Chapter 179 Don't be afraid
After putting everything away, it was almost five o'clock. Qin Suisui hurriedly went to the kitchen to cook. She hadn't brought them lunch today. Pei Jiuyan and the others probably ate the hospital's rations, which were rather bland. The three grown men certainly hadn't eaten well.
Since they're putting on an act, they should go all the way. As the one responsible for cooking and taking care of the family, she also needs to play her part well.
Zan Zan picked a lot of bracken, enough for two or three meals. Qin Sui Sui first picked out the broken ones, washed them clean, then cut them into even small pieces, and stir-fried them with cured meat in a pot.
The chives in the vegetable garden had sprouted a new crop, so Qin Suisui simply cut them and brought them back. She then cooked a few eggs and made a fragrant plate of stir-fried chives and eggs.
The water spinach was transplanted from Aunt Tang's house and is now growing lush and green. Qin Suisui picked some and stir-fried it with garlic.
Remembering that she had promised to make soup for Song Yunlai, who was injured and did need to recover, she realized that there was no time to make soup now. However, she had some chicken and mushroom stew in her space, which had meat, vegetables and soup, so it was practically the same as making soup.
Qin Suisui took out half a basin, leaving enough for herself and Zanzan to eat, and poured the rest into an enamel mug.
After having dinner with the little guy, Qin Suisui told him to watch the house, and then took several lunchboxes of food to the hospital.
Perhaps Pei Jiuyan had given specific instructions, because this time when Qin Suisui came, the people on duty at the door didn't stop her anymore, and she went straight in.
Just as she reached the door, she heard Chi Donglin's excited voice from inside: "No! Ayan! It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
Song Yunlai chimed in quietly, "Yeah, Ayan, this is too risky. You have to think about your sister and Zanzan."
Pei Jiuyan pondered for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "But if this hidden danger is not resolved, as long as we live, not only her, but many more people will be in danger."
Song Yunlai and Chi Donglin were rendered speechless by his words, and the ward fell silent for a moment.
Qin Suisui sighed, waited a few more minutes, then deliberately increased the volume of her footsteps, walked to the ward door and waved the net bag in her hand: "Are you hungry? I've brought you food!"
Her clear voice broke the silence in the ward. Song Yunlai was the first to react and hurriedly patted the bed with joy: "Quick, quick, little sister, let me see what delicious food you made. The lunch at noon was so bland and the portion was so small, it was like feeding a cat. I'm starving!"
Chi Donglin sniffed as well: "I smell the aroma of mushroom stewed chicken!"
As Qin Suisui placed the food on the table, she smiled and said, "Brother Donglin was right! I made mushroom stewed chicken, fried small fish, and oh yes, stir-fried bracken with cured pork. Zanzan picked the bracken herself!"
Upon hearing that their son had also participated in the work, the men immediately became excited: "Hey, Zan Zan can help too!"
"Let me try it!"
"The bracken fern that my son picked is so delicious!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's mainly because my sister's cooking is good!"
"Yes, yes, I misspoke. It's mainly because my sister is such a good cook! Every dish is delicious!"
"Little sister, how can we live without you!"
Qin Suisui was amused by their exaggerated acting. Thinking about how her child had been bullied that afternoon, she mentioned it as well.
"Fat Ball, right? It's him again! I'll go and meet this kid tomorrow and see if he's fatter or I'm fatter. This son of a bitch is bullying my son!" Chi Donglin was the most impatient. As soon as he heard that his son had been bullied, he was itching to fight and wanted to go find the culprit without even eating.
Song Yunlai was a bit calmer than him, but he was also quite angry: "This fat guy, he bullies Zan Zan every time he comes, and we're never there. Luckily, you went today, little sister."
Qin Suisui told them all this to change their mood, but she didn't expect it to excite these guys even more.
"By the way, where's Fatty's dad? I've never heard of him, nor have I ever seen Dr. Zhao's wife," Qin Suisui casually remarked as she poured them sweet rice wine.
Unexpectedly, her question caused everyone to fall silent.
Pei Jiuyan was the first to break the silence.
He took Qin Suisui's hand, turned her around to face him, and then spoke softly, "Do you remember what I told you about Zanzan's biological parents?"
"Ayan..." Chi Donglin called out to him, but when he met Pei Jiuyan's gaze, he took his words back.
Qin Suisui pursed her lips: "I remember, you said his biological father was your comrade-in-arms who died while on a mission with you, and his mother also died two years ago during a typhoon."
Pei Jiuyan nodded: "Besides Zan Zan's biological father Zhou Zhou, who was with us on the mission, there was also Pang Qiu's father. He went missing and has not been found to this day."
Fearing that he would take the blame again, Song Yunlai quickly said, "Back then, Zhao Dongsheng insisted on rushing in, and Ayan couldn't stop him. In the end, not only did he disappear, but Zhouzi also lost his life..."
Qin Suisui understood; this Zhao Dongsheng was Fatty's father.
"So, Fatty's father is still missing?"
