When Yin Xiaoman woke up, it was already bright day.

The sunlight shone through the curtains that were never closed and stung her eyes.

After sitting up, she was still in a daze for a long time, and couldn't tell whether it was morning or just waking up from a nap.

Maybe she was too tired yesterday. She went out with Wang Jun at around five in the morning and didn't go to bed until almost eleven at night. She slept so soundly that she didn't wake up even once.

Reaching out and pinching Erniu's rosy little face as she slept, Yin Xiaoman didn't call her. She put on her clothes and walked out of the bedroom.

When she saw the small alarm clock on the table in the living room, she was shocked. It was already past eight o'clock?

Well, let alone exercising, Shen Qingyun should have even finished his breakfast and went to work.

But why didn’t this guy wake me up? Yesterday, that group of people ate everything in the house, so what did he eat in the morning?

Yin Xiaoman walked out of the room while thinking.

As soon as I went out, I saw Dabao squatting in front of the pile of firewood against the side wall of the kitchen, sorting the firewood scattered on the ground neatly.

Maybe it was because of the heat from working, the little guy had already taken off his outer clothes and was only wearing an old sweater. But even so, his forehead was sweaty. Even from such a distance, Yin Xiaoman could feel the steaming heat brought by the little guy.

It made her feel warm inside.

She said nothing, turned and went to the kitchen, and took out a small jar from the cupboard. The honey in the jar was something she asked Lichun for, but she never dared to take it out before.

But didn’t this mean we went to the county town? Yin Xiaoman felt that he could use this as an excuse to slowly take out some food and eat it.

She poured some boiling water from the thermos into a small bowl, added a few drops of honey, stirred it, and walked out the door.

"Dabao, come and rest for a while."

She placed the honey-water on the small wooden table that was usually used outside and waved to her son.

Seeing his mother coming out, Dabao happily agreed and ran over.

Before coming, I didn't forget to go to the water press to wash my hands and face.

Watching the little guy with a wet face running towards him, his eyes smiling, no longer the timid, nervous, and gloomy look he had when he first met him, Yin Xiaoman liked him more and more the more he looked at him, and felt that he loved him so much.

She reached out and pulled Dabao over, held him on her lap, took out a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe his face.

Dabao is already over six years old, so he is naturally not as close to his mother as his younger sister.

When he was suddenly picked up, his little body became stiff and straight, not daring to move.

A hint of redness gradually appeared on the little face.

Seeing his son's shy little look, Yin Xiaoman couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She reached out and poked Dabao on the cheek, scolding him with a smile: "How old are you? Why can't mother hold you?"

As she spoke, she wiped all the water off his face.

Dabao just smiled with his lips pursed and said nothing. Although he didn't say a word, you could tell from his expression that he was happy.

Knowing that he was shy, Yin Xiaoman did not make things difficult for him. After wiping his face, he put him down and pointed to the bowl of honey water: "Drink it quickly."

After saying that, she went back to her room, got the perfume she brought back from the palace, and applied it on Dabao's face.

Speaking of this balm, Dabao was reluctant to apply it at first, but Yin Xiaoman insisted on it. She said she couldn't bear to see her children, whose hands and faces were chapped and ugly from the wind.

Dabao refused to turn away from her several times, but in the end he didn't. Now when she applied the ointment to him again, he didn't feel anything.

"What did you eat morning?" Yin Xiaoman asked while wiping her son's face.

"Dad got the steamed buns from the canteen, and paired them with homemade bean paste and pickles." Dabao answered honestly.

After saying that, he pointed to the kitchen and said, "Your and your sister's are warming in the pot."

Hearing him say this, Yin Xiaoman rubbed his head lovingly, watched him finish the water, and then returned to the kitchen.

When I opened the lid of the pot, there were indeed two still warm multi-grain steamed buns inside.

After staring at the steamed buns for a long time, Yin Xiaoman sighed helplessly and took them out and cut them into small pieces. Then beat two eggs, added salt and chopped green onions, mixed well and poured on the diced steamed buns.

