It was the first time for both Yin Xiaoman and the children to ride on this kind of speedboat.
Although the roar of the engine hurt people's eardrums and the smell of diesel made people cry uncontrollably, everyone was extremely excited.
Yin Xiaoman's face no longer had the usual reserved calmness, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
From the moment she left the Vanguard Camp, the shackles that bound her seemed to be unlocked all at once, and she became full of life.
Although it was very tiring to run back and forth, especially for her, she had to keep an eye on the children and worry about the family's food. Even Shen Qingyun was a little worried that she would not be able to hold on.
But the smile in this little woman's eyes never disappeared.
The happiness was almost overflowing.
At this moment, she, Dabao and Erniu were all standing by the railing, leaning their heads and standing on tiptoe to look forward, their faces full of curiosity and anticipation.
From a distance, the three of them looked exactly the same, and looked like three siblings.
Shen Qingyun asked them to sit down twice, but no one listened.
He was so depressed that he could only act like an old father, repeatedly telling them to hold on to the handrails and not to move...
Then he walked back to his seat.
Before he could even sit down, the middle-aged man glanced at him with a smile and asked, "Are you sure that's your wife?"
Although he didn't say it explicitly, the look in his eyes clearly conveyed the mockery of "You are an old cow eating young grass."
Shen Qingyun felt a stomachache from the blockage.
This middle-aged man is called Lupin. Although he looks young, he is actually forty years old. He is the commander of the security regiment under the security zone and is also Shen Qingyun's current direct superior.
When he was training in Beijing before, he had dealt with this leader for quite a long time and they became very familiar with each other.
Ever since the security of Zhongshan Island was handed over to the B Province Garrison District, Lupin and his garrison regiment have shouldered this important task.
The First Guard Battalion that Shen Qingyun will lead this time is an important force stationed on the island, responsible for closely protecting the safety of the experts.
But they are not the only ones.
Because the task of the assault team this time is so important, not only the other side of the sea, but also other hostile forces are paying attention and are even looking for opportunities to sabotage.
Therefore, in the waters around the island, the guard regiment also arranged troops from several other battalions to conduct daily patrol inspections.
It has actually been less than a month since we received the order, so the safety work is still in the preparation stage.
Whether there are loopholes in security checks, inspections, and handovers, and whether there are any hidden dangers, everything is unknown.
No one can guarantee that experts will be allowed to come unless the loopholes and hidden dangers are completely eliminated.
The capital city gave a deadline.
So recently Lupin has stopped doing anything else and has been staying on the boat every day, wandering around the entire protected area with a few subordinates who are responsible for this work, carefully sorting out the procedures and looking for loopholes.
So after receiving the news that Shen Qingyun's family had arrived and wanted to apply to go to the island, he simply came to pick them up in person.
It was around five or six in the afternoon, when the sunset was the most beautiful in the day.
Even though Yin Xiaoman grew up by the sea, this was the first time for her to see the beautiful scenery in the sea.
Looking at the orange-red ball in the distance disappearing little by little below the sea level, the dazzling beauty deeply shocked her.
This made her even more full of expectations and longings for her new home.
They sat on the speedboat for almost two hours, until it was completely dark and they had to take out their coats to keep warm, before they finally reached their destination.
Although Zhongshan Island was listed as a secret base by the military, it has not actually been developed much. Even before it was determined as the base for the new project, there was only a squad of young soldiers who took turns staying there.
So it’s actually quite desolate.
It even looks like there is no one living there from a distance.
The family of four got off the boat in the dark, said goodbye to Lupin, and then followed the light that the speedboat had specially turned on for them, stepped on the slippery rocks, and finally reached the island.
Fortunately, after taking a few steps, I heard a series of footsteps, and then a few young soldiers ran over from a distance.
"Hello, Battalion Commander!"
They first saluted Shen Qingyun, and after he returned the salute, they rushed over and quickly took the large suitcases they were carrying.
One of them even picked up Erniu and carried her on his shoulders.
Another little soldier reached out to hug Dabao, but he shyly dodged.
"Sister-in-law, I'm Shi Lei, the platoon leader of the first security platoon. Our platoon will be stationed on the island this month. The accommodation has been arranged, we will take you to rest first."
The dark-skinned young man standing in the front took the box from Yin Xiaoman's hand and grinned at her, revealing a row of white teeth.
It looks particularly dazzling in the dark night.
After stepping over the slippery rocks, accompanied and led by several young soldiers, they finally walked from the boat landing place to a path. The trail is so narrow that two people can't even walk side by side.
It was too dark, and they now relied on the illumination of two flashlights in front and behind, so Yin Xiaoman couldn't see the surrounding environment clearly at all.
