Ah Mian, hearing him spout nonsense, wouldn't listen to him this time.
She quickly pulled her sleeve over, hurriedly climbed onto Adou's back, and dashed home.
Her heart was pounding, and she was even distracted when she was cooking fish.
Two fresh crucian carp were caught. Meng Chijian gutted the fish, cut off their fins, and rinsed them under clean water, glancing at her as he did so.
"This isn't the first time you've caught fish, is it?"
Amian picked four kapok flowers on the way, and then carefully washed the mushrooms she had dried earlier. "Hmm."
"Just don't let anyone see it." Meng Chijian didn't care much. What hadn't he eaten on the battlefield? Disasters can strike, and they are beyond human control.
However, the young lady seemed preoccupied today, and it took her a while to speak: "Something strange happened to me by the river." She then recounted her experience to Meng Chijian.
“Idiot? We don’t have any in our village. There was one in the past, but he drowned in the pond.” Meng Chijian frowned. “I’d better tell the villagers and the village headman, just in case there are bandits from who-knows-where.”
“Okay, come back when you’re done,” A-Mian clenched her fist. “Tonight we’re having crucian carp soup with kapok flowers and milk.”
Meng Chijian nodded, turned to leave, then came back and pinched A-Mian's cheek before leaving.
These days, A-Mian isn't often allowed to cook at home. Her cooking is like child's play, mostly consisting of strange and unusual dishes that no one else has ever heard of. She prepares all the ingredients herself, so everyone just assumes she's cooking for fun, wasting only a bit of firewood.
Sometimes the food was so bad that even Meng Jing and her mother wouldn't eat it, but Meng Chijian would finish it without batting an eye.
But once A-Mian decided to try it, the others didn't say anything sarcastic, they just muttered to themselves, "Can kapok flowers be used in cooking?"
A-Mian removed the stems and impurities from the kapok flowers, picked only the petals, washed them, and cut them into small pieces with a knife.
Next, slice the scallions, cut the ginger into sections, and slice the mushrooms. Then, heat the pan until it's hot, pour in the vegetable oil, and fry the two fish in the pan.
Pan-fry the fish skin on both sides until it's slightly golden brown, then pour in boiling water, add the side dishes one by one, and simmer until a milky white soup is formed. Only after it boils thoroughly are the kapok petals added.
In an instant, the fragrance of flowers, the aroma of fish, and the delicious, tempting scent wafted over.
"Ah Mian, it looks like you did a good job this time! The smell is making my mouth water!"
Dinner was unusually plentiful, and Meng Chijian returned quickly as well, serving himself rice while discussing the aftermath of the incident.
"Everyone in the village went to see him. He was young, so it wasn't anything serious. After he fainted, he was carried to the village doctor Huang's house. We'll report it to the authorities once he recovers and see what they say."
Amian said, "He doesn't look like a bandit. He's quiet and weak, and I don't know what he used to do to make a living."
"It is indeed strange. But when I look at his hands, I see calluses between his knuckles from years of holding a pen. Perhaps he was a secretary or a scholar."
"He seems crazy."
Meng Chijian smiled, but upon tasting the fish soup, he was immediately stunned. The soup was extremely sweet and delicious, the fish was tender and smooth, and it even swept away the heat and irritability that had accumulated over the past few days.
He took a few more sips and felt even more hungry.
Ah Mian also picked out the fish bones, her eyes crinkling with delight as she ate.
Knock knock knock.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Oh, you're having dinner? No wonder it smells so good." The newcomer was the strange man with several bandages wrapped around his head. "Dr. Huang said I'm fine, just exhausted from the long journey. I asked him to tell me where you live so I can thank my savior. I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Yuan Hua."
Yuan Hua stared intently at the fish soup on the table while licking her lips.
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