Chapter 307 A magical night of late-night snacks.
After successfully fooling Sister Wang, Qin Xiangxiang was extremely smug. She was in high spirits and couldn't wait to share her successful report of shifting the blame with her deadbeat husband.
Qin Xiangxiang waited from day to night, but Li Jianzhi did not return. She made some wontons and other side dishes at home, ate a simple dinner by herself, and put the wontons in the refrigerator to freeze.
After dinner, Li Jianzhi still hadn't returned, leaving Qin Xiangxiang alone in the small room. She had slept for a few hours and woke up in the middle of the night, probably because she had slept too much during the day.
"Looks like that damn man isn't going home today... He doesn't know I'm staying here against my will."
Qin Xiangxiang yawned, wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes, washed her face, and felt refreshed. Unable to sleep, she decided to have a late-night snack.
Even a late-night snack for one person should be incredibly beautiful and exquisite.
Qin Xiangxiang looked at the scenery from the balcony and found a place with a nice view downstairs. So she decided to go downstairs for a late-night snack, take a walk to digest her food, and then come back for a good night's sleep.
"How about some crab roe tofu pudding? Or chicken soup wontons?"
Qin wanted to know that it was almost midnight, and the base canteen made soy milk and fresh tofu pudding every morning to provide breakfast to the officers, soldiers and their families.
This is when it's freshest and most delicious.
When she came, she brought a jar of crab roe that had been cooked in advance, packaged in a pretty glass bottle. This kind of crab roe is something that is always kept at home.
Another ingredient is broth. Feiyan Textile Factory often makes braised dishes, and the by-product of making braised dishes is "broth base". These broth bases are frozen in the refrigerator. When needed, they are mixed with boiling water to cook small wontons, and then some lard, salt and pepper are added. This makes the simplest and most convenient quick wontons, which are suitable for late-night snacks and breakfasts.
Qin Xiangxiang was too lazy to go out for tofu pudding in the middle of the night, so she decided to get a bowl of quick wontons, some braised and cold dishes, enjoy a comfortable late-night snack while feeling the sea breeze, and then go to sleep.
Just as she was cooking wontons, there was a knock on the door. Qin Xiangxiang was a little confused and suspected that Li Jianzhi had returned.
"Sister-in-law, I noticed you've had the lights on for most of the day. Is there anything you need?"
Before the door was even opened, the orderly's voice could be heard from outside.
Qin Xiangxiang thought to herself, "It's perfect timing. I want to make a late-night snack. Could you go to the cafeteria and get me a bowl of hot tofu pudding? I'll make you a bowl later too."
"Hot tofu pudding, right? I'll be right there."
The orderly ran downstairs quickly and soon returned with a large enamel mug full of hot tofu pudding. Qin Xiangxiang was dumbfounded; she thought it was too much. However, she figured there were probably a lot of people on the night shift, so she might as well make more tofu pudding and let the young man take it back so everyone could have a late-night snack.
Making tofu pudding is also simple. Qin Xiangxiang scooped out several spoonfuls of crab roe and spread it on top, then drizzled a lot of crab vinegar, and sprinkled on some seaweed flakes and cilantro.
The piping hot tofu pudding was topped with golden, glistening crab roe, and a burst of freshness rushed straight to the top of her head. Qin Xiangxiang prepared a small bowl for herself, took a couple of bites, and commented, "The tofu pudding in this cafeteria is pretty good, but it's not quite cooked enough, and there's still a bit of a beany smell."
Knowing that there were many young colleagues on duty at night, and that someone had kindly delivered fresh tofu pudding, Qin Xiangxiang cooked some extra wontons, filling two large jars, along with a box of braised food, and put them in her food container.
"You guys have quite a few on duty tonight, right?" Qin Xiangxiang exchanged a few casual pleasantries, intending to hand over the items to the orderly before slowly enjoying her late-night snack.
The orderly immediately said, "Of course, the leaders worked harder during today's maritime exercise."
"Sister-in-law, your midnight snack is ready. Let's hurry up and go. The car is already downstairs."
Qin Xiangxiang: "???"
“Officer Sun knows that you ‘specially’ got up in the middle of the night to make a midnight snack for Chief of Staff Li, and has already prepared a car.”
Qin Xiangxiang: "This..."
"Sister-in-law, is there anything else? Hurry up."
Qin Xiang swallowed back what she was about to say, while also feeling a little curious. So, she inexplicably followed the orderly downstairs and got into the car.
Her late-night snack was still at home; she had only eaten a few bites.
Naval base operations command center.
It was late at night, and a naval exercise was in full swing. The entire command room was brightly lit, and a huge, newly installed electronic nautical chart occupied one wall, its surface flashing with lights.
This is something new and unfamiliar to many people.
Li Jianzhi stood in front of the nautical chart, dressed in a white military uniform. His posture was as upright as a pine tree, making him the most composed and calm, and also the most eye-catching, presence in this busy command room.
