"Aunt Tang, my mom asked me to bring you a bowl of braised pork with preserved mustard greens!"
The pork came from the wild boar Tang Qiyue had killed earlier. Although the canteen had processed it, there were not many families on the island, so each household only received about one pound of meat.
Tang Qiyue hadn't finished setting up her kitchen yet, so she had declined her share.
"Yuanchao! Come in quickly!"
The visitor was Huang Yuanchao, the youngest son of Company Commander Huang. On the train he had eaten plenty of candy and snacks that Tang Qiyue gave him, so he had grown very fond of her.
Company Commander Huang's wife, Sun Maisui, was a simple and honest military wife. She probably felt embarrassed that Tang Qiyue had shared so much food with the children during the journey, so she specially cooked something nice and asked her son to deliver it.
Huang Yuanchao was already seven years old and quite sensible. Even after entering the house, he tried not to stare at the egg pancakes on Tang Qiyue's table.
Tang Qiyue asked him to sit for a while while she flipped the salted fish frying in the pan.
"Why didn't you save some for yourselves?" she asked casually, speaking gently to the child.
Huang Yuanchao sniffed and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Although he thought the braised pork with preserved vegetables was delicious, the pancakes on Tang Qiyue's table smelled even better.
"We already ate," he said seriously. "My mom said Uncle Zhan went on a mission. When she went to the canteen to buy steamed buns today, she didn't see you there. She was worried you might not have cooked anything."
The little boy tried his best to explain, though he clearly hadn't remembered his mother's exact words.
"Your mom is really thoughtful," Tang Qiyue said with a smile. "I actually did lose track of time."
The salted fish had already turned golden brown.
Tang Qiyue didn't extinguish the stove fire. Instead, she filled a kettle with water and placed it over the flame before inviting Huang Yuanchao into the main room.
There was no dining table in the kitchen, so meals still had to be eaten in the main room.
Tang Qiyue found this very inconvenient. She planned to get a table for the kitchen—or even place one in the yard.
During the day they could eat outside, and when it rained they could eat indoors. That would save the trouble of carrying food back and forth.
Seeing that Tang Qiyue couldn't carry everything at once, Huang Yuanchao thoughtfully helped bring the dishes to the main room.
Perhaps because his parents had told him not to trouble others, the little boy prepared to leave immediately after putting the food down.
Tang Qiyue gently pressed his shoulder.
"Aunt Tang feels lonely eating alone. Yuanchao, will you eat with me?"
Huang Yuanchao, who had already been craving the food, immediately puffed out his chest.
"Aunt Tang, don't worry! I won't let you eat alone!"
Tang Qiyue laughed and told him to wash his hands in the yard.
Soon the two sat down together.
Tang Qiyue handed him one of the freshly made pancakes.
"I'll try your mother's braised pork, and you try Aunt Tang's pancakes."
Huang Yuanchao nodded vigorously and immediately took a huge bite.
Children were still growing, and he probably hadn't eaten enough earlier. His little mouth was soon stuffed full of pancake.
The fragrance of the egg pancake was very tempting, though the taste didn't quite match the amazing smell.
Still, Tang Qiyue's cooking skills were good. The pancake was soft and golden, far better than the coarse grains Huang Yuanchao usually ate.
Tang Qiyue tried the braised pork with preserved mustard greens.
Perhaps the wild boar's gamey smell hadn't been completely removed. The preserved vegetables already had a strong flavor, but without enough spices or rice wine, the dish still tasted somewhat lacking.
However, Tang Qiyue knew that bringing meat meant Sun Maisui had put genuine thought into it, so she praised it sincerely several times.
Huang Yuanchao beamed with pride when he heard her compliment his mother's cooking.
Soon the two of them finished all the food.
Huang Yuanchao clutched his stomach and looked a little embarrassed. He had never eaten so much before.
Tang Qiyue pretended not to notice his hiccups and awkward expression so he wouldn't feel embarrassed.
She washed the bowl he had brought and placed inside it a packet of peach shortbread as a return gift.
The pastries kept well and made a suitable thank-you gift.
"Alright, Aunt Tang has things to do now, so I won't keep you any longer. Go back and thank your mother for me."
Huang Yuanchao happily grabbed the bowl and ran home, eager to show it to his family.
Tang Qiyue finally breathed a sigh of relief after sending away her small guest.
Fortunately, she had been very cautious. Even without Zhan Zeyi at home, she had not left any overly advanced items lying around.
Everything she exchanged could be easily put away.
After Huang Yuanchao's sudden visit, she reminded herself to always clean up immediately after using things to avoid exposing her secrets.
Her identity was already somewhat suspicious. If someone used evidence against her to target Zhan Zeyi, she wasn't sure he would still protect her.
Still, the incident didn't affect her mood too much.
She wasn't worried about the fragrant eggs she used earlier. After all, many seabirds nested on the island, and the canteen often made seabird egg soup.
After successfully mixing ingredients from two different timelines without any problems, Tang Qiyue became even more interested in the trading system.
Life in the apocalypse was harsh, but there were countless useful items there.
She especially wanted to go diving in the sea.
What she most wanted to exchange for now was oxygen equipment, but unfortunately she didn't have enough points.
She decided she must go to the beach later today.
If she was lucky enough to find another sea snake, the points she earned might be enough.
Just as she was planning her trip to the shore, Coral suddenly arrived.
"Sister Qiyue, the fisherwoman woke up."
However, Coral didn't look very happy.
"Then let's go visit her," Tang Qiyue replied.
After all, she had personally stitched up the fisherwoman's wounds and wanted to check her recovery.
Coral shook her head.
"The fisherwoman asked me to come stop you. She's worried you'll go to the fishing village."
"Her mother-in-law has brought several people to her house. She's afraid they might offend you."
Tang Qiyue frowned.
She had always thought the fisherwoman's husband was an orphan. Since the incident happened, no relatives had appeared, so she assumed he had none.
But apparently she had misunderstood.
The fishing village was spread out, and the fisherwoman's mother-in-law lived in a more remote area, so she had only heard the news recently.
Coral pulled Tang Qiyue aside and whispered angrily,
"The fisherwoman's family sold her to the fishing village for money. If she hadn't been a female diver, her mother-in-law might have sold her again because she can't have children!"
Tang Qiyue knew female divers were valuable, but she was surprised by the part about infertility.
"The fisherwoman survived this time because of you," Coral continued. "But her mother-in-law is extremely unreasonable. She will definitely cause trouble for you."
"That's why the fisherwoman asked me to warn you not to go to the fishing village—and it's best not to go beachcombing either."
"She's afraid her mother-in-law might ambush you on the beach."
Coral's warning didn't frighten Tang Qiyue.
On the contrary—
she suddenly wanted to meet this mother-in-law who treated her daughter-in-law like she wasn't even human.