Chapter 83: Eighty-Second Chapter: Returning Home Early in the Bitter Winter (Thanks to Alliance Leader

Ning Qing sat on the sofa, her legs pressed together, with a "thinner book" resting on them.

The book was open, with her Mobile Phone placed in the middle.

Ning Qing pinched the last piece of dried persimmon with two fingers, having already eaten half of it; she used her remaining ring finger to lightly tap the screen to type, replying to Chen Shu's message.

The taste of this dried persimmon was truly just average.

The fragrance of the persimmon was quite rich, but the de-astringency effect Chen Shu claimed to have performed was clearly poor; tasting it carefully, one could still detect traces of bitterness. But as soon as the image of them picking persimmons together, using the Peeling Technique, and tying them with string to hang on the tree—the process of the persimmons turning into dried persimmons day by day—surfaced in her mind, it felt a few degrees sweeter.

Ning Qing smacked her lips.

At this moment, the door to the Dormitory was pushed open—

"Ning Qing, Ning Qing!"

Zhang Suannai ran in with happy, short steps; today she was wearing dark-colored shark leggings, sneakers, and white athletic socks, the delicate, matte, and elastic fabric of the shark leggings clinging tightly to the curves of her legs, which, combined with the sneakers, made her pair of legs look exceptionally toned and slender.

Her upper body was a loose sweatshirt, the hem of which reached the top of her thighs, though it still did not affect the appearance of her leg length.

This person really had a great figure.

Not knowing what she was about to say, she was all smiles, but seeing Ning Qing just happen to press the lock screen button on her Mobile Phone, she became suspicious:

"What shameful thing are you doing?"

"Chatting."

"Is chatting shameful? Who are you chatting with?"

"The person I'm chatting with."

"A man or a woman?"

"A man."

"Let me guess, is it your dad?"

"No."

"Do you have an older brother?"

"No."

"Let me see!"

"..."

Ning Qing looked at her expressionlessly.

Zhang Suannai immediately raised her hands in surrender: "Fine, fine..."

"Do you have something to say?"

"Have your final exam dates come out yet? We start exams on the fifth of next month, and we go on break as soon as we finish!"

"They have."

"?"

"..." Ning Qing pursed her lips; this person's temperament was about the same as Chen Shu's, "It's also around the fifth."

"Hahaha, have you started reviewing?"

"I don't need to review."

"So confident? Looks like you're a top student."

"Sounds like you are too."

"..." Zhang Suannai's expression became pained as she looked at this roommate who seemed forever calm and composed, "Can't you just go along with what I say? Then you could casually point out that you are just as confident as I am, and after you pressed me for more, I would tell you that I am also a top student who has fought across the Martial Academy without a rival; wouldn't it be better if you then realized, 'Ah, so both of us in this room are geniuses'?"

"Boring."

"You're the boring one."

"..."

"Fine, I won't tease you anymore!" Zhang Suannai paused, "Do you know that tomorrow is the Winter Solstice?"

"So?"

"You have to drink Mutton Soup on the Winter Solstice; it's a tradition thousands of years old."

"No."

"?"

Zhang Suannai was stunned for a moment: "I didn't say I wanted to go out and drink Mutton Soup with you; you're really full of yourself."

"Then speak."

"Hehe..." Zhang Suannai grinned, "Then let's go out and drink Mutton Soup tomorrow! Let's go to the place those two seniors took me to last year. I figure since you came all the way to Yujing to study and have no family or friends here, it's better to spend the Winter Solstice with me than alone, how about it? Are you going?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other in silence for two seconds.

Zhang Suannai quickly broke the calm:

"Why?"

"I'm going out."

"Where to? Your little courtyard?"

"No."

"What are you going out for?"

"To drink Mutton Soup."

"Which shop? I'll come for a 'chance' encounter."

"Someone else's house."

"Whose house?"

"A sister's."

