"Watch closely," Li Xiaocao explained loudly as she operated the equipment, trying to make sure Mingzhao in the yard could hear her clearly.
"The fire needs to be hollow! Don't stuff the firewood too full; leave space for the flames to leap upwards! That way, air can get in, and the fire will burn brightly!"
She picked up the tattered palm-leaf fan from beside the stove and gently fanned the stove opening a few times. Whoosh—!
The faint flames suddenly leaped up, greedily devouring the thin firewood stacked on top, making cheerful crackling sounds, and the thick smoke quickly turned into bright flames and wisps of blue smoke.
Li Xiaocao added a few more pieces of slightly thicker firewood at the right time, and the fire immediately stabilized and burned fiercely.
The suffocating smoke in the kitchen was quickly dissipated by fresh air and flames.
"See, isn't that enough?"
Li Xiaocao wiped the sweat from her face, walked out of the kitchen, and smiled at Mingzhao, who was still studying earnestly in the yard.
"From now on, the fire must be hollow, and people must be solid! Take it slow, you'll get it after a few tries!"
Mingzhao looked at the leaping flames in the stove, then at Li Xiaocao's sincere smile and her hands blackened by smoke, and seemed to understand something.
She nodded and said very seriously, "Thank you. Fire, hollow. Got it."
Her voice was clear, carrying a serious tone of applying what she had learned.
Looking at her earnest expression, Li Xiaocao's heart melted completely: "No need to thank me! We're neighbors, it's only right! By the way!"
She glanced at the sky. "It's almost noon, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you... join us for a meal?"
Mingzhao shook her head and pointed to the pot on the stove: "Rice and water, I have them. I'll cook porridge myself."
Seeing her insistence, Li Xiaocao didn't press the matter: "Alright! Then be careful, don't let the fire get too big, watch the pot, don't let it boil over. This afternoon..."
She paused, looking at Mingzhao's clean yet slightly worldly dark face, and tentatively asked Mingzhao.
"I'm planning to go for a walk in the back hills this afternoon, pick some dandelions and wild garlic, blanch them and make a cold salad, it'll be quite appetizing! Do you want to... come along? It'll help you relax?"
Gathering wild vegetables? Mingzhao wasn't very interested in this suggestion.
But when her gaze met Li Xiaocao's expectant yet somewhat cautious eyes, she hesitated.
She glanced at the newly built toilet in the yard, then at the flickering flame in the stove, the one Li Xiaocao had taught her to cook...
“…Okay.” She nodded.
Li Xiaocao immediately beamed with joy: "Oh! That's great! I'll come and call you after I get home and finish cleaning the dishes!"
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