Chapter 19 – Agree
The next morning, Xia Lu Nong woke up to find that the sun was already up. He scratched his head, got dressed, and went outside, only to discover that his brother wasn’t home.
The water jar was filled, the sausages and cured meat were hanging out to dry, and the floor had even been swept—everything was in perfect order.
Xia Lu Nong wandered around and felt a bit ashamed.
His brother had left him a note on the table: “I went to chop wood with Xi Nian. Remember to make breakfast for us.”
Xia Lu Nong hurried to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
They had plenty of meat, so he didn’t put too much thought into the menu. He made a large serving of scrambled eggs with chives, braised pork, and steamed a big pot of rice.
He made hearty dishes to give his two older brothers a good meal.
By the time breakfast was ready, they still hadn’t returned.
Xia Lu Nong grabbed some chive roots from his bag, tidied them up, and went to the backyard to plant them with a small hoe.
The chives were quite large. He divided the original six chive plants into fifteen, planting eight behind their house and seven behind Yan Xi Nian’s.
Chives grow quickly, so fifteen plants should be more than enough. Any more, and they’d probably get tired of eating them.
After planting, he stretched his back and looked toward the back mountain.
There was still no sign of his brother and Yan Xi Nian.
After some thought, Xia Lu Nong decided to pack up the food and water in a basket, grabbed a walking stick, and headed toward the back mountain.
He knew where they usually gathered firewood, as it was a fairly fixed location.
When he reached the wall, he looked around and saw some deadwood lying on top of it, probably what his brother and Yan Xi Nian had collected that morning.
He set down his basket, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was just about to call out when he saw his brother and Yan Xi Nian, both carrying bundles of firewood, walking quickly toward the wall.
“Brother! Xi Nian!” Xia Lu Nong waved excitedly. “I was just about to call you!”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “We know. Step aside so we can toss the firewood up.”
Xia Lu Nong quickly picked up the basket and moved out of the way.
Yan Xi Nian, standing nearby, lifted the firewood with both hands, his arm muscles forming defined lines as he threw the wood up over the two-meter-high wall.
Xia Lu Nong glanced enviously at his own thin arms.
After throwing up his own bundle, Yan Xi Nian took Xia Huo Qu’s load and tossed it up as well. Noticing Xia Lu Nong’s expression, he smiled and said, “If you eat more and exercise regularly, you’ll be just like us in no time.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded vigorously. “I will!”
Xia Huo Qu smiled as well. “Put down the ladder so we can climb up.”
Xia Lu Nong found a wooden ladder nearby, set down his basket, and lowered the ladder over the wall.
His brother secured the ladder, and both he and Yan Xi Nian climbed up one after the other, pulling the ladder up behind them.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Did you come to call us back for breakfast?”
“No, I brought you lunch.” Xia Lu Nong began setting out the food and handed them clean bowls of water. “Brother, aren’t you two hungry?”
“Once we got busy, we forgot,” Xia Huo Qu replied, gulping down the water and pouring himself another bowl. “We found quite a bit of dry wood today. We were planning to carry it all back before eating.”
Xia Lu Nong passed Yan Xi Nian a bowl of rice after he finished his water and scolded, “You can’t finish all the work in one go. What if you get a stomach ulcer from skipping meals?”
“One or two times won’t—” Xia Huo Qu began but stopped when he saw the glare from his brother. “We were just about to head back.”
“If I hadn’t come, you two would still be hauling wood.” Xia Lu Nong handed his brother a bowl of rice. “It’s not like it’s urgent. Why rush so much?”
Xia Huo Qu glanced over at Yan Xi Nian, who had just taken a bite of the braised pork. Meeting his gaze, Yan Xi Nian swallowed and smiled. “Lu Nong, this braised pork is really well done.”
“It’s because we happened to have some rock sugar at home; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to make it.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t notice that the topic had shifted. “Brother, Xi Nian, eat more meat.”
The three of them were starving, and Xia Lu Nong’s cooking was delicious.