"..." Zhang Suannai looked at her suspiciously, "I suspect you're lying to me."

"I don't lie."

"Since when do you have a sister!"

"I do."

"From Yuanzhou?"

"Yes."

"A fellow countryman, no wonder, no wonder..."

Zhang Suannai felt a little disappointed, but still said: "It's good to spend time with a fellow countryman; you are too cold, it's good to get to know a few more fellow countrymen. But that Mutton Soup place is really delicious in Yujing, there aren't many places better than it, you're missing out."

"Mm."

"Sigh..."

Zhang Suannai shook her head and walked away.

Ning Qing sat in her original seat, her eyes flickering.

The eighteenth day of the eleventh lunar month.

When the days are shortest in the year, one returns home early in the bitter cold of winter.

In Yiguo, people don't eat Dumplings, noodles, or wontons on the Winter Solstice, but drink Mutton Soup. It is unknown who passed down this custom, but the earliest written records can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty; clearly, this is another trick played by Shengzu.

Meng Chunqiu had gotten Chen Shu far more than a few catties of mutton and lamb offal, at least ten-plus catties, and Chen Shu headed to Chen Banxia's house early in the morning carrying the items.

On the way, he passed the vegetable market, went in to buy crucian carp, pork bones and lamb bones, seasonings, and pea tips; on a whim, he also bought a block of sheep blood.

Entering the house, he woke Chen Banxia up.

He took off his coat, skillfully put on an apron, and began to busy himself in the kitchen early in the morning.

Chen Banxia was still in a daze, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she came to the kitchen door, watching her younger brother start to work. She lifted her Mobile Phone to secretly take a few photos and sent them to the family group, telling Chen Jiaoshou and Wei Lvshi that her younger brother was cooking Mutton Soup for her, preparing to show filial piety to his sister, and there was none for them.

After teasing the two elders, Chen Banxia put down her Mobile Phone and asked: "Why didn't Qingqing come with you?"

"She has class in the morning."

"Oh..."

Chen Banxia said, yawning again: "Then you go ahead and get busy, your sister won't bother you, I'll go back to sleep for a while, just call me when it's time to eat."

After speaking, she waited a while, but didn't get an answer from her brother.

"Hm? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Can't be bothered with you."

"Fine, ignore me then!!"

Chen Banxia had finally found a reason; her brother wouldn't even pay her any mind, so why should she stay here?

It would be better to curl up on the sofa and have a pitiful nap.

She felt much better instantly.

She lay down on the sofa, hugged a pillow, and squinted at the view outside the window.

It was a gloomy day this morning, and now it had started to snow.

In the weather with thick, hazy snow, the light coming through the window was dim; even though it was daytime, it felt as if the sky hadn't brightened yet. The room was warm, and the clattering sounds from the kitchen due to her brother's work kept coming, a feeling of peace that induced sleep.

She would be able to drink Mutton Soup when she woke up, right?

Chen Banxia fell asleep as soon as she said she would.

Chen Shu worked silently.

The Mutton Soup eaten on the Winter Solstice isn't just made by boiling mutton; one must be particular about the soup base being milky white and rich, which is hard to achieve using only mutton.

Most Mutton Soup restaurants on the market now follow two schools of thought:

The authentic method, using crucian carp to boil it white.

After pan-frying the crucian carp and adding fried eggs, one can boil out a milky white soup base. Adding mutton, the result not only lacks a fishy smell but has the rich deliciousness of fish soup.

The character for "fresh" (xian) is nothing more than "fish" and "sheep" (yu + yang); Shengzu said this when he created the characters.

However, some people now find it troublesome to boil fish soup until it turns white, so they add milk powder to it, which can also yield a milky white soup base.

This is obviously a lazy, inauthentic method, but unexpectedly, although this method lacks the richness and deliciousness of fish soup, it imparts a faint milky fragrance and a smooth, milky texture to the soup base; eh, it actually tastes quite alright.

