Amidst laughter and chatter, the crab hot pot and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish were delicious...
After a week of renovation, the base has been completely transformed.
Everywhere is covered with greenery, the garden is full of flowers, and the air is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.
When the wind blows, it rustles.
The base hospital's ventilation system brings fresh spiritual energy into the building; while it can't compare to a real guide, it's a constant source.
The condition of the sentinels in the hospital is also getting better and better. Many of the comatose sentinels that Kuwano had never seen before have recently woken up, and their families have applied to come to Black Tower to visit them.
However, due to the secrecy and privacy of Black Tower Star, only one group of people are allowed to visit each week.
As for certain aristocratic families, they also had their own channels in addition to the official application process.
However, everyone who comes to Black Tower is amazed by the garden-like Black Tower base. They often visit relatives and, after a short while, take the patients out for a stroll in the garden.
They looked around and smelled everything, finding it all very novel.
Camellia was among a group of family members who came to visit. Her mother had a mental breakdown and almost accidentally hurt her. Helpless, her grandmother had to send her mother to Black Tower Star, where she soon fell into a coma.
When Camellia was little, she often asked when her mother would come back. As she grew older and started school, she gradually learned some things and realized that her mother might never come back.
As her grandmother grew older and her energy waned, she took on family affairs while serving in the military, becoming increasingly busy and visiting her mother less frequently.
Moreover, the family business has shrunk drastically recently, with almost half of it being taken over by another family.
Just as Camellia was feeling depressed, news arrived from Black Tower Star that her mother had awakened.
She couldn't wait to go and visit him.
The mother in the hospital bed was thin, and her muscles had atrophied slightly due to years of not exercising, but overall she was still improving.
Despite not having seen her for many years, Shan Wanqing looked at her daughter, now grown up, and felt a little unfamiliar, but familiar feelings slowly returned, as if she were recalling how her daughter used to act cute when she was a child.
It was precisely because of this affection that she could see the weariness hidden beneath Camellia's smile.
After repeated questioning, Camellia finally told the truth.
The Camellia family rose to prominence starting with the grandmother's generation. The grandmother served two dynasties and originally worked for a legion under the command of the eldest princess.
Grandma wasn't particularly capable; she was just an ordinary soldier. After all, not every soldier can become a general.
However, her ability to assess the situation was extremely strong. As if guided by some unseen intuition, her grandmother quickly withdrew from the army. Her grandmother did as she was told and returned to the small planet where she was born. As it turned out, she made the right bet. The current emperor was magnanimous enough not to purge the old troops of her other sisters, but this basically meant that her career was over.
After leaving the army, my grandmother relied on her good relationships within the military and her extensive travels in her early years to become a middleman during the turbulent times, connecting the army with all sorts of suppliers, from clothing to nutrient solutions.
It was during this turbulent time, when everyone's position was precarious and they might be ousted at any moment, that my grandmother found an opportunity. Once her fame spread, she became the top choice for many organizations.
However, if you ask your grandmother how she has managed to stay afloat, she will tell you it's because she provides financial support and appeases both sides.
Later, with his daughter Shan Wanqing joining the army and being promoted, the less flattering reputation he once had became a thing of the past.
The family also started to establish their own factories, specializing in large-scale, targeted businesses.
However, after Shan Wanqing's mental breakdown, the camellia did not grow up, and old friends retired, passed away, or moved away, leaving the family with less and less support.
So when an S-class guide suddenly appeared, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
He brought his legion members with him, along with his businesses and network of connections.
As a result, the family business gradually shrank, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Old friends advised Camellia to restrain herself.
With all the products being roughly the same, it doesn't matter which one you buy; no one will offend that S-class guide.
Unless Camellia can come up with a groundbreaking product.
Obviously she didn't.
Even if such a product truly existed, it would only appear on the capital planet, the place with the most advanced technology.
Shan Wanqing, however, keenly sensed something unusual: "An S-level guide?"
The Empire has only five S-class guides, and Emperor Lin Shuangqiao and Secretary-General Sain will not leave the capital planet.
Marshal Wu Jinyue is stationed on Mingyang Star. He has handed over all matters, big and small, to his granddaughter. The Wu family's businesses are concentrated in large-scale military industry, with warships and weapons production being the most famous.
The remaining two S-rank guides included Lin Qingdai, the emperor's half-sister. Even after the war for the throne ended, she refused to surrender, preferring to perish alongside Lin Shuangqiao. She was placed under house arrest by the emperor in the royal estate, rarely allowed to leave.