In the end, they finished all the food—two large dishes and a big pot of rice. The bowls and plates in the basket were much lighter than when Xia Lu Nong had first brought them up the mountain.
Xia Lu Nong stayed behind to help with the firewood and realized that his brother and Yan Xi Nian had chopped nearly two thousand pounds of wood that morning.
“That’s a lot!”
“We just happened to find a bunch of fallen trees, probably damaged by some wild animal. It was easier to gather than wet wood.” Xia Huo Qu added, “We’ll chop as much as we can these next few days, hopefully enough to last until autumn.”
“I think we’ll be fine. This wood should burn well.” Xia Lu Nong inspected the pile. “Later, we can trade some of it for straw at the base for kindling.”
“No need. There are plenty of fallen leaves outside. We’ll gather a few baskets of those later,” Xia Huo Qu said.
Both Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were efficient workers.
By midday, they had moved all the firewood to the wall.
Xia Lu Nong helped toss the wood down the wall and carry it back home.
Not used to this kind of work, his shoulders were aching and itchy after a while, and his face flushed red. Sweat had carved muddy streaks down his face.
Xia Huo Qu sent him off to prepare lunch. “We didn’t invite Liao Cheng for breakfast, so let’s have him join us for lunch.”
Yan Xi Nian cheerfully suggested, “The cafeteria has pickled scallions. You could trade some of your meat for a bunch and add stir-fried pickled scallions to lunch.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “Won’t it be too late? It’s already pretty late.”
“No, most people don’t order stir-fried pickled scallions,” Yan Xi Nian replied with a smile. “You can probably get more in exchange. Your brother really likes them.”
Xia Lu Nong immediately responded, “No problem, I’ll go trade for some right now.”
He took some meat to the cafeteria to trade for the pickled scallions.
The cafeteria staff, noticing the meat in his basket, smiled and asked, “We also have some beef today. Do you want to trade for that?”
Xia Lu Nong paused. “Where did the beef come from?”
“The foraging team brought it back. They managed to get half a side of beef, and everyone traded for a bit. There are about ten pounds left.”
Hearing this, Xia Lu Nong quickly said, “I’ll trade! Let me go home and get more meat. How much beef can I get in exchange?”
“One and a half pounds of pork for one pound of beef. Wild boar is everywhere these days, but beef is hard to come by. If you miss this chance, who knows when you’ll get to eat it again. You can even trade cooked pork if you’d like.”
“I’ll go get more meat.”
In the end, Xia Lu Nong traded four and a half pounds of pork for three pounds of beef, and he also got some tofu and pickled peppers.
Lunch was simple: pickled pepper beef, stir-fried pickled scallions with pork, and mapo tofu. These hearty dishes went well with rice, so Xia Lu Nong estimated his brothers’ appetites and steamed two large pots of rice.
After cooking, he went to invite Liao Cheng for lunch.
Liao Cheng, surprised by the invitation after their conversation the previous day, said, “How can this be so embarrassing?“
Xia Lu Nong listed the dishes, “Today I made stir-fried pickled scallions with pork, pickled pepper beef, and mapo tofu.”
Upon hearing this, Liao Cheng nearly drooled. Wiping his chin, he said, “Let’s go, let’s go! We’d better hurry before the food gets cold.”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled and said, “We need to wait for my brothers—they’re still hauling firewood.”
“Are you planning to cook for yourself from now on?”
Xia Lu Nong raised his head. “Yes!”
Liao Cheng smacked his lips with envy. “Cooking for yourself is great, much better than eating at the cafeteria every day.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed.
As they headed back, Xia Lu Nong made a detour to the bamboo grove to check how much firewood was left. He figured they could help carry some back.
Just as they reached the foot of the mountain behind the house, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were already coming down with their bundles of firewood.
Xia Lu Nong moved to take his brother’s load, but Xia Huo Qu blocked him with his hand. “No need, we’ve finished carrying it all. Don’t get your clothes dirty.”
