Promotion (Final Chapter of the Military Food Crisis)

"Sizzle—!"

A rich aroma of wheat, mixed with the scent of caramel, burst forth instantly, forcefully dispelling the stuffiness of the kitchen area!

The aroma was so unfamiliar yet so alluring that all the busy soldiers around couldn't help but sniff, stop what they were doing, and turn their eyes to the pot.

"What are you looking at? Keep working!" Zhiwei shouted without looking up, her hands moving quickly as she used a large spatula to stir-fry the powder in the pot.

The golden powder, coated in oil, gradually becomes oily and caramelized, its aroma becoming increasingly rich and enticing.

The roasted powder is set aside.

Without stopping, Zhiwei directed people to boil water in another large pot.

After the water boiled, she chopped up some tough wild onions, shepherd's purse, and a few edible wild grasses, then threw them all in to blanch. The bright green leaves quickly lost their rawness and took on a vibrant color after a few tumbles in the boiling water.

While she was at it, Zhiwei took the largest earthenware basin, poured in a generous amount of roasted dry food powder that emitted an enticing aroma, and then cracked in the small basket of precious eggs. With a "whoosh," the golden egg liquid instantly coated the powder.

Zhiwei sprinkled on a handful of precious salt, then scooped up several large spoonfuls of the crispy, golden-brown pork cracklings that had been rendered while frying the noodles, and finally poured the squeezed-dry wild vegetable pieces into the bowl.

With everything ready, Zhiwei took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, and plunged both hands deep into the mixture without hesitation.

Like kneading dough, she gripped, squeezed, and rubbed with all her might. Sweat dripped down her temples into the basin, the coarse powder rubbed against her fingertips, and the greasy mixture covered her arms, but her eyes were focused, and her movements were full of fierce determination.

Soon, a moist, viscous, golden-yellow paste, mixed with bits of bright green wild vegetables and browned oil residue, took shape in the basin, emitting a strange and mouthwatering complex aroma.

"Heat the pan, brush on the oil!" Zhiwei wiped her sweat, her face covered in flour and oil stains, making her look like a cat, but she was very energetic. She got up from the stove, stretched her back, and gave orders to the soldiers who had been temporarily brought in as helpers.

A thin layer of lard was brushed onto a hot iron wok. Zhiwei scooped up a large spoonful of batter, and with a loud popping sound, the batter was poured into the wok.

With a nimble yet steady turn and spread of her wrist, Zhiwei instantly formed a thin, round pancake at the bottom of the pan.

Zhiwei was fully focused, and when the opportunity arose, he suddenly flicked his wrist.

The wok traced a smooth arc in the air, and the pancake, like a golden full moon, gracefully flipped over, revealing a golden surface adorned with bits of bright green wild vegetables and caramelized butter.

"Wow!"

A chorus of suppressed gasps and gasps of amazement rose from the surrounding area.

One, two, three... Zhiwei's movements became faster and faster, more and more skillful and fluid.

She transformed into a precise cooking machine, sweat soaking her temples and the coarse cloth on her back, but her back remained straight, and her eyes were focused and bright.

Soon, stacks of steaming hot, golden-brown "improved dry food biscuits" emitting a deadly aroma filled the bamboo tray next to it, like a small golden mountain radiating light.

"Let's eat!" Zhiwei took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips, and shouted with all her might. Perhaps she was too tired, her voice sounded a little hoarse, but it had an undeniable penetrating power and a sense of triumphant satisfaction.

"Today's special—'Golden Jade Abundance Cake,' anyone want to try it?"

"I'll do it!"

"I'll go first!"

The crowd erupted in excitement.

The enticing aroma had already made their stomachs rumble and their mouths water. Upon hearing the command, their eyes immediately fixed on the stack of golden flatbreads, all traces of their previous frustration and doubt vanished.

The soldier who received the cake couldn't wait to take a big bite.

"Crunch!" The outer layer is crispy, and the inside is wonderfully soft, chewy, and savory.

The caramelized, crunchy texture of the fried rice noodles, combined with the crispy, fatty aroma of the fried pork cracklings, and the freshness of the wild vegetables perfectly balances the greasiness. One bite, and warmth instantly rises from your stomach, dispelling hunger and weakness.

"My goodness! This smells amazing!"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"I served in the army for five years, and the dry rations I ate could pile up into a mountain. This is the first time I've ever tasted anything this delicious!"

"This is even more fragrant and delicious than the pancakes my mom makes!"

"Where's Lao Zhang? Lao Zhang, come and have a taste! I dare say you'll never be able to make this taste again in your next life!"

Praises, exclamations, and the sounds of ravenous chewing filled the air, and the crowd automatically parted to make way.

Zhang Xingzhong was pushed and shoved to the front by several soldiers. He looked at the golden, fragrant pancakes with a complicated expression, and then at his comrades who were eating with their mouths full of oil and praising them.

Finally, his gaze fell back on Zhiwei, who was covered in grease and sweat but looked like she had won a battle, standing in front of the stove.

He silently picked up a freshly baked, still-hot pancake and took a big bite.

"Crunch... Mmm..." An unprecedented and wonderful sensation instantly assaulted Zhang Xingzhong's taste buds, which had been almost numb from the coarse food.

The taste... He unconsciously slowed down his chewing, staring intently at the pancake in his hand, then suddenly looked at Zhiwei, hiding his greasy, dusty sleeves.

After a long while, under the watchful eyes of countless people around him, Zhang Xingzhong smiled.

