Xia Lunong woke up the next day and found that the sun had risen.

He scratched his head, put on his clothes, pushed the door open, and found that his brother was not at home.

The water tank was full of water, the sausage and pork were hung out to dry, and even the floor was swept. The house was in order.

Xia Lunong turned around and felt a little ashamed.

His brother left him a note on the table: Your old brother and I are out chopping wood, remember to make our breakfast.

Xia Lunong hurried back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

There was plenty of meat today, and he didn't have any special dishes in mind for breakfast, so he made a large portion of leek fried eggs and braised pork, and steamed a large pot of white rice.

Solid dishes to nourish the two brothers.

After cooking, the two hadn't come back yet.

Xia Lunong took out the leek roots from his backpack, sorted them out, and took a small hoe to plant leeks behind the house.

These leeks were all very large. He divided the original six leeks into fifteen, eight behind his house and seven behind Yan Xinian's house.

Leeks grow fast, and fifteen should be enough to eat.

He was afraid that he would get tired of eating more.

After planting, he patted his lower back and turned to look in the direction of the back mountain.

His brother and Yan Xinian had not appeared yet.

He thought about it, and simply carried food and water in a backpack, and walked to the back mountain with a cane.

The place where everyone received firewood was relatively fixed, and he knew where it was. When he

reached the city wall, he looked around and saw some dead wood thrown on the wall, which should be the result of his brother and Yan Xinian's labor this morning.

He put down the backpack, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to call for help when his brother and Yan Xinian appeared outside the city wall one after another, carrying firewood, walking very fast.

"Brother! Brother Xinian!" Xia Lunong waved at them in surprise, "I was just about to call you."

Xia Huoqu: "I know. Move aside, we'll throw the firewood up."

Xia Lunong quickly put on the backpack and made way.

Yan Xinian walked to the side, holding the firewood in both hands, his arm muscles bulging into beautiful lines, and threw the firewood up, throwing it hard onto the wall more than two meters high.

Xia Lunong secretly looked at her skinny arms, with envy in her eyes.

After Yan Xinian threw the bundle on his back, he took the bundle on Xia Huoqu's back and threw it up together. He saw the expression on Xia Lunong's face and smiled, "Eat more and exercise more. You will be like us soon."

Xia Lunong nodded vigorously, "Of course."

Xia Huoqu also smiled, "Put down the ladder and let us go up."

Xia Lunong hurriedly found a wooden ladder not far away, put down the backpack, put the ladder down along the wall, and handed it to his brother.

His brother set up the ladder, climbed up with Yan Xinian one after another, and then put the ladder up again.

Xia Huoqu: "Are you calling us back to eat?"

"No, I'm serving you food." Xia Lunong put the food on the table and poured them some water in clean bowls, "Brother, aren't you hungry?" "

I forgot when I was busy." Xia Huoqu took the water and drank it all in one gulp, then poured another bowl, "We found a lot of dry wood today, and originally wanted to carry all of it back before going back to eat."

Xia Lunong took the bowl that Yan Xinian used to drink clean water and served him rice, "There's no way to finish the work, what if you get a stomachache from hunger?"

"Once or twice, it won't be that serious..." Seeing his brother glaring at him, Xia Huoqu changed his words, "I'm ready to go back."

"I think if I hadn't come, you would have continued to carry firewood." Xia Lunong took his brother's bowl and filled it with rice. "It's not an urgent matter. Why do you have to rush?"

Xia Huoqu looked at Yan Xinian who was eating with chopsticks.

Yan Xinian was tasting the braised pork. When he met Xia Huoqu's eyes, he swallowed the meat and smiled, praising Xia Lunong: "Xiao Nong's braised pork is authentic."

"It's also because we have rock sugar at home, otherwise I can't do it."

Xia Lunong didn't notice that the topic was changed. "Brother, Brother Xinian, you guys eat more meat."

The three of them were hungry, and the dishes cooked by Xia Lunong tasted really good.

