Chapter 50 Little Sugar Cookies
The dog arrived early as usual that day, bringing a small bundle with it.
The small bag was an insulated bag for food, containing a matching two-piece lunchbox set. However, the dog only brought one lunchbox. When the lunchbox was opened, it contained a steaming stack of hot, steaming dough sugar cakes.
The freshly fried sugar pancakes, transported in an insulated lunchbox, were still scalding hot when Zhao Xuan picked them up.
So, as usual, she and her dog sat in front of the stove to warm themselves. Rice was cooking on the stove, and a few small taro were roasting in the fire. Zhao Xuan picked out a few roasted taro and handed them to the dog, while she herself held a small sugar cake, blew on it, and took a bite.
These small sugar pancakes, about the size of a palm, are all neatly made. They have a creamy yellow crust; the flour, ground on their own, gives them a pale yellow hue, and they look and smell of milk and sweetness. Both sides are fried until crispy and fragrant. The crust is not fermented, so it's crispy yet chewy. The pancakes are thin, filled with a thick sugar syrup made from flour, sugar, and sesame seeds.
On a cold morning, sitting by the fire, taking a bite of a piping hot sugar cake is pure bliss.
"Is it delicious?" The dog looked at Zhao Xuan, who had already closed his eyes in enjoyment, and said, "My mom got up a long time ago to make it. She said it was just in time to bring it for you to try. This pancake should be eaten fresh out of the pan."
Both families had only a so-so wheat harvest this year. The rainy south is not conducive to wheat growth, and Zhao Xuan was a novice. So the wheat harvest this year was just enough to make seeds in the spring. She couldn't bear to eat the little bit of flour that was left over. She only dared to shake out a little flour to make the crispy crust of fried food when making fried food during the New Year.
Zhao Xuan asked, "What auspicious day it is today that made Sister Xiaohe think of doing this?"
The dog blushed, chuckled, and said, "Today is my birthday..."
"Ah!" Zhao Xuan exclaimed, then scratched her head, thinking about whether she had any gifts at home that she could give. After thinking for a while, she realized that she didn't have anything suitable to give to the little boy.
Zhao Xuan was momentarily embarrassed.
Just then, the dog pulled a shiny little trinket out of its pocket and stuffed it into Zhao Xuan's hand: "Here! Sister Xuan, this is a gift for you!"
Zhao Xuan was even more embarrassed: "What kind of birthday boy gives gifts to others..." He opened the thing and was silent for a while: "You even have something to hide here."
The gift from the dog was a small, round mirror with a gold exterior and a row of fake crystals. When the mirror was opened, it didn't contain the two mirrors Zhao Xuan had imagined, but rather something like a pocket watch. One side was for holding photos, and inside was a self-portrait of the dog—a rough drawing of himself with crayons.
"Hmm..." Zhao Xuan pondered how to put together the words to praise this ugly painting.
The dog leaned its head closer and asked, "Do you like it?"
"I love it!" she encouraged without hesitation, then a brilliant idea struck her, and she said, "If you like drawing, how about I give you a pair of oil pastels?"
She remembered that in Taiping Town, she and Lu An had visited a family whose house contained the remains of two children. The house also had many children's toys; she recalled seeing a 48-color oil pastel set in the children's room, almost unused. However, Zhao Xuan hadn't taken it because he felt it was useless to him. Besides oil pastels, there were also many other items such as colored pencils and watercolors.
The dog asked in surprise, "You have one?"
"I'll go to Taiping Town and find you a set."
"Going to Taiping Town? When? Alone?"
"I'll prepare for my trip in the next few days, all by myself. So, can you cover for me? In exchange, how about I go to Taiping Town and get you a few sets of colored pencils to play with?"
The dog paused in its taro-eating motion, rejecting the sordid deal: "If you die there, Brother Lu'an will kill me!"
Zhao Xuan couldn't help but gasp: "Can you please stop talking about my death all the time?"
"..." The dog remained silent.
“Well then, there’s a library in town. I’ll find you a few more books, Zheng Yuanjie’s, or Harry Potter. If you can find them, I’ll bring them back for you.”
"..." Still silence.
"Transformers, and remote-controlled cars, I've seen all of those before..."
"..." Remaining silent.
"Have you ever played with a drone? You know, the kind where you just turn a remote and the little plane takes off by itself. I'll find you one, and when you pair it with your toy gun, you'll be the commander-in-chief of both the land and air forces."
The dog had never owned any of these things, but he had seen other children playing with them at the camp. Finally, the dog's resolve wavered: "Then, then promise me you'll go there carefully, and you won't die..."
Zhao Xuan tried to keep his tone calm: "Don't worry, I value my life more than you do."
The dirty deal was struck: the dog would still come to Zhao Xuan's house every morning to help her feed the pigs. Of course, if it was just the dog, the pigs would only be fed once a day, but she could feed them more at each meal, not expecting them to gain weight, just hoping they wouldn't lose too much weight.
These past few days, Zhao Xuan has been gathering extra pig feed. She's also picked the larger fruits and vegetables from the garden and put them in the kitchen next door where the pig feed is cooked. The weather is too cold, so the gathered pig feed won't spoil easily and can last for three or four days. Of course, if Zhao Xuan doesn't return within four days, the dog will have to gather the pig feed itself.
