The bright, translucent red oil mixed with the brownish-red meat sauce, immediately adding a hint of spicy aroma from the red oil to the rich savory scent of the sauce.
Lin Zhilan scooped up a little with a spoon and let Wang Rou taste it. "Try the flavor and see how it is. Just have a little bit, it might be a bit salty on its own."
Wang Rou pursed her lips and gently tasted a bit of the meat sauce.
It wasn't as salty as she had imagined.
The first flavor to hit the tip of her tongue was umami, followed by a rich, savory sauce aroma.
The taste of the spices wasn't too overpowering; instead, it made the savory flavor even more lingering and profound. Besides that, it carried a slight spicy kick.
Wang Rou actually couldn't handle spicy food very well, but this spiciness was very mild. Blended with the savory sauce, it even left a sweet aftertaste once the heat faded.
"It's delicious." Wang Rou's eyes lit up.
Just then, Li Jiang brought over the cooked noodles and the rest of the food.
The crabs were mostly peeled, so everyone simply stopped what they were doing to eat first.
Before Su Lang and Ma Daniu could even catch a whiff of it, the women had already started tasting it.
It was truly delicious!
The diced cured meat and luncheon meat were chopped very finely, with a mix of fat and lean. It had both the firm, chewy texture of the lean meat and the rich, tender, oily aroma of the fat.
Mixed with steaming hot rice and noodles, it was an absolute perfect match.
Because Lin Zhilan was still busy making the crab roe paste, Wang Rou, afraid the noodles would get cold, even shyly went over to feed her.
Chen Hehua felt her eyes hurt just watching them and choked a little.
Liu Chunhua said, "Aunt Hehua, if you find it too spicy, give it to me."
Anyway, she hadn't eaten enough and didn't even want to let Ma Daniu take any away.
Chen Hehua rolled her eyes at her and lowered her head to eat.
After the meal, the crab roe paste was also finished simmering.
The main appeal of the crab roe paste was its umami flavor. Compared to the minced meat sauce, its aroma was even more mellow and rich.
Although everyone had already finished eating, Lin Zhilan still let them all have a taste.
The bright yellow, glistening crab roe paste immediately filled the entire mouth with a rich crab aroma the moment it entered.
The plump, savory scent of the crab was soft and silky, yet mixed with slightly firmer bits of yellow roe. The more they savored it, the more fragrant it became, making them reluctant to even swallow it.
Lin Zhilan scooped the paste into a large bowl to cool. When she looked up, everyone instantly averted their gazes in unison.
"..."
Lin Zhilan asked, "How about I save a little to mix with noodles tomorrow morning?"
"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.
Chen Hehua said, "My family will provide the dried noodles for tomorrow."
No one else had any objections.
...
It was already late at night when Su Lang returned home.
All was quiet, and the only sounds in his ears were his own footsteps and the ocean breeze.
After a quick wash, he first went to check on Linlin and Jiang Chengzhou.
He tucked them in under their blankets before quietly going upstairs.
Just as he lay down, Lin Zhilan, who had been facing the wall, suddenly turned around and hugged him.
Su Lang paused for a moment, then pulled her into his embrace.
"I'm sorry."
Lin Zhilan shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You're a soldier, this is your duty. I just... I just hate to see you go."
Su Lang's heart tightened. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a moment.
This was actually the first time his wife had expressed her feelings for him so directly.
Lin Zhilan poked his waist. "There's a small cloth bag in the drawer. Go get it."
Su Lang got out of bed; the cloth bag was right there in the drawer.
Lin Zhilan sat up, took the cloth bag, and opened it to show him.
Inside were two pills the size of date pits.
"You must keep these two pills close to you at all times. They can save your life in an emergency. Su Lang, you promised me that in this life, you can only die of old age!"
"Alright," Su Lang laughed hoarsely.
"Okay, let's sleep." As if she had just completed a major task, Lin Zhilan wrapped the pills back up, stuffed them into Su Lang's hand, and lay back down.
Su Lang put the pills back and leaned in to kiss her.
Lin Zhilan blocked him with her hand. "You've been in meetings all day, aren't you tired?"
"Touch and see..."
"Su Lang... you jerk."
Su Lang proved with his actions that he truly wasn't tired.
He only regretted that the beautiful night was too short...
With Su Lang out on a mission, Lin Zhilan and Jiang Chengzhou quickly adjusted and found their rhythm of life.
But Linlin was too young. She still didn't understand what duty or missions meant; she only knew that the dad who held her and went for walks every evening was gone.
She didn't cry or make a fuss, but every afternoon, she would sit by the door without fail. Whenever she heard footsteps, she would run out to look.
When she realized it wasn't Su Lang, she would let out a long sigh like a little adult and sit back down on her chair.
Lin Zhilan told her that Daddy wouldn't be back for a long time.
"Tomorrow?" Linlin asked.
"Many tomorrows."
Linlin had no concept of dates; everything in the past was called yesterday, and everything in the future was called tomorrow.
"Daddy go to work?"
"Yes," Lin Zhilan said, pointing to a spot on her height chart. "When you grow this tall, Daddy will be back."
Linlin's eyes widened. She stood on her tiptoes and made a bold declaration: "I'll eat two bowls today, and I'll grow right away!"
Lin Zhilan held back a laugh and nodded in approval.
With Su Lang away, Jiang Chengzhou also seemed to have grown up a lot all of a sudden, and his teacher never called his parents in again.
He still went running as usual, but the ones accompanying him were now his aunt and younger sister.
Jiang Chengzhou ate well and was very active, so he gradually began to shoot up in height.
His facial contours, which originally resembled Su Lang's, gradually became more defined, and he and Yan Yuan became the tallest kids in the class.
Children naturally didn't want to fall behind others. Li Xuan, who was a bit shorter, felt anxious and took the initiative to tell his parents that he wanted to run with Jiang Chengzhou.
Following his example, more and more kids started running on the track, and it almost became a trend in the family compound.
The leaders were naturally happy to see this and even specially designated an area for the children to exercise.
Lin Zhilan genuinely felt that her two children were incredibly well-behaved.
It just so happened to be Jiang Chengzhou's birthday, so Lin Zhilan kept her promise and decided to take the kids to Yangcheng for a trip.
As for school, she naturally had to ask for a leave of absence first.
The teacher was utterly shocked to hear that Lin Zhilan was requesting a week off for Jiang Chengzhou simply to go on a trip to Yangcheng.
"Doctor Lin, you're taking time off to take the child out to play?"
"Yes," Lin Zhilan said. "Don't worry, I won't let him fall behind in his studies."
She rubbed Jiang Chengzhou's head. "You promised me, didn't you?"
Jiang Chengzhou nodded heavily. "Teacher, I promise!"
The teacher said tactfully, "Doctor Lin, I just feel that taking a whole week off specifically to take a child out to play might be too long. You could actually wait until the summer holidays to go."
Lin Zhilan had originally considered going during the weekend.
But two days was simply too short; it would feel like they were just going there to ride a boat.
Moreover...
"Teacher, I understand what you mean. But I promised the child a long time ago that I would take him out to play for his birthday, and I don't want to disappoint him.
Next time, I will definitely schedule it during his winter or summer break, and absolutely won't delay his studies."
The teacher thought: There's going to be a next time...
Lin Zhilan was also learning how to be a parent.
She didn't know what a good parent was supposed to look like, but she knew what kind of parent she had wished for when she was a child.
