Chapter 75 Summer's End - Epilogue
In the end, only two mu of rice survived in the paddy field. Zhao Xuan and Lu An comforted each other: Planting two mu of rice is too easy. What's the difference between planting it and not planting it at all?
On their way back, they discovered that the silt had blocked the stream that irrigated the rice paddies. Zhao Xuan picked up a hoe and a winnowing basket and went to clear the ditch by himself. Lu An hadn't slept all night, and Zhao Xuan was worried that he would die suddenly, so he told him to go and catch up on his sleep.
The days were still long, and it was still bright outside around 6 p.m. Zhao Xuan finally finished clearing the ditch and went home, his feet covered in mud.
460 was at home guarding the sleeping Lu An. When it heard Zhao Xuan return, it wagged its tail and ran out to greet him, getting a mouthful of mud in the process.
Lu An was still fast asleep in his bedroom upstairs. He was so exhausted from yesterday and today that Zhao Xuan's return didn't even wake him. Zhao Xuan peeked at Lu An through the doorway; he was huddled inside a mosquito net, covered with a thin blanket, the net billowing in the breeze from the electric fan. Lu An was snoring softly. Zhao Xuan smiled slightly at all this, then tiptoed downstairs.
Lu An had prepared soup in a pot before going to bed. Now the fire on the stove had long been extinguished, and the soup was half-cooled. Zhao Xuan stirred it with a spoon and saw that it was pork rib soup. The marinated salted pork ribs had been rinsed clean with rice water, two slices of ginger and some wine were added, along with water, and it was simmered slowly on the stove. After several hours, the charcoal fire slowly simmered the soup until it turned milky white, and the pork ribs were tender and falling off the bone. At this point, a bowl of flavorful salted pork rib soup was ready. Soak the leftover rice from lunch, sprinkle some chopped green onions and seasonings, and a simple bowl of soup rice was ready.
Zhao Xuan was already starving, and just thinking about it made his mouth water.
She relit the charcoal in the stove, and while the pork rib soup was boiling, she got up to wash some scallions and a few bok choy leaves. Then she took out a few pieces of dried tofu from the refrigerator and diced them. The dried tofu had been pan-fried in sesame oil yesterday, mixed with some salt, making it fragrant and crispy, which would add a lot of flavor to rice soup.
After preparing all the side dishes, Zhao Xuan sat in front of the stove waiting for the soup to boil.
She only lit a small lamp. The kitchen lights were already dim, and as darkness fell completely, the space became even more dim and yellowish.
Lu An woke up and went downstairs, just in time to see this scene.
Zhao Xuan sat on a small stool, enveloped in warm light. She poked at the charcoal with tongs while shaking her head, seemingly singing something... well, a very famous anime theme song. The tune was right, but the lyrics were obviously made up.
She had her back to Lu An and was unaware that someone was behind her—although she had washed her hands and feet, she hadn't changed her dirty clothes. Lu An noticed that her back was covered in mud, which she must have gotten from planting rice seedlings and clearing ditches during the day.
Zhao Xuan's hair had grown longer, no longer the buzz cut of last year, but it was still frizzy, resembling a Monchhichi doll under the lamplight. She wore a plain white T-shirt and gray silk trousers, with a pair of plastic sandals. After the apocalypse, Zhao Xuan had no interest in dressing up anymore. Now she looked like a tomboy, but before the apocalypse, she was a very refined young woman who would put on makeup and had an abundance of clothes.
Lu An looked at the self-amusing figure and suddenly smiled.
He was still very young, but at this moment, he suddenly felt an obsession to grow old with the girl in front of him. He didn't care what her appearance was like, nor did he care about the hardships they would face in the future. Zhao Xuan was in all his future plans, and he would be content as long as he could spend his life with her.
"Xuanxuan," Lu An called out gently.
"Ah!" The head that had been shaking stopped singing and turned around at the sound. Its light brown eyes narrowed, and Zhao Xuan gave a big laugh, like a shining little star. "Lu An, you're awake! Time to eat!"
Summer has passed, and autumn has arrived.
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