Light the fire, add oil and stir-fry until fragrant, then fry the egg buns into diced pieces.

Because of her indulgence, now not only her, but also the two children are very picky about food. Dabao is better. Even if he doesn’t like something, he usually won’t go against the adults’ wishes.

If Shen Qingyun really brought him the multi-grain steamed buns, he would definitely eat them.

But Erniu...if it's not reworked, won't that little mouth be in tatters?

While Yin Xiaoman was busy in the kitchen, Dabao had already woken up his sister and watched her finish washing up. Then I had breakfast again with the mother and daughter.

All three of them were very satisfied with the meal.

After dinner, Yin Xiaoman sent the two children out to play and washed the pots and dishes herself. But before she finished, she heard Cui Yan calling outside.

"Xiao Man, Xiao Man! Let's go pick wild vegetables, do you want to come?"

Yin Xiaoman wiped the water off his hands, walked out and asked, "Sister-in-law, where are we going to dig?"

The camp where the Pioneer Camp is located is built by the sea and there is no land around it. The people in the fishing village also make their living from the sea and do not farm at all.

Without land, where can we pick wild vegetables?

"Go to the vegetable garden in the camp." Cui Yan shouted from the opposite side across the fence between the two yards.

Hearing her say this, Yin Xiaoman's eyes lit up. How could she have forgotten about this!

Speaking of the vegetable garden in the camp, it is indeed the only piece of land within a few miles. It is said that the soil in the fields was transported back from neighboring counties in truckloads by cadres and soldiers back then.

It’s very precious!

It is now mid-spring, when wild vegetables are at their lushest.

Knowing that there was such an opportunity, too many delicious vegetables had already flashed through Yin Xiaoman's mind before he even went there. He even wanted to list the recipes in his mind.

Not to mention that she was in high spirits, the little ones were also very excited when they heard that their mother was going to take them out to play.

There was no need to call them at all. Some of them took shovels, some took buckets, and they ran faster than them.

After all, when it comes to familiarity with the Pioneer Camp, these kids are many times more familiar with it than she is.

Yin Xiaoman is not the type of person who likes to wander around. When he comes to the camp, the most he does is go to the cafeteria. But the children are different.

The Pioneer Camp is located in a sensitive geographical location, only separated from the enemy by a sea.

Although the two sides did not go to war on weekdays, from time to time, the other side would fire a cold shot or send a small team to cause trouble, so there was still a certain degree of danger.

So far, the only family members willing to join the army are Cui Yan and Yin Xiaoman.

Other family members would occasionally come to visit in spring and autumn, but this year, just when the family visits came, the explosion happened.

Now even family visits have stopped.

So, from last year to this year, there are only four children in the entire camp. There is no cadre or soldier in the entire battalion who doesn't know these precious kids.

Scarcity makes things valuable, so people are very indulgent towards them. As long as they don't act naughty, no one will really stop them from running around and playing in the camp.

So they know better than anyone else where the fun places are in the camp.

Four children were running in front, and two adults were following behind. Yin Xiaoman was still a little worried, so she asked Cui Yan, "Sister-in-law, is it okay for us to go pick wild vegetables? Will the people in the camp say anything?"

Food is so scarce now, and wild vegetables can be eaten as dishes, so Yin Xiaoman felt a little uncomfortable without other people's permission.

Hearing her ask this, Cui Yan smiled and said, "Is your sister-in-law the ignorant person? If you can't dig, I definitely won't ask you. Don't worry, they don't want this wild vegetable cooking team."

At this point, she suddenly thought of something and quickly said to Yin Xiaoman, "Hey, Xiaoman, I asked you to come along just so that we can take a stroll and chat. It doesn't matter what we dig or not. Don't get your hopes up! Don't cry if the basket is empty."

"Ah?" Yin Xiaoman blinked, unable to react for a moment.

——Walk around other people’s vegetable fields and talk?

How much free time does this require?