But she could feel the bumpy road beneath her feet, and if she wasn't careful her clothes would get caught on the branches on both sides.
Looking at the condition of this road, it doesn't look like it has been specially repaired. Instead, it looks like it has been trampled by cattle, horses, and wild beasts over the years.
After walking for about ten minutes, they finally reached a relatively flat hillside.
It has obviously been renovated.
The ground has been widened and hardened.
The ground was paved with large stone slabs, which were laid flat and level. There is even a concrete field at the end of the road that looks like a playground.
There are two basketball hoops on both sides of the playground, which are obviously used for soldiers' daily training and entertainment.
The residence arranged for Shen Qingyun and his family was right next to the playground. A special area was set aside there and several rows of houses were built there.
These houses were not as big as the ones they had previously lived in the Pioneer Camp. There were no partitions between households, and there was no dedicated courtyard outside the houses.
It is also obvious that although there are as many as forty or fifty units, there are actually almost no people living in them.
At least at this moment, all the houses were dark and deserted.
Sure enough, before Shen Qingyun could ask, Shi Lei took the initiative to introduce: "Battalion Commander, the dormitory of the guard company is on the west side of the hillside. This is a dormitory built specifically for experts. My sister-in-law is the only military worker on our island, and she is responsible for the experts' lives. So Captain Lu asked us to place your family here as well."
As he spoke, Shi Lei showed a simple smile, looked at Shen Qingyun and asked: "Captain, which one do you want to live in? Well, the experts haven't arrived yet, the houses are all empty, you can choose any one."
Sure enough, it was just as Yin Xiaoman guessed.
So, after Shen Qingyun cast a questioning look at her, she pointed to the last row, the innermost building without hesitation: "Live there."
There are many secrets in the house, and living in the front row where people come and go is naturally not as convenient as living in the back row.
As for such family matters, Shen Qingyun naturally let his wife make the decision. He nodded and asked Shi Lei and the others to help move the things over.
After entering the house, Yin Xiaoman looked around and found that the layout was actually no different from that of the Pioneer Camp. They all have a living room and two bedrooms. The kitchen is next to the living room and the toilet is not far outside the house.
Probably the design drawings for building houses in the army are all the same, except that the rooms are a little smaller, and there's nothing else to adapt to.
And just as Shen Qingyun said before coming, everything in the room had been prepared in advance.
Needless to say, there are tables, chairs and benches. The kitchen is also fully equipped with bowls, chopsticks and pots, and even the bed in the room is made.
But the two bedrooms were just like the soldiers' dormitories in the army, with two camp beds in each room, one on each side of the wall. There is a single wardrobe next to each bed, and the two beds are separated by two desks placed side by side. There is a desk lamp on the desk and a square stool underneath.
Each bed was covered with snow-white sheets and a green military blanket was placed at the head of the bed.
The quilts were folded into neat square blocks of tofu. It looks very neat and beautiful.
Yin Xiaoman was very satisfied with all this.
But looking at the two single beds far apart, Shen Qingyun finally couldn't help it and the corners of his mouth twitched.
But no one around him noticed his unhappiness.
After seeing his sister-in-law nodded in satisfaction, Shi Lei smiled and said, "Captain, sister-in-law, you've been tired all day, so you should rest early today. Let's go back first. We can talk about anything we need tomorrow when we meet."
As he said this, he was about to take his people away.
"Wait." Shen Qingyun stopped them and looked at Shi Lei: "Are you in charge of the island now?"
"Yes!" Shi Lei quickly stood at attention and answered.
"Don't be so nervous." Shen Qingyun waved at him, then said calmly: "Take me for a walk first."
Hearing him say this, Shi Lei hesitated for a moment: "Captain, you have been on the boat for several days..."
This time Shen Qingyun didn't even say a word. He put down the bag in his hand, turned around and walked out first.
Seeing him like this, the others quickly followed.
So, the three of them were the only ones left in the room.
Knowing that the man wanted to get familiar with the environment as quickly as possible so that he could start work earlier, Yin Xiaoman did not feel any dissatisfaction.
Taking a look at the two children who were obviously overexcited, now tired, sleepy and listless, she turned around and pretended to check the luggage, quickly took out two pieces of milk puffs from the space and stuffed one piece into each child's mouth.
I watched them finish eating, and then urged them to wash up and go to bed.
This milk puff was placed in the cupboard as a tribute on the first day of spring, and was taken away by her.
Although she had left notes more than once not allowing Lichun to kowtow to her or offer sacrifices.
But ever since she couldn't resist taking the fruits and snacks from the plate for the first time, the girl seemed to have figured out her thoughts and would put fresh fruits and various snacks newly made from the imperial kitchen in the cupboard every day.
