Chapter 230: Tomato Stew and Vegetable Skewers

(1)

In this apocalyptic rainstorm, sitting inside the bus felt like being on Noah’s Ark from the Bible, giving an extraordinary sense of security.

The sky had completely darkened. At this hour, even if the clouds dispersed, the sun wouldn’t be seen—because night had already fallen.

The bus had no interior lights. The brightest thing was the old-fashioned flashlight Zhang Qiqi brought. It was as big as half an electric scooter battery, with a back cover that could be flipped open to use as a desk lamp.

As for Zhang Qiqi, who was preparing dinner over there, there was no need to worry. The campfire was burning brightly. Though not as bright as the flashlight, it was enough to see the surroundings clearly.

Zhou Chao didn’t hesitate at all to use Zhang Qiqi’s clothes to dry his head, quickly turning the once tidy school uniform damp and crumpled.

The wind and rain were fierce, but the bus stood firmly in the field, like a fortress.

This inexplicable sense of security made one feel pleasant just sitting inside, doing nothing.

Not to mention there were also the comic books Zhou Chao brought to read.

“I’ve read this one, Zhou Chao—do you have any others?” Zhu Ying asked, tilting her head.

“There’s a latest issue of Zhiyin Manke in my backpack,” Zhou Chao said, smoothing out the clothes, folding them, and placing them on the seat by the door.

“The plastic wrap isn’t even torn off yet?”

“Yeah, I just bought it.”

“Oh—I want to read it later too!” An Jing glanced over, then returned her gaze to the comic A Shuai.

The advantage of four-panel comics is they’re easy to read, requiring no deep thought, just following along and laughing—perfect for relaxing at any time.

The three sitting in the bus gradually quieted down. Zhu Ying flipped through the Zhiyin Manke, An Jing reading A Shuai couldn’t help but giggle with every page turn, while Zhou Chao tore scrap paper to fold paper cranes.

When the aroma of tomato soup began to fill the air, the rain outside had lessened considerably—though only from a torrential downpour to a heavy rain.

Dinner seemed almost ready. This time of waiting was both full of anticipation and deeply satisfying…

(2)

A large, bright red bowl of soup, with all sorts of ingredients floating and sinking inside, looked quite rich.

This was today’s main dish: tomato stew.

The so-called “stew” meant putting in whatever was available, giving it a homely, make-do-with-what-you-have flavor.

The side dish was skewers of grilled vegetables. Each skewer had a different mix of vegetables, completely random based on mood when threading them, but the taste wasn’t much worse for it.

Zhang Qiqi slid the grilled vegetables off the long bamboo skewers onto a plate, then took out small bowls, placing one in front of each person. “Alright, serve yourselves! Take as much as you want!”

“I want the grilled cauliflower first!” An Jing snatched a pair of chopsticks from Zhou Chao’s hand. He stared at her blankly for a moment, then helplessly took another pair from the bag beside him.

Meanwhile, An Jing had already stuffed a large floret of cauliflower into her mouth, puffing her cheeks as she chewed vigorously, then swallowing it all in one go. “Hsss, haah—so spicy!”

“It’s just a little chili powder, and it’s for fragrance.”

“Xiao Jing is as bad with spice as ever.”

“Well, small cities don’t have many particularly spicy local snacks! Especially by the sea—” An Jing picked up a grilled mushroom, licking her lips which had gotten a bit of chili powder on them. “Especially on the island where I’m from, the cuisine is mostly on the sweet side! Staple foods include white sugar sticky rice cake, brown sugar sticky rice cake, and sweet sticky rice cake soup. Even stir-fried greens have a bit of sugar, and braised pork has even more!”

“Stir-fried greens have sugar too?” Zhu Ying’s eyes widened. “Do you guys have a sugar mine there?”

“Nothing like that exists…” Zhou Chao shook his head helplessly.

“But, on an island, shouldn’t salt be more common? You can make sea salt by evaporation,” Zhang Qiqi asked, puzzled. “Why would they prefer sweet flavors instead?”

“Rarity increases value. I’ve heard adults say that because sugar was hard to come by in the past, once supplies became abundant, every household liked to buy and eat sugar. They’d put a bit of sugar in every dish to show off that their family wasn’t lacking in sugar—kind of like flaunting wealth.”

“And in just a decade or so, it became a custom?”

“Pretty much. My parents’ generation is okay, but my grandparents’ generation, who didn’t eat much sugar when they were young, actually prefer it more in their old age. They want to eat sweet things first. My grandfather doesn’t even like alcohol normally; he prefers cola…”

“Isn’t cola too stimulating for elderly people? Especially the first sip.” Zhu Ying gently picked off a small piece of tomato skin from the corner of An Jing’s mouth with her finger. “Xiao Jing, you got some soup on your face.”

“Huh? Oh… I didn’t feel it. By the way, this tomato isn’t peeled?”

“Tomato soup tastes better with the skin on,” Zhang Qiqi said proudly. “It’s my family’s secret recipe.”