Seeing her expression, Cui Yan explained to her for a long time. After a while, Yin Xiaoman finally understood that because the land area was really small, the vegetable fields in the camp could be said to have made full use of all the available space.

Not only are the vegetables intercropped, but the surrounding ridges are also extremely narrow.

Apart from the land for soldiers' training, every other place can be said to be extremely valuable and no land will be given up.

Therefore, there are very few places where wild vegetables can grow.

For a family of four like theirs, it is difficult to dig up enough vegetables for a meal. Sometimes they may spend a whole morning and still not be able to fill the bottom of the basket. How could this quantity be enough to feed a battalion of soldiers?

There are only a few people in the kitchen team, and there are not enough people on duty during normal hours, so there is no one to waste time. In addition, they now have to recruit people to go to the beach to catch seafood, so they are even more dissatisfied with this little thing.

So if they come to dig some wild vegetables, no one will say anything.

After hearing what Cui Yan said, Yin Xiaoman was indeed a little disappointed, but he still had some illusions in his heart.

As for wild vegetables, there are few in number but many varieties, right?

If you dig a little here and a little there, you might be able to get a lot back.

Besides, there are so many of them, and the children have sharp eyes, so it is certain that they will get a lot.

As they were talking, they arrived at the vegetable garden. When they finally saw it, Yin Xiaoman paused for a moment, and then she suddenly understood what Cui Yan meant by every inch of land is worth a lot of money.

There are vegetable fields next to the runway, and there is not even a transition in the middle.

The roadsides, the bases of walls, under trees... all were diligently reclaimed by the young soldiers in the kitchen squad, and crops such as spinach that were not too demanding on the land were planted.

There was no vacant land anywhere.

Yin Xiaoman couldn't help but look at Cui Yan again, and asked with a bitter face: "Sister-in-law, where are the wild vegetables?"

Not to mention wild vegetables, she looked for a long time and didn't even see a single weed.

"try to find!"

Cui Yan waved her hand and shouted to the children, "Go find them all. Shepherd's purse, amaranth, wild leek, anything is fine! When you find enough, we can go back and make dumplings!"

When they heard about making dumplings, the children became excited immediately and ran away screaming without being urged.

Cui Yan pointed to the ridges of the fields and said to Yin Xiaoman, "Let's go along the edge and look for it. Be careful not to damage other people's vegetable fields. We should be able to find something."

Seeing her confident look, Yin Xiaoman followed her obediently.

This trip to pick wild vegetables was really just as Cui Yan said, just taking the children out for fun.

In Yin Xiaoman’s words, if they rely on these few dishes for food, the whole family will starve to death.

The six of them, young and old, searched for nearly two hours and only found the bottom of two baskets.

Even so, Cui Yan couldn't bear to see her bottom so she grabbed a handful of what she had dug out and put it in there to cover it up.

——You’re still talking about making dumplings, but making two dumplings at home is not enough.

Although they didn't dig much wild vegetables, the children were still very happy to have their mother accompany them to play. After working for half the morning, no one felt tired. They jumped and danced, and their little mouths kept chattering, but no one felt their mouth was dry.

Of course, the word "eat" is indispensable when it comes to the topic. Especially when Cui Yan said "make dumplings" just now, it aroused the children's appetite. They were all trying hard to recall what the dumplings they had eaten before tasted like.

Cui Yan is from the north, so naturally her family cooks more pasta. In addition, she has many brothers in her family and she is the only girl. In fact, her family has spoiled her before and after she got married.

Not only does he not need her to contribute to the family, but he also wants to give all the good things he has to her.

Therefore, her family's economic conditions are not bad, and her children live much better than those of ordinary children.

As for Dabao and Erniu, their mother seemed to have never known about dumplings before Yin Xiaoman came.

The only time they ate it was when she made it for them after she arrived in Shuanggui Village.

But that time, for the two children, was also a very good memory.

Faced with Qiangzi and Huzi's show-off, he handled it just as well. Especially Erniu, although she is young, she is the most eloquent among the four children, saying: "My mother's dumplings are the best in the world!"