Sometimes it’s common ones like jujube flower crisps and mung bean cakes, and sometimes there are new varieties developed by pastry chefs.
For example, the cream puff pastry she is feeding her two children right now was invented by the pastry chef some time ago.
That day, when Yin Xiaoman saw them, he immediately became interested.
Even if she didn't eat it, she could tell at a glance that the master made these to please the young masters.
I don’t know which little prince or princess this was specially prepared for, but it was certainly well thought out.
Because children have weak spleen and stomach, the crispy strips do not add a lot of other ingredients for the sake of taste. Instead, only the simplest flour, rice flour, sugar and cheese are used.
But it is made into small cubes the size of a fingertip, which is very suitable for children to hold and eat by themselves, one at a time.
In addition, in order to stimulate the appetite, the chef also mixed some small-sized hawthorn strips into the crispy strips, which not only would not choke the children, but also made it crispy and chewy. It not only has a milky flavor, but is also sour and sweet, and very delicious.
After just one look, Yin Xiaoman could tell that the two children would definitely like this thing and it was very nutritious. So I immediately decided to include them in the list of items to be exchanged with Lichun on weekdays.
Ever since the half bucket of seafood she put down that day saved Lichun's life again, their seafood trade officially began.
It has been done several times now.
Especially when she knew she was going to leave the Pioneer Camp and settle down in a new place, based on the principle of having goods in hand so that she would not be panicked, she bought goods from Uncle Li several times, and then exchanged a lot of things from Lichun.
Fortunately, the beginning of spring has once again attracted much attention with the birthday of the eldest prince, and the biggest worry now is that there is not enough seafood. So no matter how much Yin Xiaoman took, she would accept it all, the more the better.
He wished that all of Yin Xiaoman's requests could be met immediately.
Therefore, the current transaction is very satisfactory for both parties.
Speaking of that birthday party, Lichun was able to be the center of attention again, all thanks to Yin Xiaoman.
The eldest prince’s birthday is always a big event in the palace.
Especially this time, he specifically asked the chefs in the imperial kitchen to present a specialty dish each, which brought this birthday banquet to a new level.
Not only did the Emperor and Empress announce their intention to attend, but even the Empress Dowager said she wanted to come and take a look.
With these three great gods in charge, anyone with some status in the palace would naturally try their best to participate.
So, what was originally a simple birthday party for the prince turned into a palace banquet.
Even though no one said it explicitly, under such hype, open and covert fighting among chefs had obviously already taken place.
Although Lichun is Yin Xiaoman's eldest disciple, he was also the one she valued the most. But she is young after all and has only been a chef for a short time.
Even when Yin Xiaoman was around, what people valued about her was her ability to manage things. When it came to her cooking skills, there was still room for improvement.
This is something everyone knows, and no one would have mentioned it in the past.
After all, for an aunt who manages the imperial kitchen, management skills are much more important than cooking skills.
But it just so happened that her bowl of shrimp noodles had received great praise from the Imperial Concubine. Not only that, she had also received praise and rewards from the Emperor.
In the imperial kitchen, no one had ever enjoyed such a grand ceremony, even if they were experienced chefs who had worked there for many years.
Being lifted up to such a high position for no apparent reason was like being roasted by fire every day.
And there is no place to express this kind of discomfort.
This really leaves Lichun speechless.
She knew better than anyone that if she could not produce a work that would impress everyone at the birthday banquet, or in other words, if she could not satisfy the eldest prince.
Not to mention how disobedient those old chefs would be from now on, she and her cronies would no longer have a place to stand in the imperial kitchen and would never be able to hold their heads up again.
As soon as Lichun mentioned all this, Yin Xiaoman naturally understood it.
Therefore, after throwing away the seafood, she was still not completely relieved, fearing that Lichun would still not be able to stand firm relying on those alone.
So after much thought, she went back to the imperial kitchen that night and left the recipe for the seafood hotpot.
This is something she figured out on her own during this period. It started when she saw a charcoal hot pot in the kitchen that she didn't know where they got it from.
Wang Jun told her that it was a pot used for hot pot, and it might be a trophy captured before. There was no use for it, so everyone sent it to the canteen.
But these days, let alone mutton, you can’t even find mutton bones! So the pot can only be placed in the corner and collect dust, with no use at all.
The pot was useless to Wang Jun and his men, but for Yin Xiaoman, it was like a new door opened up.
After learning the specific usage, several hot pot recipes instantly popped up in her mind.
In her previous era, there was no such thing as hot pot, but there was still a custom of eating from the pot.
It's just that the pot is a big casserole, and all the meat and vegetables to be eaten are put into it. After they are stewed until they are well cooked, they are served to the masters, just to keep it warm.