The dog said it was no problem; he was a year older now and could handle the chores. Besides feeding the pigs, he only needed to check if the house was intact. He didn't need to go inside; just walk around outside and make sure the doors and windows were closed. It wouldn't take much effort. The most important thing was to prevent his parents from visiting Zhao Xuan.
Zhao Xuan said that was easy. She asked Gougou to pass on a message, asking how to make the kimchi that Zhang Xiaohe had sent the other day. The next morning, Zhang Xiaohe arrived early and brought her own special chili sauce. She taught Zhao Xuan how to make kimchi step by step. The two of them worked hard and made three jars. Zhang Xiaohe was satisfied with Zhao Xuan's learning ability, and Zhao Xuan was also satisfied. She told Gougou that she planned to leave the next day.
Zhang Xiaohe probably won't come to visit him on a whim during this time, after all, she has a lot of things to do at home. In the days that Zhao Xuan is away, the dog only needs to perform his own one-man show.
Zhao Xuan's decision to go to Taiping Town was not a spur-of-the-moment thing.
There wasn't much salt left in the house, and she couldn't wait patiently for Lu An to bring it back.
What if something happened on the road and Lu An didn't return with the salt? What if Lu An didn't return at all?
Without Lu An's protection, she would most likely die if she encountered danger, but she is safe for the time being and has enough food. Therefore, regardless of whether Lu An is there or not, she should try her best for the future within a certain range.
She was going to Taiping Town to find salt.
Lu An returned with salt; her trip was a way to train herself. If Lu An hadn't returned with salt, they would still have salt to use. If Lu An hadn't returned, she was making plans for her future.
Besides, she already knew that there was no one left in Taiping Town, so it was highly likely that she would be safe if she went there again.
Zhao Xuan wasn't reckless; on the contrary, she was very cautious. It was the off-season for farming, and she had nothing to do. Staying home alone would make her overthink. She decided to travel at night and hide during the day. Before leaving, she made a very detailed plan: her round-trip route, the route to search in the town, the supplies she needed to find, and the load her vehicle would carry. She calculated everything very clearly.
She decided to ride her little tricycle. It was a light vehicle, and she didn't plan to bring back anything too heavy, because an overly heavy vehicle would make it difficult to pedal uphill and cause her to crash uncontrollably downhill. The things she had promised to bring for the dog weren't heavy; if she could find the salt, it would only weigh about ten or twenty pounds. With the remaining weight, she could carry some of the things they had found but couldn't take with them.
Without Lu An's cooperation, she couldn't pry open those sturdy security bars on her own. So this time, when she went to Taiping Town, she just needed to go straight to the house where they were temporarily storing supplies. If she was quick, she could be back in three days.
Zhao Xuan prepared a sleeping bag, a tent, an empty bucket, a small stove, a small pot, and a bag of charcoal for herself. The sleeping bag was a thick winter model, and the tent was a cheap toy tent—it wasn't heavy. Lu An had taken her nice tent from home, so she had to use this one; it was better than nothing, and it would temporarily shield her from the night wind. Zhao Xuan decided that once she arrived in Taiping Town, she would find a safe building to sleep in, and wouldn't need a tent then.
The bucket was for fetching water for washing, and she also prepared two sets of underwear to change into; she was always very careful about her hygiene. Women are more susceptible to infections due to their anatomy, and since there are no hospitals now, the best thing Zhao Xuan could do was prevention. As for the outer garment, she figured she could just tough it out for a few days.
For food, Zhao Xuan brought some pickled scallions and kimchi she had recently made. For her main dish, she made several large pieces of crispy rice crust, which she shaped into small balls after roasting over a wood fire. Each rice ball was enough for one meal. The crispy rice crust had low moisture content, so it could be kept for several days in the cold weather without spoiling. She also stir-fried a box of minced pork, sealing it with a thick layer of lard. When she wanted to eat it, she would heat water in a small pot, add the crispy rice crust, rice balls, and minced pork, and heat it to make a soup, which she would then eat with the pickled scallions and kimchi.
Zhao Xuan carried five days' worth of food, all packed in her backpack. Food was the most important thing; if she encountered danger and lost her bike, she could still run away with her bag. She also boiled a bucket of water, let it cool, and then poured it into a small-mouthed plastic bucket. River water could be used for washing, but drinking water had to be boiled well water.
Besides these, Zhao Xuan also stuffed the usual ropes, axes, and daggers into his backpack.
She had everything prepared, except for 460. She had prepared enough food for 460, and when she added food to its bowl, 460 looked at her with a strange expression.
As soon as darkness fell, Zhao Xuan loaded the necessary supplies onto her tricycle. She wore a thick windproof jacket, gloves, a fur hat that covered her ears, and a mask, completely covering herself. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, mounted the tricycle, and prepared to set off.
Just as he was about to push off, he suddenly felt a resistance. Zhao Xuan looked down and saw 460 biting his trouser leg.
The little black dog's round eyes were staring at him seriously.
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