There was also a male guide whose origins were unknown, named Song Yu. Rumor had it that he was kind and approachable, always had a smile on his face, and was devoted to the sentries. Whenever a war broke out on the front lines, he would go immediately if the emperor gave the order, never shirking his duty or disregarding his physical exhaustion.
This is why he gained the emperor's trust.
“It’s him.” Camellia nodded immediately.
"How could someone like that be exiled to our planet? It's no different from being banished." Shan Wanqing was a little confused.
Camellia simply shook her head at this, saying that this matter was too unusual, and everyone had their own guesses, but no one had come up with a specific reason.
As soon as visiting hours began, the nurse immediately stood at the door and knocked: "Please let the patient continue to rest. You can come to visit again tomorrow."
Camellia had no choice but to reluctantly wave goodbye to Shan Wanqing.
A visitation cycle is one week. That's all the time I can spend with my mother.
She only realized the changes at the base after she left the hospital.
She was so excited and overjoyed when she arrived that she didn't pay any attention to the new decorations.
Camellia stood somewhat bewildered under the second-floor window. Beside the window was a pot of green cherry blossoms, their branches stretching freely, their small pink flowers blooming vibrantly, drooping above Camellia's head.
She knew the base was wealthy, but she didn't expect it to be this wealthy.
Even the capital planet, or the Mingyang planet, which is jokingly called the botanical garden, does not have such a wide variety of flowers and plants.
The benefits brought by the plants are obvious. With the combined efforts of the air purifiers and plants in the large protective enclosure of the base, even the air seems fresh, with a slight dampness from the dew, but just right.
The little flowers on the head have no scent, but they decorate the view and make it colorful.
Camellia still remembers the woman carefully pruning the branches on the second floor.
She used to be the most troublesome sentry in the base hospital. When things were good, she was an excellent officer; when things were bad, she was highly destructive and aggressive, and she didn't distinguish between friend and foe.
Camellia once ran away with her head in her hands.
But she clearly didn't remember what she had done during her mental breakdown. When she saw Camellia looking at her, she returned a faint smile. She seemed harmless, kind, and gentle.
Camellia wouldn't hold a grudge about the past. Besides, everyone used to think that coming to Black Tower Star was like being sentenced to death. Now that she's been able to recover, Camellia is happy for her even if they're not her family.
Camellia shook off those distracting thoughts and walked along, seeing many plant species that only appeared in textbooks, or were just empty promises made by the Academy of Sciences when recruiting students: that in the future we could revive plants and turn the entire interstellar space into a botanical garden.
On the mineral planet Black Tower, they are vibrant and full of life, no longer the cold and blurry pictures in textbooks.
There was a huge field in front of the hospital, divided into various small squares, a dark expanse, and it was unclear what was planted there. It was fenced off and had a sign that read: "Do Not Step On It."
It's a bit mysterious, but the black soil isn't anything special.
The camellias followed the plants westward, and the further west you went, the more varieties of flowers appeared under the covered walkway.
Clusters of roses bloom in different colors, with intricate petals and vibrant hues, just like an oil painting.
Camellia was so engrossed in watching that she didn't notice a sturdy little figure running towards her.
Wu Jianing laughed happily as she chased and played with the shrunken Pixiu and Phoenix behind her.
The little Pixiu and the little Phoenix both deliberately let her go, pretending they couldn't catch up. The little Phoenix even clamored, "Don't run so fast, wait for us."
When the warning was uttered, "Someone's there!"
Wu Jianing bumped into Shan Cha's calf with a thud, and both of them fell backward.
Wu Jia Ning is still young, and Shan Cha's weakness is simply due to not exercising properly and not drinking her nutritional supplements recently.
No one knew how the two of them could make such a loud noise, like two cars colliding head-on. The sound was so loud that even Kuwano and the others who were having afternoon tea in the courtyard could hear it.
"Ningning?" Du Yuan got up even faster than Sangye and rushed to the door.
Wu Jianing didn't understand why this older sister was suddenly hugging and comforting her. She wasn't a child who liked to cry. The last time she cried was because the amputation was too painful.
"What are you doing?" The little phoenix flapped its wings and darted in front of them, staring at the camellia and asking fiercely. But the little bird with its beady green eyes was not very intimidating.
Camellia looked down at Wu Jianing, who was also looking at her. After a staring contest, Wu Jianing spoke first: "Sister, I'm not in pain."
Camellia awkwardly released the child from her arms.
Du Yuan chased after her, patted Wu Jianing up and down to make sure she wasn't injured, then turned to Shan Cha across the table: "You are...?"