In the end, the two large dishes and a large pot of rice were eaten, and the bowls and plates were placed in the backpack, which was much lighter than when they went up the mountain.

Xia Lunong stayed behind to get the firewood and found that his brother and Yan Xinian had chopped at least 2,000 kilograms of firewood that morning.

"Why so much?"

"I just happened to see a pile of fallen wood. I don't know what kind of beast destroyed it. It's much easier to clean it up than to get the firewood wet." Xia Huoqu said, "I have time these two days, so I can chop more firewood and try to burn it until autumn."

"I think it's okay. Firewood can withstand burning." Xia Lunong took a look and said, "We can exchange it for some straw or other fire starter in the base."

"No need. There are fallen leaves everywhere outside. We can just collect a few baskets of fallen leaves later."

Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian were very quick.

Before the sun rose to the middle of the sky, all the firewood was moved to the city wall.

Xia Lunong threw the firewood down and carried it back home.

He was not used to doing similar work, and after carrying it for a while, his shoulders were sore and itchy, and his face was flushed red. Sweat left mud marks on his face.

Xia Huoqu urged him to make lunch, "I didn't call Liao Cheng this morning, let him come over to eat with us at noon."

Yan Xinian smiled and suggested, "There are radishes in the cafeteria, you can take some meat to exchange for a handful, and add some stir-fried radishes for lunch."

Xia Lunong asked, "Will it be too late, it's so late?"

"No, most people don't order stir-fried radishes." Yan Xinian smiled and said, "You can exchange more, your brother likes this."

Xia Lunong immediately said, "No problem, I'll go and exchange some now."

Xia Lunong took the meat to the cafeteria to exchange for radishes.

The staff in the cafeteria looked at the meat in his backpack and asked with a smile, "We still have beef today, do you want to exchange it?"

Xia Lunong paused, "Where did the beef come from?"

"The collection team brought it back. They only got half a cow. Everyone exchanged some, so there are about ten pounds left."

Xia Lunong immediately said, "Exchange! I'll go home and get some meat. How do you exchange beef?"

"One and a half pounds of pork for one pound of beef. There are wild boars everywhere outside now, and beef is very rare. If you miss this opportunity, you don't know when you will get to eat it again. If you like, you can exchange more. Cooked pork is also fine."

"Then I'll go home and get some more meat."

Xia Lunong finally exchanged four and a half pounds of pork for three pounds of beef, and also for tofu, pickled peppers and other things.

Lunch was also simple, pickled pepper beef, stir-fried pork with shallots, and a dish of mapo tofu. These are all hard dishes that go well with rice. Xia Lunong estimated the appetite of his brothers and specially steamed an extra pot of rice, a total of two pots.

After he finished, he went to call Liao Cheng to eat.

Liao Cheng didn't expect that he would come over today to invite him to dinner just as he said yesterday, "How can I be so embarrassed?"

Xia Lunong announced the names of the dishes, "Today, we made fried pork with shallots, pickled pepper beef and mapo tofu."

Liao Cheng's saliva was almost dripping when he heard it, and he wiped his chin, "Let's go, let's go quickly, otherwise the dishes will get cold."

Xia Lunong was amused by him and smiled, "We have to wait for my brother and the others, they are still carrying firewood."

"Are you planning to cook for yourself in the future?"

Xia Lunong raised her head, "Yeah!"

Liao Cheng smacked his lips enviously, "It's good to cook for yourself, it's much better than eating in the cafeteria every day."

Xia Lunong also thought so.

When they were going back, Xia Lunong deliberately went to the bamboo forest to see how much firewood was left to carry, and they would help carry it together.

As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain behind the house, Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian had already come down with firewood on their backs.

Xia Lunong went over to take his brother's firewood, but Xia Huoqu stretched out his hand to stop him, "No need for you, I've already carried it, don't get your clothes dirty."