Zhou Chao crunched on the cauliflower noisily, nodding continuously. “Mmm—this crispness is perfect. Cauliflower is best with this texture.”

“Impressive, right?”

“Your cooking skills are indeed good.”

“Tch, I can cook too, you know! It might not look as nice, but the taste is still good!” An Jing couldn’t help but mutter. “Just wait, I’ll cook a meal for you all next time.”

“Xiao Jing should cook for me alone first!”

“Huh?”

“Let me enjoy it first before sharing with others!”

“Wow, what a domineering woman.”

“You have to be a bit domineering with Xiao Jing!”

“Why? Do I look easy to bully?” An Jing looked wronged.

“Because if you don’t say it directly, Xiao Jing herself is completely unaware,” Zhou Chao laughed, acting as translator. “What she means is, you’re too dense.”

“I’m not, am I?”

“Then you’re playing dumb!”

“Well… I might be a bit dense…”

“Now you’re definitely playing dumb,” Zhou Chao nodded.

“That’s right!”

“What am I playing dumb about?”

“Acting cute!”

“Pfft…”

“If you’re eating, eat properly. Don’t spray soup on my face.” Zhang Qiqi drooped her eyelids and leaned slightly to the side. “It’s not that we can’t chat while eating, but can we control our emotions a bit?”

“Heh… I wonder when this rain will stop.” Zhou Chao took a big gulp of soup and turned to look out the dark bus window.

“This kind of heavy rain won’t last long.”

(3)

Just as Zhang Qiqi said, after everyone finished eating, the wind blew the dark clouds apart, revealing the clear night sky.

The sky after rain seemed brighter than usual, as if the dust had been wiped off a screen.

Stepping out of the bus and looking at the dying embers of the campfire, for some reason, gave An Jing a feeling of having survived a catastrophe.

It was like going through a long, drawn-out war.

But in reality, it was just experiencing a heavy rainstorm, then eating dinner while listening to the rain beat against the metal roof.

Moonlight spilled onto the countryside path. A few children wearing slippers were running around—they were flying kites at night.

Who knows if they could even see where the kite was once it was up—or perhaps, they just enjoyed the feeling of freedom.

When she was little, at night, An Jing would go to the seaside with her friends to catch crabs—the crabs back then weren’t big, the smallest being about the size of a fingernail. Sometimes they’d catch them and keep them in bottles, but usually they wouldn’t last more than a few days before passing away.

Back then, it didn’t seem sad. In a child’s eyes, the passing of life seemed like a particularly trivial matter.

Now, on the other hand, if she accidentally killed something she was keeping, it would make An Jing feel guilty…

“It’s past seven.” Zhou Chao took a deep breath of the fresh post-rain air. “Ah, the smell of the fields.”

“What does that smell like?”

“A fishy smell with a bit of grass and maybe some floral scent. You could also call it the fragrance of soil.”

“Mmm—” An Jing also took a deep breath. “I think I only smell the aroma of home-cooked stir-fry from the farmhouses.”

“You’re not still hungry, are you?”

“That’s not it…” An Jing awkwardly patted her stomach. “It’s not much, but I’m pretty much full.”

“So not completely full yet?”

“Ahem! I could still eat some snacks?”

“Me too~!” Zhu Ying raised her hand high.

“Didn’t you just say you were stuffed?” An Jing turned her head.

“Main course and snacks are for two different stomachs!”

“That’s just how girls are,” Zhou Chao said, looking accustomed to it. He picked up a cigarette, hesitated, then put it back in the pack. “We should probably get going.”

“Zhou Chao, you should have come on your motorcycle,” An Jing made a motion of gripping handlebars. “That would make getting back much easier.”

“Ha, but that wouldn’t fit four people either. Since we’re all going the same way anyway, let’s just walk back slowly together—the stars are brilliant tonight, what a beautiful evening.”

“You can be a bit poetic occasionally.”

“Just feelings in the moment. Who knows if we’ll have many memories like this in the future.”

“Life’s road is still very long! Zhou Chao, you always sound like an old man, worrying about gains and losses.”

“Do I?”

“You do!”

“Zhou Chao’s not worrying about gains and losses, is he? More like… expressing his feelings?”

“Isn’t that the same? Afraid of losing, so preparing to lose from the very start.” An Jing punched Zhou Chao’s back. “If you want to experience it again, there are plenty of opportunities! You can fill your memories with all the things you love!”

“That’s not necessary. Too many times and they won’t be cherished.”

“Let’s go, we can chat while walking.” Zhang Qiqi had already climbed up onto the path at the edge of the field. “Come up quick! It’s windy up here, feels so nice!”

“Xiao Jing, you go up first, then pull me!”

“You can’t climb up?”

“I just don’t want to get my hands dirty.”

“Ahem… Zhou Chao? Pull me up.”

“Climb yourself.”

“Damn, are we brothers or not?”

“Because we’re brothers, I’m letting you climb yourself.”

“Hmph!” Zhu Ying puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.

Meanwhile, An Jing scratched her head, still not understanding. “What’s all this about…”