"Missing? They must be dead. We were on the high seas. Even if they didn't die then, they wouldn't have survived later..." Song Yunlai was interrupted by Chi Donglin nudging his arm.
The sacrifice and disappearance of comrades-in-arms is never an easy thing, and the ward fell silent again.
Later, Song Yunlai found a candy at the bottom of the lunchbox. Qin Suisui was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh: "I was in the kitchen getting the food ready, and Zanzan helped me serve the rice. He probably wanted to share his favorite food with you guys!"
Upon hearing this, Chi Donglin and Pei Jiuyan also checked the bottom of their lunchboxes. Sure enough, each of them had a milk candy with its wrapper unwrapped at the bottom of their bowl. Because the rice was hot, the milk candy had melted slightly, and the rice grains around the milk candy had a strong milky aroma.
Chi Donglin's eyes reddened: "You little rascal, you actually have a conscience. I'll go buy him two pounds of milk candy after get off work tomorrow!"
Song Yunlai nodded, "Get me one too, that brat must be missing us..."
The somber atmosphere in the ward was broken by this little incident. After everyone finished eating, Pei Jiuyan and Chi Donglin took the lunchboxes to the bathroom in the ward to rinse them briefly before handing them to Qin Suisui.
As darkness fell outside, Qin Suisui prepared to go home, worried about leaving her child alone at home.
Pei Jiuyan saw her out. Looking at the orange-red sunset in the distance, Qin Suisui smiled and said to Pei Jiuyan, "Ayan, when you're done with your business, come back to the Snake Witch Tribe with me. I still owe Master a gift for becoming his disciple."
Pei Jiuyan tightened his grip on her hand: "Did you hear what we said before?"
Qin Suisui nodded: "I won't stop you from doing what you want to do. I believe in you. I only have one thing to say: please be careful. The children and I are waiting for you to come home!"
Pei Jiuyan stared at her for a long time before nodding emphatically: "Don't worry, with you here, I will definitely come back safely. After I return, I will accompany you to the Snake Witch Tribe."
Pei Jiuyan didn't return that night either; he hadn't been home to sleep for several nights in a row. Qin Suisui gazed at the moonlight outside the window for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she got up early, went for a morning run in her space, and came out carrying a small bucket of freshly boiled milk and Garden Life Bread that she had bought at the black market. Zan Zan had already dressed and washed up by herself. When she saw the big loaf of bread on the table, her eyes lit up: "Wow! It's bread!"
Qin Suisui smiled and poured him some milk: "Eat quickly, there are only fifteen minutes left before class. Brother Xiaoli and the others have already left. After you finish eating, Mom will take you to school on her bicycle."
She spent some time milking and boiling milk in the room, and when she came to her senses, she realized she had forgotten to wake Zan Zan up. Fortunately, the little guy woke up on his own.
After sending the child to school, Qin Suisui returned home, picked all the leftover green beans and peppers from the vegetable garden, washed them, and stuffed them into the empty pickle jar.
The pickled vegetables in the jar have been finished, but the broth can still be used. This broth is like brine; the more you use it, the more fragrant it becomes, but you should be careful not to use it for too long.
It's already October, and the cucumbers and tomatoes in the vegetable garden are all gone. Although she still has some in her online space, she only dares to eat them secretly, otherwise it will attract too much attention.
However, now is the time to plant radishes and cabbages. She planted all the radish seeds she bought in her space, and they have already grown several batches. She has also made two large jars of pickled radishes.
After thinking for a moment, she transplanted some tender radish seedlings from her space and planted them in the vegetable garden. From now on, she wouldn't need to find an excuse to eat radishes!
After finishing all that, she took out some of the fish maw and bird's nest she had bought on the black market yesterday, along with the milk she had squeezed out that morning, and the red beans and mung beans she had soaked long ago, and cooked more than a dozen large bowls of dessert. She stored them all in her space so she could take them out whenever she wanted to eat them.
The fire in the kitchen outside wasn't going out, and neither was it inside the space; she was roasting chestnuts in a large wok. The chestnuts she'd brought back from Northeast China, and the chestnuts and hazelnuts Xu Shouquan and his group had brought later, had only been eaten a few times. Although October on Qiongtan Island was also hot, it was still autumn, and autumn was for eating roasted chestnuts!
After finishing all that, she started processing medicinal herbs and making beauty pills, and the house was filled with the smell of cooking all day long.
Time flies when you're busy.
When Pei Jiuyan returned, it was already past four in the afternoon.
He picked up the fully equipped package he had brought with him when he went out to sea before, and patted Qin Suisui's head: "Be good at home, wait for me to come back."
His job was destined to be extraordinary. Even though this wasn't the first time they'd parted like this, Qin Suisui felt an overwhelming sense of reluctance. But she held back her tears and obediently nodded.
As they reached the gate, Pei Jiuyan turned back and told her, "Workers will come tomorrow morning to help repair the woodshed. Don't be afraid, and don't worry about anything."
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