"I came to visit my family. The flowers were in full bloom along the way, and I just found myself here without realizing it," Camellia explained somewhat awkwardly.
The various trees and flowers grown outdoors at the base are the easiest to keep alive, making it convenient for the base to send people to take care of them in a unified manner, and it does not require too much manpower; while the trees and flowers in the Xixiaolou area are precious and delicate, but they are also more dazzling.
Du Yuan and Sangye had taken care of many spiritual herbs and flowers in the Shifangwu spiritual vein, so they were quite adept at it.
The large, vibrant roses are blooming in the backyard, all "fed" with the meat of spirit beasts.
When they had the energy, they would continue to transplant flowers outwards, gradually decorating the West Building and the connecting corridor with a profusion of flowers.
Camellia's eyes were filled with undisguised amazement.
Du Yuan exudes a gentle spiritual energy that makes people feel comfortable and unconsciously lower their guard.
"Feifei—" Melusin's voice came from afar, calling out the Pixiu's nickname as she approached the group.
When she saw Camellia, she exclaimed "Oh my!" and recognized her: "Aren't you Camellia?"
Camellia didn't have much of an impression of her.
"Have you forgotten me? You and your grandmother met once when you went to the capital planet's finance department to reconcile accounts."
Melusin's pretty, doll-like face gradually awakened Camellia's memories: "Ah—"
She let out a long sigh.
Speaking of this, Camellia completely remembered Melusin, and it also awakened the terrifying fact that she could tell where all the money went with just a glance.
Maintaining a network of relationships isn't something you can achieve by having a few meals together or hanging out a few times. Among adults, there's no relationship more stable than money, except for blood ties.
There is a gray area in nature.
The books looked fine, but Melusin could still spot it at a glance.
Especially at the time when they were undergoing financial audits by the military.
Melusin only glanced at the accounts, then suddenly smiled at her grandmother. Camellia, who was fifteen at the time, was deeply impressed by what Melusin said next—
"It's not easy for you to do business, you have to maintain good relationships with so many people. Luckily you're not stupid enough to have taken money from the company account, otherwise you wouldn't be able to leave this room today."
Grandma wanted to argue something.
But after Melusin quietly mentioned a few names, Grandma was completely defeated.
Later, her grandmother told her that the name Melusin was referring to was not the name registered on her ID card, but rather a former name.
With the ascension of a new emperor, some people had to change their names and erase their past in order to continue serving in the army of the corner planet.
Seeing Camellia's wary expression, Melusin smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. I was just trying to scare you. There's never a time when I'd go after everyone. Otherwise, who would do the work?"
She was simply following orders.
Seeing that the others hadn't returned, Sangye finally couldn't wait any longer and came out as well.
It wasn't that Sangye didn't care about Wu Jianing, but rather that she knew Wu Jianing too well. It was nothing more than a minor bump or bruise, or a fight with Little Phoenix.
And Little Phoenix often follows along.
When there is danger, Little Phoenix is the best security guard; when there is no danger, Little Phoenix is the biggest danger.
Upon seeing Sangye's appearance, Melusin's eyes flashed.
She suddenly spoke up, "Sangsang, this is camellia. My family specializes in purchasing for military hospitals."
That's all she needs to say.
Sang Yeyi understood.
“We’re about to have dinner, would you like to join us?” Sangye invited.
"Dinner?" Camellia was puzzled. Sangye's semi-finished products hadn't yet reached her planet, nor had Jiang Siwei expanded to it. This term was still very new to her.
Melusin just smiled, picked up the little Pixiu named Feifei, and walked towards the courtyard of the west building first: "You'll know once you eat it."
*
Recently, Du Yuan has been teaching the hospital staff a lot of cooking skills and recipes. The hospital has even set up a special position to take care of the sentries' daily meals, which has greatly reduced the burden on Sangye.
The kitchen in the West Small Building accepts orders from the sentries, but basically, they eat whatever the Sangye family eats, except for Aso Mente, who is still in confinement after childbirth and receives special care from Du Yuan.
Even high-ranking military officers have to rotate shifts regularly, so the amount of food they cook each day is not fixed; sometimes the quantity is large and sometimes the quantity is small.
Camellia arrived at the perfect time; almost all the senior officers, except for the executive officer, had been rotated out, and the only ones confirmed to be returning were Wu Huansheng and his wife.
Du Yuan originally wanted to send bone broth and pork kidney soup back to Aso Mente, but Aso Mente was so engorged with breast milk that she couldn't stand it and sent several messages to Du Yuan telling her not to do it anymore, as she wanted to eat something ordinary.