This kind of pot can be lit with fire and you can cook whatever you want, which has never been seen before.
This was very novel to her.
Since the charcoal hot pot was of no use to Wang Jun and his friends, Yin Xiaoman borrowed it and took it home to cook it several times.
Anyway, there is always coal at home and there is no one else around, so she doesn't have to worry too much.
After closing the door, she tried mutton hotpot, fish hotpot, and seafood hotpot one after another. The soup base also changed from tomato and mushroom to fish and bone...she could cook any of the dishes she wanted.
Anyway, for the two children, as long as their mother makes delicious food, who cares what she makes? Apart from showing their support, the two children never asked any more questions.
When Lichun said that the chefs in the imperial kitchen were going crazy for the eldest prince's banquet and everyone was thinking about new dishes, Yin Xiaoman thought about it and thought again, and still felt that this seafood pot was the most reliable.
First, it’s fresh, and second, things are easy to find. The most important point is that it has no technical content.
Otherwise, it would be unrealistic to expect a big leap in cooking skills by the beginning of spring if you cram now.
And this hot pot recipe was prepared to near perfection through repeated experimentation.
As long as Lichun follows his own method and imitates others, it will not be easy to fail.
The only troublesome thing is the preparation of the hot pot.
But for a palace guarded by so many skilled craftsmen, this is not a difficult task.
So, she spent half a day carefully drawing a hot pot manufacturing diagram, along with the recipe for the pot base and how to eat it, and gave it to Lichun.
After seeing the note left by Yin Xiaoman, Lichun was stunned.
Her first reaction was that the fairy brought out for her the eating utensils they used in the Heavenly Palace!
Not to mention the recipe, just the eating utensils called hot pot are something I have never seen before.
Without saying a word, she kowtowed several times towards the wooden cabinet in gratitude!
Although the fairy told her not to worship, she couldn't live with herself if she didn't kowtow.
After bowing, Lichun did not dare to delay at all. He first copied the drawing of the fairy by himself, and then asked someone to call a skilled craftsman as quickly as possible.
After several days of thinking and repeated experiments, a few people finally made ten pure copper hot pots two days before the birthday banquet.
The hot pot was made exactly according to Yin Xiaoman's drawings.
The only difference is that it is more exquisite.
Because it was to be used by the nobles in the palace, the craftsmen naturally tried their best to make its appearance perfect.
In addition to the handles on both sides being designed to look like auspicious beasts, the pot body is also engraved with exquisite patterns.
Even if it hasn't been used yet, just looking at it gives it a different aura.
At this time, Lichun also prepared a perfect soup base according to Yin Xiaoman's method.
…
The broth made from fresh fish and lamb bones is white, fresh and fragrant. After filtering out the residue, it is poured into the hot pot, and then the freshest seafood that Yin Xiaoman specially delivered is added.
Bright red prawns, tender white squid, plump abalone, tender clams, plus yellow corn, white bamboo shoots, black mushrooms, and fish balls, shrimp balls, and crab meat and egg corners made by Lichun himself...
On the day of the birthday banquet, Lichun led the team personally and entered the room one after another with the palace maids from the imperial kitchen. They presented ten seafood pots to the masters.
The palace maids, dressed in the uniform of the imperial kitchen, each held a vermilion tray in their hands. On each tray was a piece of extremely exquisite tableware that had never been seen before.
The tableware was completely different from the porcelain and pottery that people used every day. It had a strange shape and a dazzling golden color.
There was clearly a circle of food placed outside, and even with the lid on, you could still hear the gurgling sound of the soup bubbling inside.
The middle of the tableware was hollow, as if there was charcoal inside that was burning fiercely, with sparks occasionally coming out and making crackling sounds.
No one had ever seen such a scene before, and everyone showed curious expressions.
As they walked by, a brief silence fell in the originally bustling hall, and everyone's eyes were attracted by the shiny new tableware.
But what they never expected was that in front of delicious food, novel tableware meant nothing at all!
The moment Lichun opened the lid of the hot pot for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, a rich aroma immediately filled the air.
There was a sudden sound of gasps in the palace.
After her, the palace maids also opened the lids of the hot pots placed in front of other nobles. Suddenly, the hall, which had been extremely quiet before, became lively.
"What's this?"
"tasty!"
"Oh my god, this thing still has a shell?"
"Give me another bowl."
“I want one too!”
The nobles who were originally dignified and paid the most attention to their appearance and manners now seemed to have collectively lost their memory and no longer cared about those things.
Various voices of praise and requests filled the air on all sides.
He gently raised his eyelids and looked at the nobles' extremely surprised eyes and their obsessed expressions when they ate the delicious food. Lichun's heart finally settled back into his stomach.
She knew that no matter how the game continued, she would win again this time.
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