The cold light from the screen illuminated his sharply defined profile, his jawline taut. His gaze was fixed intently on every subtle change on the nautical chart.
His left hand rested casually on the edge of the control panel, while his right hand held a red and blue pencil, occasionally drawing a light stroke on the auxiliary lines of the paper nautical chart on the stall.
When the captain's slightly urgent request came through the communication channel, he didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for three seconds. The entire command room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then, he slightly tilted his head, brought it closer to the microphone, and issued the order in a calm and unwavering tone:
"Deep Blue, this is the headship. Maintain the current course and reduce speed to 12 knots. The enemy is probing your warning range, so stay calm. In three minutes, proceed with the second contingency plan."
This brief instruction, like a reassuring pill, instantly calmed the anxiety at the front. The surrounding staff exchanged admiring glances and quickly took their respective actions.
The small command center returned to calm, but a tense, orderly tension still lingered in the air.
The back of Li Jianzhi's casual clothes was slightly damp with sweat from standing for a long time and concentrating intensely, outlining the contours of his strong back muscles.
A strong cup of tea, bearing the emblem of the August 1st Army, was brewing in the enamel mug beside him, but he barely had time to take a sip until it cooled down.
He received some good news from the staff officer, and only then did a very slight smile appear on his lips. He picked up the strong tea beside him and realized that it had gone cold.
Just then, Qin Xiangxiang got out of the car and, led by the person next to her, carrying a thermos in her hand, walked into the solemn command center with a bewildered look on her face.
She remained completely bewildered.
Where am I?
Where is this?
What am I doing?
And when exactly will she be able to eat her midnight snack?
Hearing the noise at the door, Li Jianzhi immediately turned around from in front of the nautical chart. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's when he was working, froze for a moment when they met the woman's pretty figure.
The couple were completely dumbfounded!
Qin Xiangxiang opened her eyes wide and spotted her husband, Li Jianzhi, in the crowd!
The husband in the command room seemed somewhat unfamiliar compared to his usual self, although he still had that neat short hair, deep features, high nose bridge, and his crisp military uniform accentuated his lean waist and upright posture. Maintaining such muscle mass at nearly forty years old was a testament to his extreme self-discipline.
"Think about it—" He swallowed back the word "wife." He wouldn't make any intimate gestures in front of his subordinates. He calmly and quickly stepped forward, naturally taking the heavy thermos from Qin Xiangxiang's hand. He said in a low voice, "It's so late, I'm sorry to trouble you to come all this way."
Qin Xiangxiang's gaze was deep and thoughtful: "..."
—I want to have a midnight snack.
In front of everyone, Li Jianzhi opened the food box, took a bite of the fragrant crab roe tofu pudding, and then said to the staff behind him, "Take a ten-minute break and try my wife's cooking."
Steaming hot crab roe tofu pudding, fragrant chicken soup wontons, savory braised dishes... the aroma of food wafts through the air.
Men have big appetites; they finish their meals in two or three minutes.
Qin Xiangxiang stared intently at the man in front of her, feeling as if she had transformed into a green-eyed zombie from a zombie movie.
When Li Jianzhi met his wife's resentful gaze, he wanted to laugh but dared not. He looked around and saw that there were people everywhere. In the end, he swallowed the small wonton that his wife had made herself.
In the pitch-black night, the sea breeze howled wildly, yet he felt an unparalleled warmth and sweetness in his heart.
The once full food box was now empty and a mess.
Li Jianzhi, carrying a food box, insisted on escorting her to the car, opening the door for her, and bending down to fasten her seatbelt. His face, which had been cold and hard for most of the night, softened under the moonlight. He whispered, "Drive carefully. Have the driver call me when you get home."
The car door closed, and the man behind her grew farther and farther away until he was no longer visible. Qin Xiangxiang looked away and then saw a White Rabbit candy in her palm.
The man secretly slipped it to her when she first got on the bus.
She whispered, "...It's a loss."
Her steaming hot crab roe tofu pudding, chicken soup wontons, and her braised dishes, all in exchange for just one piece of candy.
A truly magical night.
She unwrapped the candy, put the milky candy in her mouth, and enjoyed its sweetness.
When she got home, Qin Xiangxiang lay on the bed and told herself to forget about it. She slept soundly until dawn. When she woke up, she found another man in the bed. With the resentment from the previous night, she kicked him a few times.
Li Jianzhi smiled indulgently and pulled her into his arms. "Wife, have you been tricked?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "?"
“When I came back this morning, I heard people saying that if they were to film a sequel to ‘Director Qin’ in the future, they might add this scene from last night, saying that Director Qin was so concerned about her husband that she brought him a late-night snack while he was working overtime.”
Qin Xiangxiang was utterly shocked: "????!!!"
"Your base is really dangerous."
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