Everyone started working enthusiastically. Before dawn, the quartermaster sent people to put up electric lights around the dam.

Under the dim light, steam rose, and the sounds of talking, scrubbing pots, water splashing, and various foods being poured into the oil created a lively atmosphere.

"Old Wang, we're running out of firewood. Go chop some more."

"Sister Lao, have all the duck parts and offal been cleaned? The braising liquid is boiling, so we can put them in the pot now."

"Oh dear, where are my eggs? The eggs I just put here, who took them?"

"I put it behind you because I was afraid someone would step on it."

...

As the person in charge, Yu Yao not only had to control the progress, but also had to run around the whole site.

With so many people to cook for, unexpected problems inevitably arise from time to time, and she has to handle them all.

Fortunately, we had done drills and training in advance, so things were relatively organized despite the busy schedule. There were some minor issues, but nothing major.

The morning is mainly for cleaning and pre-processing various ingredients, as well as cooking cold dishes and time-consuming foods, such as brown sugar glutinous rice, steamed pork with rice flour, crispy pork that needs to be fried, and various meatballs.

Dishes like braised pork belly and braised pork hock with kelp are prepared first and then simmered on the stove in the afternoon.

To speed things up, the quartermaster prepared all the steamers and large iron pots that weren't usually used in the warehouse in advance, and they all came in handy today.

This year's New Year's Eve dinner included more than fifty dishes, encompassing both northern and southern cuisines, catering to the tastes of soldiers and their families from different regions.

"Yu Yao, do you think this much chili is enough?" an older woman asked Yu Yao.

Yu Yao glanced at the fish head weighing over two pounds next to her. "Is this for making chopped chili fish head? It's fine if there's a little extra, but people from Hunan and Sichuan provinces eat spicy food. This is too little; it won't be flavorful enough for them."

As she spoke, Yu Yao gave her older sister a demonstration, scooping two large spoonfuls of chili peppers onto the marinated river fish head. "This much is enough for one fish head. Use the same amount for the rest. Prepare them for steaming this afternoon."

"Yu Yao, I've run into a problem."

"I'm coming right away." Yu Yao hurried over.

They were busy like this until after 1 p.m. when all the preparations finally came to an end. Yu Yao was so exhausted that she almost collapsed.

The others were also drenched in sweat.

However, everyone looked at the neatly prepared vegetables and dishes with a smile of satisfaction on their faces.

Yu Yao called out to everyone, "The quartermaster has saved some food for us in the canteen. Come and get your food! There's braised pork and four-happiness meatballs. One spoonful of braised pork per person, one meatball per person, and you can add vegetables as you like."

The canteen staff carried over a large wooden bucket full of steaming hot food, serving each military dependent a bowl of braised pork and meatballs saturated with rich broth.

The backyard was piled with things, and there wasn't enough space to sit, but no one cared. They just picked up their aluminum lunchboxes and found a spot to eat.

Yu Yao, Yin Susu, Sun Yu, and Su Meihua found a spot under a tree by the roadside, laid out old newspapers, and sat down to eat.

The braised pork belly is made with a large, fat pig that the quartermaster and his men raised for a year. They selected pork belly with two parts fat and three parts lean meat, and used the broth made with the quartermaster's family's secret braising sauce. It's savory and sweet, and every bite is full of juicy goodness.

Paired with rice harvested last autumn, a bite of meat and a bite of rice—it's so satisfying.

Yin Susu: "Yu Yao, I've finished compiling all the materials you asked me to prepare. I'll bring them to you in a bit."

Yu Yao took a bite of the pickled bamboo shoots, which cleansed her of the greasiness, and nodded. "Thank you, Su Su. Now I'll have something to do when I have insomnia at night."

Sun Yu, standing to the side, smiled knowingly: "Your Commander Lu is so capable, he can make you walk while leaning against the wall, why are you afraid of insomnia?"

Su Meihua chuckled and added, "Sister-in-law Sun is right. If you have insomnia, ask your Commander Lu to put in more effort."

Yu Yao was run over in the face by the unexpected wheel, almost choking, and couldn't help but cough twice.

Yin Susu covered her mouth and chuckled, then picked up Yu Yao's enamel mug and handed it to her: "Have some seaweed soup."

Yu Yao took the drink and drank a couple of sips. "Sisters-in-law, you almost scared me to death."

Sun Yu spat twice, "What do you mean by 'death'? You're not allowed to say that during the New Year. Spit it out."

Yu Yao spat twice under her insistence, and Sun Yu finally let her go.

Sun Yu smiled with satisfaction and then returned to the previous topic, "You're only shy because you just got married. When you're our age, you'll be able to make jokes like this all the time."

"By the way, come closer." Sun Yu glanced around guiltily.

Yu Yao approached, puzzled, and heard Sun Yu whisper, "I also had two of those underwear pieces made by Yu Feng last time. I wore them to my husband Qin the night they were finished, and I couldn't get up in the morning for two days in a row."

Yu Yao's face was burning hot. Sister-in-law Sun Yu was really something, driving way too fast.

Su Mei nodded and smiled, "Me too. My husband Lei is so excited. This is the first time I've seen him so excited since I gave birth to Xiao Jun. He's just like a newlywed couple, so eager to get married."

She said this with a sweet smile on her face.

Yu Yao and Yin Susu, on the other hand, seemed embarrassed.

Yu Yao's face flushed slightly as she thought of Lu Ze from that night.

As for Yin Susu, she was hearing about underwear for the first time. A little shy, she still mustered up the courage to ask, "What kind of underwear are you talking about, ladies?"

Yu Yao and the others were surprised that Yin Susu, who appeared to be a cold and aloof young lady, would be interested in her, and they all looked at her in astonishment.

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