After eating and drinking, everyone set out again.
Sangsang was already awake, staggering along, but still walking quite fast. Several soldiers, carrying their luggage and holding Maomao's hand, led the way. Ningxia, Lin Yi, and Xiaojie followed behind Sangsang, keeping an eye on her to prevent her from falling.
As they walked, Sangsang probably felt tired and wanted to turn around and act coquettishly, so she reached out to hold Lin Yi's hand. Unexpectedly, Lin Yi dodged her. Sangsang looked at Lin Yi in confusion, but Lin Yi didn't even look at her.
Sangsang didn't understand what was going on. Why did her brother ignore her? Her mouth was pouting. Seeing this, Xiaojie, who was standing beside her, quickly squatted down and hugged Sangsang, "Are you tired, Sangsang? Brother Xiaojie, can you hold me?"
Sangsang obediently raised her hands and let Xiaojie hold her in his arms, lying on his shoulder in a sullen manner. She secretly looked at Lin Yi, but to her surprise, Lin Yi just shook his hand and walked away even faster.
Ningxia watched, exclaiming inwardly, "Wow, this is a bloody ethical drama!" She hadn't expected Lin Yi to be so reserved. Hiding her smile, Ningxia hurried to catch up. The atmosphere between the siblings had been strange all afternoon.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Bingge and his companions walked to the creek where they had been scheduled to stay. "Ningxia, we'll be staying here tonight. I thought we wouldn't be able to make it here today, but we still made it."
Ningxia stepped forward to look at the vibrant stream. The sound of the rushing water brought a sense of coolness to the ears. "You even plan where you're going every day? Can you remember so many routes?"
Li Gang put down his things and went to the stream to scoop up some water to wash his face. "How could I not remember? I've been walking here for three or four years, and I make three trips back and forth every year!"
Ningxia nodded and then asked, "Squad Leader, is the water in this stream clean? Is it drinkable?"
Old Liao took over the conversation, "It's drinkable, very clean. This water comes from a spring high in the mountains, and it's very sweet."
Ningxia heard this and drank a sip with confidence. It was such a hot day, but the water was actually icy.
With plenty of water, Ningxia took out one of their dried rabbits, briefly soaked it in hot water, and then cut it into large chunks. Since a rabbit doesn't have much meat to begin with, Ningxia had to take out a slightly larger one and do the same thing.
She also took out some of the dried eggplant from her bag and soaked it in hot water. Ningxia went to process the potatoes, the ones the soldiers had planned to roast this morning. There were still quite a lot, more than they could finish in one meal. She took a third of them to the stream, washed them carefully, and cut them into large pieces.
She then instructed Lin Yi to go find some wild vegetables and pick whatever they could find. She planned to make a pot of fish fillet porridge and add some vegetables to make it more flavorful.
Several soldiers were busy setting up a place to sleep for the night.
After the potatoes were processed and the eggplants were almost fully soaked, Ningxia squeezed out the water from the eggplants, cleaned the pot, and added a little oil after the water was dried.
Once the oil is hot, add the dried chilies, and they start to choke. This is exactly the effect Ningxia wants. She picked those wild chilies on the road, and even after drying, they still retain their freshness.
The rabbit meat was also thrown in and stir-fried, until each piece was evenly coated with oil. Ningxia then added a small amount of water, stir-fried it for a few times, and added a suitable amount of salt before adding some chopped fresh green and red chilies. Next, the dried eggplant, then the potatoes, filled the pot to the brim. Only then, satisfied, did he cover the pot with a few large leaves as a lid and continue simmering.
By now the men had finished their work and were unable to help, so they could only sit aside and wait with their mouths watering.
There was only a tiny bit of water at the bottom of the pot, so Ningxia quickly opened the leaves and stir-fried them to prevent them from burning. As she did so, she was convinced she could hear her saliva watering. The aroma of the meat blended perfectly with the flavors of the chili peppers and the simmered potatoes. After a few spoonfuls, Ningxia's chili peppers and potatoes shone brightly, creating a vibrant red and green hue that whetted her appetite.
There were too many vegetables in the pot, and seeing Ningxia struggling to stir-fry, Lao Liao actively stepped forward to take over the spoon. Ningxia watched the heat and stopped when it was almost done, calling on Lao Liao, who was getting more and more excited as he continued to stir-fry.
A table exactly the same as the one they had at noon was right next to the fire. They thought that the dish would have some juice, but they didn't have a big basin, so pouring the flavorful juice on it would be wasted.
Ningxia thought for a moment, then had Xiaojie take five steamed buns, cut them into thick slices, and spread them on top before moving the stewed rabbit meat from the pot onto the leaves. Only a few drops of broth dripped onto the leaves, while the rest was absorbed by the steamed buns underneath.
There were dishes all over the table. The soldiers brought a lot of potatoes, so Ningxia put more in. The food was both filling and delicious, and everyone's mouths were drooling after the meal.
Lao Liao frankly said he wanted to quit the army and live in Ningxia. He had no other hobbies except eating good food. The canteen in the military camp was really too rough. He would occasionally go to the canteen in the shelter for a change of taste, but it was just so-so, not much better than the canteen in the military camp.
He found that no matter how good a chef was, he would be useless if he encountered a big pot meal. The big pot meal here was not a big pot meal for dozens of people, but a big pot meal for tens of thousands of people. As long as you can swallow it, it's fine.
Ningxia cooks so much that she feels full just by smelling the food, so she doesn't eat much.
Sangsang felt a pang of anxiety, and she would look at her brother every time she ate a bite. However, Lin Yi was busy eating and ignored her, so Sangsang didn't eat much either.
The five steamed buns at the bottom were not wasted at all and were all eaten up by the soldiers. Lao Liao even rested with his belly sticking out in an exaggerated manner, and his whole body revealed the word "satisfaction".
Ningxia initially thought they had brought too much food, a bit exaggerated. But after cooking two meals, she realized she was completely overthinking it. As long as someone cooked well, they could have eaten more.
"Ningxia, what are you doing?" Li Gang asked Ningxia who was still pouring water into the pot.
"I'll make the porridge, and we'll eat it tomorrow morning and leave."
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