Chapter 9 I'm Still Here

An Zhiqiu brought back three things: an ordinary desk, a dressing table with a large mercury mirror, and a small kang table with a shelf.

An Zhixia looked at the mirror and saw her dirty self clearly. She sighed and realized that the chilblains would not heal for ten days or half a month. She put some scattered items in three drawers and two cabinets, brought her brother's cotton-padded clothes for him to try, and continued to lie on the kang to make her own cotton-padded clothes.

Soon, An Zhiqiu put on the new cotton coat, grinned and turned around twice through the window, "It fits me perfectly, it's very soft and warm, I feel warm all over!"

An Zhixia smiled and said, "You can wear this when you go hunting tomorrow. Wear some old clothes on the outside. It's cold in the mountains, and you still have to stay overnight. You can wear new coats and pants when your brother comes back."

He nodded repeatedly, touched his clothes curiously, and whispered with moist eyes: "This is the first time I wear new clothes since mom left. Thank you, sister."

An Zhixia was stunned for a moment, and her eyes became sore. Since she came to this era, she seemed to care about nothing and adapted well. That was because the young man in front of her gave her enough strength and a sense of security.

She forgot that he was just an eighteen-year-old boy whose mother died young and who protected his sister like a wolf cub.

"Brother, from now on I will make eight sets of clothes for you every year, two sets for spring and autumn, two sets for winter, and four sets for summer!" She couldn't help but coax him.

An Zhiqiu rubbed her little head and said, "Brother is a man, one set of clothes is enough for you, you can make more for yourself. Don't be stingy, brother will work hard to earn work points to support you."

The days are short in winter, and by the time she finished, it was already dark outside. Liu Yiyue and Qi Yunlan were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner and three days' worth of food for the men.

After applying antifreeze cream on herself again, she went to the kitchen.

Liu Yiyue was afraid that the two would quarrel again, so she quickly found something to say: "My pot of steamed buns will be ready soon. I'll make some pancakes for them tomorrow morning." She then told them in detail about the winter hunt.

The mountain was extremely dry and windy, and the men were not allowed to light a fire unless absolutely necessary.

Winter hunting in Hetang Village has been going on for hundreds of years. Everyone has figured out a way to live in caves at night and light bonfires, one to protect against wild animals, and the other to keep warm and boil water for hot food. During the day, they can only soak their food in cold water. The conditions are quite difficult. Which man can survive in the mountains for three days without losing 30 to 50 pounds of weight?

Eat meat?

Apart from men who neglect their family, who wouldn't want to save some money to feed his parents, wife and children?

"The steamed buns and pancakes made with leavened dough melt easily, and they are also very fragrant when they are skewered on tree branches and roasted at night."

Qi Yunlan made fried meat sauce. The smell spread far away, attracting all the men in the room, who thought they were in for a treat this year.

"I also made yeast pancakes, cut a slit in the middle, and wrapped them tightly in plastic bags so they wouldn't get hard. When the time comes, put in meat sauce and green onions, and it should taste good.

I also made fried dried noodles, which I can eat after boiling in water in the evening until they are soft.

There are also steamed buns, radish balls, and steamed cakes.”

"You're making my mouth water. How about we try it while it's hot?" Nie Yichang said as he was about to reach out to take it.

"That won't do," Qi Yunlan knocked on the table with a spoon unceremoniously, "You three grown men have big appetites, and I didn't cook much to begin with. How can I stop myself after trying it?"

"Why are you so impatient? Will it stop you from stuttering?" Hang Xianglei kicked him with a scolding smile.

Qi Yunlan laughed softly: "You'd better bring some brown sugar, milk powder, and malted milk. Don't think that only women and children need to drink. There is no room for carelessness in the mountains. These are the fastest way to replenish energy."

Several people responded in succession.

Everything was prepared there. Liu Yiyue's face was not looking good, but Fei Zheng took out half a bag of brown sugar, two kilograms of fried noodles and five eggs. "Sister Yiyue, give these to them. You guys usually take care of me a lot."

"Okay, I'll give you some after they divide the things." Liu Yiyue took it readily.

An Zhixia was busy, making dough and preparing meat filling, using almost all the pots and bowls. Her extravagance was even more extravagant than Qi Yunlan's.

Chen Sike opened his mouth, looked at her expressionless face, and muttered softly: "Some people are too obsessed with reputation, pretending to be rich and imitating others, without even realizing their own worth."

Fei Zheng's face flushed, but An Zhixia swung the spoon violently, scaring Chen Sike so much that he took a half step back. Seeing several men standing behind him, he confidently shouted, "What's wrong? Who are you shoving at? Everyone is watching us."

"Oh, do we only have eyes but no ears?" An Zhiqiu sneered coldly, "My sister is not a troublemaker, but she will never let anyone bully her. Her brother is still here!

I don't have a rule of not hitting women, I'll see who will stand up for you when the time comes."

Chen Sike's face turned blue and then pale. Seeing that no one spoke for her, she covered her face and ran away crying.

"Okay, the girls are making a lot of noise, why do you, a grown man, get involved?" Nie Yichang put his arm around An Zhiqiu's shoulder as a peacemaker and said with a smile, "Look what delicious food our girls have made, and then go back to my room and get a can of malted milk to pay for it."

"Whoever's sister is mine, they will love her," An Zhiqiu patted his hand and told his sister directly, "Xia'er, did you hear me? Cook more. You can earn a can of malted milk for one meal. If you miss this opportunity, you will never have this store again."

An Zhixia raised an eyebrow in response and continued to prepare the ingredients.

After Liu Yiyue cleared the stove, she started to work, brushing a layer of oil in the iron pan, sticking a circle of meat patties on it, and stir-frying mushroom and meat sauce in the middle. The stove was burning vigorously, and the patties cooked quickly, only three to five minutes, and then used tongs to put them in the stove for another two minutes, and the meaty aroma burst out.

There was a can of malted milk pressing down on them, so Nie Yichang picked up two and handed one to Hang Xianglei. He didn't care about the heat and took a bite. "Hmm, the filling is really fragrant, and the skin is chewy!"

Hang Xianglei also ate with big mouthfuls, nodded and praised generously: "Northern food tastes really delicious!" Unlike the southern taste which is either light or sweet and spicy, a man should eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls.

As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Yichang winked and couldn't help but kick him again, "You can't sit still when you have food to eat, right?"

After stuffing one for her brother, An Zhixia made a dozen meat patties and reluctantly spread the multi-grain pancakes over the firewood in the large iron pot. Pancakes are also a famous food in the north. They are very popular because they are easy to store and can be eaten in a variety of ways.

The pancake is thin and can be taken out of the pan by just turning it over and over, which can quite scare these young men from the south.

Qi Yunlan's face did not look awkward at all. Instead, she asked Nie Yichang casually, "You have participated in winter hunting two or three times, right? Who went?"

(End of this chapter)