Two schools of thought, and there is no shortage of those who use both crucian carp and milk powder; it depends on your personal taste. Who says it must be authentic to be good?

Chen Shu is of the "stitching" school.

He mainly uses crucian carp to boil it white, adding a small amount of milk, which can make the soup base whiter and also impart a faint milky fragrance, the same principle as Tom Yum soup base.

After getting the soup boiling, he went to wash the pea tips.

These are the tender tips of pea sprouts.

In his past life, whenever one ate Mutton Soup, pea tips were an indispensable vegetable—

This vegetable happens to appear in the depths of winter and is hard to get in other seasons; it also happens to have a fresh, crisp taste, and has an inextricable bond with Mutton Soup. When eating mutton and drinking the rich soup, blanching a few pea tips, combining meat and vegetables, is the most comfortable thing.

Afterward, he made some sour and spicy sheep blood.

This dish has no other purpose than to go well with rice.

To please Qingqing's palate.

Unknowingly, when Chen Shu turned his head, a tall figure had already appeared at the kitchen door; she was holding a few fried dough sticks and was watching him quietly. At her feet, a long-haired white cat was sitting squarely, also looking up at him.

"When did you arrive?"

"A few minutes ago."

"Meow-an~"

"Have you been peeping at me the whole time?"

"I was watching openly and honestly."

"Ooh-wah~"

"Is your heart moved this time?"

"It is."

"Ooh-woof~"

"What is your cat saying?"

"Silly barking."

"Why did it stop barking again?"

"Because I said it was silly barking."

"Ha..." Chen Shu revealed a smile, then said to her, "I am making sour and spicy sheep blood for you."

"You are boiling so much meat." Ning Qing came to his side, "How many jin?"

"Over ten jin raw, I don't know now."

"So much."

"No choice, my roommate wanted to show off his capability and brought me a lot of meat scraps, though the quality is not bad." Chen Shu sighed, "It's fine, I have another roommate who is all alone in the dorm, looking pitiful; I'll pack some for him to take back later, he can really eat."

"Is that the one you said practices martial arts?"

"Oh, you still remember."

"I practice Jingxin Dao, I just cannot speak."

"Fine, fine, fine..." Chen Shu nodded repeatedly, "You can also pack some for your roommate to take back later, let her taste my cooking."

"We'll see."

"It's almost ready, I'll mix a dry dipping sauce, you go call Chen Banxia."

"Oh."

In a short while, Chen Banxia, Ning Qing, and Taozi sat down at the dining table.

Perhaps feeling a bit hot, Ning Qing took off her light-colored trench coat and draped it over the back of her chair; the sweater underneath outlined her charming figure.

Chen Banxia was dressed very casually, and there was still an imprint from the sofa cushion on her chubby, snow-white cheeks.

"Oh my, Qingqing, your figure is quite something."

"Thank you."

"Qingqing is getting colder as she grows up."

"Mm."

"Aiya, big sister loves it!!"

"..."

Ning Qing did not really want to engage with this uninteresting woman, and turned to look at the table instead.

In the middle of the table was a Spirit Heat Stove with a pot of Mutton Soup placed on top. Beside it were two plates of pea tips, a plate of freshly cooked, steaming sour and spicy sheep blood, and a dish of Chen Shu's homemade pickles. Each person had a standard set of a soup bowl, a dipping dish, and a rice bowl; Taozi was more pitiful, having only a cat food bowl.

This was this year's Winter Solstice, only one person short.

The sound of water in the kitchen stopped.

Chen Shu walked out after washing his hands, pulled a few sheets of paper to wipe the water off his hands, and seeing Taozi sitting crouched in the corner of the dining table waiting for him to start the meal, he walked over without hesitation and vigorously rubbed Taozi's round cat head, pulling his hand back just before Taozi could bite him.

Then, seeing Chen Banxia grinning foolishly at him, he went to rub Chen Banxia's dog head, drawing a burst of dissatisfied howling from the big sister.

