Chapter 122 Braised Pork

She was curious about what his mental realm looked like.

Xie Tu paused, his hand still holding the dish. After a moment, he calmly lifted the lid and replied in a low voice, "Okay."

He didn't say which day it was.

The braised pork belly was stewed for a long time, resulting in an appealing reddish-brown color.

Once the lid is lifted, a rich, yet not greasy, aroma of meat with a hint of sweetness and saltiness instantly fills the air.

Xie Tu turned around and walked back to the stove, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well-defined forearms.

He reached out and picked up a large ladle, ladling the soup from the pot into a large bowl.

The moonlight and lamplight intertwined, casting a soft glow on his busy figure.

S-class Sentinels possess endurance and self-control far exceeding that of ordinary people.

He was calm and composed, never showing his emotions, and habitually hiding his feelings.

It's difficult for outsiders to discern his inner emotional fluctuations from his face.

Yun Zhao's mind was already captivated by the braised pork on the table.

After the dishes were served, she didn't take her eyes off them.

A plate of braised pork, a plate of stir-fried vegetables with pork, and a bowl of fried egg soup.

Neither of them spoke, and they sat down to eat their dinner quietly.

The braised pork belly has an incredibly rich and layered flavor, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet. The meat is fatty but not greasy, and with a gentle bite, the rich aroma instantly spreads throughout your mouth.

Yun Zhao had never eaten such delicious food.

Back in the small town, conditions were tough, and we rarely ate meat, not even once a year.

Occasionally, if the sentries are lucky enough to hunt mutated animals, they will share some meat with each household.

But the town has few resources and not many seasonings.

People are used to being frugal, so they usually use fatty meat to render oil in a pot, and save the leftover cracklings to eat slowly, occasionally adding a little bit to vegetables when cooking.

Lean meat is minced into meat paste or cured and stored, at most sprinkled with a little salt, and has a strong meaty smell.

Eat less at night, be careful of indigestion.

Seeing that she had a good appetite, Xie Tu, who was sitting opposite her, picked up a small soup spoon and added a bowl of soup for her.

Yun Zhao enjoyed the meal very much.

Choosing to have dinner at his house was definitely the right decision.

Her cooking skills were so good that she wanted to pay for her meals and had a persistent urge to come and freeload off her.

However, Yun Zhao ultimately did not say it aloud.

She mainly felt it was inconvenient to go in and out of the city, and she couldn't let him pick her up and drop her off every day; she wasn't a child anymore.

Let's wait until she learns to drive, then we'll see.

After finishing the meal.

The two then took a side path back to the training ground.

It was late at night.

The mountains at night offer a unique view. Moonlight spills across the land, and leaves sway gently in the breeze, casting long shadows on the ground.

Occasionally, the roars of mutated animals can be heard from the distant jungle.

Yun Zhao was already adept at opening the passenger door and climbing into the seat.

The base is located at the foot of the mountain, just a few minutes' drive away.

Upon seeing that it was Xie Tu's car, the sentry on night duty immediately opened the door.

The base was unusually quiet at night. There was no one on the streets, all the shops along the street were closed, and a few lights were on in the buildings in the distance.

The car arrived at the East Third Street station.

Yun Zhao opened the car door and got out. After thinking for a moment, he turned around and said, "Don't go to the inner city. Go back and rest early."

Xie Tu sat in the car, turned his head to look at her, and after a moment of silence, said, "Okay."

"Well... goodnight."

"good evening."

Yun Zhao jogged up the stone steps and ran into the residential area.

As the car horn sounded, it gradually drove away.

That's the direction we're heading out of the city.

The sentries living on the first floor knew she hadn't returned yet. The unit door on the first floor wasn't locked, and it opened easily with a gentle push.

She carefully closed the door before heading towards the elevator.

Upon reaching the twelfth floor and opening the door, the little bluebird finally appeared, flew to its perch, and shook its feathers.

Yun Zhao ignored it and went straight into the bathroom to wash up.

She only saw Bai Yu's message when she took off the communicator from her wrist.

