Watching Gu Zhiyuan's departing figure, Xu Ningyan stood at the gate of the courtyard, lost in thought for a long time, until the lackey returned and smelled the fragrance filling the courtyard, and immediately became anxious.
Hey human, why are you serving food before mealtime today? Have you forgotten about me? That's so uncivilized!
Whimpering and wagging its tail, it brought its food bowl and slammed it down in front of Xu Ningyan.
This startled Xu Ningyan from her deep thoughts.
Xu Ningyan squatted down, patted the dog's head, and sighed, "Dog, from now on, you'll be my only companion."
I feel very down.
The dog sensed that Xu Ningyan was in a low mood, so it rubbed its head against Xu Ningyan's hand, gently brushed its tail against Xu Ningyan's leg, and whimpered softly, as if to say: Don't worry, human, I'm here for you!
After petting the lackeys for a while, Xu Ningyan's mood finally calmed down a bit.
Looking at the sky, it's time to make dinner.
I wasn't in a great mood, so I took two bones out of my storage space and tossed them to my lackey to gnaw on.
After thinking about it, I still couldn't get over my conscience.
He then found several pig trotters, a piece of pork belly, a section of cleaned pork intestines, as well as beef tripe, pig tripe, about twenty eggs, and a spice packet in his storage space, intending to start making the braising pot.
That night, none of the neighbors slept well. They could smell the intermittent aroma of braised meat in their dreams, and when they woke up in the morning, their pillowcases were soaked with drool.
Xu Ningyan woke up just as dawn broke. The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and it's getting light earlier and earlier these days.
I looked at my watch; it was only five o'clock.
I splashed some cold water on my face to refresh myself.
I went to the kitchen and lifted the pot lid, and a powerful aroma wafted out.
I braised it until around 10 a.m., then covered the pot. No need to add firewood to the stove. By this morning, the pig's trotters and pork belly were tender and very flavorful.
After cleaning about twenty braised eggs, I boiled them until cooked, took them out and put them in cold water to chill for a while, then took them out, cracked the shells, and put them into the braising pot to simmer until this morning, when they had absorbed the full flavor of the braising liquid.
I scooped one up, peeled off the shell, and the once-white egg white inside had turned a tea-brown color. I took a bite, and it was fragrant with an indescribable aroma. Even the yolk, which used to be a bit dry, became smooth and easy to eat.
It's so delicious that you can't help but want to take another bite after just one.
The lackey had been drawn over by the aroma and licked the eggshells that Xu Ningyan had peeled clean, then stared at Xu Ningyan's hands with a whimpering sound.
Xu Ningyan wasn't stingy either. If Gu Zhiyuan were home, she would probably secretly feed the lackeys treats behind his back.
Now that there's only one person and one dog in the house, they can feed the dog whatever they want.
She scooped out an egg and tossed it to the lackey to have as a snack. Then she cooked some noodles, chopped some braised pork, placed some pork intestines on top of the noodles, and poured a spoonful of braising sauce over them. It was a bowl of fragrant braised pork noodles.
They gave the lackey a bowl too, and the two of them finished it.
Xu Ningyan cut up the braised pig's trotters, braised meat, and large intestines, and packed them into three aluminum lunch boxes. It was fortunate that Gu Zhiyuan had been hospitalized before, and that she had bought a few more from the black market later.
Gu Zhiyuan only took one with him when he left this time; he left the rest at home, otherwise there really wouldn't be anything left to pack.
Looking at the time, it's already six o'clock after only a short while of work.
Xu Ningyan put the lunchbox into a nylon mesh bag, hung it on the handlebars, locked the door, and rode towards the train station.
Although Jingshan County is just a county town, there are quite a few people at the train station.
Xu Ningyan parked her bicycle and carried the nylon net bag into the train station.
The seats in the station were all occupied, and some people were even lying down in the corners, fully clothed.
Today was probably the day to send educated youth to the countryside. At the station entrance, a large crowd of people were gathered, all carrying large and small bags. Some were young men and women, some were full of vigor, some looked bewildered, and many more were filled with confusion about the unknown and fear of being far away from their hometowns and parents.
Parents seized the last moments to give their children words of advice as they prepared to leave them and embark on a life in an unfamiliar rural area hundreds or thousands of miles away.
The staff from the educated youth office were urging them to get on the bus quickly.
Xu Ningyan stood quietly to the side, watching the most common scene at the train station in this era, watching them carry large and small bags and squeeze into the platform with the crowd, and couldn't help but be a little lost in thought.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and a surprised voice rang out: "A-Ning?"
Turning his head, he met Gu Zhiyuan's face. Although he tried his best to appear calm, his softened eyebrows, upturned lips, and eyes sparkling with joy all told others that he was happy.
Xu Ningyan smiled and held up the net bag she was carrying: "I'll see you off!"
Gu Zhiyuan took the net bag; it was heavy, and when he touched it, it was still warm to the touch.
She guessed that Xu Ningyan had cooked delicious food for her, working hard from dawn till dusk, and her heart warmed.
He gestured for Xu Ningyan to follow him to the side.
Because of their special circumstances—they were escorting people involved in a spy case—they had been contacted in advance at the train station, and an office had been specially set aside for them.
Inside, Lu Kai, Meng Ruyi, and the rest of the Meng family were all handcuffed and squatting in the office.
Inside and outside the office, in addition to the group brought by Gu Zhiyuan and Sun Zhou, the troops stationed here also sent people to escort them.
There were at least three layers of people surrounding it.
Gu Zhiyuan saw that it was almost time to board the train, so he went out to ask the train station staff about the train schedule. That's when he saw Xu Ningyan.
Otherwise, I'm afraid Xu Ningyan wouldn't be able to find anyone.
Walking to a partitioned open space next to the office, Sun Zhou, who had received the news, also strolled out of the room. Looking at Gu Zhiyuan's worthless appearance, he curled his lip.
Wanting to say something, she immediately approached obsequiously upon seeing the net bag Gu Zhiyuan was carrying: "Comrade Xu is here! Did you come to see Old Gu off? Oh, you even brought food? Looks like we're in for a treat—"
Gu Zhiyuan glared at Sun Zhou, thinking, "These beasts."
The meat sauce and a huge jar of pickled vegetables he brought back yesterday afternoon were all gone in one night.
If it weren't for the fact that it's not yet time to eat pickled cucumbers, they probably wouldn't have survived.
If he hadn't acted quickly, that bag of dried meat, two bags of biscuits, and a bag of honeysuckle tea would all have been lost.
How dare you even think of taking food from my lunchbox today?
He hid the lunchbox behind his back. "What are you doing out here? Go inside and keep an eye on things! If something happens, I'll see how you take responsibility!"
Sun Zhou has a very keen sense of smell; he could smell the aroma of meat in the lunchbox long ago. Everyone had just eaten a few steamed buns that morning, but the smell of meat made his stomach rumble.
Judging from Gu Zhiyuan's petty attitude, he probably still holds a grudge about everyone ruining the meat sauce and kimchi yesterday.
No rush. Once they're on the bus, with so many of them, can Gu Zhiyuan hold them off?
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