Chapter 55 Salted Pork with Eggs

A month and a half after they left, Lu An and Lao Dao finally returned.

They returned late at night. Zhao Xuan was fast asleep when she heard 460 calling and a series of knocks on the door. She suddenly woke up, not daring to turn on the light, and grabbed the dagger beside her pillow to check the window. Immediately, a familiar voice rang out—a clear, booming voice like an old gong: "Zhao Xuan! Zhao Xuan! Still sleeping? We're back!" Then she heard Lu An's voice calling, "Xuanxuan, open the door!"

A sudden feeling of joy welled up inside him, and without even putting on his shoes, Zhao Xuan rushed downstairs in just a thin nightgown.

When they reached the gate of the courtyard, 460 was already wagging its tail excitedly and waiting at the door. Perhaps she was too tired these past few days, Zhao Xuan was sleeping soundly, so she didn't know how long Lu An and the others had been knocking on the door. At this time, Lu An and Lao Dao outside the door were discussing whether or not to climb over the wall to get in.

Just then, the door was suddenly opened, and Zhao Xuan's small figure darted out and clung to Lu An!

"Lu'an!" she shouted joyfully. She could feel the cool moisture on Lu'an's body, and a stench of not having bathed for a long time!

She immediately jumped off him.

Lu An and Lao Dao returned unharmed, though they had both lost weight. Two tricycles were parked behind them, one with a solar-powered flashlight mounted on its hood. The light was still on, casting a beam of light onto Lu An's tall, thin back. His hair had grown longer, and his lips were cracked and chapped. He seemed aware of his uncleanliness; when Zhao Xuan jumped off him, he wanted to hug her back, but he held back. He smiled at her, then noticed her thin clothes and bare feet: "Why did you come out barefoot? Go put on some shoes!"

At this moment, Lao Dao came up and put his arm around Lu An's shoulder: "Let's not chat at the door, come on, come on, let's go inside, it's awfully cold at the door!"

As he spoke, Lao Dao pulled Lu An inside and fumbled to turn on the light.

The dim light instantly filled the clean little living room. As Zhao Xuan watched them take off their hats and gloves, he suddenly felt like he was back home.

Zhao Xuan went back into the house, put on a thin cotton coat, and without time to put on shoes and socks, she just put on a pair of cotton slippers, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the kitchen to start a fire and boil water.

The two men removed their thick gloves that hindered their movement, took off their knee pads, and then pushed two tricycles in before locking the gate.

The two tricycles were carrying significantly less cargo than they had when they set off, and the weight seemed much lighter. Zhao Xuan wasn't in the mood to care about what they had exchanged for. She grabbed a few clean towels, scooped out a bucket of boiled water, and filled another bucket with cold water. She then pushed the two of them to take a bath. Lao Dao draped a towel over his shoulder and went to wash first with a grin. Zhao Xuan continued boiling water, while Lu An sat in front of the stove to help watch the fire.

They hadn't seen each other for almost two months, but when they met again, they went about their business as before, without saying a word. However, Lu An frequently looked up at Zhao Xuan, and when he saw her busy at the stove with her sleeves rolled up, he would smile for some reason.

The water was still boiling on the stove. Zhao Xuan asked him if he was hungry. After receiving an affirmative answer, she looked around and took out a few wilted green vegetables and peppers from the basket leaning against the wall.

"Wait here, I'll go get some meat and eggs." She wiped her hands on her apron and went to the refrigerator to get the meat. She hadn't eaten many eggs during this time, so she had been saving them up. Of the six chickens, only two were adult hens, so she had only collected a dozen or so eggs in more than a month. She took all the eggs out.

The water was already boiled and scooped out, ready for Lu An to use for a bath. Then the rice was put into the pot, and the rice was cooked. There was still a long time before dawn, so Zhao Xuan thought she might as well cook rice for the whole day. Lu An and the others weren't home, and she hadn't cooked rice in a long time.

Lu An asked, "Xuanxuan, how have you been these past few months?"

While busy with her work, Zhao Xuan replied, "It's nothing special. I've prepared the fields and planted the seedlings. Aren't I amazing?" There was a hint of pride in her voice.

"Amazing." Lu An praised her politely.

Zhao Xuan asked, "So how have you and Lao Dao fared on your journey?"

“That’s fine,” Lu An replied. “I didn’t lose any weight because you provided food for the journey.”

Zhao Xuan could tell that Lu An had lost a lot of weight, after all, he had been living in the open for nearly two months, but she didn't point it out. She knew that Lu An was the type of person who would only report good news and not bad news.

Lu An added, "I also brought you a lot of good things, I'll show them to you later."

"Okay." Zhao Xuan nodded with a grin.

While they chatted idly, Lao Dao finished taking a shower, and Zhao Xuan urged Lu An to go and take a shower as well.