[Bai Yu]: "You're back?! I was seeing patients in the outer city today, I was so busy I just didn't see you."

[Bai Yu]: "How did the mission go? Want to come over for dinner tomorrow?"

[Bai Yu]: "My dad said you went to the counseling room today, why didn't you reply? Are you busy?"

Yun Zhao glanced at the message time; it was sent around 7 PM.

At that time, she was counseling Fu Mo, so naturally she didn't see her message.

I figured it was too late, and the person was probably already asleep.

She didn't reply.

I've been living too relaxed these past two days, sleeping in until I naturally wake up every day.

Training is about to begin, and she needs to adjust her sleep schedule back to normal.

*

Two days had passed since Yun Zhao returned, and Zhao Yan finally saw him on the morning of the third day.

The land on the back hill has already been sown.

The people in the town have a clear division of labor and work together to manage the town. Fertilization and irrigation will be the responsibility of others.

Zhao Yan finally had some free time and could stay at home.

Morning.

She carried the prepared breakfast, opened the door to room 1202 quietly, and was just about to put the food on the table when the door opened.

Yun Zhao stood there in his pajamas, looking sleepy.

"Zhaozhao, come and have breakfast." Zhao Yan quickly called to her.

Zhao Yan only found out yesterday when she came back that the child slept until noon and took her breakfast to the town mayor's house for lunch.

Yun Zhao nodded groggily, then wandered into the bathroom to wash his face as if sleepwalking.

The little bluebird flew to the dining table, tilting its head and staring at Zhao Yan.

Ordinary people can cook, and so can the Sentinels, but the original body can't cook at all.

The little guy seemed to want to confirm that they were the same two hands and two feet, so what was the difference?

Unfortunately, Zhao Yan couldn't see it.

Zhao Yan placed the food on the table and then started helping to tidy up the house.

The day before yesterday, Yun Zhao dragged a bunch of things back from the training ground warehouse and piled them up at the entrance.

She helped tidy up yesterday; Zhao Zhao took apart several boxes and made a mess of things again.

Zhao Yan is illiterate.

But the box was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars, clearly food.

There's also a lot of cooking oil.

Yun Zhao splashed cold water on his face, finally clearing his head a bit. When he came out, he saw Aunt Zhao examining the pile of supplies.

She said, "These are all seasonings and canned side dishes. When you're not home, Pingping and An'an won't need to cook, and they can eat these side dishes."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan withdrew her hand. "Won't it be very expensive?"

"It's free."

Yun Zhao sat down at the dining table, picked up a hard-boiled egg and cracked it open. "Those boxes contain rice cookers. Just plug them in and they'll work."

"Later, I'll send some of these canned goods to all the uncles' homes. The mayor's family doesn't need any; I took them there yesterday."

She saw the boiled vegetables on the table, thought for a moment, and added, "You can use more oil and seasonings when you cook in the future. I have plenty, so you don't need to be frugal."

Zhao Yan didn't want to press for details about where the items came from, so she had no choice but to agree.

The two chatted for a while, talking about the two children's recent studies and the current living conditions of the other families.

It's almost 8:40.

After finishing breakfast, Yun Zhao told Aunt Zhao and went downstairs to wait for the bus.

It seems she hasn't gone out alone in a long time.

I suddenly feel inexplicably out of sorts.

Since joining Team Zero, even when she's at the base, she spends almost every day with her teammates.

In the morning, everyone accompanied her on a hike for exercise, and in the evening, Xie Tu was responsible for taking her back.

Without realizing it, she seemed to have gotten used to having such a group of teammates around her.

Yun Zhao thought for a moment and sent a message to Bai Yu while waiting for the bus.

"I might be quite busy these next couple of days. How about the day after tomorrow? Would you like to come to the training ground for dinner?"

Bai Yu quickly replied: "That's great! I'll go talk to them right away and ask to take the day after tomorrow off. I'll go grocery shopping then!"

She rarely has the opportunity to leave the base and longs to go out for a meal.

The bus has arrived.

Yun Zhao boarded the bus, glanced down, and replied to a message: "Too many people, you don't need to buy groceries."