Leng Yuan sat himself down on a small stool and started tending the fire for Gu Jiaojiao.
"I’ll help you with the fire. Don’t worry about your manuscript, there’s still time."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiaojiao said no more. She just watched him stare so intently at the rabbit in her pot. ’His expression is so adorable.’
She didn’t call him out.
’Men all need to save face, and a sensible woman knows to let them.’
She continued to stir-fry the meat.
Their kitchen had two woks, a large one and a small one.
The large wok was for braising the rabbit, while Gu Jiaojiao used the small one to make scallion pancakes.
The scallion pancakes were made with white flour, chopped scallions, and two beaten eggs. Simply seasoned, they were easy to make and delicious.
The only thing was, they used a lot of oil.
But Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t stingy with the oil.
While others were short on oil, Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t. She knew that oil could be pressed from many different ingredients.
She had previously found a patch of wild sesame on the mountain, but no one in the Qingshan Team knew what it was.
But Gu Jiaojiao knew. It was a wonderful plant that could be pressed for oil.
So she harvested it all and brought it home.
It was already processed and just waiting to be pressed.
However, she’d been too busy foraging in the mountains these last few days to press the oil. She’d do it when she could no longer go up the mountain.
Gu Jiaojiao moved with clean, deft motions. In no time, over a dozen scallion pancakes were fresh out of the wok.
By then, the rabbit meat was also done. She gave it a few quick stirs, then picked up a meaty piece and offered it to Leng Yuan.
"Here, taste this for me. Is it seasoned right?"
The young woman’s eyes were smiling. She looked both charming and incredibly sweet.
Leng Yuan was about to refuse, but Gu Jiaojiao brought the piece of meat right to his lips.
With no other choice, he bit into the meat.
The numbing, spicy, and savory flavor instantly filled his mouth. It was absolutely delicious. A bright spark immediately lit up Leng Yuan’s deep eyes.
Seeing his expression, Gu Jiaojiao knew he liked it.
Chen Jianshe handed over the bucket.
"I checked my traps today and caught quite a few. I brought some fish for Jiaojiao."
Leng Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the bucket straight to the kitchen and poured the fish and water into their own kitchen pail.
Gu Jiaojiao was surprised to see three large carp inside.
"So many?"
Seeing the joy on her face, Leng Yuan recalled the boiled fish she made last time and couldn’t help but nod to himself. ’Fish is delicious,’ he thought. ’I should catch more.’
"Jianshe brought them."
In those days, food was scarce, so it was common practice to bring your own grain when you were invited to someone’s house for a meal.
Gu Jiaojiao felt Chen Jianshe was being too courteous, but since it was a matter of reciprocity, she didn’t say anything more.
She had Leng Yuan take the food out, then quickly whipped up a mushroom soup to go with the meal.
Chen Jianshe was absolutely stunned when he saw the meat on the table.
His family’s New Year’s feasts weren’t even this lavish. He looked at the glistening golden pancakes and the three dishes—all meat—that were a feast for the senses. Suddenly, his three fish felt like a rather meager contribution.

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