"My mother made us buns made of white flour! There's egg filling inside! And meat, lots of it, all meat!"

"Really? It's all meat?" Hu Zi was young, and when he heard her say that, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

"Yeah, it's all meat, in big chunks, and my mouth is full of oil!" Erniu tilted her head back, looking very proud.

That little look made Cui Yan laugh non-stop, and she didn't forget to tease Yin Xiaoman: "How much living expenses does Xiao Shen send you every month? Do you make dumplings full of meat for them?"

That expression was full of disdain, as if it said, "You are such a prodigal son and you really don't know how to live."

Yin Xiaoman was so depressed that her stomach ached.

She had just arrived at that time and didn't understand the situation very well. She just thought that the two children were tight-lipped and she really didn't treat them harshly with food.

Zhang Jinfeng and her husband actually asked her to cut half of the New Year pork they brought and make big meat dumplings for them.

But even if it's true, you can't admit it now? !

She could only reply with an embarrassed look on her face: "You believe what a child says, Erniu is just bragging."

Although the matter was covered up with a few words, their dumplings were so long and short that Yin Xiaoman also wanted to eat meat!

In her previous life, she was in the palace, and whether she liked it or not, she had to eat all kinds of meat every day. But after coming here, except for seafood and the big piece that her parents-in-law brought her at the beginning, she hasn't eaten fresh meat for a long time.

This person, there is something that cannot be kept in mind. When thinking about it, Yin Xiaoman suddenly became a little impatient.

My mind is full of "red-braised pork", "steamed pork with rice flour", "braised pork with bamboo shoots", "sweet and sour pork"...

I can't swallow the saliva in my mouth.

She suddenly remembered the shrimps she sent to Lichun yesterday. She wondered if she had used them.

I thought I had to go over and take a look at it at night.

After arriving home yesterday, Yin Xiaoman immediately gave the shrimps to Lichun.

Afraid that the shrimps would die without the space, he went to the imperial kitchen to get a large soup bowl and poured the shrimps along with the sea water that had been put in earlier into it.

After putting the shrimps into the wooden cabinet, she also wrote a note, but this time she did not specify the price. Instead, she directly asked for a chicken and specifically wrote: "A fat chicken"!

The chicken soup cooked at Cui Yan's house that day was so delicious, but unfortunately there were so many people that she basically didn't get to eat anything.

So many months have passed, but I still can't forget it.

But no one in the camp raises chickens, so she has to ask someone to buy some for her. That depends on luck, and she hasn’t bought any yet anyway. So after being given the shrimp, Yin Xiaoman’s first reaction was “chicken”!

But now she suddenly regretted it and realized that she should have asked for one more piece of fat pork.

Thinking of this, Yin Xiaoman couldn't help swallowing again, feeling that he had changed.

Aunt Xiaoman used to be a person who loved to eat fine food, and she even wanted fatty pork? She is too impatient to touch any delicacies from land and sea.

Alas, it is still the environment that changes people.

While thinking about all this, the group returned home.

After saying goodbye to Cui Yan, she asked Dabao to take his sister into the house to do their homework, and she ran to the kitchen to get busy.

The grouper I bought yesterday must be steamed today, otherwise there is no way to explain how it can stay so lively.

The wild vegetables we picked up have to be cooked. No matter how little they are, they are the fruits of their mother’s hard work for half a day, right?

At noon, the two little guys will definitely show off to their dad. If they don’t have anything, they will be unhappy.

While muttering to himself, Yin Xiaoman did not stop his hands at all.

There are three kinds of wild vegetables picked up this time, shepherd's purse, wild amaranth, and a little wild celery. There were only a few trees in total, so there was no need to sort them. She simply picked them all up and chopped them into pieces.

Add white flour and cornmeal, crack in two eggs, stir well and set aside, ready to bake some wild vegetable pancakes later.

Then she started to pack the grouper.

