Chapter 16: Ramen and Pig Grass
Su Tao followed Tiedan and Erya to the river. The water was so clear that the pebbles on the bottom were faintly visible. The river surface was shimmering, sparkling in the sunlight.
Tiedan, familiar with the route, pulled Su Tao to a patch of lush grass and pointed to a plant, saying, "This is Grapewort."
Su Tao looked in the direction of his finger. The plant's leaves were green, oblong, and lanceolate, with a yellow tint. It looked like a smaller version of a sunflower. It was a very common plant, and the surrounding area was full of it.
The grass was easy to cut, and with his experience cutting rice a few days ago, Su Tao was very familiar with it. In half a day, the bamboo basket was almost full. Su Tao asked Erya and the others, and they thought that cutting two bamboo baskets a day was enough.
At noon, Su Tao planned to go back to the educated youth dormitory to cook something and take a nap, and then continue cutting in the afternoon.
Su Tao made an appointment with Tiedan and Erya to meet in the afternoon, right here by the river.
Back at the resettlement site, Su Tao went to the kitchen to make some ramen. The educated youth were no longer surprised to see Su Tao cooking; they had long since grown accustomed to him cooking on his own. Occasionally, they'd get jealous and mutter to themselves, "You spendthrift woman, how much does it cost to eat like this every day?"
Su Tao adds an appropriate amount of flour and half a bowl of salt water, stirring with chopsticks until the dough becomes fluffy. He then kneads the dough into a dough. He lets it rise, kneading it every ten minutes, repeating several times. He then removes the risen dough and cuts it into equal lengths. He then rolls the dough into long strips and lets it rest for another ten minutes. Finally, the complex process of pulling the noodles begins. Su Tao's hands sway as the noodles become thinner and thinner, her graceful and enchanting figure dancing like a fairy.
While the Su Tao roller is dancing, the pulled noodles are put into the pot of boiling water, and then put in the vegetables. After a few hours, the noodles are removed from the pot and placed on a plate. Then, a few slices of braised pork slices prepared earlier are placed on top, and a bowl of colorful, fragrant and delicious pulled noodles is ready.
The educated youth eating nearby were stunned. They knew Su Tao cooked and ate. They chatted with interest, watching Su Tao whip up something new. They had never seen traditional ramen before; they only knew the noodles were made by Su Tao's enchanting dance. They had never known cooking could be so beautiful; it was like a fairy cooking.
Watching Su Tao enjoying the noodles with gusto, the slurping sound of the noodles made the educated youths from far away feel the chewy texture of the noodles. Mixed with the fresh aroma of the braised meat, the educated youths were all salivating with greed.
Su Tao didn't have time to worry about other people's reactions. She'd spent so much time making the noodles, she needed to finish eating and rest. She'd deliberately left some extra noodles uncooked and put them in a bowl, planning to cook them in the evening for another meal.
As soon as he entered the dormitory, Su Tao felt a resentful gaze directed at him. He Xinyi? What was wrong with her? He hadn't had any feelings for Shen Ziqian recently.
Lu Xun once said that contempt for the enemy is silence. Su Tao was in no mood to pay attention to He Xinyi. He ignored her and walked past her slowly.
Lying in bed, Su Tao's thoughts drifted away, the image of that tall figure looming in his mind. He Xinyi had finished work so early? Had He Chuan helped her with the work, and then Shen Ziqian found out, got jealous, and started arguing with He Xinyi? And then He Xinyi took her out on him? Su Tao imagined the plot of a melodramatic idol drama.
Humph, He Chuan must be helping He Xinyi with the work. She will never pay attention to him again!
Su Tao cursed He Chuan in his heart and fell asleep in a daze.
-------------------------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