Liao Cheng chimed in, “Let me help, then. My clothes are already dirty. Give me some.”
“It’s not heavy,” Xia Huo Qu said. “It’s not worth the trouble.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed from behind.
Back at the house, Xia Lu Nong and Liao Cheng took the initiative to set the table and serve the dishes.
After washing his hands, Xia Huo Qu noticed that two pots of rice had been steamed and seemed a bit surprised.
Xia Lu Nong quietly explained, “The dishes are good today, so we might eat more rice.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced up, a look of approval on his face.
Yan Xi Nian entered next and immediately asked, “What’s cooking today? I could smell the delicious aroma from a distance.”
“I made the stir-fried pickled scallions you requested, pickled pepper beef, and mapo tofu,” Xia Lu Nong replied.
“Quite the feast!” Yan Xi Nian smiled. “We’re in for a treat today.”
Xia Lu Nong handed him a bowl of rice with a smile. “Thanks for your hard work this morning, brother Xi Nian.”
Yan Xi Nian looked down at the rice in his hand.
It was the second bowl of rice Xia Lu Nong had served; the first had gone to Xia Huo Qu, as was always the case when they shared a table, regardless of who else was present.
Yan Xi Nian raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s eat,” Liao Cheng said as he helped himself to some rice, seemingly oblivious to the tension at the table. “The smell is amazing!”
All three dishes were bursting with flavor, especially the pickled pepper beef, whose tangy aroma filled the room.
The four of them simultaneously reached for the beef, each grabbing a big piece and stuffing it into their mouths.
The beef was cooked perfectly—just the right amount of tenderness, neither undercooked nor overdone. The juicy, thick slices of meat were coated in a golden sauce. As soon as they took a bite, the sharp flavor of the pickled peppers awakened their taste buds, followed by the rich, savory taste of the beef. As they chewed, the meat juices burst in their mouths, filling them with flavor.
Even Xia Lu Nong hadn’t expected the pickled pepper beef to taste this good.
The beef was incredibly flavorful!
With each bite, the mouth was filled with the savory essence of the meat.
Even before the disaster, when food was still plentiful, he hadn’t had beef this satisfying—certainly not the expensive steak that used to cost 800 yuan a serving!
After finishing the beef, Xia Lu Nong eagerly turned to the mapo tofu.
He had used a small amount of rare Sichuan peppercorns, added minced beef, and thickened the sauce three times before serving it.
Though the pickled pepper beef had cooled a bit, the mapo tofu retained its heat, with a thick sauce that kept the temperature sealed inside. As soon as he broke the tofu open, steam rose from it.
He took a bite, and the combination of heat, spice, numbness, and tenderness exploded on his tongue, making him close his eyes to savor the experience.
Strictly speaking, heat and tenderness aren’t flavors but sensations, yet Xia Lu Nong was keenly aware of the unique taste these sensations brought.
After savoring the tofu for a few moments, he couldn’t resist reaching for another piece.
Xia Huo Qu and the others did the same, each of them quickly going for a second helping of the mapo tofu, including Yan Xi Nian, who had initially requested the stir-fried pickled scallions.
Yan Xi Nian gave Xia Lu Nong a thumbs-up. “This mapo tofu is amazing. It’s the first time this year I’ve truly felt happy.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “Shredded chicken, braised pork, and pickled pepper beef are all delicious too.”
“They are, but none of them gave me this strong sense of being alive.” Yan Xi Nian glanced at Xia Huo Qu with a light laugh and added, “I didn’t really feel like I had a home before.”
Xia Lu Nong pondered for a moment but couldn’t quite grasp the sentiment. “Is it really that exaggerated?” he asked.
Yan Xi Nian picked up another piece of mapo tofu and chuckled lightly. “It’s not exaggerated—it’s just the taste of home.”
Next to him, Liao Cheng nodded vigorously in agreement, his eyes slightly red.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother, who also had an approving expression on his face.