The groupers I bought from Xiao Tao this time were all quite big, weighing at least one and a half kilograms each.

Really big and fat!

It is so delicious that it must be steamed, otherwise how can it bring out its freshness.

There are fish and vegetables, and a kelp and shrimp soup is cooked. While steaming rice, some potatoes and pumpkin are also steamed. In less than an hour, three dishes and a soup are on the table.

Just when Yin Xiaoman washed his hands and was about to go into the house to call the two children out, the sound of a door opening was heard in the yard, and then Shen Qingyun walked in.

And beside him, Ning Gong and Hua Lao were still following him.

If Shen Qingyun looked reluctant when he came back yesterday, then today there was only helplessness on his face.

The two old men also looked a little embarrassed.

Seeing them, Yin Xiaoman went out to greet them without saying a word: "Mr. Ning, Mr. Hua, please wait a moment, I'll cook another dish and we'll have dinner!"

After saying that, he walked towards the kitchen without asking any extra questions.

Such thoughtfulness made the two elderly people even more embarrassed.

Mr. Hua nudged Engineer Ning and winked at him, and Engineer Ning quickly followed Yin Xiaoman into the kitchen.

"Xiao Man, we brought a piece of meat, you can fry it together."

As he spoke, he lifted up the hemp rope in his hand, and sure enough, hanging on it was a piece of pork belly that looked to be about half a pound.

Yin Xiaoman's hand, which was about to take the dish, paused and he turned to look at Ning Gong.

She still didn't ask actively, but her eyes that could speak were full of doubts.

Ning Gong did not beat around the bush and said to her very frankly: "Xiao Man, I know you are an honest person, so let's not beat around the bush. You also know me. I don't have any other hobbies, just eating.

It would be fine if I didn't know you, but now we know each other and live so close to each other. If you don't let me come to your house to live with you and eat with you, I'll feel like I'm being scratched by a cat all day and I won't have any time to work. ”

At this point, the old man himself felt embarrassed and quickly explained: "Xiao Man, don't worry too much. I know it's hard for you to take care of the children, do housework and cook by yourself. You don't have to take care of us. Just, when you cook, put an extra spoonful of rice and take the rice for me and Mr. Hua...well, we will pay for the food."

Seeing that Yin Xiaoman was about to speak, Ning Gong waved his hands vigorously, as if he was afraid that she would refuse, and hurriedly stopped her from speaking.

"We don't eat much at all. Besides, we have food supplements. We get meat and eggs subsidies every month, which is much higher than the average person. Bring them over and share with us. Dabao and Erniu also need some nutrition."

Hearing the old man continue to talk even though he was sweating anxiously, Yin Xiaoman really couldn't bear it.

He interrupted him immediately: "Mr. Ning, we welcome you and Mr. Hua to our home! It doesn't matter whether you pay for the food or not. In your words, how much can you two old people eat? It's just a matter of one more spoonful of rice. I just wanted to ask, can this meat be made into bamboo shoots stewed meat?"

"Okay. Ah, no, no! No, stewed pork with bamboo shoots is fine, but not paying for the food is not okay!"

Ning Gong probably didn't expect Yin Xiaoman to be so easy to talk to. He was so surprised that he didn't even know what to say.

After a long conversation, he finally figured it out: "Xiao Man, we will be satisfied if you agree to take us two old men in. It is absolutely not acceptable if you don't want food money."

At this point, he was the first to realize a problem, that is - it was not easy for Yin Xiaoman to go into the city.

She has to serve a group of people with food and drink every day, and yet she is asked to go to the city to buy groceries?

Thinking of this, he himself felt that it was inappropriate, so he immediately made another suggestion.

"Xiao Man, how about this? I'll ask Xiao Shen to notify the kitchen staff and have them deliver food for both of us. Then I'll hand over the money and tickets to the kitchen staff and have them deliver the meat, eggs, and oil we supply to your home on time. Do you think this is okay?"

In fact, Yin Xiaoman really didn't want to agree to let the two elderly people stay at home for meals.