Du Yuan then stopped, and Aso Mente "escaped a disaster".
In the small kitchen, everyone had a clear division of labor and performed their respective duties.
Lin Changli was ordered by Aso Mente to deal with the sea monsters of the Tide Sea, and he wouldn't be home for a while.
Little Wu Jia Ning carefully rinsed the rice, washing the Northeast pearl rice, black rice, red rice, and oat kernels in batches, soaking them briefly to allow them to swell and expand, thus avoiding a dry texture.
Steam the mixed grain rice with water in the correct proportions, then sprinkle a few drops of sesame oil on top. This will make the steamed mixed grain rice even more fragrant.
Sangye caught several mandarin fish from Dongtian Lake. The fish came from Taihu Lake and are the best variety for making Squirrel Mandarin Fish. Mandarin fish raised in different water qualities will have obvious differences in quality and taste.
The freshly caught mandarin fish are covered in black and gray scales, have a wide mouth, and sharp fins standing upright on their backs. Their scales shimmer with a silvery-blue light, and their gills are bright red like blood when they are alive.
The most difficult part of making squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is the decorative cuts. The fish meat must be cut into "diamond-shaped wheat ears," with each piece of fish meat spaced almost evenly apart, like a squirrel's tail spreading out fluffy, hence the name. Each cut is deep enough to see the bone, but without damaging the main bone at all, making it easier to shape later.
Only Sangye and Du Yuan could achieve this effect here; knife skills require years of hard practice, and even Rong Cheng couldn't persevere.
The two men modified their knives. Du Yuan's movements were meticulous and skillful, while Sangye's were bold and decisive, with no detail overlooked.
You can also tell a lot about a person's personality from how they use a knife.
After making the decorative cuts, the two divided the work: one marinated and fried the fish, while the other prepared the sauce.
The marinating process is similar: mix white vinegar, white sugar, scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, and cooking wine, coat the ingredients evenly, and let it sit.
Then mix cornstarch with water, add a few eggs, coat the fish evenly in the cornstarch mixture, and then deep-fry it.
One pot of oil can only fry one fish. For the second fish, the oil must be changed, otherwise the fish will not be fresh enough.
The remaining oil can be used for stir-frying, which will infuse the dish with the aroma of fish.
After the oil is added to the pot, heat it over high heat until it reaches 180°C before adding the fish. Sangye holds the fish by the tail and puts it into the pot from the side. Frying it for a while will set its shape; the tail of the mandarin fish will stick up high, mimicking the posture of a squirrel sitting. Then, the oil temperature is heated to continuously force out the oil from the fish meat. Only in this way will the fish skin become crispy.
The fish fillets, once scooped out, have a golden-brown, shiny back, are fluffy and burst open, with oil droplets constantly rolling off.
Placed on a long plate, Du Yuan poured the prepared seasoning over it, further enhancing the aroma of the mandarin fish.
The sauce is made by stir-frying corn, mung beans, tomato sauce, and a small amount of osmanthus sauce together and heating them. Finally, a small amount of cornstarch is added to thicken it. The sweet and sour taste can be adjusted according to personal preference.
As soon as the loud noise of the fried fish in Sangye started, Melusin had already pulled Wu Jia Ning far away and sat in the restaurant with Camellia, watching from a distance.
As the aroma of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, its rich, oily fragrance, and the sweet and sour flavor of the sauce wafted out, Camellia couldn't help but swallow hard and craned her neck to peer into the kitchen.
Melusin poured three times the amount of hot orange tea and patiently inquired about Camellia's recent situation.
Camellia carefully told Melusin about her family's situation and the difficulties they faced.
Of course, Meluxin knew Song Yu; she was also considered a close advisor to the emperor.
Song Yu was suddenly "exiled" right after he was asked by the emperor to have five top-tier guides gather to provide mental support for Lin Changli.
Even Prince Lin Qingdai, who had always been at odds with the emperor, agreed to help that time.
But it ultimately ended in failure.
Meilushin had met Song Yu and knew his reputation and way of doing things. He was a person who put his all into everything he did, and she had never seen him slack off or neglect his duties. Even if he couldn't complete every order perfectly, he would still be credited for his hard work, if not for his achievements.
So when he was transferred, stripped of his real power, and sent to a remote planet, the emperor's close advisors were shocked and puzzled. But out of trust in the emperor, no one questioned it.
Melusin subtly inquired with the eunuch, who had always treated Duke Seren and his daughter with great courtesy. At that moment, the eunuch fell silent, his face turning very ugly, and he solemnly warned Melusin never to mention this person again.