The rice was still cooking in the pot and would need some time before it could be taken out and steamed. So Zhao Xuan took out the quilts and pillows that had been aired out in the warehouse to change their bedding.

Old Dao remade his small bed himself, sighing as he did so: "Ah, it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. I'm so used to sleeping on this little bed, it's so uncomfortable sleeping on the floor outside. This bed is so soft!"

Zhao Xuan then rearranged Lu An's quilt next to himself. The quilt, which had just been sun-dried, still smelled of sunshine. Zhao Xuan buried his face in the quilt, snuggled up, and felt inexplicably happy.

After making the bed, the rice was cooked. Most of the rice was scooped out and put into an earthenware pot, which was then placed on the stove and simmered over charcoal until it became dry rice. What remained in the pot was the fragrant rice water.

She scooped out two large bowls of rice porridge to fill their stomachs, then washed the pot again and prepared to stir-fry some vegetables.

Add five or six eggs to the pot and quickly stir-fry them over high heat until they are set. Then pour in boiling water, followed by a large piece of salted pork that has been blanched and diced. Bring to a boil over high heat. The salted pork is already salty, so there is no need to add any other seasonings. The broth in the pot will quickly turn white. Once the broth boils, stir it a few times to let the eggs absorb the salty flavor, then sprinkle some shredded garlic leaves on top and it's ready to serve.

This was a generously portioned dish of salted pork and poached eggs. Zhao Xuan had specially chosen a large bowl to serve it. As soon as it was plated, Lao Dao came over, drawn by the aroma. "Wow!" His eyes lit up. "This dish is delicious!"

Both salted meat and eggs are very flavorful, and the combination of soup and vegetables is perfect for a cold night, satisfying both the taste buds and the stomach.

Zhao Xuan doesn't have many signature dishes, and this is just one. If there's time, she can add some leafy greens to this big bowl of salted pork and poached eggs, making it a perfect hot pot—her cooking philosophy is that one dish can replace a thousand, so you only need one dish for a meal, and you can even wash fewer bowls.

Old Dao was probably starving. He was squatting on the steps in front of the hall, slurping up the bowl of white porridge he had prepared to fill his stomach. When he saw Zhao Xuan come out with the dishes, he said indistinctly, "Go to sleep. Lu An and I will take care of the rest. We originally planned to arrive in the village tomorrow morning, but that kid Lu An was like he was on steroids and insisted on rushing back. I was following behind, and my wheels were practically sparking... I really don't understand love among you young people. Look, what's the use of coming back early now? You still haven't gotten any sleep."

Zhao Xuan placed a large, fragrant bowl of food on the table, yawned, and said, "I'm going to sleep now! Remember to wash the dishes after you finish eating, or you'll attract rats. Also, the rice will have to wait a little longer. You can blanch some vegetables when you have time. The bok choy is in the basket in the kitchen."

"Go on, go on," Old Dao waved to her.

Zhao Xuan went upstairs in a daze and fell asleep again.

She didn't know how long she slept, but several times she was woken up by noises from downstairs. The two men were quite rough, making loud noises unintentionally whether they were moving things or cleaning up dishes. She didn't even lift her eyelids, just turned over and went back to sleep.

The heavy farm work she had been doing lately had left her physically exhausted, and she no longer wanted to deal with those chores.

Then, after an unknown amount of time, she sensed someone coming up. It was Lu An; she was already familiar with Lu An's scent.

Lu An wanted to climb into bed quietly, but strangely, even though he was being so careful, he somehow managed to press on one of the bed boards and make a "creak" sound. Zhao Xuan woke up again, and as she turned over, a hand reached out and pulled her tightly into his arms.

Lu An's hand touched her hair and cheeks, then moved to her prominent ribs, and he sighed softly, "How did you lose so much weight?"

Zhao Xuan didn't answer. She found a comfortable position and snuggled into Lu An's arms, falling asleep again.

I slept soundly without any dreams.

Zhao Xuan slept for a long time. Her heart was completely at ease because of Lu An's return. When she woke up, she found Lu An still sleeping peacefully beside her. It was a bit chilly in the morning, so she snuggled up into Lu An's bed, snuggling close to him, and then fell asleep again.

The courtyard was quiet; it seemed that Old Dao hadn't woken up yet.

Two tricycles, fully loaded with goods, were parked neatly in the yard, side by side with Zhao Xuan's small tricycle. 460 was curled up on the sofa, snoring softly in his sleep. Old Dao, sleeping behind the curtain, was also completely still.

Everyone has been exhausted over the past two months.

Temperatures have risen somewhat in the past few days. It's still cold at night, but daytime temperatures have stabilized at around ten degrees Celsius. The sun is out, and its rays stream into the yard before slowly moving into the living room.

The entire cottage was embraced by soft sunlight, making it difficult to tell at first glance whether the scene was a setting evening or a bright morning.

But in any case, warm spring is finally coming.