Turning his head to look, Qingqing was watching him indifferently.

"What are you looking at?"

"..."

Qingqing silently withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at him.

"You think that's enough?"

"Head here!!"

Chen Shu grabbed Qingqing's head and rubbed it furiously until he caught a glimpse of Chen Banxia taking out her Mobile Phone to secretly record a video; he then quickly withdrew his hand, and after sitting down, he raised an eyebrow at Taozi, who was staring blankly at him: "See that? My status is the highest!"

"Meow!"

"What did it say?"

"It said you're a moron."

"Tch..."

Chen Shu did not believe what she said.

"Eat, eat, eat."

Chen Shu, however, first took out his Mobile Phone, stood up, took a photo, and sent it to Xiaoxiao to see.

He had wanted to send it to Chen Jiaoshou and Wei Lvshi to see as well, but discovered that Chen Banxia had already sent it first; Chen Jiaoshou replied with a long string of ellipses, and Wei Lvshi stated that while your behavior is not illegal, it is very immoral.

While Chen Shu was amused, Chen Banxia had already started eating, and then Ning Qing also picked up her chopsticks.

She first picked up a few pieces of mutton for Taozi, then served herself a bowl of soup, and at the request of Chen Shu and Chen Banxia, served each of them a bowl as well.

"Meow-woo~"

Fine, scoop half a ladle for Taozi too.

Taozi poked its head to look at its cat food bowl; the soup inside barely covered the bottom of the bowl, not even submerging the meat slices. It looked at the full bowls of soup in their hands, cast a gaze at its owner with some confusion, but received no response.

Ning Qing picked up a soup spoon and scooped a small spoonful.

"Hoo..."

First, taste a spoonful of the soup.

It is still the familiar taste.

She has spent many Winter Solstices like this as well.

In the past, it was at Chen Shu's home, with Chen Jiaoshou, Wei Lvshi, and the little girl.

This year, it has changed to Yujing, and the number of people has decreased to three due to the distance in space; fortunately, Chen Shu is still by her side, he is still the one cooking, and he still told her to buy a few fried dough sticks on the way.

As for Chen Banxia, whatever.

Then, Ning Qing did not rush to eat the meat, but took out the fried dough sticks she had brought and dipped them into the soup for a moment.

The fried dough sticks were immediately softened by the boiling hot soup.

With one bite, the texture of the fried dough stick had softened a bit, but it still maintained a hint of crispness, having soaked up the fragrant, milky-white soup; it was even more delicious than dipping them in soy milk.

This is a way of eating invented by Chen Shu.

Taste the pickled vegetables again.

The pickled vegetables Chen Shu makes are truly a masterpiece—

The cabbage is crisp, the saltiness is moderate, with a slight sourness and spiciness; it is the best for cutting the greasiness when eating Mutton Soup, and it happens to be her favorite flavor.

Compared to this table full of meat dishes, Ning Qing actually prefers this small plate of pickled vegetables.

Chen Banxia beside her has already started shouting and hollering, nothing more than praising the food for being delicious, praising her younger brother's culinary skills, and shouting about having her younger brother provide for her in her old age and the like.

Ning Qing's expression is calm.

After finishing a bowl of soup and eating some mutton, she went to scoop a bowl of rice.

Upon returning, she first ladled two spoonfuls of sour and spicy mutton blood into the rice; the white rice was stained by the thickened sour and spicy soup, and the spoon brought along pickled mustard greens, pickled chili peppers, and pickled ginger and other side ingredients along with the mutton blood, all mixed into the rice, looking very appetizing at first glance.

Taking a bite, she quietly savored it.

Chen Shu and Chen Banxia beside her were chatting and laughing, heavy snow was falling outside, steam was rising from the soup pot, her coat was draped over the back of the chair, and her whole body and mind felt very warm.

All cultivation, everything in the world, cannot compare to this moment.