Chapter 243 Can't Sleep
Preparing the eels was quite a challenge; these slippery creatures kept wriggling on the cutting board, as if deliberately causing trouble.
Lu Fan lost his patience after being tormented and punched the eel.
The eel immediately quieted down and fell silent.
"That's right. Don't have so many opinions. This world doesn't need you to have so many opinions. It's useless for you to voice them. Do you really think you have any rights? Silence is golden, don't you know?"
Hearing this, An Lan, who was helping to wash the vegetables, couldn't help but smile and shake her head.
Next, he put the prepared eels and pheasants into the big pot all at once.
Add an appropriate amount of water, then add ginger slices, scallion segments, cooking wine and other seasonings in sequence. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer slowly.
In an instant, a tempting aroma filled the air, so enticing that it made one's mouth water.
While the soup was simmering, Lu Fan immediately started making braised eel.
He placed the pot on the fire and heated it, poured in an appropriate amount of oil, and waited until the oil was slightly smoking before adding scallions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant.
With a few sizzling sounds, a rich aroma instantly filled the air.
Next, he poured the chopped eel pieces into the pot and stir-fried them quickly.
As the eel is continuously stir-fried, its skin gradually turns golden and crispy, and its aroma becomes increasingly rich and mellow.
Lu Fan added an appropriate amount of soy sauce, a little sugar and salt to taste, stir-fried it evenly, added a small amount of water, covered the pot and simmered it for a while.
Meanwhile, An Lan was also busy cooking noodles.
After the water boiled, she gently put the noodles into the pot, stirring them lightly with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together.
Soon the noodles were cooked, and she scooped them out and put them into two large bowls.
"Dinner's ready!"
Lu Fan carried a plate of tempting braised eel, while An Lan carried a plate of steaming noodles. The two sat side by side at a small table in the courtyard, ready to enjoy this sumptuous dinner.
"Wow, this braised eel looks incredibly delicious!"
An Lan picked up a piece of eel, put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly. The tender eel meat spread in her mouth, and the rich aroma instantly bloomed on her taste buds. She couldn't help but give it a thumbs up.
Then, she picked up a piece and handed it to Lu Fan, saying enthusiastically, "Try it!"
Lu Fan didn't stand on ceremony and shamelessly used his mouth to put the meat in his mouth, saying indistinctly, "Mmm, so delicious, my cooking skills are top-notch!"
An Lan rolled her eyes at him, but a smile remained on her lips, and she didn't say anything more.
The two ate noodles and enjoyed braised eel, their laughter echoing in the shelter's courtyard.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Fan suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I almost forgot about the Dragon and Phoenix Soup!"
He hurriedly ran into the kitchen and ladled out the stewed dragon and phoenix soup.
In the steaming soup bowl, eel and pheasant meat blend together, releasing a delicious aroma.
"Anlan, quickly try this Dragon and Phoenix Soup. It nourishes yin and yang, is very nutritious, and tastes delicious!" Lu Fan ladled a bowl of soup for Anlan and handed it to her.
An Lan took the soup bowl, blew on it gently, and took a sip. The delicious soup spread in her mouth, and her eyes immediately shone like stars twinkling in the night sky.
He then drank it down sip after sip, saying contentedly, "I've never even seen a wild eel in the real world, let alone eaten one. I'm really in for a treat today!"
Seeing An Lan's satisfied expression, Lu Fan felt happy too.
As they drank their soup, the two shared their adventures in the swamp that day. When they got to the funny parts, they laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt.
Big Black was wagging its tail beside them, gazing at them longingly, occasionally letting out a few "woof woof" sounds, as if to say, "Master, stop laughing, I want to eat too! Don't just keep laughing!"
At this moment, the live stream room was also bustling with activity.
"Who's really surviving in the wilderness? I don't even eat as well as they do, it's heartbreaking!"
"My mouth is watering just looking at the screen, it looks so delicious!"
"Wild eel, this is a very nutritious food. I'm afraid God Lu Fan will be full of energy tonight and won't be able to sleep."
"It's good that I can't sleep. I can get up and practice my 'craft,' and maybe I can even develop a new skill."
After dinner, the two lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
It wasn't that I had any secret worries; it was simply that the Dragon and Phoenix Soup and the eel were too potent in their nourishing effects.
I felt unbearably hot all over, as if a raging fire was burning inside me.
Lu Fan rolled over in bed, feeling unbearably hot. He threw off the covers and turned to An Lan, suggesting, "Since we can't sleep anyway, why don't we chat to relieve our boredom?"
As he spoke, he rolled over like a mischievous child, facing An Lan directly, a sly grin on his face. "Hehe, I suddenly have this wonderful feeling of sharing a bed and having a long talk."
An Lan rolled her eyes at him, pretending to be angry, and scolded him irritably, "Don't think about such wonderful things. We're just having a chat. Stop making wild assumptions. Your mind is full of unhealthy ideas."
So the two of them started chatting, and before they knew it, the topic turned to family.
An Lan looked up at the top of the tent, her gaze gradually softening, and her thoughts drifted back to the past.
She said softly, “When I was little, my parents were very busy with work, so I followed my uncle to learn medicine. My uncle was an experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Back then, I watched him take patients’ pulses and prescribe medicine every day. Every move he made seemed amazing. It was from then on that I developed a strong interest in traditional Chinese medicine. Later, I naturally embarked on the path of becoming a doctor, and I have been working for two years now.”
Recalling the wonderful time she spent learning medicine from her uncle, An Lan's lips unconsciously curled up, revealing a deep sense of nostalgia.
Lu Fan listened quietly, and involuntarily drifted into his own memories.
He has two sets of memories, one from his past life and the other presumably from this life.
That memory is rather vague, and I rarely try to recall it intentionally.
Therefore, memories of past lives always take precedence, while memories of this life are like watching a distant movie, familiar yet somewhat strange.
Memories from both lifetimes intertwined and collided in his mind, leaving him feeling disoriented.
After a moment of silence, he slowly began to speak, his voice tinged with a faint sadness: "My parents divorced when I was young, and I lived with my grandmother. Our family was poor, and we always struggled to make ends meet. I barely managed to finish university thanks to the help of the uncles, elders, and relatives in the village. But just as I was in university, my grandmother passed away..."
At this point, Lu Fan's voice trembled slightly. He paused, then continued, "After graduation, I didn't do very well outside. I accomplished nothing and was too ashamed to go back to my hometown to see the relatives who had helped me. Now, thinking about it, I'm filled with guilt and regret. I haven't even had a chance to properly thank them before I ended up here. I don't know if I'll ever have that chance again..."
An Lan felt a pang of sadness as she listened, and her heart ached for Lu Fan, who looked somewhat forlorn.
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