Knowing that his commander disliked him for being in the way, Song Yiming tactfully took his leave, saying, "Sister-in-law, Commander, I've finished planting the passion fruit seedlings. I'll be going now."

"Comrade Song, don't rush off yet."

Yu Yao handed the bicycle to Lu Ze, walked over, and said, "I made some Qingbuliang (a type of sweet soup), you can stay and have some before you leave."

"I'm so sorry."

I heard my sister-in-law is a great cook, so her Qingbuliang (a type of sweet soup) must be delicious.

Song Yiming stole a glance at his team leader and saw that he didn't have a dark expression, which meant he didn't object to him staying. He immediately nodded happily, "Then thank you, sister-in-law."

"No need to thank me, we should be thanking you today for teaching me how to ride a bike and for helping us deliver seedlings."

Among the grains that Sister-in-law Sun brought last time was a small bag of mung beans and red beans. Since it was hot, Yu Yao took them to make a refreshing dessert.

Qingbuliang is a unique sweet soup dish on the island. The main ingredients include mung beans, red beans, barley, and red dates. Various seasonal fruits are also added, such as dried tangerine peel, longan, and coconut water.

It uses a variety of materials and has no fixed formula. You can add or subtract materials as needed based on what you have at home, giving you a great deal of freedom.

Since there weren't many ingredients at home, Yu Yao made a simple version.

The main ingredients are well-cooked mung beans and soft red beans. The fruits include diced mango, lychee, and longan, all of which Lu Ze brought back today. The sweet soup is made by boiling coconut water with brown sugar.

She also cut the coconut meat into small pieces and added it as an ingredient.

The mung beans and red beans were roasted on the honeycomb briquette stove next to the stove while I was making dinner. After dinner, I put them in water to chill, and they're just right to eat now.

Yu Yao also opened a can of yellow peaches that was left over from her previous wedding, and each bowl was filled with a large piece of yellow peach flesh and juice.

In the 1970s, canned yellow peaches were a star food, and like malted milk powder, they were the best gifts for visiting relatives and friends.

If a family had canned yellow peaches, their child would be the envy of all their friends.

Just as parents in later generations would use candy to coax children to like their tastes, parents in this era would choose canned yellow peaches.

There was even a saying that "you have to coax a sick child to take medicine with canned yellow peaches".

In those days, there wasn't much technology or trendy food; everything was made from genuine, fresh ingredients.

The aroma was different from that of canned fruit made with artificial flavorings and additives in later generations.

Yu Yao was very generous to her guests. "Comrade Song, this bowl is for you. If it's not enough, there's more in the enamel basin, you can add more."

Song Yiming's eyes were glued to the screen.

My sister-in-law made a refreshing dessert soup, and it looks delicious.

The bowl is made of coconut shell, and the dark red sugar water is filled with mung beans and red beans as a base, topped with various diced fruits, including mango, lychee, longan, coconut meat, and a large piece of yellow peach.

A can of yellow peaches costs 1.4 yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative, and a jar contains only seven or eight pieces of yellow peach flesh.

His sister-in-law and the regimental commander are treating him like one of their own.

Moved and expectant, Song Yiming picked up the coconut bowl and took a sip. His eyes lit up after he finished.

"Sister-in-law, the herbal soup is delicious!"

The syrup is sweet and delicious, with various fruity aromas mixed with the fragrance of beans and sugarcane. Its icy coolness helps to relieve the body and mind from the summer heat.

He scooped up the ingredients with a spoon and ate them, unable to stop. "The ingredients are delicious too. Sister-in-law, your Qingbuliang is definitely the best I've ever had."

He has been on the island for over a year and has tried at least a dozen different kinds of Qingbuliang (a type of sweet soup), but he has never eaten this kind before, and he has never eaten anything so delicious.

There is no fixed recipe for this, and everyone makes it differently, resulting in a thousand different flavors for a thousand people.

Whether it tastes good or not, and how good it can be, depends entirely on the chef's skill.

Yu Yao has a keen sense of smell, and her recipes are all exclusive. Relying on her keen sense of smell, she determines the amount of each ingredient to add by observing subtle changes in taste during the preparation process.

Even if others follow her steps, it's difficult to recreate the taste of her cooking.

Song Yiming drank two bowls of Qingbuliang (a type of sweet soup) and was extremely satisfied.

Only after finishing the drink did I belatedly realize that I had eaten a bit too much. I helped someone plant two seedlings and taught them a few words about riding a bike, and I got so much good food for free.

Song Yiming's face burned with embarrassment, and he eagerly sought out tasks to do.

"Sister-in-law, do you still want these coconut bowls?"

Yu Yao nodded. She washed the coconut bowls and put them away. In the future, when guests come to visit, they won't need to buy bowls. Using these is quite fun.

Upon hearing that the bowls were still needed, Song Yiming quickly stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, I'll help you wash the dishes."

Lu Ze had just gotten up and was halfway there, about to wash the dishes, when he saw Song Yiming suddenly take all three bowls away to the kitchen.

Lu Ze: "..."

After washing the dishes, Lu Ze noticed that there was no firewood left in the kitchen and couldn't find a wood-chopping knife, so he went to the woodshed to get an axe.

When he picked up the axe, he saw that Song Yiming had found a wood-chopping knife somewhere and was chopping wood with great effort, already having chopped a pile at his feet.

Lu Ze: "..."

Song Yiming was completely oblivious and was still asking Yu Yao if it was enough.

Yu Yao nodded: "Comrade Song has enough, there's no need to chop anymore."

Song Yiming put down the machete, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said, "Sister-in-law, is there any other work I can do? I'll help you."

Yu Yao said gratefully, "Really, that's all. You've already done more than enough."

This firewood is enough to burn for several days.

Song Yiming thought she was just being polite and wanted to say a few more words, but he found that his commander was holding a wood-chopping axe, and his cold and stern eyes were almost radiating coldness.

Lu Ze said coldly, "Song Yiming, shouldn't you go back to your dorm?"

Song Yiming glanced at the sky, about to say that it was still early for lights out, but seeing his team leader's increasingly dark face, he seemed to realize something.

He seems to be in my way again; I shouldn't be trying to curry favor with him in front of the regimental commander.

Song Yiming swallowed hard. "Sister-in-law, since there's no more work, I'll head back now."

After saying that, he didn't care about his commander's expression and ran away as fast as he could.

Yu Yao watched him run away and said with a smile, "The soldiers under your command are all good people. And those who helped us tidy up the house last time, remember to invite them to the housewarming party the day after tomorrow."

"Tell me what else you need for the housewarming party, and I'll get it for you."

Yu Yao thought for a moment, "Wait for me, I'll go fill out a form."

After writing it down, Yu Yao handed the list to Lu Ze, asking, "Do you think these dishes are enough?"

Lu Ze took the dishes and looked at them. "You don't need to make so many different dishes. You're working too hard. Five or six dishes per table, with generous portions, will be enough."

"Okay, that will make things easier for me too."

The two discussed and adjusted the menu, and then finalized it.

The supply and marketing cooperative had what Yu Yao could buy on the day of the housewarming banquet, but Lu Ze had to prepare things like chickens and ducks, which he had to exchange with familiar villagers in the production teams below.

These days, private sales are considered speculation and profiteering, and the penalties for being caught are severe. You can't even trade with fellow villagers for money; you have to exchange goods or coupons.

If you ask an unfamiliar face to buy chicken or duck, they won't pay any attention to you.

Lu Ze left early the next morning and didn't return until dawn.