the terrain on Friday, they didn't think to move the tables to those empty rooms first, and only went to move them today after the property management started work.

Shen Yanming could understand; it was normal to not think of many things when it got dark, the power went out, and you were in a hurry to get home.

Just like him, he was in such a hurry that day that someone took advantage of him and he lost more than 20 kilograms of grain for nothing.

Although he doesn't lack anything, such a mistake is still quite upsetting.

After a few laughs and banter, everyone went home.

Before parting ways, Shen Yanming said to them, "Tomorrow, Qiao An and I will be on duty early. You can come over at 8:30."

Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood.

Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan felt alive again after taking a shower at home.

Although they lit two coal stoves outside, the heat was no match for the ever-present cold wind.

Taking advantage of the electricity, the two quickly cooked a bowl of noodles and ate, then cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks used that day, and cooked a pot of millet porridge.

At Comrade Yu Shui's request, Shen Yanming not only added lotus seeds and red dates, but also peanuts and soybeans as an extra reward for them.