Liao Cheng came over, "Then I'll do it, my clothes are dirty, give me some."

"It's not heavy." Xia Huoqu said, "You're so lazy."

Yan Xinian laughed behind him.

Back home, Xia Lunong and Liao Cheng took the initiative to serve dishes and rice.

Xia Huoqu came over after washing his hands, and was a little surprised to see Xia Lunong steaming two pots of rice.

Xia Lunong whispered, "Today's dishes are good, you may eat more rice."

Xia Huoqu raised his head with admiration on his face.

Yan Xinian came in later and asked as soon as he entered the room: "What did you cook today? I could smell the delicious food from far away."

"A dish you ordered, fried pork with shallots, a dish of beef with pickled peppers, and a dish of mapo tofu."

"Such a rich dish?" Yan Xinian smiled, "I'm in for a treat at noon today."

Xia Lunong served him rice and smiled attentively, "Brother Xinian, you've worked hard this morning."

Yan Xinian put the rice bowl in his hand.

This was the second bowl of rice. The first bowl was served to Xia Huoqu.

Xia Lunong always served his brother rice first, no matter who he sat at the same table with.

Yan Xinian raised his eyebrows.

"Eat." Liao Cheng served himself the rice, not noticing the dark tide on the table at all, and couldn't wait to greet, "This smell is so strong!"

The three dishes for lunch today are all of the type with strong aroma, especially the pickled pepper beef, the sour and fragrant smell filled the whole room.

The chopsticks of the four people almost simultaneously reached out to the pickled pepper beef, each picking up a large piece of beef and stuffing it into their mouths.

The beef was cooked to the perfect temperature, not too tender, but a little too well done. The thick and juicy slices of meat were wrapped in golden soup. When they were stuffed into the mouth, the overbearing aroma of the pickled peppers first awakened the taste buds, and then the full beef flavor. When chewing, the gravy overflowed, and the mouth was full of fragrance.

Xia Lunong herself did not expect that this pickled pepper beef would be so delicious.

The beef flavor is too strong!

He took a big bite, and his mouth was full of the aroma of meat.

Even before the disaster, when supplies were still abundant, he had never eaten such delicious beef. Even a steak that cost 800 yuan was not so satisfying!

After eating the beef, Xia Lunong couldn't wait to reach for the mapo tofu.

He specially used a small handful of precious peppercorns, and the meat inside was also from the beef. Finally, he thickened the sauce three times before serving. The

pickled pepper beef has become warm, but the layer of sauce on the mapo tofu has firmly wrapped the temperature inside. Gently pry it open, and hot steam will immediately come out.

Take another bite, and the hot, spicy, numb, fragrant, tender and other flavors are all temporarily on the tip of the tongue, making people squint their eyes and slowly savor it.

Logically speaking, hot and tender are not taste sensations, but touch sensations. However, Xia Lunong could feel the unique taste of hot and tender.

He savored it for a few seconds and couldn't help but pick up another piece to taste it again.

Xia Huoqu and the others did the same. When they put their chopsticks into the Mapo Tofu, they couldn't wait to pick up the second piece after finishing one, including Yan Xinian who specifically asked for scallions.

Yan Xinian gave Xia Lunong a thumbs up, "This Mapo Tofu is absolutely amazing. This is the first time I feel happy this year."

Xia Lunong said, "Hand-shredded chicken, braised pork, pickled pepper beef, etc. are also delicious."

"It's delicious, but I don't have this clear feeling of the existence of life." Yan Xinian glanced at Xia Huoqu next to him and chuckled, "I didn't feel much at home before."

Xia Lunong felt it for two seconds, but still couldn't understand, "Is it that exaggerated?"

Yan Xinian picked up another piece of Mapo Tofu and chuckled, "Not exaggerated, the taste of home."

Liao Cheng next to him nodded vigorously in agreement, his eyes a little red again.

Xia Lunong looked at his brother again, and his brother also had an expression of approval on his face.