Everyone speculated that he had made a basic mistake during his mental cleansing, which made the prince's condition worse and thus led to the emperor's dislike of him.
But the emperor was not one to harshly criticize his subordinates for "making mistakes".
Unless he did something with ulterior motives.
With Melusin's brow furrowed, the central subject of the conversation returned.
Lin Changli's light warship landed on the cliff, and he climbed over the back wall to get in.
"I'm back." He greeted her familiarly, as if she were coming home.
Sang Ye, who was deep-frying crabs, didn't hear him speak at all. It was Du Yuan who took a moment out of his busy schedule to reply: "You're back? Go take a shower first, then come out and wash the crabs."
Du Yuan had become accustomed to giving him orders.
Lin Changli peeked into the bustling Sang Ye inside, but wisely refrained from disturbing him. The new person inside didn't attract much of his attention; he simply nodded and turned to leave.
Since Sangye arrived, there have been more new faces in the West Building than in the decades he spent on Black Tower Star.
"That's not it, that's not it..." Camellia's eyes widened.
Melusin snapped out of her daze and nodded: "It is His Highness."
The only people who know the truth about what happened back then are the five guides and Lin Changli.
Crabs are the most unruly food, always running around, and their claws can pinch and hurt, so Du Yuan hates washing them the most.
After Lin Changli finished showering, she and Lin Changli each used a toothbrush and a small water gun to clean the crab's abdomen and eight legs; then they washed some shrimp and removed their heads.
After Sangye finished frying the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, he came out and found that Lin Changli had returned.
"You're back." She was carrying a bowl of chicken wings and chicken feet. The chicken wings had been cut, and the chicken feet had had their supports and calluses removed. They were going to marinate for a while.
Lin Changli responded, his hands still moving. The two seemed to have a tacit understanding, as if they had known each other for many years and were very familiar with each other, so there was no need for many words.
Take the cleaned crabs, coat them with a thin layer of flour water, and fry them briefly in the oil left over from frying the fish until fragrant. Remove the crabs when their shells can be easily separated with a gentle touch.
Then fry the chicken wings and chicken feet as well, and take them out for later use.
Add seafood sauce, oyster sauce, tomato sauce, garlic chili sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon, and cooking wine to a casserole dish. Mix well, add water and bring to a boil. Add crab, chicken wings, and chicken feet.
When the mixture is halfway through cooking, add the diced corn and potatoes.
This is the second dish I'm going to make today: crab stew.
After simmering for 20 minutes, the sauce had completely infused the crab meat, the chicken feet and wings were so tender they were practically falling apart at the touch, and the potatoes looked like they were about to melt into the broth. The broth was thick and flavorful, and the aroma was irresistible the moment the lid was lifted.
After washing his hands, Du Yuan first instructed the sentries in the small kitchen to pack the items and have the robot deliver them.
After Sangye came out, the group brought dinner to the table together.
Wu Jianing rubbed her little hands excitedly, eagerly waiting for the adults to sit down and start the meal.
This is the first time in all of Camellia's life that she has eaten a real "dinner," not a nutrient solution or a cake that's been artificially sweetened and crumbles at the slightest touch.
The rice was soft and fluffy, the crab meat was springy and chewy, the chicken wings were tender and smooth, the broth was rich and flavorful, and the fish was sweet, sour, and incredibly crispy...
It all felt like a dream.
Black Tower Star is like a miracle, not only growing extinct flowers, plants and trees, but also having miraculous delicacies.
The food was so delicious that she wanted to cry.
Sangye always ate slowly and carefully, and suddenly a small bowl was placed in front of her.
The rice was rolled into a ball, and on top of it, two peppercorns and a shrimp whisker were arranged to form a crab's smiling face. Green scallions were used to make two small eyebrows, and eight shrimp disguised as crab legs hung around the edge of the bowl.
Drizzle a ring of sauce over it, and this crab bowl is both cute and delicious.
Sangye smiled with delight, then turned to see Lin Changli slowly wiping his hands, which still had soup on them.
"You don't mind getting dirty this time?" Kuwano said, promoting the product.
She remembered that the last time Lin Changli ate lobster, it was a robot that peeled it for him.
Lin Changli smiled faintly.
But when Wu Jia Ning saw the crab bowl, he stopped laughing.
"I want one too! I want one too!" Wu Jianing pouted.
Unable to resist Sang Ye's gaze, Lin Changli could only dutifully shake one for Wu Jianing as well.
Amidst laughter and merriment, another beautiful day has arrived.
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