A-Yuan looked at it intently, nodded vigorously, and silently repeated the words "Chai Hu is narrow, Fang Feng is wide" several times in her heart. The blush that had risen on her face due to her earlier embarrassment faded slightly: "Brother Kang Kang knows so much."

“That’s what Master taught me,” Kang Kang said, handing the sorted wild vegetables back to her with a gentle smile. “Medicine and food share the same origin. Medicine can be incorporated into food, and food can also be used as medicine. You tidy up these first, and I’ll go peel the bamboo shoots.”

The kitchen gradually bustled with activity. Kang Kang sat on a small stool, deftly peeling away the hard outer shell of the bamboo shoots with an old wood-chopping knife, revealing the white, jade-like flesh inside. His movements were practiced and skilled. A Yuan squatted beside the small clay stove, carefully fanning the fire until the flames steadily licked the bottom of the pot. She then picked up the washed shepherd's purse and purslane, finely chopping them. The flickering firelight bathed her focused profile in a warm, soft orange-red hue, and even the few stray strands of hair framing her forehead seemed to have a golden edge.

I put water in the pot and broke off a small piece of the cured pork that Aunt Wang had given me. As the water temperature rose, the unique salty and savory aroma of the cured pork, mixed with the rich scent of oil, quickly filled the small kitchen, whetting the appetite.

“Brother Kang Kang,” A Yuan looked at the bubbling soup and picked up a small handful of chopped shepherd’s purse with some uncertainty, “Are there any special considerations regarding the properties of shepherd’s purse and purslane? When should they be put into the pot?”

Kang Kang sliced ​​the peeled and washed tender bamboo shoots into thin slices and said, "Shepherd's purse is sweet and neutral, and it harmonizes the spleen and promotes urination; purslane is sour and cold, and it clears heat and detoxifies. Both should be added when the soup is almost ready, and only boiled briefly. If cooked for too long, they will lose their freshness and their medicinal properties will easily dissipate." He paused, looked at the finely chopped wild vegetables that A Yuan had prepared, and praised, "Good knife skills."

A-Yuan smiled and, as instructed, sprinkled the bright green shepherd's purse and dark green purslane into the soup. Then, she picked up a few tender Bupleurum chinense leaves. Holding the leaves between her fingertips, she hesitated for a moment, as if recalling the distinction between "narrow leaves of Bupleurum chinense" from earlier, before carefully placing them into the boiling soup.

The soup gradually turned clear and slightly green, the salty and savory flavor of the cured meat blending with the freshness of the wild vegetables, creating a comforting and warm aroma reminiscent of home cooking. Xiao Chengkang poured the bamboo shoot slices into the soup, then took a few eggs, gently tapped them on the rim of the bowl, and with a flick of his wrist, the egg liquid slid into the boiling soup, instantly forming pale yellow egg flowers.

"It's done." He extinguished the slightly larger fire in the stove, leaving only a little ember to keep the soup pot warm. He turned around and took out a small blue cloth bag from the medicine box, untied the rope, and inside were several kinds of finely chopped dried herbs. He picked up a small pinch of slightly brownish angelica root slices and added a little light yellow astragalus root powder.

"Ah Yuan," he called out, handing over the small handful of herbs. "Three or four slices of angelica and a small pinch of astragalus root, cook them together in the porridge, it's the best way to replenish qi and blood."

A-Yuan took it and, as instructed, lifted the lid of the small earthenware jar beside her, revealing boiling millet porridge inside. She carefully sprinkled the powdered herbs into the bubbling porridge. The unique, earthy aroma of angelica, combined with the slightly sweet herbal scent of astragalus, was immediately released by the scalding porridge, permeating every grain of rice and strangely intertwining with the rich fragrance of the cured meat and wild vegetable soup.

As dusk settled, the last rays of sunlight in the courtyard were swallowed by the deep blue night. Inside the kitchen, the embers of the firewood in the stove emitted a dim red glow, becoming the only source of light and casting long shadows of the two figures onto the rough mud wall, swaying slightly with the flickering flames.

Kang Kang ladled out a bowl of medicinal porridge. The millet had been cooked until it burst open, thick and soft, with finely ground angelica and astragalus powder floating in it, emitting a warm and unique aroma of herbs and rice. He walked over to A Yuan and handed her the bowl.

“Be careful, it’s hot,” his voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet twilight, carrying an almost instinctive concern, as if he were reminding someone who needed extra care, “Angelica root helps regulate blood and restore strength quickly. Your injury hasn’t healed and you’ve been frightened, so this porridge is just right.”

A-Yuan gave a soft "Mmm" in response and reached out to take it. Her fingertips touched the warmth of the rough earthenware bowl, and then touched his fingers supporting the bottom of the bowl. That slight warmth made her heart flutter, and she quickly lowered her eyes. She held the bowl with both hands, brought it to her lips, and carefully blew on it. Wisps of white steam rose onto her face, carrying the warm aroma of the medicinal porridge.

By the flickering red light from the stove, Kang Kang's gaze inadvertently fell on her lowered face. In the dancing warm light and shadow, her long eyelashes hung thickly, casting two soft shadows beneath her eyelids. With each gentle breath she blew, those two rows of eyelashes trembled very slightly, like the tender tips of grass on a riverbank in early spring, caressed by a breeze. Focused, quiet, with a strange tranquility that could soothe all restlessness.

The kitchen was quiet. Only the occasional crackling of firewood in the stove, the gentle bubbling of warm rice porridge in the earthenware pot, and the soft breathing of the two people. The aroma of cured meat and wild vegetable soup, the medicinal fragrance of angelica and astragalus porridge, the slightly charred scent of dying firewood… these smells silently permeated and settled, filling the small space. Outside the window, the village had also completely fallen into the stillness of night; the occasional faint bark of a dog only accentuated the serene tranquility of the place.

Watching A Yuan sip her porridge in profile, observing her relaxed shoulders and neck from the warmth and comfort, and noticing her eyelashes trembling gently in the warm light, Kang Kang felt a sense of peace and tranquility, as if the aroma of medicine and rice in the twilight had quietly permeated and soothed him. This moment of serenity was even more comforting than the pavilions and towers shrouded in the misty rain of Jiangnan.

He looked away from the window at the deep night, and his voice softened: "Get some rest after you finish drinking. If the weather is nice tomorrow, I'll take you for a walk in the back mountain and help you identify some new medicinal herbs."