"Good heavens!" Wang Xiuzhi blurted out in her rural dialect. She had lived half her life and had never seen such an openly affectionate couple.
Su Lang nodded slightly in acknowledgment, walking steadily without stopping as he carried the person inside. The one in question was unfazed, but Wang Xiuzhi’s face turned bright red.
Liu Chunhua walked out with a smile, taking her aside to wash her hands, and lowered her voice, "What’s the big deal? They’re a married couple."
Wang Xiuzhi hung her head and stayed silent.
Liu Chunhua nudged her with an elbow and whispered as if sharing a secret, "I’ve even seen them holding hands when they take evening walks."
"Stop! Don’t tell me things like that!" Wang Xiuzhi trotted away quickly.
Liu Chunhua laughed heartily watching her go.
It wasn’t until Regimental Commander Ma came out of the kitchen that Liu Chunhua’s face immediately fell.
Ma approached her placatingly, "Why are you mad again? Can’t I learn from Lao Su? Tonight, when we go out, I’ll hold your hand too."
"Pfft!" Liu Chunhua spat dismissively. "Shameless. Go hold your mother’s hand instead."
Ma’s attempt to emulate Su Lang failed before it even began.
Nothing good comes that easily in life. When you’re difficult, you’re difficult; when you want to make peace, others may not play along.
After being cooled in cold water, the sweet potato noodles were left to soften in the shade and then dried to finish the process. So much work had gone into just preparing a bowl of hot and sour noodles.
Lin Zhilan certainly didn’t intend to cut corners.
Soak the sweet potato noodles in warm water until soft, boil them in a pot of water until translucent and tender, then rinse them in cold water to prevent sticking.
In a bowl, add minced garlic, chopped green onions, chili flakes, and sesame seeds, drizzle with sizzling hot oil to release the spicy aroma, then mix in soy sauce, vinegar, a pinch of salt and sugar, and Sichuan pepper powder to create the sauce.
Pour two ladles of rich bone broth into the sauce, add the cooked noodles, top with fried peanuts, crushed pickles, a handful of blanched greens, and drizzle half a spoon of the red chili oil Lin Zhilan had prepared earlier—and a bowl of hot and sour noodles was ready.
The noodles were chewy and smooth, with a spicy and sour kick that hit the nose.
In this damp, cold weather, one bowl was addictive enough to keep going.
Wang Xiuzhi and Liang Ping tasted Lin Zhilan’s cooking for the first time and were utterly amazed—they couldn’t believe sweet potato noodles could taste so good.
Wang Xiuzhi especially, though no one else knew it, was an absolute fiend for sour flavors.
This bowl of hot and sour noodles struck right at her heart’s craving. As she slurped the noodles, every pore in her body felt pure comfort.
As for Liang Ping, he wolfed his food down just like the other boys—as Liu Chunhua put it, "Devouring it like starving ghosts."
The kitchen had the sauce and bone broth ready, and plenty of noodles on hand. The boys helped themselves whenever they wanted.
After one bowl, Wang Xiuzhi hesitated to ask for more out of embarrassment.
But Liu Chunhua warmly pulled her over, "If you want more, eat! Dr. Lin is pregnant now and rarely cooks. Make the most of this chance. If you feel awkward, you can help out with her baby once it’s born."
Wang Xiuzhi nodded, silently making a mental note.
After this, she finally seemed to start fitting into the circle of extended family members.
Sweet potato noodles were tricky to pick up with chopsticks, and little Linlin still needed her father to feed her as she ate her milder version of the hot and sour noodles.
Lin Zhilan pushed her empty bowl over. "Su Lang, I want more."
Su Lang stood up to go cook her another bowl, but then stopped and looked at her. "How many bowls have you eaten now?"
Lin Zhilan’s guilty look made her hesitate a few seconds.
Wang Rou, sitting beside her, answered for her, "Three bowls."
Su Lang frowned slightly, "Isn’t that a bit much?"
They were big bowls, and even three would leave Su Lang feeling stuffed, let alone for Lin Zhilan.
Lin Zhilan argued, "I’ve got one more in my belly, so on average, I’ve only had one and a half bowls per person."
Maybe her appetite had picked up, or the baby was going through a growth spurt; Lin Zhilan never felt full no matter how much she ate.
Su Lang remained concerned and coaxed her gently, "How about we eat later? You yourself reminded me to have smaller, more frequent meals."
"But I’m hungry." Lin Zhilan pouted pitifully.
Su Lang’s heart nearly melted. "Let me walk you around the house for two laps to help with digestion, then I’ll cook you another bowl of noodles."
Jiang Chengzhou glanced at his uncle but said nothing.
The rain had just stopped, so Su Lang put an extra coat on Lin Zhilan and took her out for a stroll.
Feeding Linlin was temporarily handed over to Wang Rou.
Li Jiang was away, and Commander Han was gone too, leaving only Regimental Commander Ma as the sole man in the house.
Everyone praised Su Lang endlessly for being so attentive to Lin Zhilan—Aunt Hehua and Liu Chunhua were especially effusive.
Though Li Jiang was also good to Wang Rou, he had spent most of her pregnancy away from home, unlike Su Lang who was so thorough.
Ma cleared his throat and mimicked Su Lang’s tone, "Chunhua, do you want me to cook you another bowl of noodles?"
Liu Chunhua looked at him and sighed. "You’d better not try to copy Su Lang. You’d have to be reborn to pull it off."
Su Lang had sharp brows and bright eyes, famous for his good looks in the military unit.
Ma, on the other hand, was broad and rugged. When he tried to speak in a soft tone, it sounded more like a eunuch, making Liu Chunhua cringe.
Even the kids laughed.
Aunt Hehua added, "What’s this called? An old story… the one about that big beauty?"
Li Xuan, who had been quiet, reminded his grandmother, "Dong Shi Imitates Xi Shi."
Aunt Hehua clapped her hands, "Yes! That’s the phrase."
The ‘Dong Shi’ of the moment wished the ground would swallow him up, while ‘Xi Shi’ was still out walking with his wife.
The ground was still damp outside, so the couple just took a short stroll back and forth at the end of the alley before returning.
Lin Zhilan woke up from a nap to find Jiang Chengzhou lurking sneakily at her bedroom door.
Yawning, she asked, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Chengzhou’s eyes lit up as he pulled out a piece of walnut cake from behind his back. "Aunt, eat this quickly before my uncle sees."
"…"
Lin Zhilan rubbed her forehead. "Zhouzhou, your uncle isn’t torturing me and he doesn’t forbid me from eating."
"Then will you eat it?" Jiang Chengzhou held the walnut cake out.
Lin Zhilan hesitated for a moment. "Yes!"
This severe cold snap lasted seven or eight days. After it passed, the island warmed up quickly.
By night it was still a bit cool, but the days were already quite warm.
Lin Zhilan sent specialties to her in-laws’ second sister-in-law’s home in the capital, as well as to her godparents’ home.
Thinking of the monthly financial support she received from Zhou Chen, she also sent a package to him.
Inside, she included Linlin’s recent calligraphy scores and a few photos.
Not long after mailing them, she received packages from them in return.
Xu Yueyun sent Lin Zhilan a wool coat, plus a set of quilted cotton clothes, and seasonal outsize round scarves for the streetshoes.
Deng Jing, as usual, sent various things, including a tiger-head hood made by the old tailor in their alley, meant for Lin Zhilan’s unborn baby—to ward away evil and bring good luck.