He shoved the remaining half of the pancake into his mouth in a few bites, swallowed it forcefully, and didn't drink a drop of water even when he choked. His complex emotions, along with the crumbs of pancake, lingered in his throat for a long time.

After a long while, there was finally no more food in his esophagus. Zhang Xingzhong wiped the grease off his mouth, took a deep breath, and walked up to Zhiwei.

Zhiwei was handing a pancake to a thin soldier. She looked up at him, raised an eyebrow, and didn't say anything. Her eyes showed a hint of fatigue, but more than anything, they were calm.

Zhang Xingzhong clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to Zhiwei: "Now there's really no need for a competition."

Even in a competition, the ideas he came up with were nothing more than improving the recipe for dry biscuits, adding water and oil, or coating them with honey to enhance the aroma during baking. But those were ultimately changes from one to two, while what Zhiwei did was a complete innovation from zero to one.

"I could never make such a meal in my entire life."

A blush of shame swept across Zhang Xingzhong's face, dry from years of sun exposure, as if mocking himself for being a cook for so many years yet still utterly useless. Zhang Xingzhong shook his head, squeezed out of the crowd, and his limping figure revealed a hint of loneliness.

Old Deng, who had previously looked down on Zhiwei, blushed and bowed slightly to apologize to her.

The surrounding soldiers were silent for a moment, then burst into applause to congratulate Zhiwei.

Zhiwei won, not by winning without a fight, but because no one dared to fight.

Zhiwei's tense shoulders finally relaxed completely, and she let out a long, deep breath. A faint, weary smile, typical of a victor, crept onto her lips, but she quickly thought of the unpredictable situation with the flour, and her heart was still filled with worry.

Zhiwei suppressed her smugness, waved to the crowd, and softened her voice: "Alright, alright, now that you've eaten, everyone can leave. Don't all crowd around."

The noisy crowd gradually dispersed, their satisfied burps and smiles echoing through the air. Zhiwei watched the departing crowd, feeling as if her bones were about to fall apart. She dragged her heavy steps to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of cool water, and was about to gulp it down to quench her thirst.

"Cold water can hurt your stomach."

A hand with distinct knuckles, clean and strong, reached out and firmly pressed down on the rim of the ladle.

Zhiwei was startled and looked up. It was Sun Wei. He had appeared beside her at some point and handed her a rough earthenware bowl containing a warm, clear soup with a few wild vegetable leaves floating in it.

Sun Wei smiled sincerely and showed undisguised admiration: "You've worked hard, have something hot to drink."

Zhiwei felt a warmth in her heart and took the bowl, saying, "Thank you."

“I told you you could do it.” Sun Wei raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t lose.”

Zhiwei said, "It's a perfect solution. You've known for a long time about Zhang Baozheng's emphasis on dietary improvement, haven't you?"

“You know Old Zhang very well.”

"What a coincidence," Sun Wei continued to laugh.

"In short, I have to thank you a lot, even though there were quite a few mishaps along the way..." Just as Zhiwei was about to tell Sun Weidao about the cause and effect of her discovery of the poisonous flour, she caught a glimpse of the commander's tent not far away with the curtain lifted.

Zhu Liji took a step forward and stood outside the curtain, his posture as straight as a pine tree. The setting sun shone like gold as he walked past the dispersing crowd toward the granary, his gaze landing precisely on Zhiwei.

At this moment, Zhiwei looked haggard, her face covered in flour and oil, and sweat soaked her temples, yet she was still full of energy.

Zhiwei, unusually, did not avoid Zhu Liji's scrutiny; instead, she followed his example and raised her proud head.

Before the sun had set, the two locked eyes.

Zhu Liji's gaze remained as indifferent as ever, yet it seemed to hold something else entirely.

Zhiwei keenly caught that fleeting, almost probing look. She had seen similar glances in Lingnan, so she looked back defiantly, even with a hint of the lingering arrogance of her recent victory.

In Zhiwei's blind spot, Sun Wei also silently watched Zhu Liji, his expression unusually solemn, and he pressed his eyes down.

"It'll do." Zhu Liji brushed past Zhiwei's shoulder and gestured for Sun Wei to leave.

He continued, "The whole thing has been investigated. It was the rebels from Shu County who infiltrated the army early on and tampered with the grain transport."

"Are you admitting my innocence?"

Zhu Liji ignored him: "If I were you, I wouldn't rush into the military tent. There are quite a few people in the tent. What if the real culprit or an inside agent is mixed in? What if this matter is not handled properly and it disrupts the morale of the army?"

"That's a matter of life and death!"

"So, you can only ever be a cook." Zhu Liji shifted his toes, resting his hands behind his back. "If you want to go further, if you want to achieve great things, you must make choices..."

“So what if he’s a cook?” Zhiwei interrupted Zhu Liji. “My lord, I know that you always have more and deeper considerations of self-interest in mind.”

"You may not understand many of my actions, such as military rations. In your mind, they are just something to fill your stomach. As for the taste, you don't care if it doesn't affect combat effectiveness."

“This is an adult’s perspective, and I have nothing to say about it. But as a chef, I also have my own ideals.” Zhiwei knelt down, her knees bent, but her back remained straight.

“Doing what I can with my own strength may seem insignificant to adults, but it’s the greatest thing I can do for the army. Therefore, therefore…” Zhiwei’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, and her words became hesitant.

Zhu Liji finally lowered his hand from behind, turned up the corners of his mouth, and looked Zhiwei in the eye for the first time.

“Utterly foolish,” he said.

"In that case, I will grant your wish and follow your principles."

"Your agency is cancelled immediately. Now you are the rightful manager."