Li Xiyue brought Xiaobai into the space and gave herself special treatment.

She picked two eggplants and a handful of tender green beans from the red soil, intending to make an eggplant and green bean dish.

I picked another handful of green peppers and mashed them together with the preserved eggs.

She bought the preserved egg from the online store; it cost her one yuan.

I needed to eat meat, so I took a cleaver to the warehouse and cut off a large piece of pork belly to make braised pork.

When the educated youth ate together at the settlement, although they ate meat every now and then, it was so little that they could hardly enjoy it.

Since she doesn't have much time to herself, Li Xiyue plans to make more this time and store it in the warehouse so she can have hot meals anytime.

Braised pork takes a long time to cook, so simmer the pork first.

She prepared scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise. First, she washed the meat, cut it into small square pieces about three centimeters in size, put it in cold water, added cooking wine, boiled it for two minutes, took it out, and rinsed it with warm water so that the meat would not become tough.

Heat the pan, add the pork belly, and fry until golden brown on both sides to render out excess fat. Set aside.

Next, caramelize the sugar, add the pork belly, stir-fry over high heat until evenly coated, add scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise, stir-fry until fragrant, add soy sauce, pour in half a bottle of beer bought from the mall, and then add enough spring water to cover the meat.

Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about an hour.

While the meat was stewing, Li Xiyue went to the study to read. She hadn't finished reading the medical books she had found at the recycling station before, so she continued reading.

Only a small portion of traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down to later generations; most of it has been lost. The ancient medical book that Li Xiyue found contains a lot of medical knowledge that she had never encountered before.

Traditional Chinese medicine is profound and extensive. She has only learned a small part of it. There is still a lot of knowledge to learn, and she will take her time to learn it slowly and strive to learn more and more comprehensively.

An hour passed quickly. Li Xiyue put down her medical book, still feeling unsatisfied, and went out to continue cooking.

After taking the braised pork off the stove, she set up another pot, stir-fried eggplant and green beans, mashed preserved eggs and green peppers, and cooked rice.

Opening the lid of the braised pork belly, a fragrant aroma wafts out, the scent of meat mixed with the fragrance of spices, making one's mouth water.

Little White's tail wagged like a propeller, "Yueyue, Little White wants to eat meat too!"

Li Xiyue, of course, couldn't resist giving it a few pieces of meat.

A portion of each item was taken out and put into the warehouse, while the rest were served with rice and eaten.

I picked up a piece of braised pork that had soaked up all the broth and took a bite. Mmm, it was so fragrant, soft, and tender, it was so delicious I wanted to swallow my tongue.

With a mouthful of rice and a bite of meat, Li Xiyue squinted her eyes in happiness.

Eggplant and green beans are also delicious, not to mention preserved egg and green pepper stir-fry, which is perfect with rice. Plus, if you're tired of meat, a spicy dish is incredibly appetizing.

Li Xiyue finished all the food, let out a burp, and showed a satisfied smile.

We went up the mountain to gather herbs after eating, and also to help with digestion.

It wasn't until it was almost dark that Li Xiyue took Xiaobai back to the village, completely ignoring Xu Dazhuang in the deep mountains, leaving his fate to his luck.

The next morning, Li Xiyue was on her way to work when she saw Wang Cuihua leading a group of people in a hurry to search for someone in the village.

Upon seeing Li Xiyue, Wang Cuihua immediately began to curse, "You little bitch, where is my son?"

"Wang Cuihua, stop swearing!" Xu Yongshun, who was accompanying them, shouted. "If you can't speak properly, then shut your stinking mouth!"

She keeps calling her a "little bitch," it's so offensive. She's shameless, but the team leaders still want her!

Wang Cuihua exploded, "She doesn't even know where she put my son, so what's wrong with me scolding her?"

“The matter hasn’t been clarified yet, how can you be sure that it was Li Zhiqing who lost your son?” Xu Yongshun glared at her.

He was the village party secretary, and his job was to deal with these gossips and petty squabbles. He had heard these old women swearing quite a bit. They were all from his own village, and it was just some gossipy women cursing at each other. He didn't really interfere much.

But now that the woman was cursing the educated youth from the city, specifically Li, the educated youth who brought unparalleled glory to the brigade, he had no choice but to intervene.

How old is that little girl? How could she stand being scolded like that?

If someone has a mental breakdown and something happens to them, how will we explain it to our superiors?

Wang Cuihua insisted that Li Xiyue was responsible, saying, "She released a rabid dog to bite me yesterday. My son said he was going to find her to demand an explanation when he went out yesterday. My son must have been hidden by her."

Xu Yongshun ignored her and looked at Li Xiyue, asking politely, "Li Zhiqing, did you see Xu Dazhuang yesterday?"

"I don't know who Xu Dazhuang is, or what he looks like?" Li Xiyue pretended to be clueless.

Seeing her blank expression, Xu Yongshun concluded that she hadn't hidden the person. "She's tall and thin, and her appearance is... average."

“What do you mean ‘just average’? My son is very handsome; he’s the best-looking young man in the village.” Wang Cuihua retorted, displeased.

Xu Yongshun's brows were so furrowed they looked like they could trap a fly.

That old woman is too blindly confident. With Xu Dazhuang's looks, anyone in the village could easily outshine him.

He glanced down at the black dog next to Li Xiyue. Hmm, it wasn't even as good-looking as this charcoal-black dog.

Liu Qingju was also displeased with Wang Cuihua's words. "Wang Cuihua, have some shame! My son is the best-looking young man in the village. What's so good-looking about your son?"

“My son is handsome, much better looking than your son,” Wang Cuihua shouted, hands on her hips and craning her neck.

Liu Qingju, hands on her hips and craning her neck, said, "My son is better looking than your son..."

Seeing that they had gone far off-topic, Xu Yongshun yelled, "Alright, finding the right person is the important thing, stop spouting this useless nonsense!"

These old women, in their scramble for a moment's advantage, have completely forgotten about their sons.

At this moment, Hu Zi, who was watching the commotion from the side, said, "Grandpa Party Secretary, I think I saw Brother Da Zhuang go up the mountain yesterday afternoon."

"Up the mountain? I told you this little bitch hid my son." Upon hearing this, Wang Cuihua turned her anger towards Li Xiyue, "Hand over my son!"

Li Xiyue looked innocent. "I was on the mountain yesterday, but I didn't see anyone else."

"You think I'd believe that?" Wang Cuihua rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight. "If you don't hand over my son, I'll tear off your vixen skin!"